Amy-Eloise Neale, the outstanding sophomore-to-be distance runner from Glacier Peak High School in Snohomish, won the 2,000-meter steeplechase in the intermediate girls division today at the USATF National Junior Olympic Track &Field Championships in Sacramento, Calif.
Neale, who didn’t start running the steeplechase until about five weeks ago, was hoping to break the national age-group record in the event. But she finished in 7 minutes, 9.61 seconds — more than 12 seconds slower than the record of 6:56.97 set by Eleanor Fulton in 2008.
Still, Neale beat today’s second-place finisher, Gabrielle Stearns of Iowa, by 13 seconds. Stearns finished in 7:22.78.
Neale is also a favorite to win the intermediate girls 1,500 and 3,000 later this week.
Several other local athletes (Edmonds-Woodway’s Alec Fellows, Glacier Peak grad Katie Higgins, Oak Harbor’s Adrianna Royal, King’s Curtis Clauson) are competing in the 2010 Junior Olympic nationals, which go through Aug. 1. Click here to see a frequently updated list of results.
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