Distance Athletes To Watch At The AAU Junior Olympic Games
07/28/2020
MileSplit has compiled a list of some of the top distance athletes that will be competing at the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
Article originally posted on MileSplit.
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - In less than one week, the AAU Junior Olympic Games will be held in the Space Coast of Florida, with athletes of all ages descending on Satellite High School from August 4-8.
Roughly 2,100 athletes will be competing in Florida from across the country -- and abiding by safety protocols -- to compete to earn some national hardware.
Let's take a closer look at the top athletes from various age groups who will be competing in the distance events.
Top Boys:
AJ Green Will Line Up For the 400m and 800m
It's safe to say that AJ Green has shaken off the rust. Hailing from Apple Valley, Minnesota, Green has already competed four different times since June, traveling from Texas to Nevada and recently to Illinois this outdoor season.
He is scheduled to be lining up in both the 400m and 800m next week in the boys 17-18 division.
So far this outdoor season, Green has lost just one 800m -- on Monday against Brandon Miller -- and has run a season best effort of 1:50.35, which is currently ranked the fifth-fastest 800m time this year.
Last year, he ran a personal best of 1:49.83 for the second-fastest time in the nation that season. During the fourth of July weekend, he ran a 49.48 at Track Dynamite Track Meet.
This is just 0.12 off of his personal best in this event. Will he be able to go sub 1:50 and set a personal best in the 400m at the AAU Junior Olympic Games? The AAU Junior Olympic Games presents Green perhaps with one last opportunity.
Adam Mason To Challenge AJ Green in 400m and 800m
Along with Green, Adam Mason will be entered in the 400m and 800m in the boys 17-18 division. Mason is an athlete who was ranked in the top 50 in the nation during the indoor 2020 season and we could potentially expect him to pick up where he left off.
There's no doubt that Mason has been training during the pandemic, as he opened the season with his first outdoor 800m with a 2:01.28, and dropped down to a 1:54.86 personal best at the Track Dynamite Track Meet a few weeks ago.
The Manvel (TX) High School rising senior will be one of Greens's competitors at this meet.
Matthew Fernando Combines Speed And Strength in the 800m And 1500m
The Westminster School (GA) rising junior will likely show his speed and strength in 800m and 1500m.
Fernando has run three races so far this outdoor season in the 800m, 1500m and 1600m. But he's also coming off a strong cross country campaign where he placed ninth at the GHSA State Cross Country Championships.
Last year, he placed second in the 800m at the AAU National Club Championships. Then, a few weeks later, he placed third in the 1500m and 10th in the 800m at the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
Immanuel Edwards' Entry in 1500m and 3000m Double
A rising senior who competes in the homeschool division in Texas, Edwards is entered in the 1,500m and 3,000m next week. So far, Edwards has been all over the track and the sandpit this outdoor season. He's been on the track in the 1500m, 1600m, 3000m, and 3,200m races, but he's also leapt to a personal best in the triple jump, too.
Last year, Edwards placed 20th at the AAU Junior Olympic Games in the 1,500m and fifth in the 3000m, where he ran times of 4:17.85 and 9:18.05, respectively.
In 2018, he won the AAU National Club Championship in the 3,000m. His experience of competing at the national level will be an advantage for him at the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
Francisco Ramirez Is A Triple Threat In The 1,500m, 3,000m and 4x800m
Ramirez will have a busy weekend in the distance events.
In December, he placed third at the AAU National Championships during the cross country season and then followed outdoors by placing ninth in the 1,500m with a personal best of 4:15.45, and fourth in the 3,000m with a lifetime best of 9:18.89 -- accomplishing that feat at the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
Recently, he competed for the first time since the pandemic in July and ran time of 4:16.65 in the 1,600m at the Alabama Heat 5th Annual Regional Tune-Up.
Watch out for him as he competes in two individual events on the distance side and running one of the legs on the 4x800m for the G.O.A.T Farm TC (FL).
Victor Jaimez-Solorio Going After National Records
Even as an eight-year-old, California native Victor Jaimez-Solorio has dominated the 800m and 1,500m events. At the AAU Junior Olympic Games last year, he broke the national record in his age group for the 1,500m with a time of 5:07.14.
