The final two days of the AAU Junior Olympic Games had more PA athletes have big days!
No one had a bigger day than Jahvel Hemphill of Bloomsburg. The AA boys 100 meter champion won the 15/16 year old 100 meter dash with a time of 10.81! His teammate Elijah Knapp placed in the javelin, throwing 141-10 to finish 6th. For girls 15/16s, Chanel Brissett of Cheltenham finished 6th in the 100 meter dash (12.19) and 7th in the 200 (25.04). Mount Airy Track Club won the 4x800 meter relay with a time of 9:11.53 and ran 3:50.29 to finish 3rd in the 4x400 meter relay. Gabby Wilkinson and Sydni Stovall featured on both relay teams! Alexandria Kitchell of Springside Chestnut Hill ran 57.39 to finish 6th in the 400 meter dash. Ashely Alexander of Cheltenham finished 8th in the shot put with a mark of 36-9.75.
In the 17/18 division, Christian Brissett of Cheltenham finished 6th in the 100 meter dash (10.87) and 5th in the 200 meter dash (21.88). His teammate John Lewis ran 48.61 to finish 7th in the 400 meter dash. Ambler Olympic Club ran 3:16.64 to finish 5th in the 4x400 meter relay. For the girls, Nicole Leonzo of Harrisburg Christian School ran 57.01 to finish 6th in the 400 meter dash.
Incoming Friends Central freshman and Mount Airy Track Club athlete Gabrielle Wilkinson stole the show at the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Des Moines, Iowa! The New Balance Indoor Nationals record holder in the junior high mile set a new girls 15/16 year old AAU record to win the 1500 meter run with a blazing 4:32.59! The mark broke the 2009 record set by New Jersey's Ajee Wilson (4:34.51). Wilkinson came close to breaking a second Ajee Wilson record in the 800 meter run. Wilkinson needed to run 2:07.08 to get that mark, but won the champonship with a 2:09.72 performance ahead of 2nd place Springfield Montco athlete Sydni Stovall (2:16.44). Stovall also finished 4th in the 2000 meter steeplechase (7:39.42).
Other highlights in the 15/16 division include Cheltenham's Chanel Brissett qualifying for three finals! The sophomore earned spots in the finals of the 100 meter dash (12.12), the 200 meter dash (24.69), and finished 6th in the high hurdles (14.04 prelims, 14.82 finals). Hannah Sexton of Central Bucks West finished 8th in the 400 meter hurdles in 1:06.86. Mount Airy Track Club advanced a 4x400 meter relay team to the finals, with Wilkinson and Stovall leading the way. Peighton Simmons of Jamestown PA won the triple jump championship with a mark of 38-9.25!
For boys 15/16, Upper Darby's Mason Weh became the champion in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 13.90! Jahvel Hemphill of Bloomsburg is in the 100 meter dash finals, running a 10.70 in round one. Kamil Jihad of Delco Stallions finished 7th in the 1500 meter run in 4:10.10. Ethan Conway of Owen J Roberts finished 8th in the 2000 meter steeplechase in 6:52.86. Maachi Clark of Harrisburg finished 5th in the triple jump with a mark of 43-7.50.
For boys 17/18, John Lewis continues his incredible summer of big performances with a championship in the 800 meter run. The Cheltenham rising senior set a lifetime best 1:50.01 to win the title by half a second! His teammate Christian Brissett will be competing in the finals of the 100 (10.66) and 200 meter dashes (21.67). Delaware Valley Charter's Donaldo Benjamin earned runner up honors in the high hurdles with a time of 13.95 and the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 53.59. Robert Simmons of Council Rock North finished 3rd in the 200 meter steeplechase in 6:21.73. Sean Stovall ran 6:33.43 to finish 7th. Ambler Olympic Club made the finals of the 4x400 meter relay with John Lewis leading the way. Kassai Myers of Harrisburg finished 4th in the triple jump with a mark of 44-10.50.
For 17/18 girls, Sierra Brabhim-Lawrence of Harrisburg finished 4th in the 100 meter hurdles (13.73 prelims, 13.99 finals) and the triple jump (38-4.50), but rebounded to become the champion of the 400 meter hurdles and broke the 60 second mark in the process (59.68)! Erica Groomes of Abington Friends finished 6th in the 1500 meter run in 4:54.17.