Running hurdles can be a metaphor for life. It’s not whether you fall, but whether you get up. So it was for Ashley Spencer.

As a junior at Lawrence North, she fell during the 300-meter hurdles at the state meet. She got up, caught up, and finished second – at the state meet. She was disqualified for impeding another runner. A spectator came up to her afterward and told her to stop crying. “Everyone here in the stands saw what happened and will never forget what you just did,” the spectator said. Video of that race persuaded coach Tonja Buford-Bailey to recruit her to Illinois. Thus began Spencer’s pathway to an Olympic podium.

Brandon graduated from Lawrence North High School in 2008, where he produced one of the farthest shot put throws in Indiana history. His winning throw of 68’ 11.25” made him the Nike Outdoor National Champion in the shot put.