Another exciting year of high school track and field has come to an end in St. Louis. It is also time to recognize the athletes who were named to the 2009 St. Louis American All-Area Track and Field Team.
It was a great season as we crowned five new state team champions in Maplewood (Boys Class 2), McCluer South-Berkeley (Girls Class 3), Ladue (Girls Class 4), Hazelwood East (Boys Class 4) and Belleville West (Ill. Girls Class 3A).
The St. Louis American Boys Track Athlete of the Year is senior Fred Taylor of Maplewood. Taylor won four gold medals in leading the Blue Devils to the Class 2 state championships.
The American Girls Athlete of the Year features co-recipients. The first is senior Precious Selmon of Crystal City, who won four gold medals at the Class 2 state meet and set three state records. Her efforts in her events would have won the Class 4 state title. Senior Yolanda Suggs of Belleville West won four gold medals at the IHSA Class 3A state meet and led the Maroons to their first ever state championship.
Here are the members of the 2009 St. Louis American All-Area Track and Field Teams.
Boys
100-Meter Dash: Ronnie Wingo (SLUH)
200: Ronnie Wingo (SLUH)
400: Fred Taylor (Maplewood)
800: Dominique Manley (Collinsville)
1,600: Charles Johnson (Hazelwood East)
3,200: Charles Johnson (Hazelwood East)
110-Meter High Hurdles: Prentice Ivy (Chaminade)
300-Meter Int. Hurdles: Forrest Knight (Belleville East)
4×100-Meter Relay: Belleville West
4×200-Meter Relay: Belleville West
4×400-Meter Relay: Hazelwood East
4×800-Meter Relay: Hazelwood East
Long Jump: Tyrice Cole (Mehlville)
Triple Jump: Vernon Carter (Cahokia)
Shot Put: Terron Armstead (Cahokia)
Discus: Terron Armstead (Cahokia)
High Jump: Tyler Anderson (East St. Louis)
Pole Vault: Kenneth Williams (University City)
Girls
100: Olivia Lewis (Gateway Tech)
Lauren Hollingsworth (Villa Duchesne)
200: Olivia Lewis (Gateway Tech)
400: Olivia Lewis (Gateway Tech)
Yolanda Suggs (Belleville West)
800: Samantha Levin (Ladue)
Kianna Ruff (McCluer South-Berkeley)
1,600: Dneesha Hamiel (East St. Louis)
3,200: Janelle Williams (East St. Louis)
100-Meter High Hurdles: Precious Selmon (Crystal City)
300-Meter Low Hurdles: Precious Selmon (Crystal City)
4×100-Meter Relay: Belleville West
4×200-Meter Relay: Ladue
4×400-Meter Relay: Ladue
4×800-Meter Relay: Parkway Central
Long Jump: Precious Selmon (Crystal City)
Triple Jump: Latia Jefferson (Belleville West)
Shot Put: Jasmine Boyer (Fort Zumwalt West)
Triple Jump: Jasmine Boyer (Fort Zumwalt West)
High Jump: Brianna Isom-Brummer (Villa Duchesne)
