ISC Phenom Elite TC at AAU 2009

AAU Track and Field National Championships

August 2 - 8th Des Moine Iowa, Drake Stadium

There were so many athletes from ISC Phenom Elite Track and Field represented this week, but we would like to highlight some of the standout performances.

At the National AAU Track and Field Championships, many of the top athletes in California showcased their talents. In 100 degree weather and high humidity, Jovante Norman opened up to place 7th in the 100m final in a time of 12.52, CCS members, competing for ISC Phenom Elite track, Johnny Beard, Andre Chapman, B. Cooks, Kenneth Walker, and Juquelle Thompson placed 2nd in the Intermediate boys 4x100 relay with a time of 42.04 and were the AAU champions in the 4x4 relay missing the national record of 3:14.83 running a time of 3:16.64. Juquelle Thompson, sophomore at Piedmont hills High school who placed 2nd in CCS with a time of 49.39 ran a NEW personal best of 48.91 in the 400m final. Big contributors on the track also were Bobby Bivens, Solomon, Kendall Spencer, Parnit Sanion, Stefan Ramola, Jerrald Belong: the Hershey 200m Champion 2009, and Shomari Cayton.

The young ladies that represented well were 9 year old, Lariah Crenshaw, freshman Iesha Hardiman, Daje Pugh, Sophomores Cierra Jordan and Jasmine Harper. Lariah was the 100m sub bantam Champion running a time of 13.75. Iesha dropped her CCS 200m time of 25.31 to 24.58. As an 8th grader, Hardiman has ran 55.14 in the 400m and 2:20 in the 800m. She returned during the summer to her long time trainer of 6 years before entering High school, Coach Robinson, to compete in the National Championships. Hardiman anchored a fantastic team of women to a NEW NATIONAL RECORD in the 4x4 relay. The old time of 3:44.87 dropped in the preliminary rounds to 3:43.82 and then lowered again in the finals to 3:42.43. Jasmine Harper showed why she is one of the most consistent and powerful runners in California, giving a substantial lead to Daje Pugh. Pugh who earlier placed in the 100mH final was now poised for an outstanding 2nd leg showdown. Handing off to another state 400m competitor, Cierra brought the Juggernaut to the track and increased the lead to 50m. Finally, Iesha brought the baton home while increasing the lead more.

Coaches Chioke Robinson and Jeanetta Aldridge were more than pleased with the efforts of the four young ladies. These four young ladies also competed hard in the 4x100 meter relay running a time of 47.30. Cierra Jordan also placed 5th in the 400m final with a time of 55.95 with this being only her second year of track and field. First year track and field effort and accomplishments go to Breonna Sullivan: relays, Sunhy Park: relays, Rebecca Chun: relays, Amanda Drennan in the 400 and relays, Karen Feng: 100, 200, and 400m, Caroline Newswanger: 100, 200, relays, Natasha Sakellar: 100, 200, 400, relays, Lisa Oliveras: Long Jump, High Jump, Hurdles, and relays. Coach Dogan, Coach Bivens, Coach Anna Stetkevich, Coach Bell, Coach Michelle, and of course Momma D, all helped to make it possible for this group of upcoming athletes to make it to the top of the podium.

"It is a fantastic feeling to have athletes whom are willing to listen and put in the time to excel. We spend a lot of time trying to bridge the gap of academics and athletics with them everyday. This is a double victory because these scholar athletes all have over 3.2 GPA's and are also outstanding athletes." - Coach Robinson