Six South Placer area track and field athletes achieve All-American status at Junior Olympics

Six local athletes became All-Americans at last week's USA Track and Field National Junior Olympic Championships at Sacramento State University. Four of those athletes competed with Revolution Express Track Club of the South Placer area, including Giselle Kirchner who placed first in the finals of the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.57 seconds. Kirchner also raced in the 400-meter hurdles and placed 20th. She recently finished her sophomore season at Rocklin High where she came in fourth in the 100-meter hurdles at the state championships. "It was super exciting to win and I've been training all summer in preparation for the Junior Olympics, so to see all my hard work result in a win was very rewarding," Kirchner said. "This summer has taught me that every race, good or bad, is a learning experience. I've become mentally stronger this summer to stay positive when I don't perform my best and have accepted that every race isn't going to result in a personal record." Athletes of all ages were at the event, including 10-year-old and Sunset Ranch Elementary fifth-grader Ava Takeuchi who became an All-American in four events. Takeuchi was third in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter races, came in fourth in the high jump and was third in the triathlon, which included high jump, shot put and a 200-meter race. Juliana Roberson earned All-American status with a third-place finish in the triple jump at 37 feet, 5.25 inches. Roberson also competed in the event during the spring as a Whitney High sophomore and finished eighth in the state championships. "Becoming All-American in the triple jump is definitely one of my greatest accomplishments and I'm beyond happy to say that, when I'm only halfway done with high school," Roberson said. "Last year's Junior Olympics was really hard for me physically and mentally, so when I was able to even make it to the finals this year, I felt so relieved." Another Whitney High athlete who performed well at the event was incoming senior Ashanti Elie. Elie competed in the 17- to 18-year- old division for the women's high jump and placed first at 1.65 meters or five feet, five inches. She is yet another South Placer athlete who had a great high school season that carried over into the summer. "In being honest, it has been a very long season for me and being able to remain consistent was challenging, especially with some minor injuries I've been facing," Elie said. "Overall, I believe I did a good job maintaining the standard I have set at the beginning of the summer season. Being able to compete in an event that I have so much love for at a high level with people who do as well was a cherishing moment for me." Devyn Chambers placed fourth in the girls 13- to 14-year-old age division in the long jump, setting a personal record of 5.2 meters in her final attempt. Chambers has only been involved with track for roughly six months and recently broke the eighth grade long jump record at Warren T Eich Middle School in Roseville that was set back in 2007. She will attend Oakmont High School as a freshman this fall and she jumps for Skyabve out of Antelope. Collin Friedman placed seventh in the decathlon and earned personal records in both the shot put and the 1,500-meter race in the event. His top performances were third-place finishes in both the 100-meter and the pole vault. Friedman recently finished his senior season at El Camino High School and will attend American River College in the fall. Layla Qaqa competed in the 9- to 10-year-old age division in the shot put and finished in ninth-place at 21 feet, 2.75 inches, a new club record, and missed out on being All-American by one place. Nicolas Cardoso was the lone competitor for Revolution Express Track Club in the 7- to 8-year-old age division and finished ninth with a personal record of 64 feet, 7.25 inches. Other South Placer athletes who made it to the semifinals or finished in the Top 20 in various events include Aniya Martin, Stevan Cuevas, Paige Wilcox, Xavier Bruce II and Isaiah Earls.