News Article – Youth XC Recap 12.28.16 – Usatf-Three Rivers Association

Youth Cross Country Season ends in Hoover, Alabama

12/28/16

PITTSBURGH — The 2016 Youth Cross Country season came to a close on Saturday, December 10^th at the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in Hoover, Alabama. Over two dozen athletes represented TRA and were amongst nearly 3500 of the top athletes from across the country.

Athletes participated in an opening ceremony on Friday, December 9^th where they walked with their regions, recited the Junior Olympic Athlete Oath and listened to some local musicians. As a special treat, elite athletes and Olympians, Terrence Trammell and Kristin Heaston, offered words of encouragement and spoke about their respective athletic journeys.

11-12 Girl, Faith Wilson, earned All-American honors (top 25) in her 3k race. She placed 13^th with a time of 11:46.63. This performance was the only All-American performance for TRA athletes. Other notable performances include Penn Hills Eagles teammates, Lenna Birchard and Amina Robison. They placed 29^th and 30^th in the 8 & Under Girls 2K race which had 214 total athletes. Robinson was the 8 & Under Girls Individual Champion in the 2016 Youth Cross Country Challenge.

2016 TRA National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships Participants:

Place

Name

Age Division

Team

Time

Birchard, Lenna *

Penn Hills Eagles

8 & Under Girls

9:10.67

Robinson, Amina +

Penn Hills Eagles

8 & Under Girls

9:10.83

Mahoney, Jai’Anna

Penn Hills Eagles

8 & Under Girls

9:43./74

107

Eagle, Mary

River City Elite

9-10 Girls

13:40.18

124

Guilfoyle, Catherine

River City Elite

9-10 Girls

13:52.74

216

Gongas, Alexandra

Get Fit Families

9-10 Girls

14:52.63

256

Orr, Ariel

Get Fit Families

9-10 Girls

15:32.72

Wilson, Faith

Mountain Top

11-12 Girls

11:46.63

Hicks, Alaina *

Get Fit Families

11-12 Girls

12:39.17

245

Zalenski, Julia

Get Fit Families

11-12 Girls

13:32.98

267

Orr, Riley

Get Fit Families

11-12 Girls

13:43.69

330

Rotelli, Gianna

Get Fit Families

11-12 Girls

14:26.35

331

Kreber, Abby

Get Fit Families

11-12 Girls

14:26.94

Lucot, Tara *

Get Fit Families

13-14 Girls

15:06.23

179

Bowes, Mckenna

Get Fit Families

13-14 Girls

16:01.36

232

Sellati, Madelyn *

Pacer Track

13-14 Girls

16:23.44

291

Carter, Emily

Pacer Track

13-14 Girls

16:51.04

Moorehead, Jenna *

Get Fit Families

15-16 Women

24:59.64

Lythgoe, Franklin

Pacer Track

8 & Under Boys

9:20.03

Rotelli, Enzo *

Get Fit Families

8 & Under Boys

9:20.77

Weinmann, Renz +

Pacer Track

9-10 Boys

12:17.90

160

Rotelli, Matteo

Get Fit Families

9-10 Boys

13:19.26

Singleton, CJ

Get Fit Families

11-12 Boys

11:37.26

188

Barrett, Timothy

Unattached

11-12 Boys

12:21.79

369

Hicks, Aidan

Get Fit Families

11-12 Boys

13:57.26

114

Turner, Kasey

Pacer Track

13-14 Boys

13:53.48

194

Burkhart, Antonio

Pacer Track

13-14 Boys

14:17.87

+ 2016 Youth Cross Country Challenge Individual Champion

* 2015 National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships Participant

Complete 2016 USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Results can be found here.

Each of these athletes had to qualify for the national competition by participating in the 2016 Region 2 Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in Morris Plains, New Jersey. The competition was held on November 20^th at Central Park. Nearly 75 athletes and eight teams represented Three Rivers in the 4 Association, Regional competition. Those teams included Get Fit Families, Greensburg YMCA, Mountain Top Track & Field, Nadia Track, Pacer Track, Penn Hills Eagles Track, River City Elite, and Valley Speedsters. Individuals who placed in the top 30 and teams who placed in the top 5 advanced to Hoover, AL.

Penn Hills 8 & under girls had a stellar performance at the competition. Led by 2016 Youth Cross Country Challenge Winner, Amina Robinson, 5 athletes finished within the top 15 and secured a 1^st place team finish with 26 points.

Other notable performances:

9-10 Girls, Jenna Lang – Pacer Track – 2^nd Place

9-10 Boys, Renz Weinman – Pacer Track – 3^rd Place

11-12 Girls, Faith Wilsion – Mountain Top Track & Field – 3^rd Place

11-12 Boys, CJ Singleton – Get Fit Families – 2^nd Place

13-14 Girls, Tara Lucot – Get Fit Families – 2^nd Place

15-18 Men, Haden Boutiller – Mountain Top Track & Field – 3^rd Place

Complete Region 2 Cross Country Results can be found here.

Congratulations to all the youth athletes on a successful Cross Country season.

USATF Three Rivers

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