So far this outdoor season, Jaimez-Solorio has run a personal best of 4:57.28, just beating the AAU Junior Olympic national record for the nine-year-old age group of 4:57.47. In order for that record to be his -- for a long time -- he will have to replicate the same race in Florida.
The 9-year-old will also be competing in the 400m and 800m races, too.
He set three personal bests so far this year at the AAU West Coast Junior Olympics with times of 1:06.04, 2:25.54 and his 1500m time a few weeks ago.
And as Jaimez-Solorio told us in July at the AAU West Coast Junior Olympic Games, the farther the race, the more he enjoys the talent. Watch out for this wunderkind.
Top Girls:
Michaela Rose Looking to Defend Her 800m Title
Let's move to the girls action.
And we would be naive if we didn't start with Michaela Rose.
The homeschooled athlete from Virginia has a few AAU Junior Olympic medals hanging up at home, to say the least. Last year, she won her third 800m gold medal by breaking the national age group record with a time of 2:05.53. Rose then won another gold medal in the 400mH with a personal best of 58.16, flipping an insane double in two wildly different events.
This year, Rose will concentrate on her main events in the 17-18 girls division. She will be looking to defend her previous title in the 800m, while also competing in the 400m and 400mH.
Heidi Nielson Is Going After A Fast 1,500m
In March, Katy Cinco Ranch's (TX) Heidi Nielson ran a personal best in the 1600m with a 4:47.90, which was right on pace from the sophomore campaign, when she ran a lifetime best in the 1,500m of 4:33.08
As a sophomore, not only did Nielson place second at the 2019 UIL State Championships in the 1,600m, but she also placed second at the USATF U20 Outdoor Championships in the 5,000m and qualified for the Pan American U20 Championships in Costa Rica.
An advantage that Nielson brings to the AAU Junior Olympics is her stamina, versatility and race experience. Having raced everything from the 800m to the 5,000m, she will be an athlete to look out for in the 1,500m in the 17-18 girls age bracket.
Meadow Millett Will Compete All Over the Track
One athlete, in particular, will be competing in a wild array of distance events next week will be Millett.
She's scheduled to go in the 400m, 800m, 1,500m and 3,000m. And if her resume is of any indication, she will be ready for it.
Millett competed in 13 races this season ranging from the 200m to 3,000m. She will be one of the sharpest and most prepared athletes to step onto the track. During the 2019 outdoor season, she has set personal bests in every event she competed in.
Halyn Senegal Going for the Quadruple
Sam Houston's (LA) Halyn Senegal will be competing in two individual events and relays at the AAU Junior Olympics. Senegal is a two-time Louisana state champion in the 800m. She will be representing Track Dynamic and running a leg on their 4x400m and 4x800m in the girls 17-18 division.
One of her toughest competitions will be in the 800m, though, as she faces Rose for the title. After setting a personal best in the 400m this outdoor season, Senegal will be looking to earn the title in this event. And further, the Louisiana athlete may have an opportunity to chase after a coveted 2:10-effort in the 800m.
Alina LaForest Ready to Add Some Heat to the Competition
Alina LaForest will be opening up her outdoor season at the AAU Junior Olympics.
And oot only was LaForest ranked top 100 in the nation for the 400m and 800m this past indoor season as a sophomore, but she was also 10th overall in the 600m.
Last year at this meet, she placed sixth in the 400mH with a personal best of 1:03.19. Next week, she will be a contender in the 400mH, 800m and 1500m.
Jordynn West Looking to Add More AAU Junior Olympic Medals to Her Collection
Jordynn West has earned herself multiple AAU medals over the years.
In 2019, the young talent from Texas earned a bronze medal in the 3,000m. Earlier in her career, she also earned another third-place finish in the 1,500m in 2017.
She also competed at the AAU National Club Championships and won the gold medal in 2019 for the 3000m and in 2017 she won the gold in the 800m and 1500m.
She has multiple medals from the AAU Northern Indoor National Championships. And next week, you can expect her to compete in the 800m, 1500m and 3000.
