Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)

Middle School Distance Stars Set for AAU Junior Olympic Games

07/23/2024

Some of the top distance runners in the country are set to compete at the 2024 AAU Junior Olympic Games

Article Originally Published on www.milesplit.com
Written by: Maxx Bradley - MileSplit

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- In anticipation of what's going to be an exciting edition of the AAU Junior Olympic Games, there's no better time than now to preview a few of the top stories on the distance side of things.

From star-studded middle schoolers to tried and true upperclassmen, the distance races in Greensboro, North Carolina are going to be entertaining.

Middle Schoolers Alex Scappaticci & Grace Love Square Off Over 3,000m

Middle-school distance stars Alex Scappaticci and Grace Love each come into the AAU Junior Olympic Games as contenders and each have what it takes to break the tape.

The pair sit atop the list of 39 entries in the 13-year-old 3,000m, with seed times of 10:23.8 and 10:26.36.

Only three other girls have seed times under 11:00 and the closest competitor is still 12 seconds back of Love, meaning that we're probably going to see a two person battle from the moment the gun goes off.

With both Scappaticci and Love coming off of solid seventh-grade campaigns, it's too tough to tell who is in a better position to snag the win.

On one hand, Scappaticci has ran as fast as 10:44 over the course of eight laps, and won three MHSAA title at the end of May.

For Love, she's coming off of a solid showing at New Balance Nationals Outdoor, where she ran 5:19 and 11:32 at Franklin Field.

Regardless of who comes out victorious, the battle between two future stars is one to watch.

Ruel Newberry Chasing Double Gold Ahead of Freshman Year

Under a month away from his debut for the Denton Guyer (TX) high school program, middle school standout Ruel Newberry is looking for a combination of wins and records before making the jump to high school.

During his eighth-grade track campaign, Newberry left his mark on the middle school landscape, running 4:33 and 9:11 to win both the mile and 2-mile races at New Balance Nationals Outdoor, with the latter being a new middle school national record.

In his return to the AAU Junior Olympic Games, Newberry is looking for a combination of records and medals as he'll take on the 800m, 1500m, and 3000m, where his seed time ranks him No. 4, No. 1 and No. 1. Newberry is also set to run a leg on the I'm Better Than That (IBTT) Track Club's 4x800m.

Eliza Bush Aiming To End Junior Season As A Champ

Before she shifts gears to focus on her upcoming senior cross country season, Ypsilanti Arbor Preparatory standout Eliza Bush is hoping to leave Greensboro, North Carolina with some hardware and end her summer as a winner.

During her slate of racing in the spring, Bush made quite a bit of noise after running 5:05 and 10:52 in the 1,600m and 3,200m, the No. 14 and No. 10 times among juniors in Michigan.

After a few months of minimal racing and primarily training, Bush is back on the track as she'll be running both the 1,500m and 3,000m against a stacked field of contenders in a few days time.

According to the entries, Bush is the fastest athlete in the 17-18yo division 3,000m by nearly 50 seconds and the second-fastest in the 1,500m by just three seconds.

For a girl that finished outside of the top two spots just three times in her 14 races, it's safe the target is on her back and that she's the top dog.