The 2016 USATF National Junior Olympics ended in Sacramento, California last week, and many Maryland athletes returned home with medals from this year's championships.
Two Maryland individuals/relays came home with gold medals from 2016's Junior Olympics. The Firebirds Track Club (Rockville) 15-16 girls 4x800 were the first Maryland athletes to bring home a gold medal, winning their age group with a time of 9:37.93.
Then, Glenarden Track Club's Harleigh White (Huntingtown High School) won the girls 17-18 triple jump with a personal best mark of 41'4.50, which she jumped on her final attempt. Read MileSplit's full story on Harleigh White's victory here.
The Glenarden Track Club took over 100 athletes from around the DMV and brought home many other medals, as well. In both the girls 15-16 and 17-18 age groups their 4x100 and 4x400 relays finished with silver medals, and in the 17-18 age group their 'B' team earned All-American status as well, finishing seventh.
As for individuals, recent DuVal graduate Madeleine Akobundu finished third in the long jump and sixth in the 100 hurdle finals. Recent Marriotts Ridge graduate Micah Meekins also earned All-American status with a sixth-place finish in the 200 finals.
The Firebirds Track Club also picked up another high school All-American when Northwest rising sophomore Taylor Wright finished third in the triple jump with a personal best mark of 39'3.00. She also finished eighth in the 200 meter finals. As for their relays, the 15-16 girls finished sixth in both the 4x100 and 4x400, in addition to their gold medal in the 4x800.
The USA-JA Track Club (Silver Spring) had a pair of individual All-Americans - Paint Branch rising junior Yasmine Kass (8th, 3000) and recent Northwood graduate Andree' Di-Reumante (5th, steeplechase). Both their girls and boys 17-18 4x800 relays earned medals as well by finishing seventh in their respective races.
Another Maryland medalist was Urbana rising senior Delia Sipe, who finished third in the discus and sixth in the shot put with a new personal best of 41'8.75.
Check out full results from the 2016 USATF National Junior Olympics here.
Maryland Elite Performances
| Girls (16) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200m | F 1 6th | 24.76 | Micah Meekins | Marriotts Ridge | |
| 200m | F 2 6th | 24.62 | Taylor Wright | Northwest High School | |
| 200m | p 4 5th | 24.62 | Taylor Wright | Northwest High School | |
| 200m | p 8 11th | 24.85 | Micah Meekins | Marriotts Ridge | |
| 800m | p 1 4th | 2:19.94 | Ayanna Johnson | Bullis School | |
| 1500m | p 2 7th | 4:56.45 | Yasmine Kass | Paint Branch High School | |
| 100H | F 1 6th | 14.35 | Madeleine Akobundu | DuVal High School | |
| 100H | p 5 1st | 14.45 | Madeleine Akobundu | DuVal High School | |
| 400H | F 1 7th | 1:04.79 | Ayanna Johnson | Bullis School | |
| 400H | p 4 16th | 1:04.79 | Ayanna Johnson | Bullis School | |
| LJ | F 4 3rd | 19-4 | Madeleine Akobundu | DuVal High School | |
| LJ | F 4 10th | 17-8 | Alexis Postell | Bullis School | |
| TJ | F 4 1st | 41-4.5 | Harleigh White | Huntingtown High School | |
| TJ | F 1 3rd | 39-3 | Taylor Wright | Northwest High School | |
| D | F 4 3rd | 138-1 | Delia Sipe | Urbana High School | |
| S | F 1 6th | 41-8.75 | Delia Sipe | Urbana High School | |
| Boys (1) | |||||
| 200m | p 6 8th | 21.73 | Eric Allen Jr. | Bullis School | |