The 2025 AAU and USATF Junior Olympics season came to an end in December, but not without the Penguin XC and Track Club sending a small but powerful representation to the national meets.
The AAU national competition took place in Knoxville, TN, at the Victor Ashe Park on Dec. 6. The USATF Junior Olympics competition was held in Shelbyville, IN, at Blue River Cross Country Course on Dec. 13. Both venues in the midwest had some weather that made the courses wet, cold and muddy. But that did not stop the young Penguin harriers as they created their own fire on the course while competing.
Penguin runner Greyson Romero, who has made quite the name for himself over the past three cross country seasons on the youth running circuit, continued to show why he is one of the top youth runners in America.
Romero won the Boys 9-10 Division 3k race at the USATF Junior Olympics. Greyson crossed the line in 10 minutes, 54 seconds — nearly 22 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, which is the entire length of a football field.
AAU National Championships:
In Knoxville, the Penguins sent a lone qualifier to the AAU National Championships. Julius Martiniez qualified for the championship and was in the best shape of his young career. Already looking at the weather forecast a few days before flying out to Knoxville, his dad, Chris Martinez, and one of the coaches of the Penguin XC and Track Club, saw the prediction of rain and wind would make it an already grueling race, even more challenging.
But good planning for the challenge of the weather, both mentally and physically, proved to benefit Julius for his 3k race. The rain and wind came a couple days before the race making the course muddy and cooler. But Julius’s goals and focus did not waver; with longer spikes in his racing shoes he was ready for anything.
He raced like a beast. Though the course was wet, Julius made it fire, starting off right around the top 25 the first 1k, and moving up through the damp and muddy course. By the last half of the course, Julius made his way up to 14th place and earned All-American status. His dad was so proud of him, along with everyone else congratulating him, because not only did he earn All-American, about a year and a half ago he was in the Denver Children’s Hospital, fighting for his life, with a rare illness that nearly took his life.
“Julius is a true testament to everyone, with the support and prayers from his family, teammates, friends, coaches and his unwavering determination to not give up, which I believe he learned partially from the sport of XC, he is a beast and our ALL-AMERICA, a true Penguin runner.”
USATF Junior Olympics
Now the attention went from Tennessee to Indiana. The Penguins sent two runners to battle the competition and the elements that weekend. Three other runners also qualified but did not make the trip. The two runners were the brother-and-sister duo Greyson and Diem Romero.
With the weather forecast for snow and lots of it, the two packed their warm weather attire and long spikes to prepare for the worst. When they arrived in Indiana two days before the race, it had already snowed a little, but the heavy snow was to come on Saturday, race day. Accessing the course the day before, it was going to be a sloppy grinder of a race.
The race organizers cleared the course the best they could the day before the race. On race day, Diem Romero was up first. Diem toed the line. It was breezy and cold, but no snow yet. Diem was ready for the gun to fire and when it did, she was off the line and into the top 10 right away in the 8 and under, 2k race. Her first 1k she was flying on the frozen muddy course. In the last 1k, Diem made her way up to eighth place and earned herself an All-American award.
Next up was Diem’s brother, Greyson, and was he ever ready to rock and roll in the boys 9-10 division 3k race. The only issue: snow, and lots of it, almost blizzard like conditions. Luckily Greyson was prepared in more than one way: he is from the San Luis Valley and he is not unfamiliar with snow, wind and cold.
So, unlike his competitors, Greyson embraced the elements and turned up the beast mode and went to battle. Greyson went to the front right away pushing the pace the first 1k, as he was almost saying, “catch me if you can.” After having two boys close to him that first 1k, he turned up the heat and the next 2k of the race no one could match him. With more and more snow falling and the temps dipping to single digits, the only hot spot on the course was Greyson and his shoes as he plowed his way to victory.
In the end it was not even close. Greyson crossed the line in 10:54, nearly 22 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. In those conditions that is sheer power and dominance. Greyson told his dad and mom, Dimitrius and Miriam, earlier in the season that he wanted to and would win nationals in XC this season and he believed and delivered the W.
Congrats to our newly crowned Penguin National Champion, Greyson Romero. It was a great season and an absolutely fun way to end the 2025 youth XC season. The Penguins would like to thank all that support our club, parents, coaches and fans, and the boys and girls who train and give their all to be great.