August 5, 2026 —  In the days leading up to the first day of school, while many of her Pebblebrook classmates enjoyed the final moments of summer break, junior Jonae’ Holder stood in a throwing ring in California, competing at the 2026 USA Track & Field (USATF) National Championships. 

The 16-year-old Falcons athlete earned this opportunity after securing two Region 4 titles in her age division. She won the girls’ shot put with a throw of 36 feet, 9 inches, and captured the discus title with a personal-record throw of 134 feet, 7 inches. She also finished as the runner-up in the hammer throw, posting a mark of 109 feet, 11 inches. Jonae’s performances qualified her to compete on one of the biggest stages in youth track and field in all three individual events. The annual USATF National Championships bring together many of the country’s top youth athletes, making qualification an accomplishment in itself. 

While winning regional titles was exciting, qualifying for nationals meant so much more than that to Jonae’.

“I was very excited,” Jonae’ explained a few days after earning her spot in the National Championships. “I know there'll be a lot of colleges out there that I want to see me perform.”

Traveling across the country to compete against some of the nation’s best was a significant honor and another example of how Cobb Schools athletes are Built for Beyond. Jonae’ welcomed the opportunity to represent both Cobb Schools and Pebblebrook, specifically, on a national stage.

“I like repping my school and showing people what Pebblebrook athletes are doing,” Jonae’ said. “This says, ‘Pebblebrook has some really good athletes,’ because we do.”

Competing in California also gave Jonae’ the chance to achieve her personal goal of becoming a high school All-American in track and field. Earning that honor requires a top-eight finish at the National Championships.

With the event taking place at Falcon Stadium, Jonae’ may have felt right at home on the Cerritos College campus despite being nearly 2,000 miles from "The Nest" at Pebblebrook. With that comfort in place, Jonae’ wasted little time in accomplishing her goal. Her first event of the week was the hammer throw, in which she placed seventh and earned coveted All-American status.

She narrowly missed a second All-American honor the next day, finishing just outside the top eight in the shot put. Then, with a day off to rest and recover, Jonae’ capped the week in her third individual event, the discus, and placed third, again earning All-American status.

“The reality of my accomplishments really sank in the day after winning my final event,” Jonae’ said after arriving home from the West Coast. “I’ll remember that the competition is highly competitive. I learned that hard work, dedication, sacrifice, and spiritual grounding are essential to making you competitive in the sport of throwing.”

It was a whirlwind after returning home as a double All-American and immediately starting classes for the new school year, but Jonae’ believes the journey has fueled her future.

“This season has really motivated me,” she reflected, “because I know that, by far, I have progressed the most between last year and summer track. So, I'm pretty sure going into track and field season, I’m going to be far more competitive than last track season.”

Having finished seventh, twelfth, and third in the nation for her age group in each of her events, there is little doubt that Jonae’s track and field trajectory is unmistakably on the rise. Much like her hammer, shot, and discus throws, Jonae’ appears ready to go far.

h/t photos provided by Holder family