University of Missouri commit senior Kalescia Thomas is chasing away her demons from last May. Thomas qualified for state in the 100 meter hurdle; however, she jumped the gun and was disqualified. This year, she refuses to lose.

“I want to work on speed,” Thomas said. “My goal is to break 15 seconds in the 100 meter hurdle.”

With it being her last year, she wants to make it count.

“Being disqualified made me realize that I have the potential. I’m hoping for bigger and brighter things this year,” Thomas said.

This Friday and Saturday, boys and girls track compete at the Festus High School Early Bird Invite. The JV teams compete on Friday, and the varsity team compete Saturday.

Thomas is favored to win the 100 meter hurdle, as she plans to sprint her way to state for the second year in a row.

Thomas said, “I want to go to state in all of my events, and do well both as a team and as an individual.”