West has personal bests of 2:22.17, 4:55.17 and 10:33.63, respectively, and is one of the bright, young talents who are set to compete in Florida.
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - In less than one week, the AAU Junior Olympic Games will be held in the Space Coast of Florida, with athletes of all ages descending on Satellite High School from August 4-8.
Roughly 2,100 athletes will be competing in Florida from across the country -- and abiding by safety protocols -- to compete to earn some national hardware.
Let's take a closer look at the top athletes from various age groups who will be competing in the distance events.
Top Boys:
AJ Green Will Line Up For the 400m and 800m
It's safe to say that AJ Green has shaken off the rust. Hailing from Apple Valley, Minnesota, Green has already competed four different times since June, traveling from Texas to Nevada and recently to Illinois this outdoor season.
He is scheduled to be lining up in both the 400m and 800m next week in the boys 17-18 division.
So far this outdoor season, Green has lost just one 800m -- on Monday against Brandon Miller -- and has run a season best effort of 1:50.35, which is currently ranked the fifth-fastest 800m time this year.
Last year, he ran a personal best of 1:49.83 for the second-fastest time in the nation that season. During the fourth of July weekend, he ran a 49.48 at Track Dynamite Track Meet.
This is just 0.12 off of his personal best in this event. Will he be able to go sub 1:50 and set a personal best in the 400m at the AAU Junior Olympic Games? The AAU Junior Olympic Games presents Green perhaps with one last opportunity.
Adam Mason To Challenge AJ Green in 400m and 800m
Along with Green, Adam Mason will be entered in the 400m and 800m in the boys 17-18 division. Mason is an athlete who was ranked in the top 50 in the nation during the indoor 2020 season and we could potentially expect him to pick up where he left off.
There's no doubt that Mason has been training during the pandemic, as he opened the season with his first outdoor 800m with a 2:01.28, and dropped down to a 1:54.86 personal best at the Track Dynamite Track Meet a few weeks ago.
The Manvel (TX) High School rising senior will be one of Greens's competitors at this meet.
Matthew Fernando Combines Speed And Strength in the 800m And 1500m
The Westminster School (GA) rising junior will likely show his speed and strength in 800m and 1500m.
Fernando has run three races so far this outdoor season in the 800m, 1500m and 1600m. But he's also coming off a strong cross country campaign where he placed ninth at the GHSA State Cross Country Championships.
Last year, he placed second in the 800m at the AAU National Club Championships. Then, a few weeks later, he placed third in the 1500m and 10th in the 800m at the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
Immanuel Edwards' Entry in 1500m and 3000m Double
A rising senior who competes in the homeschool division in Texas, Edwards is entered in the 1,500m and 3,000m next week. So far, Edwards has been all over the track and the sandpit this outdoor season. He's been on the track in the 1500m, 1600m, 3000m, and 3,200m races, but he's also leapt to a personal best in the triple jump, too.
Last year, Edwards placed 20th at the AAU Junior Olympic Games in the 1,500m and fifth in the 3000m, where he ran times of 4:17.85 and 9:18.05, respectively.
In 2018, he won the AAU National Club Championship in the 3,000m. His experience of competing at the national level will be an advantage for him at the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
Francisco Ramirez Is A Triple Threat In The 1,500m, 3,000m and 4x800m
Ramirez will have a busy weekend in the distance events.
In December, he placed third at the AAU National Championships during the cross country season and then followed outdoors by placing ninth in the 1,500m with a personal best of 4:15.45, and fourth in the 3,000m with a lifetime best of 9:18.89 -- accomplishing that feat at the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
Recently, he competed for the first time since the pandemic in July and ran time of 4:16.65 in the 1,600m at the Alabama Heat 5th Annual Regional Tune-Up.
Watch out for him as he competes in two individual events on the distance side and running one of the legs on the 4x800m for the G.O.A.T Farm TC (FL).
Victor Jaimez-Solorio Going After National Records
Even as an eight-year-old, California native Victor Jaimez-Solorio has dominated the 800m and 1,500m events. At the AAU Junior Olympic Games last year, he broke the national record in his age group for the 1,500m with a time of 5:07.14.
