The Becker youth track athletes have been busy running, jumping and throwing at the AAU and USATF meets in hopes to qualify for the two different national meets at the end of this month.  

 

Five area track athletes placed well enough to advance to the AAU National Meet in Ypsilanti MI July 29 - Aug. 5.

 

The track group traveled to Maple Grove July 1-2, who were the hosts for the AAU Regional track meet. The top six in track events and the top five finishers in the field events move on to the national meet.

 

The Becker kids competed against athletes from Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Dakotas. Nationals will be hosted by Eastern Michigan University.

 

Mitch Soltau and Caleb Reckelberg qualified for nationals in the discus.  Soltau finished in second for the 11-year-old boys and Reckelberg took third for the 12-year-olds. Soltau also ran the 100m, placing eighth and had a ninth place finish in the 200m for his age group.

 

Josie Reckelberg had two 10th place finishes in the 100m and 200m for the 8-and-under girls. She did qualify for nationals in the long jump with a second place finish.

 

Ethan Holm qualified in the triple jump for the 17-18 men with a fourth place finish.

 

Carter Reckelberg finished the meet qualifying for nationals in all three of his events. He had first place finishes in the 100m, 200m and the long jump for the 10-year-old boys.

 

The USATF Regional meet — hosted by UW-La Crosse in La Crosse — was held last weekend, July 7-9.  This regional meet featured the top eight athletes from the previous qualifiers from the same six states.  The top five move on to the USATF national meet in Lawrence, KS. That meet will be at Rock Chalk Park, hosted by the University of Kansas, July 24-30. 

 

Carter Reckelberg started the meet off for the Becker youth athletes Friday. His record-breaking leap of 15 feet, two inches gave him first place in the long jump and set a new Region 8 meet record, qualifying him for Kansas. He also qualified in the 200m with a second place finish and the 400m finishing in third place for the 9-and-10-year-old boys. 

 

Ethan Holm will join Carter in Kansas, qualifying in the triple jump for the 17-18 year old men by placing third.

 

Caleb Reckelberg finished in 13th place in the discus for the 11-12-year-old boys. Keeley Holm fell short of qualifying against a fast field of girls in the 15-16 girls category in the 400m with a time of 1:03.85. Josie Reckelberg ran the 200m (20th place), the 400m (10th place) and finished with an 11th place in the 8-and-under girls long jump competition.