Twelve athletes from Pine Bluff’s Port City SPEED track club advanced to the national Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics after qualifying last weekend at a meet in Springfield, Mo.
Port City SPEED competed among 2,175 athletes registered from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas in the Region 16 meet at Springfield’s Parkview High School. The top five in each event qualified for the AAU Junior Olympics, July 28-Aug. 2 in the Houston suburb of Humble, Texas.
Sheriah Miller, 7, ran 33.64 seconds in the 200-meter dash for fourth place in the 8-under group and 1:19.30 in the 400 meters for fourth place as well. Sheriah is making her first nationals appearance in her third year.
Stanley Gaddy, 7, earned the silver medal in the 400-meter dash (1:13.44), bronze in the 200-meter dash (34.02 seconds) and fifth place in the 100-meter dash (15.43 seconds) in the 8-under group.
Naomi Battles, 11, punched her ticket to Texas with a 15-foot, 4-inch long jump to win the event for 11-year-olds. She also ran second leg in the 12-year-old girls 4×100-meter relay team that finished third (56.34 seconds).
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Naomi ran on the relay along with Akyre Ento, Khalie Piggie and Ariel Hargraves.
Malachi Rayford, 17, jumped 13.23 meters, or almost 43.5 feet, in the men’s triple jump to take third place.
The 10-year-old 4×400-meter relay team of Z’Niyha Proctor, London Hinton, Ka’Leigh Piggie and Riley Allen came in fourth in 6:01.43.
And the 12-year-old 4×400 team of Ento, Khalie Piggie, Kali Smith and Ariel Hargraves took the silver medal, running 5:06.98.
Other qualifiers from the Pine Bluff area for the AAU Junior Olympics:
Pine Bluff Thunder Track Club – K.J. Poney, 11-year-old boys 100 meters, fourth (13.48); Jeremiah Lee, 13-year-old boys 100 meters, WINNER (11.83); Poney, 11-year-old boys 200 meters, fourth (28.60); Lee, 13-year-old boys 200 meters, WINNER (24.97); Calvin Reddick, 14-year-old boys 200 hurdles, third (29.70); Poney, 11-year-old boys 800, second, 2:32.45; Lee, 13-year-old boys long jump, second, 17-0.
Louis Moss Striders – Deshawn Roy, 9-year-old boys 100 meters, second (13.37); Myron Edwards, 11-year-old boys 80 meters, WINNER (13.83); Edwards, 11-year-old boys outdoor pentathlon 80 hurdles, WINNER (14.15); D’Ariah Harris, women’s heptathlon 100 hurdles, third (16.16); Roy, 9-year-old boys 200 meters, WINNER (28.65); Ameliyah Taylor, 11-year-old girls 200 meters, fifth (28.77); Harris, women’s heptathlon 200 meters, third (26.62); Taylor, 11-year-old girls 400 meters, third (1:06.74); Chave’La Sanders, 11-year-old girls 800 meters, third (2:39.45); Harris, women’s heptathlon 800 meters, third (2:47.69); Edwards, 11-year-old boys outdoor pentathlon 1,500 meters, fourth (7:01.02); Edwards, 11-year-old boys high jump, WINNER (4-6); Edwards, 11-year-old boys outdoor pentathlon high jump, WINNER (4-7); Harris, women’s heptathlon high jump, WINNER (5-3.75); Harris, women’s heptathlon javelin throw, fourth (75-2); Edwards, 11-year-old boys outdoor pentathlon long jump, WINNER (13-9.5); Roy, 9-year-old boys long jump, WINNER, 14-2; Taylor, 11-year-old girls long jump, third (14-1); Harris, women’s heptathlon long jump, second (17-4.75); Harris, women’s long jump, second (17-10); Edwards, 11-year-old boys outdoor pentathlon shot put, WINNER (33-0.5); Edwards, 11-year-old boys shot put, second (33-8.25); Harris, women’s heptathlon shot put, fifth (25-5.5); Joshua Frazier, 15-and-16-year-old boys triple jump, fourth (41-9.75); 15-and-16-year-old boys 4×400-meter relay, third (3:46.22).
