A pair of Vancouver runners were part of a national championship relay team at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics National Championships.
Dai’lynn Merriweather and Jai’lynn Merriweather were part of an Albina Roadrunners team that won the national title in the 1,600-meter relay for girls ages 17-18. The Portland-based club had a winning time of 3 minutes, 42.03 seconds. Malika Washington and Madison Herbert were the team’s other runners.
The Merriweather sisters are entering their senior year at Union High School. They were among the athletes from Southwest Washington who earned all-American recognition at the national meet that concluded on Sunday at Sacramento State University.
The Evergreen Storm Track Club of Vancouver had six athletes earn All-American recognition at the nationals, including Trey Knight’s titles in the shot put and discus for boys 13-14.
Presley Timmons placed sixth in the girls 2,000-meter steeplechase for ages 15-16 with a time of 7:34.83. The time cut 15 seconds off her previous personal best. Timmons, who attends Skyview High School, was at the back of the pack for the first three laps of the five-lap race but finished fifth in her heat and sixth overall.
In the 17-18 age division for boys, the Evergreen Storm took fourth place in the four-by-800 relay with a time of 8:00.68. Cade Greseth (Camas), Miguel De La Melena (Union), Parker Linhart-Wubbena (Mountain View) and Brandon Lehto (Ridgefield) each have one more year of Junior Olympics eligibility.
A total of 16 athletes represented the Evergreen Storm at the national championships.
Storm head coach Scott Timmons noted that this was a difficult year to qualify for nationals because of the caliber of competition at the regional meet.
“Just making it there this year took on special meaning,” he said.
Five members of the Flanagan Clan Girls Track Club of Woodland competed at nationals. In addition to Jenna Melanson’s championship in the girls 17-18 2,000 steeplechase, Nicole Guthrie earned all-American honors in the 13-14 age group by clearing 5 feet, 3 inches to place sixth in the high jump.
Benjamin Haywood of Vancouver placed eighth in the triathlon for boys age 9-10 with 622 points to earn All-American status. The triathlon involved the shot put, high jump and 400 meters. He competed with Albina Roadrunners of Portland and is entering the fifth grade at Illahee Elementary School.
