Mach I Track's long tradition of sending athletes to Junior Olympics continues this summer as the program has qualified 13 members to compete in two sites in the coming month.
Eight qualified to compete in Eugene, Oregon July 24-30 at the USA Track & Field Junior Olympics, while five qualified for the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics in Des Moines, Iowa July 26-Aug. 5.
In fact, three members of the team, the Fink siblings, qualified for both events, but have opted to compete in the AAU Junior Olympics. Jack is in the Boys 17-18 division, Josh is among Boys 13-14 and Jenna will be competing in the Girls 8-Under category.
Joining them in Des Moines will be Nico Walden (Boys 15-16) and Emmy Strathmeyer (Girls 15-16).
Leading the pack in Eugene will be Gannon Dolan in the Boys 15-16 category. He won a national championship in the 3000-meter run last year in the Boys 13-14 division, setting a national record of 8 minutes, 59 seconds.
He will be joined by his younger brother, Malachi, who will be competing in the Boys 8-Under division. Also competing among the Mach I boys will be Layton Ybarra, James Romo and Josh Gal, all in the 17-18 group, and Ty Williams among the 13-14.
Girls who qualified for Eugene are sisters Hadleigh and McKinley Walton (both 13-14) and Amelia Rivas (9-10).
"I think we are fortunate to get athletes who are dedicated, hard working and who love running so much that it is rare for them to miss practice," Mach I coach Lupe Torres said. "Also, coach Matt Mitchell is a big part of the Mach I formula."
The team competed this past weekend at the USATF Region 12 Meet in Fort Worth, from which the top eight finishers in each event punched their ticket to Oregon. It was also a last chance for some to qualify for AAU nationals.
Mach I came home with six gold medals, three silver, two bronze, a fourth-place finish and a fifth-place finish. They won four of six divisions in the 1500, including the rare gold medal sweep in the Boys 13-14, 15-16 and 17-18 age groups, along with 8-Under.
"It was over 90 degrees at race time. There were over 60 clubs," Torres said. "Houston alone has over 500 kids combined, so I'm pretty happy with these results."
USATF Region 12 Meet
Clark Stadium, Fort Worth
July 5-8
Mach I national qualifiers (top eight in each event qualified for USATF Junior Olympics)
Distances in meters
800
Boys 13-14: 2. Ty Williams, 2:08.41.
Girls 8-Under: 8. Jenna Fink, 3:24.57.
1500
Boys 17-18: 1. Layton Ybarra, 4:08.45; 3. Jack Fink, 4:11.71.
Boys 15-16: 1. Gannon Dolan, 4:15.70.
Boys 13-14: 1. Williams, 4;26.49.
Boys 8-Under: 1. Malachi Dolan, 6:03.58.
Girls 9-10: 8. Amelia Rivas, 7:59.68.
Girls 8-Under: 8. Fink, 7:01.82.
2000 Steeplechase
Boys 17-18: 4. Josh Gal, 7:30.43.
3000
Boys 17-18: 2. Ybarra, 9:08.55; 3. Fink, 9:13.61; 8. James Romo, 9:53.27.
Boys 15-16: 1. Dolan, 9:22.93.
Boys 13-14: 2. Williams, 9:48.95.
Girls 13-14: 7. Hadleigh Walton, 12:28.88; 8. McKinley Walton, 12:31.39.
3000 Race Walk
Boys 13-14: 1. Josh Fink, 17:39.84.
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