Photo: MileSplit
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The 2026 Region 8 USATF Junior Olympic Championships was as eventful as they come, as a contingent of the best athletes in the looked to continue their season alive in Gretna, Nebraska.
Check out these four stars who took care of business just a few weeks back!
Nebraska City (Neb.)
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Miller had one of the more impressive multi-event showings of the weekend, picking up region titles in both the 110mH and 400mH. In the shorter hurdles, he won in 14.45 before coming back to clock a PB of 54.74 in the 400mH, pulling away from runner-up Kade O'Curran's 55.30. The junior heads to California with two gold medals in hand.
Robinson was one of the busiest athletes of the weekend, sweeping the 100m and 200m titles while anchoring the North Omaha Bengals to a Mixed 4x400m win. She crossed first in 12.40 in the 100m, holding off teammate Meshah Robinson by six hundredths, then came back to win the 200m in 25.24, edging out teammate Reality Mapp by just one hundredth of a second.
Schaefer cleared 15-06.25 to win the pole vault title, matching his personal best in the process. He worked through a competitive field before falling short on his attempts at 16-0.75, but his final clearance was more than enough to claim the region crown. The senior heads to Norwalk as the Region 8 champion.
Pella Christian (Iowa)
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Kacmarynski was untouchable against the rest of the heptathlon field, accumulating 4,565 points to win the region title by over 400 points. She won the 200m, long jump, and javelin legs of the competition, and notched a pair of top-two finishes in the 100mH and long jump as well. When it was all said and done, Kacmarynski won the title by 443 points.
