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CA Track Club Youth Track Meet Review
Oakland, Calif. - Track and Field opened with a bang as the red carpet was rolled out for another season of Junior Olympic hopefuls. April 16 marked the completion of the CA Youth Track Meet from Skyline High School. Hundreds of Teams and unattached athletes participated in the one-day meet that annually provides some of the best competition in the association.
This year was no different with everyone in full stride, all brought their favorites for a day of excitement and the familiar faces in the crowd were a kind reminder that the 2011 USA Track and Field Season are officially underway! Things got off to a rollin start in the Sprints as the day unfolded with some very solid performances. The Midget Girls are in the spot light this year with firepower up front. Leading the charge for the Midget girls was Kara Awakoaiye (CATC) in the MG 80 Hurdles as she went to victory with a Personal Best of 13.42. Also with a Personal Best and following in a close Second was Sydnie Bunel (LSI). In the Midget Boys section we saw Jonathan Hall (3MTC) with an easy win, crossing the line in 14.09. Behind him was Oakland Pal's Ramon Sims (16.72) to take the silver. Back to compete her last season in age Group Track and Field, Youth Girls, Nia Vance of B-Sharp took the tape in the 100 Hurdles. In a time of 15.33 just slightly off the meet record of 15.21. In her first year as a youth was Artearra Coffey (OAK-PAL) to take home the silver (16.87) and Arnold Mackenzie of the newly formed 1438 Revolution was there to take the Bronze (17.15). On the Boys side emerging from the field it would be Dante Johnson (CATC) to victory (15.14), with 3M's Standout Armand Shyne close on his heels (15.55). Shyne's teammate Joshua Hall would take the bronze just in front of Marcus McCollumn of Fast Forward who would take the fourth spot. Perhaps one of the biggest rivalries cooking this season is in the Bantam Boys 400m Relay between Phenom Elite and Hercules Running Rebels. Setting last year�s meet record at 57.00, Phenom Elite would be first to take the baton around the track in heat 1 of 2. Phenom Elite, Crossing the line in 55.78* would flex some muscle breaking the meet record once again and leave it up to The Running Rebels to have the last word. With and already season best of 55.23, set at the 47th Annual Phoenix Invitational. We are truly in for a treat the next time these two teams match up at the line! Some other notable relay performances would be the midget boys 4x100 as East Palo Alto Greyhounds broke the meet record with a time of 53.11*. B-sharp Academy Youth Girls with a 50.58 to win the gold and Following their Bantam Boys it would be Phenom Elite youth boys with a 48.23 to take the YB 4x100 relay. Things really started to get heated as Sub-Bantams Girls; Jazlynn Gibbs of Oakland Pal would lead the 100 Meters sprints off with a win of her own. Crossing the line in 15.64. Behind her was Olivia Dillard of 3M (16.04) and Folasade Halcomb of East Oakland (16.36). On the bantam boys side Darnell Jones of Oakland Pal would take the win and meet record in 14.70*. Not far behind him was KJ Copes (3M) and Raleek Brown (Dynasty TC) to tie for the silver (14.90). Jumping over to the Bantam boys. After bringing in home the victory in the 4x100 Donovan Jordan-Scott of Phenom Elite would be just off the Meet record by 0.01, previously held by Mission Valley's Standout Aaron Jones. Donovan would take the Gold in 13.60. On the Midget Girls side another rivalry is cooking. Last year's Bantam standout Lariah Crenshaw of Phenom (now a midget) showed she can compete at the next level when she got off to fast start in the MG 100 Meters to win her heat in a time of 13.39. A much anticipated matchup between her and Naomi smith of A1TC as lariah would go up this day 1-0. But it would be Jada Newkirk (Onalysis) who would surprise the duet when she cross the line in a leading time of 13.36 to take the gold. It wouldn't be to later on that day that Naomi would even the score +1 when she ran to a day's leading 27.2 in the MG 200 to take the gold and the meet record. That puts the score at 1-1 between these two. However when 2010 silver medalist Saravaughn King of 3M joins the fight things will surely get interesting. On the Boys side and perhaps the meets MVP it was Fast Forward's Vaughn Johnson with the trifecta winning the MB 100 (13.32), 200 (27.27) and 400 with a time of 1:01.21* to break the meets record. Congrats to vaughn for an outstanding performance. The youth girls 100 saw a couple sub-13 performances with Stockton Saints Schantell Williams and B-Sharp's Mia Collier as They went 1 and 2 in the YG 100. In the middle-distances, we have a sister pair of Nicole and Meagan Warwick of CVRR and Jasmine and Jade Hardy of 3M trading Off 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the YG 1500 meters. Also competing in the 1500 was Gabrielle Rinne (UNA),Hydeia Barney (Full Stride) and Gianna Garza (Marin Waves) to name a few. And it would the Hardy sisters team mate Chloe Jenkins who would that day take the shorter distance title when she broke the meet record in the YG 800. In a early season opener Chloe would make a statement with an easy 2:19.19* besting the rest of the field by 10 seconds. David Frisbie of Mission Valley pace the YB 1500 with a time of 4:54.74, Toby Alongi (5:08.04), Samir Arora (5:09.89) and Patrick Odone (6:18.47) also competed in the event. In the Sub-bantam Girls 1500 the event was lead by Alexis Lopez (Fast Forward ) with Danielle Ray to follow for silver. The boys event saw KJ Copes (3M) run to an easy victory as the only one enter in his event. The 1500 Bantam Girls Jaxin Woodward (Full Stride) and Bantam Boys Jacques Jones (3M) took top honors in their respective events along with Midget Girls Laura Vetter of San Leandro. The MB 1500 saw Marin Waves team mates Zacharias Martinez and Wyatt Miceli double in the event , running 5:14.39 and 5:35.37, respectively. In the Field events there was a strong showing of performance as records kept breaking. Things got started in the Sub-Bantam Girls LJ as the Greyhounds Daujae Degraffenreed would set it off with a record breaking jump of 10-10.50* for the Gold. That performance would be followed by another record breaker when Dj Johnson of 3M jump to a 11-04.50* in the Bantam Boys LJ. The Bantam Girls would keep the streak going with a record jump of 14-11.00* set by Natanee Colling of Berkeley. And If that wasn't enough the Bantam Boys would do better, breaking the meet record 3 times in one day. By Maki Polk (13-06.50*), Malcom Clemons (14-02.50*) until finally resting with Marion Devore of the Running Rebels in a 14-07.50*. So of course that set the stage for the Midget girls to up the ante, with Koray Etkin-Shaw leaping into the records book at 16-00.00*. The streak would end with the Midget boys but an outstanding jump non-the-less when Jonathan Hall of 3M took home his second Gold medal in a jump of 14-04.50. Some other record breaking performance in the field would be: Triple jumper Jowhari Hill (3MTC) in 32-04.00*, Isaiah Mobley (Hampton Phillips in the YB High Jump (5-00.00*), In the Open Girls HJ, Rayven Sanders-Arnold (OAK-PAL) in 4-08.00*. Hanah Hall (3MTC) in the Midget Girls Shot Put (33-06.00*). And Last but not least what would a meet be without 3M standout Armand Shyne closing the deal with a record toss in the Discuss (120-05*). Overall the weekend saw some outstanding performances. Many athletes ran exceptionally well and proved to be in good shape As the season gets underway. with many other notable performances and almost too many to name here. Pacific association Athletes continue to prove their tradition of success in a sport we all Love. Next up for the Association is the Phenom Elite Track Meet at A.A. Alonzo Stagg High School in Stockton, on April 23. The meet is sure to bring some of the top athletes from around the association out for some fun and excitement.
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