ORLANDO, Fla. (August 25, 2023) -- The AAU, along with the assistance and the guidance of the Joel Ferrell family, established the Joel Ferrell Outstanding Performance Memorial Award to recognize the athletic ability and sportsmanship of an athlete representing each official sport at the AAU Junior Olympic Games each year. In addition to the award presented at the Games, each recipient’s name will be engraved on a special plaque at the AAU National Headquarters.
 
Joel Ferrell, a former aerospace engineer, made numerous contributions to the AAU and held several positions within the organization, including the presidency from 1976-1978. He was also Vice-President of the USOC. Today, we honor his hard work and dedication to youth sports with the Joel Ferrell Award.
 
The 57th AAU Junior Olympic Games were held in Des Moines, Iowa this year. This year’s AAU Junior Olympic Games featured 11 different sports and took place form July 29 through August 5. With more than 11,000 athletes participating, here are the athletes that showed sportsmanship and skill at the highest level.
 
Below are the 2023 AAU Joel Ferrell Award winners. Congratulations to all!
 
Baton Twirling
Emilie Thibeault – Paradise, Pennsylvania
 
Fencing
Alexander Kuri – Orlando, Florida
 
Field Hockey
Amelia Blood – Uxbridge, Massachusetts
 
Jump Rope
Natalie Arthur – Springfield, Virginia
Jake Amster – Miami, Florida
 
Sport Stacking
Holly Berman-Carter – St. Louis, Missouri
 
Swimming
Ruthie Riley – Edmond, Oklahoma
Aiden Pagnucci – Superior, Wisconsin
 
Taekwondo
Siona Das – Bergen, New Jersey
Roy Park – Denton, Texas
 
Track & Field – Track
Jonathan Simms – Plano, Texas
Makeriah Harris – Baton Rouge, Louisianna
 
Track & Field – Field
Christian Cravens – Cedar Hill, Texas
J’Nia Simpson – Tampa, Florida
 
Multi-Events
Yierra Flemings – Cameron, Texas
Jordan Smith – Kansas City, Missouri
 
Trampoline & Tumbling
Sophia Wallace – St. Louis, Missouri
Brodie Cooke – Winterset, Iowa
 
Wrestling
Jayden Keller – Brookfield, Missouri
Nate Bierman – Clive, Iowa
 
Wrestling – Girls Individual
Cinsere Clark – Des Moines, Iowa
 
To check out some of the action from the AAU Junior Olympic Games, follow @AAUSports on Instagram.