The Aubrey Area Youth Sports Association track team crossed the finish line for their inaugural season at the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation’s 2025 Summer Games of Texas July 31-Sunday.
AAYSA sent 12 representatives to College Station to battle some of the best young athletes Texas had to offer, with two team members returning with ribbons for their outstanding performances.
“[I’m] proud of the whole team in general,” AAYSA track commissioner Kevin Rupe said. “We had a lot of first timers this season that didn't have a clue how to even run, but they all came out here and worked hard, even the ones that didn't make it to state. … I preached the whole season; the process works. You just have to be disciplined, and that showed with us taking 12 to state.”
Tripp Lankford was AAYSA’s top performer, finishing seventh in the Boys 10 & Under 1600-meter run with a time of 6:02.06.
“It felt good, because I know that I worked for [this ribbon] and getting to go four hours away to run, and seeing how big it was, that was one of my favorite moments,” Lankford said. “… Just getting Top 10 is amazing.”
Lincoln McCraw placed 15th out of 30 runners in the Boys 12 & Under 80-meter hurdles with a time of 15.75 seconds.
Blayze Sims finished 29th out of 36 competitors in the Boys 12 & Under 800-meter run with a time of 2:48.41.
Porter Rehkemper, who was AAYSA’s lone competitor in the throwing events, placed 24th out of 37 in the Boys 10 & Under shot put with a throw of 18-feet-4inches.
Harley McCraw led the way on the girls’ side, finishing eighth in the Girls 14 & Under 300-meter hurdles with a time of 51.44 seconds.
“I really loved running with all the great athletes there, and it gave me motivation to push myself more so I can get to the point they're already at,” Harley said. “… It felt good to know that I'm in the Top 8 in the state for that event and in my age group. I really didn't know I was going to make it to state, but it felt great.”
Harley also finished 21st out of 32 runners in the Girls 14 & Under with a time of 2:43.87.
Hannah Houghtaling placed 17th out of 25 runners in the Girls 14 & Under 3200-meter run with a time of 14:54.16.
Ava Walton placed 23rd in the same event with a time of 16:11.36.
Houghtaling and Walton also placed 28th and 33rd in the Girls 14 & Under 1600-meter run with times of 6:30.30 and 6:51.17.
Ella Watkins finished 37th in the Girls 12 & Under 1600-meter run with a time of 7:13.99.
Emerie Lewis placed 17th out of 34 competitors in the Girls 8 & Under long jump with a distance of 9-feet-1 1/2-inches.
Lewis also placed 20th out of 45 runners in the Girls 8 & Under 200-meter dash with a time of 34.47 seconds.
The AAYSA Girls 8 & Under 4x100 relay team— Lewis, Alia Crosland, Melah Castellanos and Kennedy Cummings—finished 18th out of 20 teams with a time of 1:17.53.
Kevin thanked AAYSA president Cindy McCraw, his wife Heather Rupe and the AAYSA parents and coaches for helping the team have a successful first season.
“A lot of them give me the credit for being the head coach and the commissioner, but I absolutely would not have been able to do this without them,” he said. “… We all give a piece of ourselves to help these young athletes to raise their standards and make them better for their future.”
Cindy, who spearheaded the formation of AAYSA’s track program, said she was proud to see the team’s growth over the summer.
“[Their success] means everything, because this program was needed,” she said. “… Seeing all the work, the dedication, the commitment, it was unmatched. Everybody came together and it became a family. We had 30 kids that went to regionals, 12 that went to state, and then two that made the Top 8. It's a huge accomplishment for our organization, and we can only get better from here.”
