This past June, residents Christian Alumbaugh and Abigail Carlson traveled to historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon to compete in the prestigious Nike Outdoor Nationals High School Track & Field Meet.

Both are members of the Owasso High School track and field teams, and qualifying for the Nike meet requires athletes to meet rigorous performance standards in their events and then also be accepted into the meet by Nike officials. Both Christian and Abby qualified and were accepted into 3 events each! Christian was accepted into the Emerging Elite 200m, Freshman 100m, and Freshman 400m, while Abby was accepted into the Emerging Elite discus, shot put, and hammer throw. Training for the meet extended well past the end of the school year in preparation to compete against some of the top high school competitors in the country.

For Christian, the trip to the Nike national championships ended with an unforgettable moment medaling 6th place in the finals of the Freshman 100m. He also finished strong in the Emerging Elite 200m as one of only 6 freshmen accepted into the event in a field of 99 entries.

Abigail unfortunately sustained a fracture injury to her throwing hand just before competition that prevented participation, but she chose to attend the championships anyway—supporting teammates, experiencing the atmosphere of the national meet, and using the opportunity as motivation for her future return.

Both Christian and Abby (upcoming sophomore and junior respectively) are excited to keep training for the 2027 track season with the Owasso Rams and making the trip back to Oregon next summer.