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The Hays Striders finished their final week of training for the 2023 AAU Junior Olympic Games now underway through August 5 at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
Seventeen of the 132 athletes who make up the Striders team qualified to move on to the national meet by competing in the Missouri Valley District and Region 16 qualifiers in Hays and Yukon, Oklahoma respectively. An athlete qualifies for the Junior Olympics by finishing in the top six at the regional meet.
Coming out of the meet in Yukon, Oklahoma, the Striders had five regional champions all earning gold medals, with two athletes earning regional champion in three events at the Oklahoma meet.
Riley Leiker powered her way to gold in three events in the 8-Under Girls Division by taking first in the 400-m dash (1:14.21), 800-m run (2:54.05) and shot put (21’7.50”).
Emery Zimmerman continued his dominance in the 11-year-old Boys Division by earning gold in the 800-meter run (2:28.31), the 1500 (4:59.51), and 3000-meter run (10:46.63). He also qualified in the pentathlon (3rd, 1786 points).
Other regional champions included Tayte Lewallen, providing an amazing run in the 11-year-old Boys Division 80-meter hurdles to take the gold (14.72) and also qualified in the 800-meter run (3rd, 2:38.03) and pentathlon (2nd, 1865 points).
Kane Staab tossed his way to gold in the discus in the 11-year-old Boys Division (62’05”) and also qualified in the shot put (2nd, 31’2”).
Lyndi Zimmerman took Regional Champion gold in the shot put (38’3”), and pentathlon (2883). Zimmerman also qualified in the 200-meter dash (3rd, 25.35) 100-meter hurdles (2nd, 15.73) and 200-meter hurdles (3rd, 30.58).
“These athletes work hard, day in and day out, rain or shine, cold weather or hot; and are all champions. From the regional winners, the Junior Olympic qualifiers, down to the athlete who comes to our team to try it out for just a couple of months, we try to train them all to improve every day,” Head Coach Dave Haberman said.
Other qualifiers, along with their regional finishes and performances, include multi-sport athlete Kersee Wince, 8-Under Girls, shot put (6th, 12’2”); Plainville talent Jovie Staab, 8-Under Girls turbo javelin (4th, 32’1”); La Crosse powerhouse Danica Vap, 12-Girls, shot put (3rd, 31’6.75”) and discus (2nd, 86’1”); another Plainville talent, Hayden Staab 12-Girls shot put (2nd, 32’0.25”) and discus (3rd, 79’); gifted incoming Hays Middle School athlete Sydney Lewallen, 13-Girls, 400-meter dash (6th, 1:03.36) and 800-meter run (4th, 2:30.87); and incoming Hays High freshman force Makayla Lewallen, 14-Girls, pentathlon (2nd, 2309 points) and high jump (3rd, 4’8”).
Zippy Finley Zimmerman, 8-Under Boys qualified in the 1500-meter run with a fifth place finish at 6:38.82. Strongman Jacob Leiker qualified in the shot put (5th, 31’10.25”) and discus (5th, 73’02). Kobe Schmidt ran a season best in the 12-Boys 400-meter dash, finishing 6th (1:02.28); and teammate Robbie Readle ran the best race of his season to win his heat in the 400 at 1:15.12, also in the 12-Boys Division.
Logan Leiker, another incoming freshman and future star at Hays High School, qualified in the 14-Boys 3000-meter run by running 10:46.63, taking sixth.
Multi-talented runner Brayden Staley, 15-16 Boys, qualified in the 2000-meter steeplechase running 7:41.91.
Hays High football and track athlete Kamani Jones, who took sixth at the KSHSAA State meet in the Class 5A triple jump this past season, qualified in the rriple jump for the Junior Olympics (3rd, 41’11”) and high jump (5th, 5’10”).
Haberman said he would put these kids up against any in the nation and would be very confident they would be competitive.
“Several of our Striders are ranked in the top 10 in the nation coming into the Junior Olympics," he said.
Some of the events will have over 100 athletes from across the country competing. “We have never seen this many Striders in the Top 10!” Haberman exclaimed. “Their work ethic is top shelf and we’re excited to see them compete against the best in the nation.”
Haberman is referring to Lyndi Zimmerman who has the top seed in the pentathlon. Riley Leiker, Hayden Staab, Danica Vap, Emery Zimmerman, Tayte Lewallen, and Kane Staab are the Striders with the Top 10 incoming times or distances.
“We also have about a dozen first-class coaches for our Strider athletes,” Haberman added. “Elaine Haberman (sprints, long and triple jump), Hunter Hearne (throws), Hannah Wince (high jump and hurdles), and Brooklyn Lewallen (hurdles) take the bulk of the duties; while Fort Hays State University athletes Abby Rueschhoff, Meredith Lewallen, Lynn Leiker, Jennifer Werth, Traci Vap, Mike Smith, and TJ Staab contribute substantially to Strider performance success.”
Of the 58 Striders who qualified from the district meet in Hays, there were 22 who competed in the regional qualifier in Yukon, Oklahoma.
The region is made up of AAU teams in Kansas, Oklahoma, eastern Missouri, and northwest Arkansas. It is considered one of the hardest qualifying meets in the nation to qualify from to compete in the National meet.
Other notable performances from the regional meet include newcomer Channing Leiker, 15-16 Boys, 110-meter high hurdles (12th, 20.98) and 400-meter Hurdles (9th, 1:11.24); Hays High jumper Kaliyah Bannister 15-16 Girls long jump (9th, 15’9”); Russell’s Aubrey Briney 15-16 Girls long jump (13th, 14’7.50”) high jump (10th, 4’6”) and triple jump (8th, 31’9”); Kyla Schmidt, coming off of an injury, 15-16 Girls, long jump (24th, 12’2.50) and triple jump (7th, 31’11”); and the Strider throwing stalwart Caleb Englert, 15-16 discus, (12th, 91’2.75” and shot put (13th, 32’4”).