So far this outdoor season, Jaimez-Solorio has run a personal best of 4:57.28, just beating the AAU Junior Olympic national record for the nine-year-old age group of 4:57.47. In order for that record to be his -- for a long time -- he will have to replicate the same race in Florida.
The 9-year-old will also be competing in the 400m and 800m races, too.
He set three personal bests so far this year at the AAU West Coast Junior Olympics with times of 1:06.04, 2:25.54 and his 1500m time a few weeks ago.
And as Jaimez-Solorio told us in July at the AAU West Coast Junior Olympic Games, the farther the race, the more he enjoys the talent. Watch out for this wunderkind.
Top Girls:
Michaela Rose Looking to Defend Her 800m Title
Let's move to the girls action.
And we would be naive if we didn't start with Michaela Rose.
The homeschooled athlete from Virginia has a few AAU Junior Olympic medals hanging up at home, to say the least. Last year, she won her third 800m gold medal by breaking the national age group record with a time of 2:05.53. Rose then won another gold medal in the 400mH with a personal best of 58.16, flipping an insane double in two wildly different events.
This year, Rose will concentrate on her main events in the 17-18 girls division. She will be looking to defend her previous title in the 800m, while also competing in the 400m and 400mH.
Heidi Nielson Is Going After A Fast 1,500m
In March, Katy Cinco Ranch's (TX) Heidi Nielson ran a personal best in the 1600m with a 4:47.90, which was right on pace from the sophomore campaign, when she ran a lifetime best in the 1,500m of 4:33.08
As a sophomore, not only did Nielson place second at the 2019 UIL State Championships in the 1,600m, but she also placed second at the USATF U20 Outdoor Championships in the 5,000m and qualified for the Pan American U20 Championships in Costa Rica.
An advantage that Nielson brings to the AAU Junior Olympics is her stamina, versatility and race experience. Having raced everything from the 800m to the 5,000m, she will be an athlete to look out for in the 1,500m in the 17-18 girls age bracket.
Meadow Millett Will Compete All Over the Track
One athlete, in particular, will be competing in a wild array of distance events next week will be Millett.
She's scheduled to go in the 400m, 800m, 1,500m and 3,000m. And if her resume is of any indication, she will be ready for it.
Millett competed in 13 races this season ranging from the 200m to 3,000m. She will be one of the sharpest and most prepared athletes to step onto the track. During the 2019 outdoor season, she has set personal bests in every event she competed in.
Halyn Senegal Going for the Quadruple
Sam Houston's (LA) Halyn Senegal will be competing in two individual events and relays at the AAU Junior Olympics. Senegal is a two-time Louisana state champion in the 800m. She will be representing Track Dynamic and running a leg on their 4x400m and 4x800m in the girls 17-18 division.
One of her toughest competitions will be in the 800m, though, as she faces Rose for the title. After setting a personal best in the 400m this outdoor season, Senegal will be looking to earn the title in this event. And further, the Louisiana athlete may have an opportunity to chase after a coveted 2:10-effort in the 800m.
Alina LaForest Ready to Add Some Heat to the Competition
Alina LaForest will be opening up her outdoor season at the AAU Junior Olympics.
And oot only was LaForest ranked top 100 in the nation for the 400m and 800m this past indoor season as a sophomore, but she was also 10th overall in the 600m.
Last year at this meet, she placed sixth in the 400mH with a personal best of 1:03.19. Next week, she will be a contender in the 400mH, 800m and 1500m.
Jordynn West Looking to Add More AAU Junior Olympic Medals to Her Collection
Jordynn West has earned herself multiple AAU medals over the years.
In 2019, the young talent from Texas earned a bronze medal in the 3,000m. Earlier in her career, she also earned another third-place finish in the 1,500m in 2017.
She also competed at the AAU National Club Championships and won the gold medal in 2019 for the 3000m and in 2017 she won the gold in the 800m and 1500m.
She has multiple medals from the AAU Northern Indoor National Championships. And next week, you can expect her to compete in the 800m, 1500m and 3000.
West has personal bests of 2:22.17, 4:55.17 and 10:33.63, respectively, and is one of the bright, young talents who are set to compete in Florida.
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