It takes a great athlete to qualify for the AAU Junior Olympic Games, but in a deep field of elite competitors, it takes an exceptional talent to return home with a medal.
The H-Town Rollerz, a youth track and field club based in Hagerstown, were one of nearly 1,000 teams in attendance for the national meet, held at Drake University in Iowa. Coach Michael Simms’ squad qualified 13 athletes through a regional meet in Maryland, with nine of those athletes making the road trip for the week-long postseason finale.
By the time the dust settled in Iowa, the Rollerz had sent three athletes to the awards stand: Dru Kennedy, Anna Ramanan and Jurnee Simms.
Kennedy, competing in the boys 8U division, blitzed through the 400 in 1:06.79 to take fourth place. Just to qualify for the finals, Kennedy had to survive a prelim session that included 77 runners. Kennedy added Top 15 finishes in the 200 (29.28) and 100 (14.41).
Ramanan showed that she’ll be ready to star for North Hagerstown’s cross country squad when the season kicks off in a few weeks. Competing in the 17-18 girls 3,000, Ramanan cruised to a sixth-place finish in 11:23.16.
Jurnee Simms, competing in the 11-year-old girls division, blasted through a field of 75 runners to place seventh in the 400 in 1:00.78. She also competed in the 200 (18th in 27.37) and 100 (27th in 13.80).
Other competitors for the Rollerz included Delontay Lloyd Smith Jr. (10 years old, 22nd in boys shot put), Javion Simms (9 years old, 25th in boys 400, 28th in 200), Chase Blackwell (10 years old, 33rd in boys high jump), Mahaylee Smith (11 years old, 18th in girls javelin), Saharah Hassane (15-16, 38th in girls discus, 49th in shot put), and Cate Hensley (17-18, 31st in girls 1,500, 55th in 800).
Below is an event-by-event look at how the Rollerz performed at the AAU Junior Olympic Games:
AAU Junior Olympic Games
Saturday-Saturday, Aug. 1-8, at Drake University, Iowa
LocalNews1.org Finishers
Boys
8U
100: 13. Dru Kennedy (H-Town) 14.41
200: 10. Dru Kennedy (H-Town) 29.28
400: 4. Dru Kennedy (H-Town) 1:06.79
9 years old
200: 28. Javion Simms (H-Town) 30.18
400: 25. Javion Simms (H-Town) 1:08.55
10 years old
Shot put: 22. Delontay Lloyd Smith Jr. (H-Town) 7.16m
High jump: 33. Chase Blackwell (H-Town) 1.05m
Girls
11 years old
100: 27. Jurnee Simms (H-Town) 13.80
200: 18. Jurnee Simms (H-Town) 27.37
400: 7. Jurnee Simms (H-Town) 1:00.78
Javelin: 18. Mahaylee Smith (H-Town) 16.89
15-16
Shot put: 49. Saharah Hassane (H-Town) 8.55m
Discus: 38. Saharah Hassane (H-Town) 26.56m
17-18 years old
800: 55. Cate Hensley (H-Town) 2:38.91
1,500: 31. Cate Hensley (H-Town) 5:46.46
3,000: 6. Anna Ramanan (H-Town) 11:23.16
