Parker Ellis and Taynian Walgrave competed against some of the top track athletes in the nation at the American Athletic Union Junior Olympic Games.

And the two juniors at Prior Lake High School more than held their own competing for Track Minnesota Elite. Both earned All-American honors at the competition that was held July 28 through Aug. 4 at Drake University in Iowa.

Walgrave was twice named All-American, while Ellis was in the top four in the long jump. Both competed in the 17-to-18-year-old division.

Ellis won the Class AA state title back in the long jump back in June in his first season with the Prior Lake boys track team, winning the crown with a leap of 22-1 1/2. At the AAU Junior Olympic Games, Ellis had a career-best leap of 23-0 1/2.

The winning mark was 24-1 1/2 by Obdarius Ware of Texas.

Ellis holds the Lakers' school record in the long jump at 22-9 3/4. He also holds the school mark in the triple jump (44-4 3/4). He ended up fifth in that event at state last June with a leap of 43-5 3/4.

Ellis also competed in the triple jump at the Junior Olympic Games, finishing 39th with a mark of 41-6 1/2, while tying for 16th in the high jump with a height of 5-10 3/4.

Meanwhile, Walgrave earned All-American honors in the 100 hurdles. She qualified for the finals taking eighth in the prelims with a time of 14.92. In the finals, she ended eighth again with a time of 15.11.

Walgrave was also part of the Track Minnesota Elite's 4x100 team that finished third (46.52). The team was fifth after the prelims (46.71) to qualify for the finals (top eight).

For the Prior Lake girls track team, Walgrave anchored the 4x200 team took fifth at state (1:43.76) at the Class AA competition last June.

As a ninth-grader, Walgrave competed in the 200 meters at state and finished 12th, while she was also part of the 4x400 team that took 11th.

At the Section 3AA meet last May, Walgrave just missing make state in both the 100 hurdles and 200. She was third in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.01, finishing .15 behind the runner-up finisher and .04 off the state qualifying mark. She was also third in the 200 (25.51), missing the state cut by .12.

Walgrave holds the school record in the 100 hurdles (14.74). She set that mark in the Section 3AAA True Team Meet in early May.

Ellis won both the long and triple jumps at section meet last year, helping the boys team win the team crown for a third straight year. Prior Lake was also a program-best sixth in the Class AA state team standings. Ellis was also part of the Lakers' 4x100 relay at state that finished 11th.

For complete results from the AAU Junior Olympic Games, go to http://www.aaujrogames.org/Sports/TrackFieldMultiEvents.aspx.