Top Texas Performances From 2026 AAU Junior Olympic Games

Texas athletes left a major imprint on the 2026 AAU Junior Olympic Games in Des Moines, winning championships from the sprints to the distance races and hurdles to the field events. Chance Anderson and Eltonio Brown Jr. swept the 800 and 1,500 in their respective age groups, while Jada Boydstun accomplished the same feat on the girls side. Texas also produced national champions in the 100, 400, hurdles, triple jump, steeplechase and race walk. Here are the state's top performances from Aug. 1-8.

Top 20 Texas Boys Performances

1. Chance Anderson - 15-16 800 champion, 1:51.95

Anderson delivered one half of a brilliant distance double by dominating the 800 for Rockwall Mustangs Track. His 1:51.95 gave him the national championship by 2.70 seconds.

2. Chance Anderson - 15-16 1,500 champion, 3:59.82

Anderson returned to capture the 1,500 and break the four-minute barrier. His 3:59.82 was nearly five seconds faster than runner-up Cashton Martinez and completed a sweep of the two middle-distance titles.

3. Eltonio Brown Jr. - 12-year-old 800 champion, 2:09.37

Brown controlled the 12-year-old 800 for Duncanville Tigers Youth Organization, winning in 2:09.37. He defeated runner-up Bryson Henley by more than four seconds.

4. Eltonio Brown Jr. - 12-year-old 1,500 champion, 4:32.30

Brown completed his own distance double with a 4:32.30 victory in the 1,500. He finished 4.55 seconds ahead of Henley to leave Des Moines with championships at both 800 and 1,500 meters.

5. Zion Williams - 17-18 100 champion, 10.30

Williams emerged from a loaded older-boys sprint field to win the 100 for Team Quest. His wind-legal 10.30 held off fellow Texan Jayden Kennedy, who finished second in 10.38.

6. Adrian Erwin - 15-16 100 champion, 10.49

Erwin gave IM Better Than That Inc. a national championship with a wind-legal 10.49 in the 100. He led a dominant club performance that placed three athletes among the top six.

7. Dylan Hall - 15-16 400 champion, 46.56

Hall produced one of the meet's most impressive Texas sprint performances. The DeSoto Nitro athlete ran 46.56 to win the 400 by nearly a full second over runner-up De-Mani Roberts.

8. Charles Anderson - 17-18 400 champion, 46.96

DeSoto Nitro also took the oldest boys 400 title as Anderson clocked 46.96. He defeated Daevion Lewis by 0.16 seconds and was the only athlete in the final under 47 seconds.

9. Aa'Ron Pruitt - 13-year-old 100 hurdles champion, 13.20

Pruitt was dominant in the hurdles for DeSoto SWIFT, winning the 13-year-old final in 13.20. He beat runner-up Jacobi Love by more than six-tenths of a second.

10. Mabior Atem - 14-year-old triple jump champion, 42-4.25

Atem claimed the national title for HTOWNHURRICANES with a wind-legal leap of 42 feet, 4.25 inches. He was one of only two athletes to surpass 42 feet and won by nearly four inches.

11. Jayden Kennedy - 17-18 100 runner-up, 10.38

Kennedy made it a Texas one-two finish in the oldest boys 100. The Xpress Track sprinter ran a wind-legal 10.38 and finished just eight-hundredths behind Williams.

12. Stephon Thompson - 15-16 100, third, 10.57

Thompson reached the podium for DeSoto Nitro with a third-place finish in the 100. His wind-legal 10.57 put him only eight-hundredths behind champion Adrian Erwin.

13. Leo Sabin - 15-16 2,000 steeplechase, second, 6:28.23

Sabin earned a national runner-up finish for Track Houston Youth Track. His 6:28.23 left him less than three seconds behind champion Carter Lippold and more than nine seconds ahead of third.

14. Christopher Esparza - 17-18 1,500, third, 4:01.57

Esparza reached the national podium for Texas Titans Athletics with a 4:01.57 in the oldest boys 1,500. He finished behind Kaleb Young and Sean Gonzalez while separating himself from the rest of the field.

15. Sean Windsor - 15-16 2,000 steeplechase, fourth, 6:38.57

Windsor joined Sabin near the front of the steeplechase for Track Houston Youth Track. His 6:38.57 placed fourth nationally and gave the club two athletes among the top four.

16. Jackson West - 17-18 200, fifth, 21.73

West earned a top-five finish for Texas Titans Athletics in the oldest boys 200. His 21.73 came into a 2.0 meters-per-second headwind in a race won by Jonas Haygood.

17. Antonius Steele - 12-year-old 80 hurdles, fourth, 12.46

Steele came within 0.11 seconds of the podium for DeSoto SWIFT. He finished fourth nationally in 12.46 while racing into a slight headwind.

18. Mason Harris - 12-year-old 80 hurdles, fifth, 12.47

Harris finished directly behind Steele, clocking 12.47 for Houston Pace Setters. Just one-hundredth separated the two Texans as the state placed two athletes among the top five.

19. Silas Gonzalez - 15-16 1,500, fifth, 4:05.73

Gonzalez secured a national top-five finish for Texas Titans Athletics. His 4:05.73 was only 0.03 seconds behind fourth place in an exceptionally tight finish behind Anderson.

20. Daniel Leal Jr. - 17-18 1,500, seventh, 4:06.95

Leal earned an All-American top-eight finish for Heart of Houston Track and Field. He ran 4:06.95 to place seventh in the oldest boys division, joining Esparza among the leading Texas finishers.

