Track and Field: Special Forces/Briar Woods Phenom Leach Sets Two PRs in PA Meet; Track Club Having Good Summer at All Age Levels

Leach stands tall on the podium!

(July 18, 2011) - Special Forces Track Club and rising Briar Woods High School track phenom Shaquera Leach blazed her way to two PRs and three medals at the United States Age Group Track Coaches Association Youth Invitational in Chester, Pa. Leach won the 200 meters with a personal best 24.38 and chopped three seconds off her best 400 meters mark with a 55.46 and turned in a 12.19 in the 100.


Special Forces Blaze at USATF Regionals and Cliff Wiley Invitational
Led by sprinter Jasmine Hill, Special Forces continues to build momentum heading to a AAU Junior Olympics showdown against the nation in New Orleans. Hill set the tone blazing to a new PR in the 400m with a 58.4 finish in Atlanta, Georgia.

Over the weekend, Hill followed up by winning the 200m and 400m in 26.2 and 58.2 respectively. Other Gold Medal and Silver standouts at the Cliff Wiley Invitational held in Baltimore, Maryland were Darron Coley, Beau Everett, Mark Melbourne, Miles Howard, Taunysha Bailey, Sidney Webb, and Bryson Riddick as they swept through the 100, 200, 400, 800, and high jump respectively.

Hershey North American Championships
Sprint sensation and current record holder in the 50m, and 400m, Beau Everett will represent Special Forces and Loudoun County at the North American Championships to be held in Hershey, Pa. August 6th. Everett currently runs a 7.3 in the 50m and a 1.06 in the 400m at he 9-10 year old division.


AAU National Qualifiers Hampton
One of the Special Forces athletes, an ice skater, Michaela Hoskins was knocked down in the 1500 and returned to be slotted in Junior Olympics. She later returned to storm from 9th place to 5th in the last 250 meters to qualify in the 800 meters. Another one of the Special Forces club, Bryson Riddick discovered his uncle was killed in a store robbery in New Jersey the night before his run. Bryson stormed through the last 200 meters to a personal best of a 2.41 shaving eleven seconds off to qualify for the last spot.

AAU Junior Olympics Qualifying
Returning from their best trip in their 13-year history, Virginia Special Forces Track traveled to Hampton University Armstrong Stadium with 21 athletes holding onto hopes and dreams to qualify for the AAU Junior Olympics to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana July 30th thru August 6th. At the end of the sweltering weekend The Force qualified 17 out of the 21 athletes on the track and in the field.

Left to right - Christian Pelenda, Michael Galvan, and Darron Coley

At the youngest level twinkling stars, Beau Everett and Mark Melbourne set the tone. Everett set a new team record breaking Melbourne 2 year old record in the 400 meters with a blistering 1.07.94 silver winning finish. Melbourne triggered more winning ways the next day with bronze finish in the 100 meters and 5th place finish to advance in the 200 meters. In the field , jumper Ryan Thomas placed 4th in the high jump while thrower, Gelissia Cause, launched to a double gold winning performance in the shot put and the discus.

Special Forces members warm-up on the back-breaking hills of the National Conference Center

Next on stage were the middle and long distance runners Belmont Middle school's Maansi Mehta qualified in the 3000 meters while Michaela Hoskins qualified in the 1500 meters and the 800 meters with new personal best. The male runners followed as Darron Coley, Anthony York and Christian Pelenda shattered their previous times shaving 2 seconds off in the 400 meters, 56 seconds and returning 30 minutes later in the youth (13-14) yr. old 800 meters in 2.16 seconds. Pelenda shaved 10 seconds of his previous best taking the bronze in 2.05 at the intermediate level (15-16). York paced to a bronze finish in the 1500 meters. York will be attending Stone Bridge this year.

Sprint sensation Beau Everett

The sprint squad led by Briar Wood's Shaquera Leach glided to qualifying in the 200, 400, and the 4x400 meters. Heritage's Marcus Finney advanced in the 110 HH along with Halli McFadgen in the 100HH and the 400 IH. Joining the cast of sprinters are Jasmine Hill, Jessica Rolle, Kaylin Simmons, and Miles Howard in the 400 meters, 4x400 and 100 meters respectively.