Missouri high school spring sports: Five girls to watch
The Missouri high school spring sports season is in full swing. With state championship events just more than a month away, here are five female athletes to keep an eye on during the rest of the spring.
Anglerne Annelus, Grandview, senior
There are few, if any, high school track athletes with a more accomplished resume than Annelus. Over the past two seasons, she has won six Missouri Class 3 state championships.
The UCLA signee is a two-time defending champion in the 100- and 200-meter races, and she’s anchored a pair of relay wins, too.
Annelus is a favorite to defend her individual titles next month. Although she hasn’t yet hit the pace she sat last season — when she completed the 100 dash in 11.74 seconds and the 200 dash in 24.11 seconds — she still swept the two races at the Grandview Invitational last week.
Dorian Bailey, St. Teresa’s Academy, senior
The reigning Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year is ranked as one of the top-10 high school soccer recruits in the country. While splitting time between forward and midfielder, she scored 16 goals last season for the Stars, who settled for a second-place finish in Missouri Class 3 for the second straight season.
Bailey has two goals and two assists this season, but she is currently away from her high school team and with the United States Under-19 women’s national team, which is conducting a training camp this week in Carson, Calif.
Bailey has signed with North Carolina.
NeKiesha Bailey, North Kansas City, senior
Bailey set a school record in the high jump last spring, when she cleared the bar at five feet, eight inches — a mark that earned her the Missouri Class 4 state championship.
She’s back to defend her gold medal. And she has her eye on a couple of more, too.
In addition to winning the high jump at the Jerry Crew Invitational last week, Bailey also won the 100-meter hurdles by nearly a full second, completing the race in 15.79 seconds. She finished second to teammate Sabrina Anderson in the long jump.
Morgan Hensley, Blue Springs, junior
After scoring 19 goals and recording 11 assists last season, Hensley started off her junior season on a roll. She scored six goals over three games to lead Blue Springs to a tournament championship in Platte County, including four goals in a 4-3 win against Liberty North in the final.
She didn’t have much practice time, either. Hensley had just completed her basketball season with the Wildcats, and she was a Suburban Gold Conference honorable mention selection.
Hensley has committed to play soccer at Kansas State, which will begin its women’s soccer program in the fall of 2016.
Anna Lillig, St. Pius X, senior
One of the area’s top goalkeepers, Lillig is a three-time all-state selection and a three-time winner of the Missouri Class 1 goalkeeper of the year award. She posted 13 shutouts last season, helping St. Pius X reach the Class 1 state quarterfinals.
Lillig, who signed in February to continue her career next season at UMKC, is known as an aggressive goalkeeper, but she takes calculated risks.
St. Pius X has the bulk of its defense back from last season, and with Lillig in the net, the Warriors could be poised for another deep postseason run.
This story was originally published April 14, 2015 at 11:45 AM with the headline "Missouri high school spring sports: Five girls to watch."