Slippery Rock hosts Junior Olympic Regional Championships
7/13/15
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The 2015 USATF Region II Track & Field Championships was the second stop on the Junior Olympic circuit for TRA youth athletes. They were joined by 3 other USATF Associations (Mid-Atlantic, New Jersey, and Niagara) to vie for a chance to move on to the national competition. Three Rivers has the opportunity to host this competition every 3-4 years and local athletes and teams were eager to showcase their talents to their out-of-town visitors and seize the home-field advantage. The event was held over 4 consecutive days, July 9 -12, and this time combined events were contested with the top 5 athletes in individual events and relays and the top 2 places in combined events advancing to nationals in Jacksonville, Florida from July 27 – August 2.
TRA youth athletes got right to business taking home championship crowns in many events. In total, there were over 40 individual and relay Region II champions with dozens more advancing to the final meet in Jacksonville. Some notable performances include the Steel City Express 8 & under girls winning both the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. The 4×100 team not only raced to the finish line in 1st place, they also set a new Region II record of 1:04.12
Other notable performances include:
| 8 & Under Girls | ||||
| Damya Scott | Future Stars | 100 | 200 | 400 |
| Taylor Neese | Wings of Moon | LJ | JT | |
| 9-10 Girls | ||||
| Dani Prunzik | Future Stars | 100 | 200 | |
| 13-14 Girls | ||||
| Jayla Ellis | Next Level Athletics | 100mH | 400 | LJ |
| 9-10 Boys | ||||
| Julian Dugger | Steel City Express | 200 | 400 | |
| 15-16 Boys | ||||
| Mark Brown | Greensburg YMCA | 1500 | 3000 | |
| Ayden Owens | Nadia Track Club | Decathlon | 400mH |
Advancing athletes will compete in exactly two weeks at the 2015 USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships at Hodges Stadium at University of North Florida. The TRA wishes these athletes the best of luck.
Complete Region II results can be found here.
More information on the Junior Olympic National Championships can be found here.
TRA youth competition opportunities can be found here.