December 14, 2020

Weber wins; Leone second at Junior Olympic nationals in Kentucky

five others earn all-American honors

Results

Last weekend (12-13 Dec) 18 athletes from USATF Pacific Northwest competed at the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in Paris, Kentucky.

A total of 1346 athletes from across the country competed in the championships. Historically all ten championship races have been conducted on one day but this year the meet was conducted over two days to ensure proper COVID-19 mitigation procedures could be achieved. One of these procedures included races being broken into wave starts which created an unprecedented level of suspense as athletes in each division had to wait to the final wave to learn of their placing. The course, considered challenging by most, included an uphill finish.

The storylines of the meet for the Pacific Northwest athletes were the national title won by Micah Weber in the 7-8 boys race and the runner-up finish by Alexis Leone in the 13-14 girls division.

A total of seven (7) locals earned all-American honors for their top-25 finishes.

In the 7-8 boys race Micah Weber (Federal Way TC) of Tacoma ran to victory stopping the clock at 7:30 on the 2 km course. His margin of victory was 1.2 seconds over Matthew Rodriguez of Kentucky.

IN THEIR WORDS - MICAH WEBER

The most challenging thing for me was the uphill to the finish, but I tried to persevere and not give up. I am so thankful for coach Darryl because he cares and knows so much. It was a lot of fun and I’m thankful I was able to go.

In the 13-14 girls race Alexis Leone (Whisper Running) of Camas, Wash. finished second running 14:48 on the 4 km circuit. She only trailed the 14:32 turned in by winner Sadie Engelhardt of California. Nabbing the last all-American spot in the race was Taylor Sletner of Fox Island, Wash. She ran 15:57 to out dual Clodagh O'Bryant of Georgia by 1.3 seconds for the last all-American spot.

IN THEIR WORDS - ALEXIS LEONE

Given Washington State cancelled the 2020 Track and Cross Country seasons, I was rearing to find a competitive meet. Though the USATF National Junior Olympic course in Kentucky was quite hilly, I am very pleased with placing first in my wave and 2nd overall. While truly amazing, it is unfortunate that I didn't get to race against the overall winner but life is full of surprises. Overall, I am very grateful for the opportunity and the outcome.

In the 15-16 division Whisper Running two teammates earned all-American honors. In the boys race, Joseph Blanshan of LaCenter, Wash. finished eighth running 16:11 on the 5 km course. In the 15-16 girls race Charlotte Wilson of Camas, Wash. finished 18th to earn her all-American selection as she ran 19:39.

In the boys 17-18 division Sawyer Dagan (unattached) of DuPont, Wash. and Nicholas Marty (Whisper Running) of Winlock, Wash. finished 5th and 6th, respectively. Dagan ran 15:47 while Marty stopped the clock at 15:50.

Click here to see the full Pacific Northwest Results Scoreboard.

The 2021 national championships will return to Paris, KY next year.