From Register Staff

Despite triple-digit heat, the competitors from the Napa Track Club had an outstanding meet at the USA Track & Field Region 14 Championships, held July 7-9 at Granada High School in Livermore.

This was an elite field of young athletes, with only the top eight qualifiers from earlier sectional meets eligible to compete.

The participants, aged 8-18, represented clubs from Western Nevada and California from Bakersfield to the Oregon border.

At stake were invitations to the National Junior Olympics, which are held later this month in Baltimore, MD, and only the top three finishers in each event at these Regional Championships earned the right to move on to the National Finals.

Napa’s nine athletes participated in a total of 16 events, with six of them recording new personal records.

Seven club members qualified to move on to the national finals, all in the jumping events. Four earned meet championship honors, and one set a new meet record.

Napa’s high jumpers posted their second strong showing in as many weeks.

Susan Jackson, the group’s most experienced jumper, earned a gold medal and an invitation to Baltimore with a jump of

5-71/4.

Her mark set a new record for the Pacific Association in the Young Women’s division (17-18 years of age).

Jackson will be a senior at Napa High School this fall.

Megan Zoller, who will be a freshman at Vintage, fought through injury to win high jump gold in the Intermediate Girls division (15-16) with a jump of 4-8.

Zoller, a first-year jumper for the club, set a new personal record in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 18.01.

Lauren Cardey continued the high jumpers’ winning ways with a victory in the Youth Girls division (13-14).

In a busy 90-minute span, Cardey also competed in the long jump finals and recorded a new personal record in the 200 meters (27.64).

Jennifer Cardey advanced to the finals of the Youth Girls long jump as well, recording a new personal best jump of 15-13/4.

She also had a fourth-place finish in the triple jump, barely missing an invitation to the National Finals in that event.

Olivia Olson, who will be a freshman at Justin-Siena in the fall, had a personal best performance in the triple jump.

She has shown steady improvement throughout her initial season of competition, and recorded a jump of 29-2 in Livermore.

The club’s newest member, Olivia Husted, displayed her jumping talent in the Midget Girls division. The 12-year-old, competing in only her second USAT&F meet, earned an invitation to the National Finals with a third-place finish in the high jump.

All three boys from the Napa Track Club qualified to go to Baltimore.

Mario Giovannoni, who will be a Napa High freshman, concluded his local and regional track season with an unblemished record in the high jump. He earned gold with a jump of 5-2.

Kevin Cardey earned his passport to the Nationals in the Intermediate Boys long jump. His leap of 19-111/4 was good for third place.

The Justin-Siena student barely missed qualifying in the high jump as well, recording a new personal best of 5-10 and finishing in fourth place.

Dominic Giovannoni, a Napa High student, also competed in the Intermediate Boys division.

He barely missed an attempt in the high jump that would have earned him an invitation to Baltimore.

Despite that disappointment, he came back the next day with an outstanding performance in the triple jump. All six jumps he recorded in the competition were better than his previous personal best.

His longest jump, 39-5, was good for third place and earned him that elusive bid to the Junior Olympic Finals.

Napa Track Club’s next competition will be the Track City International Classic in Eugene, Oregon.