ABOUT C2K

Founded in 1993 by DeCarlo M. Blackwell, the Lima Striders Track & Field Club was established with a simple but powerful mission: to provide youth and high school athletes with the opportunity to continue competing in track & field beyond school competition while learning the fundamentals of the sport and traveling throughout Ohio and the nation to compete against the best young athletes in America. Candice Simpson became the first athlete to wear the Lima Striders uniform. In 1998, Shavae (Mills) Wright became the club's first AAU All-American. She later captured an Ohio State Championship at Lima Shawnee High School before earning a track & field scholarship to Kent State University. Her success paved the way for many Lima Strider athletes who would go on to excel at the collegiate level.

 

A major milestone came in 2004 when the Lima Striders hosted the AAU Region 6 Track & Field Championships at Lima Stadium. More than 2,400 athletes from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and West Virginia competed in the four-day event. According to the Lima/Allen County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the championship generated an estimated $1 million economic impact for the Lima and Allen County community. The 2004 season also marked the final year of founder and Head Coach DeCarlo M. Blackwell, who relocated for work. Before departing, he passed the leadership of the organization to longtime Assistant Coach Christopher Jackson, ensuring the club's tradition of excellence would continue.

 

Under Coach Jackson's leadership, the program reached new heights. In 2005, the Lima Striders celebrated their first AAU National Champions with Randy Glenn Jr. and Tyler Ulis, who went on to become a five-time AAU National Champion. Ulis later starred at the University of Kentucky before playing professionally in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns. In 2016, Zion Jackson emerged as one of the most decorated athletes in club history, earning 22 AAU All-American honors and four AAU National Championships. His success continued at Trine University, where in 2025 he became a NCAA Division III All-American, earned All-Region honors, and was named the Great Lakes Region Athlete of the Year. He later transferred to Purdue University, where he placed 5th in the Big Ten Championships in the 110-meter hurdles during his first season.

 

Since its founding, the organization has impacted the lives of more than 3,000 athletes. The program has produced:

 

8 AAU National Champions

More than 40 AAU All-Americans

Numerous Ohio State Champions

Collegiate scholarship recipients

Olympic Trial qualifiers, including high jumper Shaun Guice

 

Beyond developing elite athletes, the organization has become a cornerstone of track & field in Northwest Ohio by annually hosting two premier competitions: the Gail A. Blackwell Invitational (formerly the Lima Striders Invitational) and the AAU Ohio State District Qualifier, both held at Lima Senior Stadium and open to athletes and spectators from across the region. As the organization continued to evolve, it embraced a new identity while remaining committed to its founding mission. In 2022, the Lima Striders became the C2K Striders. In 2026, the organization merged with founder DeCarlo Blackwell's Columbus Panthers program to become the C2K Panthers, creating one unified team dedicated to developing the next generation of champions.

 

The inaugural season as the C2K Panthers proved historic. In 2026, the program qualified 55 athletes for the AAU Junior Olympic Games, continuing a legacy of excellence that has inspired thousands of young athletes over more than three decades. Today, the C2K Panthers remain committed to building champions both on and off the track by developing character, discipline, leadership, and athletic excellence—continuing the vision first established by Coach DeCarlo M. Blackwell in 1993 and carried forward by Coach Christopher Jackson.