AAU Junior Olympic Games 2006

It was quite an outdoor campaign for Mechacton\'s Ryann Krais. In May, she set a state record. In June, she established a national class record. And in August, she broke it. She set PRs in 11 events. Four of the events she had never competed in before this year, and she improved with almost every effort.

Recent Bayside graduate Charles Clark wrapped up his high school career at the AAU National Junior Olympics on Saturday at Norfolk State University with a national championship in the 100 meter dash of the young men\'s age group with a 10.66 clocking in the finals. Clark also was a member of two national championship relays on the final day of seven day event with his track club, Track Serious, in the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays. The all-star club relay included Clark\'s rival during the high school team season in Deep Creek\'s Quentin Moore as they paired up with others to run some blazing times of 40.72 and 3:11.34 respectively. Complete results are now posted from AAU Nationals. Please inform us of any elites that are missing as it is difficult to identify athletes without their high school affiliations during summer track.

Rising senior Tierra Brown of Hampton posted one of the fastest 100 meter hurdle times in Virginia high school history with a 13.70 clocking (0.4 legal wind) to finish third in the finals of young women age group at the AAU National Junior Olympic Games. The last Virginian to run faster in the event was Olympian medalist Latasha Colander back in 1994 in 13.30 at World Juniors in Portugual. Olympian Sheena Johnson, formerly of Gar-Field, had ran the fastest since Colander in 2000 at 13.73. 1984 Olympian gold medalist Benita Fitzgerald has the second fastest time at 13.53 in 1979, while LIsa Wells clocked a 13.57 at the 1988 US Junior Nationals as the third fastest all-time. A very elite and special class that Brown joined with her performance at Norfolk State University this weekend. More to come from AAU Nationals.

The 40th annual AAU Junior Olympic Games will be held this week at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia from Saturday, July 29th to Saturday, August 5th. Many Virginians are participating in the meet with the convenience of the AAU Nationals being held in Virginia as well as AAU State Association Championship qualifiers receiving automatic byes to the AAU Junior Olympic Games helping numbers. Some top Virginia high school entries include Charles Clark, Nicole Saunders, Marlon Woods, Tierra Brown, Quentin Moore, Janet Brown, Shanneka Claiborne, Deshana Briggs, Shakia Forbes, Shameka Kentish, Jahmal Potter, and Devan Clark.

The final big meets of outdoor, from Blunt to World Juniors. In the Multis at the AAU Junior Olympics in Norfolk, Virginia, Ryan Krais won the Intermediate Girls Heptathlon on the first two days of competition to improve her US Soph Class Record. On Day Five, she won the 400 Hurdles for her 2nd title. And on Day Six, she added a third title, taking the 100 Hurdles in 14.03. And on Day Eight, she took 6th in the 400. Also on Day Eight, a Havertown Middle Schooler, Sophia Meehan set an AAU record in the 3000 Meter Run, going 10:42.77. She runs for the Dashers Track Club. At the USATF Junior Olympics in Baltimore, in the Intermediate Girls 800 Finals, Easton\'s Chanelle Price set a meet and junior Intermediate record with her 2nd best 800 ever (photo by Robert Wallingford, robertwallingford.smugmug.com) Sarah Morrison and Tim Wertner were the individual champs at the 3rd Tim & Susan Cook Memorial Mile Road Race. At the Keystone Games, Andrew Fahringer of Whitehall, threw the Javelin to a US#3 mark.