Week 3 means meets are on the docket. This year, Missouri MileSplit is ramping up the meet coverage with contributors planning to make appearances at several of the biggest meets across the state. Expect to see a Missouri MileSplit photo/videographer at each of these eight invitationals this spring, as well as both State meets.
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1. McCullough-Douglass Invitational, Festus
3/29/2025
2025 Meet Page | 2024 Results | 2024 Meet Coverage
On the Saturday of Week 2 of racing season comes the McCullough-Douglass Invitational in Festus, a meet that has grown into the premier display of talent in the month of March year after year. This appears to be the case once again in 2025.
Last year, 21 performances met the MileSplit Second Team elite performances standard, headlined by 10 sub-9:40 performances in the exclusive Elite Boys 3200 section. Carson Driemeier led the way in 9:11.74. Jahmeshia Patterson had her coming out party, as well, running 12.10 in the 100 meter dash and finishing second in the long jump to Margaret Wrigley with her 5.37m performance.
Teams invited for 2025:
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2. Brusca-Strobach Invitational, Ladue
4/26/2025
One of two massive late April/early May meets in the St. Louis County area, the Ladue Brusca-Strobach Invitational is another one, like Festus, that will surely be headlined by the host school. Last spring, the meet, contested a week earlier than usual, featured 31 elite performances and impressive team battles. We saw a 5:00 girls 1600, three girls under 25 seconds in the 200, a 3:52.12 4x400 from Ladue, three boys under 4:20 in the boys 1600, and a sub-8:00 4x800 from Webster Groves.
Teams Invited for 2025: List TBA
Teams in attendance for the 2024 meet: Click here
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3. Dale Collier Invitational, Kirkwood
5/3/2025
The Dale Collier Invitational is consistently one of the premier meets in the state as a final showcase taking place right before most teams' conference meets. After featuring premier teams from both sides of the state, we will see Blue Springs pass on this meet this year in favor of their own premier invitational.
Last year we saw a whopping 70 elite performances with most of those coming in the sprints and sprint relays. Three teams broke 4:00 in the 4x400, A'laji Bradley ran 11.58 in the 100, Graham Stevener led four guys under 4:20 with his 4:12.02 mark, and Cardinal Ritter put the State on notice with their 1:40.23 4x200 mark.
Teams Invited for 2025:
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4. and 5. Glendale Girls/Hillcrest Boys
4/10/2025 | 4/11/2025
Glendale Girls 2025 Meet Info | Glendale Girls 2024 Results | Vaughan Invitational 2025 Meet Info | Hillcrest Boys 2024 Results
We will have coverage in the Springfield area this year with photo/video from the Glendale Girls Night Out and Jim Vaughan Invitational. The Glendale Girls Night Out consistently attracts the best talent from Kansas City, Springfield, and Columbia and, thus, churns out an always competitive meet. Last spring, the Girls Night Out meet posted 38 elite performances, headlined by a 6.04m long jump from Athena Peterson, a 46.56m javelin heave from her teammate Addison Throckmorton, and tight battles in the 100 meter dash and 300 meter hurdles.
2025 Invited Teams
The newly minted Jim Vaughan Invitational, previously known as the Hillcrest Boys Invitational, is the compliment to Glendale's Girls Night Out as it is also hosted at JFK Stadium just a day later. Last season's meet only saw 14 elite performances, most notably from, Langston Thomas in the long jump and Hickman's 41.90 4x100 meter relay so early on in the season, but this year, we will see Jackson Cantwell and Hayden Mays step into the ring(s) to show off in the shot put and discus.
2025 Invited Teams: TBA
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6. Gary Parker Invitational, Blue Springs
5/2/2025
2025 Meet Info | 2024 Meet Results
Even though the Gary Parker Invitational has moved to a later date, it should, once again, be a premier meet in the Kansas City area this season. Hosted by one of the premier teams in Class 5, Blue Springs will surely bring their own firepower to their home meet in the form of Paige Stuart, Madison Gleason, and A'Mya Criglar, among others.
As we mentioned, this year's meet takes place three weeks later than last year so we may see some even more polished performances than we did last year. In 2024, we saw 55 performances in the mid-April meet, so what will a meet in early May bring when it features Blue Springs, Blue Springs South, the Lee's Summits, Rock Bridge, Father Tolton, and more?
Teams Invited for 2025:
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7. Henle Holmes Invitational, Parkway Central
4/16-17/2025
2025 Meet Info | 2024 Meet Results
The exclusive, annual two-day clash in Chesterfield will be back on the same weekend for the 2025 season and should surely bring fireworks once again. It is a unique two-day meet in that takes place on Wednesday and Thursday unlike most others which are later in the week typically, but still attracts the St. Louis area's best year after year. Thirty elite performances were posted last year, including a 13.91 100 meter hurdles mark from Skyye Lee, a 10:37.75 3200 from Natalie Barnard, and 1.65m high jump mark from Coryn Fair. This year's participants to be announced, but last year's list was a who's-who of the St. Louis area's 20 best teams.
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8. Holt Invitational, Wentzville Holt
4/5/2025
2025 Meet Info | 2024 Meet Results
Wentzville Holt's enrollment may be dropping with the addition of the district's fourth high school four years ago, but attendance at their annual home meet in late March/early April has hardly waned. After playing host to 24 schools and 12 elite performances, expect the 2025 edition to once again feature an impressive combination of St. Charles County, St. Louis County, and Cahokia (IL). Last year's meet featured a 38.80 300 meter hurdles mark from Kelvin Coleman, an impressive battle in the 800 between Alex Jones (Ft. Zumwalt West) and Tyler Anderson (Ft. Zumwalt East), and a 54.53m Discus throw from Zavier Winton.
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9. Ken Peek Invitational, Liberty North
4/25/2025
2025 Meet Info | 2024 Meet Results | 2024 Meet Coverage
Last year's inaugural Ken Peek Invitational, named after the incomparable Liberty North coach who passed away after his battle with cancer, proved to be one of the most star-studded meets in the entire state. It produced 73 elite performances and quite possibly the fastest Boys 1600 we have ever seen in an April invitational. Seven boys posted marks under 4:16 and six more went under 4:25, all led by Henry Acorn's 4:11.79 stunner. The 3200 was just as good with nine boys under 9:40 led by Peyton Willbanks at 9:15.47. The current list of teams invited to this year's edition is as follows: Herculaneum, Kearney, Liberty (Wentzville), Liberty mo, Liberty North, Lincoln College Prep, Mill Valley (KS), Nixa, North Platte, Oak Park, Olathe East (KS), Park Hill, Park Hill South, Platte County, Pleasant Hill, Raymore-Peculiar, Rock Bridge, Ruskin, Smithville, Southern Boone, St. Joseph Central, St. Teresa's, St. Thomas Aquinas (KS), Staley, and Truman, a who's-who of talent from across the state and across the border in Kansas.