Snohomish runner wins 3,000-meter race at Junior Olympics
Herald staff
Amy-Eloise Neale of the Snohomish Track Club successfully defended her national title in the 3,000-meter run Saturday at the USA Track and Field National Junior Olympics in Omaha, Neb.
Neale, competing in the Youth Girls division, finished in a personal-best time of 10 minutes, 17.19 seconds.
Frank Dauncey of the Snohomish Track Club said Neale won the race in “surgical fashion.”
She ran “even splits throughout the race, moving up through the pack and finally laying down a devastating kick with 110 meters to go that no one could match,” Dauncey said in an e-mail.
That late burst helped Neale edge runner-up Katherine Adams by less than half a second. Adams finished in 10:17.42.
On Sunday, Neale finished second in the 1,500 meters in a time of 4:41.04. Abbey Leonardi of Kennebunk, Maine, won the Youth Girls race in 4:40.30.
To see video of Neale's 3,000 victory, click here.
Baseball: The Lake Stevens Little League 10-11-year-old baseball All-Stars defeated North Snohomish 15-13 in extra innings on July 9 in Everett to win the District 1 tournament championship. Lake Stevens went undefeated in the 16-team tournament and advanced to state. Members of the team included Jacob Eason, Neil Blaine, Jack Collins, Logan Johnson, Garrett Glick, Skyler Swords, Chase Ridder, Brady Frohm-Ross, Justin Brown, Tyler Denton, Scott Blumenfield and Keenan Foster. The team was managed by Steve Brown and coached by Dave Swords.
Express wins state title: The Everett Express girls U-10 fastpitch softball team won the recent USSSA Washington State Championship, going undefeated throughout the tournament. The Express defeated the Woodinville Reign 3-1 in the championship game. Members of the Express included Tehya Harney, Cassidy Fifield, Brittany Dodge, Payton Beaver, Lauren Harding, Laura Balke, Lily Larsen, Hailey Teter, Kelsey Bechtholdt, Taylor Weitzel, Mikayla Engstrom and Peyton Larson. The team was coached by Rob Harney, Keeley Harney and Kevin Fifield.
Patriots victorious: The Patriots, who represent greater Snohomish County, won the recent U-10 ASA state championship and are representing Washington at this week’s Western Nationals in Phoenix. The team placed in the top tier of the gold brackets in seven out of nine tournaments this season.
Horse riding: Marissa McLeod of Lynnwood won a world title at the 2008 World Championship Paint Horse Show in Fort Worth, Texas. The show ran from June 21 through July 5 and is the American Paint Horse Association’s premier event. McLeod captured first place in the Novice Amateur Hunter Under Saddle competition, showing Skipa Smooth Cowboy, a 4-year-old gelding. The horses were evaluated by a panel of judges on their smoothness of gait and response to the rider at a flat-footed walk, brisk trot and smooth canter under traditional English tack. McLeod bested a field of 41 competitors. Novice amateurs are riders who are 19 and older, do not compete or train horses professionally and have not earned more than 25 points in APHA-approved competition.
Martial arts: Nicholas Claymore of Lake Stevens won a silver medal at the USA National Karate Federation Championships held July 18-20 in Houston. Claymore, 12, placed second in kata in the boys novice division.
