Track stars impress at national meet

John and Sarah Drennen's top-five finishes set the pace for Alpha Omega at the Junior Olympics.

By WAYNE GRUMET

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 8, 2000

John and Sarah Drennen had a great time on their family vacation last week. One highlight was definitely a stop at Universal Studios.

Another had to be competing in a total of five events at the AAU Junior Olympics in Kissimmee. Both siblings finished in the top five in one event and in the top 25 in another.

"They are competitors. They rise to the occasion," Alpha Omega and Ridgewood girls track coach Sue Vien said. "They are not afraid. They are aggressive by nature. With them being so young it is a definite advantage."

The two Deer Park Elementary students have been working with the Alpha Omega Track Club for two years. Their progression from novice to elite has been swift.

Eight-year-old John was the youngest club member at the Junior Olympics. He competed in three events -- the primary 800, shot put and long jump.

John's long jump of 11 feet, 11 inches earned fifth place overall.

"I love running and jumping," John said. "It's great bicycling in the air."

John finished 12th in the shot put (17-11/4) and 31st in the 800 (3:16.01). At the AAU state meet in July, John grabbed a silver medal in all three events.

Sarah missed a national championship in the bantam high jump by two inches. Her leap of 4 feet was good enough for fourth place.

"I just needed to believe in myself and have a lot of faith. I worked hard and didn't fool around at the track," Sarah said. "I just like jumping high. A lot of kids on the team can't do that. It makes me feel kind of special."

Sarah also finished 23rd in the long jump (11-73/4). At the AAU state meet, Sarah won gold in the long jump and silver in the high jump.

While John and Sarah stood out as Alpha Omega's top performers last week, they weren't the only athletes to impress at the national event.

Ten-year-old Kristen Aley's personal best leap of 3-6 in the bantam high jump was good for eighth.

Lea Weber, 10, just missed the top 10 in the bantam long jump. She leaped 12-41/4 to finish 11th. She also added a 23rd-place finish in the 400.

River Ridge regional qualifier Emily Ollivier had the roughest week on the team. She came down with tonsillitis shortly before the competition began. She refused to quit and competed anyway.

"I felt so bad for her. This is a kid who has never been sick all summer long and she was sick as a dog," Vien said.

Ollivier finished 12th in the intermediate discus with a 97-9 and 16th in the intermediate shot with a 30-21/2.

Leon Holmes, the 11-year-old AAU state champion in the discus, grabbed two top 20 finishes. He was 20th in the discus (65-6) and 18th in the shot put (28-13/4).

Heather Bertling, 12, set a personal best in the midget hurdles, finishing 15th in 16.22. Bertling also finished 33rd in the midget long jump (12-3).

Travis Whitlock, Stephanie Fleres and Tennisha Dixon also garnered top 20 finishes. Whitlock finished 16th overall in the young men's decathlon while Dixon placed 14th in the sub-midget shot put with a 27-71/4. Dixon also finished 31st in the sub-midget long jump.

The 11-year-old Fleres finished 19th in the sub-midget high jump with a 3-8.

Twelve-year-old Caitlin Morrison was another Alpha Omega top-20 finisher. She placed 19th in the midget discus with a 58-5. She added a 25th-place finish in the midget shot put with a toss of 241/4.

Andrea Sablan, 15, narrowly missed a top 20 finish in the intermediate discus. She finished 21st with a toss of 86-1.

Morgan Shellenberger, 10, shaved three seconds off her personal best in the sub-midget hurdles. She finished 24th in 18.32.

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