On track to nationals
Six Butler County athletes have qualified for the USATrack and Field National Junior Olympics that will be held July 25 to 30 at Morgan State University in Baltimore.
Dylan Beck, Brian Tackett, Sarah Robb and Regina Robb of the South Butler Flyers, along with Ashley Lotz and Ava Bonetti of the Butler Stealth Club, finished among the top three in their respective events at the Region 2Championships in Buffalo, N.Y., last weekend.
The top three placers in each event at that meet qualified for nationals. Each event at the region meet had about 16 to 20 competitors from a four-state area.
"It's quite an achievement to get this far,"Flyers assistant coach Ralph Lemmon said.
South Butler's organization qualified six athletes last year, marking the most in the program's history. Tackett and Beck competed at nationals last year, but did not place.
The Stealth Club's Logan Renwick won a national championship in the triple jump last year, but an injury kept him from competing this summer.
Bonetti, competing in the girls 11-and-12 division, won the Region 2 championship in the shot put with an effort of 30 feet, 4Z\x inches. She finished sixth in the discus.
Lotz finished second in the high jump and triple jump in the 17-and-18 division at the region meet. She recorded a distance of 5-2 in the high jump and 35-5Z\x in the triple jump.
"This is the first year Ava's competed in the shot put, and she hit her stride at the right time,"said Stealth Club coach Jeff Renwick said. "Her throw of 30 feet was more than a foot longer than her previous best.
"Ashley moved to the area from Riverside and she'll be a nice addition to the high school team next year. She went to states in two of three events at Riverside this past year."
All four of South Butler's qualifiers placed third in the region meet. Beck had a high jump of 5-6 and Tackett ran the 1,500 meters in 4 minutes, 20 seconds.
Both compete in the boys 15-and-16 age division.
"I missed qualifying for finals by a few seconds in the 1,500 (at nationals) last year,"Tackett said. "I ran a 4:28 last year, so it's within reach this time around."
Beck's personal best in the high jump is 5-8. He figures it will take a 5-10 or 5-11 jump to reach the finals.
"I can get there," he said. "I've been practicing a lot. I want to break my personal record out there and see where it gets me."
Sarah Robb, competing in the 15-and-16 age division, finished third in the region triple jump with a 34-9Z\x. Her younger sister, Regina, placed third in the long jump at 14-8 and in the triple jump at 31-11 while competing in the 13-and-14 age division.
They are uncertain whether they will make the trip to Baltimore. The pair have qualified for nationals in the past and haven't made the trip.
"It's pretty much the expenses that keep us from going,"Sarah Robb said. "It'd be fun to go ... Either we'll both go or neither of us will."
As tough as the Region 2 competition is, it doesn't compare to nationals.
"It's not even close,"Tackett said. "At nationals, you're up against kids from Texas, California, the Carolinas. ... They do track year-round at those places.
"It's the challenge that gets you. Summer track programs are much bigger in those places and you want to see where you stack up against them."
