Wide Open Events: Who Takes Over Boys 110m Hurdles In 2024?

Jan 23, 2024

Silverdale's Liam Runkle and Lakeway's Palmer McGuffin finished first and second in Division II Class A last year and both return in the Top 10 overall rankings this season.

Wide Open Events

As we ramp up towards the 2024 outdoor season, we are going to examine several events or event categories that have been dominated over the past couple of seasons by one or two individual athletes. With the graduation of those, these events are without a favorite for the first time in several years and we'll take a look at who is in position to emerge from the pack and take over the rankings.

Boys 110m Hurdles

Nine of the Top 10 All-Time marks in the 110m Hurdles have been run in the past decade and it's easy to see why. Since 2014, we have entered the outdoor season with multiple high hurdlers returning with sub-14.50 marks under their belt. This year will be the first time since 2012 we have none. But, though the times of the returners may not jump out at you immediately, the level of success these athletes experienced a year ago may be enough to help catapult them to those all-time marks we've grown accustomed to seeing year over year.

Three runners return this season as defending state champions in the event:

Charlie Becker - Father Ryan: Division II Class AA
Logan Hargis - South Pittsburg: Division I Class A
Liam Runkle - Silverdale Baptist: Division II Class A

Charlie Becker swept both hurdle events in 2023 and returns as the #1 Overall 110m Hurdler in 2024.

Each of these runners also returns ranked in the Top 10 Overall Returning

RANK	TIME	WIND	ATHLETE/TEAM	GRADE	MEET DATEPLACE
1	14.50		CHARLIE BECKER Father Ryan High School	2024	TSSAA DII Large (AA) Middle Regional2nd F May 9, 2023 - May 12, 2023
2	14.71	-0.5	BRAYDEN SIMPSON Dobyns Bennett High School	2024	2023 Texas Roadhouse / DCTC Relays1st F May 6, 2023
3	14.86		MORCELLOUS HARRIS Memphis Central High School	2024	MSCIAA HS CRUMP-wk11st F Mar 21, 2023
3	14.86		CHRISTOPHER TALLEY Whitehaven High School	2026	adidas Outdoor Nationals1st F Jun 16, 2023 - Jun 18, 2023
5	14.99		PATRICK SULLIVAN Tyner Academy	2024	TSSAA D1 Class A East Sectional2nd F May 11, 2023
6	15.01		PALMER MCGUFFIN Lakeway Christian Academy	2024	Citizen Bank Invitational1st F Mar 21, 2023
7	15.05		THOMAS JONES Smyrna High School	2024	Eli Cramer Early Bird Championship Sponsor Riverdale Track Alum1st F Mar 25, 2023
8	15.07		LOGAN HARGIS South Pittsburg High School	2024	TSSAA D1 Class A East Sectional3rd F May 11, 2023
9	15.13		MICAH MORALES Maryville High School	2024	Last Chance Qualifier Meet1st F Apr 28, 2023
10	15.15	+2.4	LIAM RUNKLE Silverdale Baptist Academy	2025	TSSAA State T&F Championship -Div.2 A & AA1st F May 24, 2023
10	15.15		ISAAC BOLES Blackman High School	2025	TSSAA Section 2 Championships3rd F May 9, 2023

Top Returning 110m Hurdlers Continued>>>

Representation At Every Level

If you look at the returner rankings in every other event on the boys side, this is the only one where a runner from every competitive division makes their way into the Top 10:

Division I Class AAA - Simpson, Harris, Talley, Jones, Morales, Boles
Division I Class AA - Sullivan
Division I Class A - Hargis
Division II Class AA - Becker
Division II Class A - McGuffin, Runkle

I feel like this reinforces how wide open this event is this season. It's really is an event that's waiting for a favorite and while I'm not sure anyone will crack the All-Time Top 10, 14.26 will get you into the Top 25 which isn't beyond the realm of possibilities for several of these hurdlers.