The summer track and field season reaches its climax in next two weeks as the area clubs will be headed out of town for some big national meets.
The USA Track and Field Junior Olympic Championships will be this week on the campus of North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro, N.C. The competition wraps up on Sunday, July 28.
The following week, the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics will be held from July 27 to August 2 at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsalanti, MI. Athletes in age groups from Primary (8-and-under) to Young Men and Women (17-18) will be competing.
Athletes from the various summer track clubs from St. Louis and the Metro East area always bring home a bevy of medals from the Nationals, as well as some national championships.
One of the area’s top athletes to watch will be Charles Jones of Cardinal Ritter College Prep. Jones will be trying to defend his titles in the 800-meter run at both the AAU and USATF national meets in the 17-18 division.
Cahokia High sophomore sensation Ja’Mari Ward will also seek to win championships in the long and triple jumps in the boys 15-16 division.
Jordan Barnett goes ‘Global’Â
CBC basketball standout Jordan Barnett was selected to play in the Nike Global Challenge, which was played last week in Washington, D.C. The Global Challenge is an international competition that features teams from the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, China and Lithuania. Barnett was a member of the USA Midwest Team. Barnett enjoyed an excellent summer with the St. Louis Eagles 17U team. He led the team in scoring and also averaged 15 points to lead the Eagles at the recent Nike Peach Jam in North Augusta, N.C.
AAU excellenceÂ
We had several youth basketball teams go out of town and represent the St. Louis metro area well at various Amateur Athletic Union national tournaments around the country.
The Southwest Illinois Titans finished in fourth place at the AAU Division II 14U Nationals in Orlando, FL. The St. Louis Wolves advanced to the Elite Eight and finished in eighth place at the same 14U Nationals. The STL Team Adidas seventh-grade girls team finished in eighth place at the AAU Division 1 Nationals in Kings, Island, OH. The SW Illinois Jets 13U team finished in 11th place at the AAU 13U Division 1 Nationals in Memphis, TN. Team Ramey’s 13U’s finished in 12th place at the same tournament in Memphis. The St. Louis Lady Pros finished in 11th place at the AAU Fourth Grade Division I Nationals in Orlando.
Congratulations to all of the young boys and girls on their excellent accomplishments this summer.
