As the 2022 edition of the AAU Junior Olympic Games winds down, here is a look at the St. Louis area 15-16, 17-18-year-old age division boys entries and some of their accomplishments this year. The AAU Junior Olympic Games wraps up Saturday in Greensboro, North Carolina on the campus of the University of North Carolina A&T.
15-16-year-old age Division
Westminster Christian Academy sophomore and Ultimate Speed Academy's Joseph Anderson is a bundle of talent in a tall frame and long limbs. Anderson won the Class 3 boys triple jump, leaping 13.83m/45-4.5''. Anderson ran to a personal record (PR) of 15.42 for the 110-meter hurdles at Districts. At State, Anderson ran to a 2rd place prelims finish in the high hurdles in 15.57-seconds. In the final he took out a hurdle and was disqualified, presumably for pushing over a hurdle with his hands to avoid injury after being able to stay on his feet after sending the previous barrier flying.
In the long jump final, Anderson measured 6.52m/21-4.75'' on his first attempt. After four straight fouls on his following attempts, Anderson came thru in the clutch. On his sixth and final attempt, Anderson flew 6.70m/21-11.75''. The mark was just 0.1-meter off his PR and instead of finishing 7th and scoring 2 points, he took 4th, scoring 5 points.
While the Westminster Christian girls ran away the Class 3 team title, scoring 70 points with a 23 points margin, the Westminster Christian boys won the team title by just three points, 45-42 over Lutheran (St. Charles) High School. The winning margin, the same amount of points Anderson added while moving up in the long jump standings on his final attempt.
Anderson placed 4th and 14th in the triple jumps for Team Missouri at the Great Southwest Track and Field Classic the week after state. Anderson has PRs of 6.8m/22-3.75'' and 14.24m/46-8.75'' in the horizontal jumps. At the Region 15 meet in Rolla at Missouri S&T, Anderson won the 15-16 age division triple jump and 100-hurdles and took 2nd in the long jump. The marks he made there make the St. Louis native the 2nd, 65th, and 38th seed.
Another Joseph Anderson from the St. Louis area is competing in North Carolina. St. Louis Scorpions Track Club's Joseph Anderson Jr. is a sprinter at Hazelwood West High School. Anderson Jr., from Florissant, finished 2nd and 4th in the 100 and 200-meter dashes at the Region 15 meet in the 15-16 division.