Top 20 Texas Girls Performances

1. Jada Boydstun - 13-year-old 800 champion, 2:12.35

Boydstun completed one of the meet's best performances by a Texas athlete, winning the 13-year-old 800 for Texas Titans Athletics in 2:12.35. She pulled away from the field to win by 2.35 seconds and secure one of two individual national titles during her week in Des Moines.

2. Jada Boydstun - 13-year-old 1,500 champion, 4:43.34

Boydstun also captured the 1,500, running 4:43.34 to defeat runner-up Emery Sutton by nearly four seconds. The victory completed an impressive 800-1,500 championship double for the Texas Titans standout.

3. Naomi Jones - 17-18 400 runner-up, 53.68

Jones came within less than a tenth of a second of a national championship in the oldest girls 400. The DeSoto Nitro athlete ran 53.68 to finish second, only 0.09 behind champion Justyce Sanders.

4. Aaliyah Birdine - 15-16 100 runner-up, 11.70

Birdine nearly took home the 15-16 girls 100 title for Track Dynamite. She clocked a wind-legal 11.70 and missed the championship by just one-hundredth of a second behind North Carolina's Zhoe Holt.

5. Taylor-Marie Wilson - 17-18 100, third, 11.74

Wilson earned a national podium finish for Grand Prairie Storm Track Club, placing third in the oldest girls 100. Her wind-legal 11.74 left her only six-hundredths behind champion Arianna Woolcock.

6. Skyler Fonseca - 15-16 2,000 steeplechase, second, 7:40.91

Fonseca earned one of Texas' top distance finishes, placing second nationally for Hill Country Comets. Her 7:40.91 was more than 12 seconds faster than the third-place finisher.

7. Duchess Oday - 15-16 100 hurdles, third, 14.66

Oday reached the podium for Grand Prairie Flash with a third-place finish in the 100 hurdles. She ran 14.66 into a slight headwind and held off fourth place by five-hundredths of a second.

8. Aaliyah Williams - 14-year-old 100 hurdles, third, 14.28

Williams earned another hurdles podium for Texas, finishing third for HTOWNHURRICANES. Her 14.28 came into a 1.6 meters-per-second headwind and put her just five-hundredths behind runner-up Jasmine Wilson. Williams is independently listed as a Texas athlete.

9. Heaven Isokpunwu - 13-year-old 800, third, 2:16.45

Isokpunwu joined Boydstun on the national podium in the 13-year-old 800. The Leander Spartans runner placed third in 2:16.45, giving Texas two of the top three finishers in the race.

10. Heaven Isokpunwu - 13-year-old 1,500, fourth, 4:51.73

Isokpunwu also narrowly missed the podium in the 1,500. Her 4:51.73 placed fourth nationally and finished only 0.16 seconds ahead of fifth place in a tightly packed finish.

11. Caleigh Valentine - 13-year-old long jump, second, 17-6

Valentine earned national runner-up honors for Xpress Track with a jump of 17 feet, 6 inches. The Fort Worth-area athlete finished only eight inches behind the champion and led three verified Texas athletes among the top eight.

12. Avery Urrabazo - 12-year-old 3,000, fifth, 11:07.01

Urrabazo earned a top-five national finish for Texas Titans Athletics in the 3,000. Her 11:07.01 placed fifth and gave her a margin of more than seven seconds over sixth place.

13. Aubrie Sheffield - 12-year-old 1,500, sixth, 4:58.98

Sheffield broke five minutes to earn a sixth-place finish for Texas Titans Athletics. She was one of only seven runners in the national final to dip below the five-minute barrier.

14. Avery Urrabazo - 12-year-old 1,500, seventh, 4:59.78

Urrabazo followed immediately behind Sheffield, giving Texas Titans two athletes among the top seven. She ran 4:59.78 and edged eighth place by only 0.11 seconds.

15. Sophia Williams - 17-18 200, sixth, 24.44

Williams earned an All-American finish for Team Quest in the 200. She clocked 24.44 into a headwind to place sixth nationally in a strong older-girls sprint final.

16. Louryn Beckwith - 13-year-old long jump, sixth, 16-5

Beckwith gave Texas a second top-six finisher in the 13-year-old long jump. The Track Dynamite athlete jumped 16-5 to finish sixth nationally, and her Texas affiliation is independently confirmed by Athletic.net.

17. Parker Turner - 13-year-old long jump, eighth, 16-4.5

Turner secured the final All-American position for DeSoto SWIFT with a wind-legal 16-4.5 effort. Her finish meant Texas athletes occupied three of the top eight spots in the event.

18. Sadie Spaulding - 11-year-old 1,500 race walk, second, 9:07.77

Spaulding delivered one of Texas' best opening-weekend performances, placing second nationally for Texas Athletics. Her 9:07.77 put her nearly 19 seconds ahead of the third-place finisher.

19. Tierra Wesley - 9-year-old 1,500 race walk, fifth, 11:15.78

Wesley earned a national top-five finish for DeSoto SWIFT in the 9-year-old race walk. She ran 11:15.78 and held off sixth place by just 0.19 seconds.

20. Sophia Lopez - 17-18 800 prelims, 2:11.94

Lopez produced one of Texas' fastest older-girls middle-distance performances of the week. The Texas Select runner won her preliminary heat in 2:11.94 and posted the third-fastest time overall in the opening round. Lopez is a Round Rock Stony Point athlete and is independently identified as a Texas competitor.