- - -
The best of the best athletes get to represent their countries and that goes for track and field. The Pan American U20 Track and Field Championships concluded today at Jose A. Figueroa Freire Stadium in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.
When you have the best track and field athletes in the country that means there will be plenty of Texas representation. Several Texas athletes under the age of 20 represented the state as far west as El Paso over to the DFW, down through Austin, as far south as San Antonio, and east to Houston.
Below are the Lone Star athletes who competed and how they did.
Jack Mann (Austin Lake Travis/Texas A&M University) - Didn't have to jump nearly as high as he was capable of to win the pole vault. He cleared 16-4.75 for the win.
Camryn Dickson (League City Clear Brook/Texas A&M University) - Just when you think Dickson's best event is the 200m, she goes and finishes third in the World in the 100m. She ran 11.48 for the third place after heading into the final with the second due to a 11.75 preliminary run to win her heat. She also won gold in the 4x100 relay in a new US U20 record 42.88
George Garcia (El Paso Eastwood/Lubbock Christian University) - Garcia helped the US win the Mixed 4x400 relay with a time of 3:18.07. The upcoming college sophomore led off the relay with a 45.6 split.
Madeleine Fey (Midlothian) - Fey placed third in the discus at the U20s with a 172-10 best toss in the competition. She finished behind Canadian Julia Tunks and Jamaican Abigail Martin.
Ashton Torns (Austin Westlake) - Torns was third in long jump with a best jump of 24-3. That's nowhere near his best, but soon to be freshman at the University of Miami will end his prep career with a bronze medal.
Christine Mallard (Mansfield Legacy/University of Southern California) - The Lady of Trojan won the 400m title in a time of 51.88. In Mallard's full year of focusing on the 400m, she showed there is still plenty of ceiling for her in the event.
Lauren Lewis (Prosper) - Lewis proved to be one of the best high school 400m in US history. The only girl in the world under 20 years of age able to beat her was fellow DFW standout Mallard. The future Longhorn finished second in 400m with a time of 52.06.
Suzan Ogunleye (Pflugerville Hendrickson/University of Tennessee) - Ogunleye placed fourth in the triple jump with her best effort in the competition coming at 41-7. The upcoming college sophomore will take plenty of confidence and motivation back to the NCAA level with her.
Garrett Kaalund (San Antonio Antonian/University of Nebraska) - Kaalund finished runner-up in the 200m with a time of 20.57. He qualified for the finals with the third best preliminary time to qualify for the finals at 20.79.
Abby Elmore (Gunter) - Elmore placed second behind fellow American Jaicieonna Gero-Holt. Elmore scored 5186 points. Elmore's stats in each event were 14.22 in the 100H, 5-9.75 in HJ, 37-1 in SP, 26.19 in 200m, 117-1 in Jav, and 2:32 in the 800m.