The AAU Junior Olympics wrapped up on Saturday and Missourians showed out in a big way. We have already recapped some of the top performances from the multi-events and the first three days, but let's look deeper at five more stellar performances from the weekend.
1. Carson Selby Wins 17-18 Womens 3K, Earns Three All-American Medals
Webster Groves senior Carson Selby doubled back from her fourth place finish in the 1500 meter run to win the 3000 meter run in the 17-18 division. She ran 10:19.93, a personal best in the 3000, but would convert to just a tick slower than her 3200 meter best of 10:59.82 from April. Selby finished out her first year in the AAU circuit with All-American medals in the 1500, 3000, and 4x800 meter relay as Elite Speed University finished fourth in 10:10.61. She appears poised for an improvement on the already stellar 6th place finish at the Class 4 State Championships she earned last fall.
2. Justyce Sanders Runs Away With 17-18 Womens 400
MICDS standout Justyce Sanders capped off her impressive junior season with a national championship in the 17-18 Women's 400 meter dash. She ran a personal best of 53.59, nearly a second faster than the 54.55 mark she used to win the Class 5 State Championships this past May. It was her seventh sub-55 mark of the season. Sanders was also ninth in the 200 meter dash with a 24.16 performance, just off her 23.93 season best.
3. Jackson Medley Wins 17-18 Mens Discus
Clayton High School rising senior Jackson Medley used a personal best performance to win the national championship in the 17-18 Mens Discus. He hit 52.20m (171-3), 5 inches better than the mark which earned him a trip to the Class 4 State Championships this spring. Medley earned all-State honors in the Discus for the first time in May and improved by a whopping 35 feet from last year's AAU Junior Olympics.
4. Zane Croft All-American In Hyper-Competitive 17-18 100 and 200 Races
The AAU circuit tends to emphasize the sprint races due to the favorable nature of the weather and fact that more distance athletes may be gearing up for the cross country season than wanting to focus on the long AAU qualifying process. As a result, the 100 and 200 meter dashes can be loaded at the national meet. That was hardly a deterrent for recent Hazelwood Central grad Zane Croft. The future Maryville Saint earned All-American honors in the 100 and 200 meter dash in the 17-18 division, running a personal best of 10.51 in prelims and 21.44 in semis. He finished 8th and 6th in finals, respectively. Croft ends his high school career with the 10.51 mark and a personal best of 21.19 he posted at the Region 15 Qualifier in mid-June.
5. Canyon Dobler Wins 15-16 Boys Pole Vault
Canyon Dobler pulled in a victory in the 15-16 Boys Pole Vault with a clearance of 4.25m (13-11.25). He finished out his sophomore year with the top mark among 10th graders in the state: 4.57m (15-0) for the Carthage Tigers and will be the third best returner in the entire state for the 2027 season.
Full AAU Junior Olympics Replay
The AAU Junior Olympics wrapped up on Saturday and Missourians showed out in a big way. We have already recapped some of the top performances from the multi-events and the first three days, but let's look deeper at five more stellar performances from the weekend.
1. Carson Selby Wins 17-18 Womens 3K, Earns Three All-American Medals
Webster Groves senior Carson Selby doubled back from her fourth place finish in the 1500 meter run to win the 3000 meter run in the 17-18 division. She ran 10:19.93, a personal best in the 3000, but would convert to just a tick slower than her 3200 meter best of 10:59.82 from April. Selby finished out her first year in the AAU circuit with All-American medals in the 1500, 3000, and 4x800 meter relay as Elite Speed University finished fourth in 10:10.61. She appears poised for an improvement on the already stellar 6th place finish at the Class 4 State Championships she earned last fall.
2. Justyce Sanders Runs Away With 17-18 Womens 400
MICDS standout Justyce Sanders capped off her impressive junior season with a national championship in the 17-18 Women's 400 meter dash. She ran a personal best of 53.59, nearly a second faster than the 54.55 mark she used to win the Class 5 State Championships this past May. It was her seventh sub-55 mark of the season. Sanders was also ninth in the 200 meter dash with a 24.16 performance, just off her 23.93 season best.
3. Jackson Medley Wins 17-18 Mens Discus
