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.
Hammond welcomed athletes from 8 to 18 years of age during the final week of June to compete at the AAU Region 11 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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Connor Coulon - 15/16 Boys
Connor delivered one of the day's strongest distance performances, winning the 3,000m in 9:36.42. The victory came in one of Friday's most competitive distance races and gives him momentum heading into the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
The fastest freshman in Louisiana had a strong day at the AAU Regional 12 Qualifier, running one of the fastest times that his age division has run all year and is one of many contenders to podium in his event next month in Des Moines.
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Brooklyn Baham, SE Louisiana Roadrunners - 17/18 Girls
The upperclassman captured titles in both the 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles to complete the hurdle sweep last month. The senior was the only athlete in her division to double in the hurdle events in the Friday event. Baham finished inside the top 7 in both hurdle events at the Louisiana state championships this spring and could be one of the standout summer specialists in the discipline.
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Exander Magee, Nola Rush - 15/16 Boys
The 8th grader earned a pair of victories in the hurdle events, taking the 110m hurdles before returning to win the 400m hurdles later in the meet.
Magee also qualified for the summer showcase in the 800m, finishing 3rd, and will have the chance to race against the nation's best in three events. The rising freshman ran a 60.11 in the 400m hurdles in his season debut, and he has since run 59.91, suggesting he is due for more progression entering next month's championship event.
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Jaylie Walker, Trojan Elite Fusion - 13 Girls
Similarly to Magee and Baham, Walker also swept the hurdle events, winning the 100m hurdles and 200m hurdles in her division. Walker posted the fastest times in both races and heads into the Junior Olympic Games after an impressive summer.
Walker also qualified in the 100m dash, adding to the list of events she can run in Des Moines. At this month's AAU Club Championships, she finished second in both hurdle events and will be one of the top hurdlers in her division next month.
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Riden Jordan, Full Throttle - 10 Boys
In an event dominated by sprinters, Jordan ran a 12.75 in the 100m dash prelims, breaking the regional record by 0.20 seconds. Despite coming in the prelims, it was one of the strongest we saw all weekend in Hammond.
Jordan would go on to win the 100m dash, as well as the 200m, running a personal best time of 26.82. Representing Full Throttle Athletics, he will head into his first-ever summer extravaganza with an undefeated record in the two events this season, posting 10 wins across the two.
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Cameron Meyer, The Unstoppables - 11 Boys
After breaking the 8U 1,500m record in 2024, Meyer returned to the AAU Region 11 Qualifier to win the event by over 5 minutes.
Perhaps the most dominant performance of the day, he crossed the line in 10:55. Meyer also qualified to Des Moines in the 1,500m, running a new personal best of 5:09. He will be one of his division's top contenders in the distance events next month.