The Mexico Optimists Hounds Running Club season is heading to Springfield.

The Hounds competed last weekend at the Missouri Valley AAU Track and Field District Meet at Raymore-Peculiar High school in Peculiar — close to Kansas City. They had 10 kids qualify for the Region 16 Qualifier Meet from June 26-29 at Parkview High School in Springfield.

The young athletes competed Friday afternoon and evening and all day on Saturday. Some qualified in three or four events in a field of about 40 teams. The top 16 in each event advanced to regionals. 

For the boys, Jiles Williams was sixth in the 17-18-year-old triple jump with a personal-best mark of 39’1’’; Julian Ruppel was seventh in the 14-year-old long jump with a personal-best mark of 15’9’’, 11th in the 14-year-old 800 with a personal-best time of 2:37.73 and 12th in the 14-year-old 400 with a time of 1:03.29; and Te’Ahjzae Scott was 12th in the 12-year-old 400 with a time of 1:30.93. 

For the girls, Jayden De Lacruz was fourth in the 12-year-old 80-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 18.20, 11th in the 12-year-old 200 with a personal-best time of 31.99 and 13th in the 12-year-old 100 with a personal-best time of 14.86; Jasmine Ruppel was eight in the 12-year-old long jump with a personal-best 11’8’’, 10th in the 12-year-old 200 with a personal-best time of 31.95 and 16th in the 12-year-old 100 with a time of 15.08; Anna Poore was fourth in the 10-year-old 1500-meter racewalk with a personal-best time of 14:52.78, 12th in the 10-year-old long jump with a personal-best 8’10’’ and 16th in the 10-year-old 200 with a personal-best time of 39.55; Amira Beck was fifth in the 10-year-old 800 with a personal-best time of 3:03.26, fifth in the 10-year-old long jump with a personal-best 10’9’’ and ninth in the 10-year-old 400 with a personal-best time of 1:19.78; Aniyah Beck was sixth in the 11-year-old 400 with a time of 1:32.27 and eighth in the 11-year-old 800 with a personal-best time of 3:33.56; Lydia Bowen was third in the 10-year-old 1500-meter racewalk with a personal-best time of 14:24.51, fifth in the 10-year-old 1500 with a time of 8:48.23 and 15th in the 10-year-old long jump with a personal-best 8’; and Yoseline Martinez was fifth in the 13-year-old 100-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 22.59 and ninth in the 13-year-old 200-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 40.75.

 The top five athletes in each event, age group, and gender at regionals will advance to the Junior Olympics National meet in Houston, Texas, at the end of July.