A small but talented group of young athletes from the Napa Track Club traveled to North Carolina to compete at the USA Youth Outdoor Track and Field National Championships.

The six-day meet was contested under hot and humid conditions at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

Over 2,000 of the country’s top track and field athletes took part in the age-based competition. All participants had to meet stringent qualifying standards prior to entering the meet.

The local squad was made up of six competitors, and they combined to collect an impressive total of 11 medals.

Two of the athletes earned victories and were named national champions in their respective events.

Head coach Paul Jackson called it one of the club’s most productive trips to Nationals in recent memory.

Jackson said this was a special group of athletes by the way they approached practice.

“This was a very dedicated group.

“They would arrive early, stay late, and work out on their own on days we didn’t have practice scheduled. I was extremely pleased to see them rewarded for their extra effort.”

According to Jackson, the hard work also seemed to inspire the club’s coaching staff.

“It seemed like every time I arrived at practice this year, one of our event coaches was already there working with someone. We also had great support from the coaches at Napa High School. These kids just had such a great attitude that you wanted to do everything you could to help them.”

Co-head coach Tony Giovannoni was also credited for his role in getting the athletes prepared.

“Under his guidance our Club has produced a steady stream of national caliber high jumpers,” said Jackson. “This season he added the role of preparing our athletes for the decathlon and heptathlon. He coordinated seven different event coaches with each athlete’s individual practice schedule.”

The combination of extra effort and extra coaching obviously paid off.

Each of the competitors that traveled to Charlotte brought home at least one medal from the Championships.

Kyle Beaver continued his outstanding initial season with the club, collecting medals in all three events in which he participated. The 12-year-old Silverado Middle School student captured first place and National Championship honors in the discus with a personal best throw of 93-10.

He then added a third-place medal by high jumping a personal best 4-7, and finished off his week with another personal record throw in the shot put. His heave of 38-71⁄2 was good for a second-place finish.

When it came to personal records, no one could top Dominic Giovannoni.

Competing in the decathlon, the recent Napa High School grad set new personal bests in seven of the 10 events. Even though this was only his second decathlon, he battled for the lead throughout day two of the competition.

His final score of 6,045 points landed him in second place, just 58 points shy of the winning score. Giovannoni also collected a fifth-place medal in the high jump.

This was Giovannoni’s third consecutive high jump medal at the National Finals, but it was his decathlon score that really impressed Jackson.

“There are only a handful of high school decathletes that reach the 6,000-point mark each year. For Dominic to do it at the age of 17 in only his second try, it was really a remarkable effort.”

Napa High’s female track star for 2008 also had a very productive outing.

Tatum Souza collected three medals, starting with a fifth-place finish in the women’s heptathlon. She then added a sixth-place medal in the javelin throw with a personal best toss of 91-4.

She also collected an eighth-place medal in the high jump.

Although this is Souza’s first year of competing in track, Jackson has been quite impressed by her versatility.

“She is an incredibly gifted athlete. She missed earning a medal in the 100 meter hurdles by .05 seconds, and probably would have earned a medal in the shot put if she’d chosen to enter that event. It’s rare to see someone who can compete at such a high level in so many events.”

Rounding out the club’s trio of Napa High School harriers was 16-year-old Mario Giovannoni. He chose to compete in only one event, but the focus paid off for him.

He took first place and National Championship honors in the high jump for his age class. It has been a very successful year for Giovannoni, who also had a victory in the JV division at the Sacramento Meet of Champions. His personal best in the high jump currently stands at 6-1.

Despite having to limit her training due to some nagging injuries, Ashley Augustus earned a second-place medal in the 3,000-meter racewalk. The 13-year-old Harvest Middle School student has moved up to the longer distance after winning the National Championship last year in the 1,500-meter racewalk.

The club’s final medal was earned by 13-year-old Claire Miller.

The Silverado Middle School athlete finished sixth in the triple jump. Even though this is her first year competing in this event, she has already jumped over 29 feet. By this time next year, Jackson says he expects to see her contending for one of the top spots on the podium.

The club’s full roster of athletes returns to action for a Junior Olympics qualifier in Livermore next weekend.