It has been a busy summer and athletes across the country have been competing well past the end of the 2026 outdoor track & field season.
Kirkwood welcomed athletes from 8 to 18 years of age during the final week of June to compete at the AAU Region 15 Qualifier in preparation for the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Des Moines, Iowa, beginning August 1st through the 8th.
Here are a few athletes you need to keep an eye on as the summer's biggest track & field extravaganza nears.
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Gabrielle Moresi, Elite Speed University - 17/18 Girls
It was an exciting day for the junior from Parkway Central who walked away from last month's Regional Qualifier with a pair of wins in the 800m and 1,500m.
Gabrielle Moresi was dominant in the distance races, running an impressive 2:17 in the 800m and cruising to a 28-second victory in the 1,500m. The rising senior qualified to state in all three distance races this spring season, finishing fifth in the 800m and in the top 10 in the 1,600m and 3,200m.
This was Moresi's debut on the AAU circuit, so this will be her first opportunity to compete at the summer's biggest track & field meet.
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Kaden Johnson, Scorpions Track Club - 14 Boys
The four-time AAU Junior Olympic champion will return to Des Moines next month and will make his seventh trip to the summer track classic.
Kaden Johnson scored a pair of victories in the 100m and 200m dashes at last month's Region 15 Qualifier, while finishing second in the long jump, an event in which he has won three national championships. Both sprint races resulted in a personal best, having run 11.28 in the 100m and 23.05 in the 200m.
It's obvious that Johnson is no stranger to the summer circuit's highest level and his experience should give him a significant advantage in Des Moines.
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Tyson McDonald, St. Louis PAL Jaguars - 10 Boys
Another youth sprinter who impressed in Kirkwood was Tyson McDonald, winning his division's 100m, 200m, and 400m dashes.
McDonald set three personal bests at the AAU Region 15 meet, running 13.40 (100m), 27.26 (200m), and 62.83 (400m) en route to his three wins. He will be making his second consecutive appearance at the AAU Junior Olympic Games and will be looking to qualify for his first national final.
It was a summer full of improvement, as McDonald finished 4th in the 200m and 2nd in the 400m at last year's qualifying event, and the rising star will be hoping that leads to a big day on the circuit's biggest stage.
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Cali Johnson, Xplosion T&F Club - 13 Girls
Perhaps the most dominant showing at the Kirkwood Region 15 Qualifier came from Cali Johnson, who picked up three wins in the discus, javelin, and shot put events.
The three events weren't ever really in doubt as Johnson won the discus by 44 feet, the javelin by 49 feet, and the shot put by 7.8 feet. Her performances in the javelin (75-3) and shot put (33-1) were personal bests, putting an exclamation point on an incredible day.
The wins mark the third straight year Johnson has won the three events at the Region 15 meet and she is poised to make her first trip to the AAU Junior Olympic Games since 2024, where she finished 5th in the shot put.
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Bailee Hinton, Speed Track Club - 9 Girls
The incoming 8th grader continued her undefeated season in the 100m dash en route to a win at last month's Region 15 Qualifier, her fourth straight win in the event at the annual meet.
In addition to her win in the 100m, Bailee Hinton also won the 200m, running 26.01, a new personal best, and will now have the opportunity to improve upon her all-time best finish at the AAU Junior Olympic Games 200m dash, which was 6th in 2023 and 2024.
This August would mark Hinton's fourth straight appearance at the summer showcase, which has resulted in one podium finish and a pair of fifth-place finishes in the 100m dash. Given her recent form, this could be the year Hinton takes home the circuit's top prize in the 100m dash.