The Aubrey Area Youth Sports Association track team’s first season of competition is off to a hot start after a strong performance at the 2025 Texas Amateur Athletic Federation Regional Track Meet on July 17 and 18.
The AAYSA team sent 32 competitors to Brewer High School in Fort Worth to face off against the best in their region, with 12 of them punching their ticket to the state meet.
“It was very successful for our first year,” AAYSA track commissioner and head coach Kevin Rupe said. “With some of this crew never running track or running competitively before, this has been a really good season.”
AAYSA President Cindy Mc-Craw said she was inspired to start the recreational track program in Aubrey after watching her two oldest children participate in a similar program in Denton.
“It gives an opportunity for the kids to stay fit during the summer,” she said. “There aren’t many programs in the area during the summer that we can register our kids for like this, so I saw there was a need. The minute we launched the program, we had 65 athletes, so that told me that there was a need in Aubrey for a track team.”
She also highlighted the dedication the young athletes are already showing for the sport.
“It’s hard because it’s summer track and it gets hot, but they’ve put in the work, and you can see the excitement on their faces,” Cindy said. “Kevin has made it a family. We're all in this together. We don't give up. The kids motivate each other, and I just love seeing the teamwork and seeing the kids get fit and get better throughout the summer.”
The team’s hard work seems to be paying off with 11 running events, two field events and one relay event qualifying for the 2025 TAAF State Track Meet.
Tripp Lankford headlined the finishes for the boys, winning silver in the 10 & Under 1600-meter run with a personal best time of 5:58.27.
“I just kept thinking, ‘I have to get good placement and run a good time to go to state because that’s what I've been working for all year,’” he said.
Lincoln McCraw won bronze in the 12 & Under 80-meter hurdles with a time of 16.04 seconds.
“It felt amazing that I made it to state, and I’m looking forward to competing there and getting better in racing,” he said. “Hopefully I can take first place.”
Blayze Sims finished fifth in the 12 & Under 800-meter run with a personal best of 2:42.64.
“My legs hurt a lot when I finished, but in my mind, I was happy to make state,” he said. “I’m excited to compete at state and to see all the great athletes that I'm going to run into in the future.”
Porter Rehkemper rounded things out for the boys finishing sixth in the 10 & Under shot put with a throw of 16-feet-4-inches.
Harley McCraw set the pace for the girls, winning silver in the 14 & Under 800-meter run with a personal best of 2:41.76.
Harley also finished fifth in the 14 & Under 300-meter hurdles with a time of 52.61 seconds.
“What I’m most looking forward to at state is the same thing everyone else is, winning, but I just want to run my hardest,” she said.
Hannah Houghtaling finished fourth in 14 & Under 1600- and 3200-meter runs with personal best times of 6:25.24 and 14:02.97.
Ava Walton finished sixth and fifth in the same events with times of 6:54.20 and 16:16.19.
Ella Watkins finished sixth in the 12 & Under 1600-meter run with a personal best of 7:13.74.
“I was really surprised when I made it,” she said. “It’s really cool that I get to run at state and meet people from all over and my brother, [Gage] is going to be there. He’s never gotten to see me run, so I’m excited.”
Emerie Lewis won silver in the 8 & Under 200-meter dash with personal best of 34.12 seconds.
“It felt good to get second because it felt like only one girl was faster than me,” she said.
Lewis also finished sixth in the 8 & Under long jump with a distance of 8-feet-7inches.
Lewis, Alia Crosland, Melah Castellanos and Kennedy Cummings also won silver in the 8 & Under 4x100meter relay with a time of 1:18.06.
Rupe said his message to the state qualifiers focused on making sure they are mentally prepared for the competition.
“Something I’ve said to them all season long is to be comfortable in the uncomfortable,” he said. “Push yourself beyond what you’ve done this season, so you can see what you’re made of at the end of the day.”
The AAYSA track team will wrap their inaugural season Thursday at the 2025 TAAF State Track Meet in College Station.
