Thursday, July 23, 2009

By Candace Lyons
Special to the Eagle

Photo by Yvonne Breece
Joshua Breece of the Fort Belvoir Sonic Boom track team takes his final jump, where he finished third to qualify for nationals.

Three members of the Fort Belvoir Sonic Boom made it to the national level during the USA Track and Field Region III Junior Olympic Championship meet July 9 to 12. The meet was comprised of young athletes from the entire northeast region of the country. With the same goal in mind, they fought hard to secure a chance to compete at the national level by placing in the top three. 
While some struggled to make their way, Sonic Boom’s Courtney Bennett eased into first place in the Youth discus event, throwing an explosive 31.44m. Bennett also finished sixth in the Youth shot put, throwing 10.99m. Bennett’s hard work and dedicated practice paid off with a stellar performance.
Nigel Crawley also made his presence known. He finished second in the triple jump to lock in his seat at nationals. Crawley also qualified in the 110m hurdles for a third place finish. He displayed great technique throughout the race and had a strong finish.
“I made it.  I made it,“ Joshua Breece said with a smile as he finished third in the long jump. His hopes of advancing were narrowed to his final jump. With a deep breath, he cleared a 4.04m jump to secure his place in the nationals.
The USATF National Junior Olympic Championships will be held at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C.  July 28 to Aug. 2. The Fort Belvoir Sonic Boom track youth will carry the support of the entire track club and the Fort Belvoir community.

Posted on 07/23 at 10:27 AM

Thursday, March 19, 2009

By Charles Swindell
Special to the Eagle

Former members of Fort Belvoir’s Sonic Boom track team participated in the 2009 Nike Indoor Nationals track tournament, held March 14 and 15 in Boston.

The Sprint Medley relay team of Andre Washington, Robert Allen, Anthony Swindell and Brian Allen finished sixth with a time of 3:35.17, earning Nike All-American honors March 14.

The 4x400 team of Washington, Robert Allen, Swindell and Kevin Johnson finished fourth with a time of 3:22.85 and was fourth in earning All-American Honors March 15.
Johnson participated in the 400 and 200-meter individual relay finishing 14th and 13th respectively. He also had a lifetime best in both races, with a time of 49.99 in the 400 and 22.47 in the 200.

Brian Allen competed in the 800-meter individual relay March 15, finishing 30th with a lifetime best indoor time of 1:59.45. He also ran a 1:57.17 anchor leg of the sprint medley March 14, which in no small part, helped lead the team to a sixth-place finish.

Isaiah Simmons competed in the Shot Put March 15. The Virginia State AAA Indoor 2009 champion finished in 18th place with a throw of 53 feet, 11 inches. His indoor best this season was 56 feet, 10 inches.

Swindell is a 10th grader at Hayfield High School and competed with the Sonic Boom club from 2003 to 2008.

Ronald Johnson and Brian and Robert Allen, Sonic Boom alumni from 2006 to 2008, are seniors at South County High School.

Washington is a senior at Woodbridge High School who also ran with Belvoir from 2006 to 2008. Simmons is a 10th grader, also at Woodbridge.

Complete meet results can be viewed at http://www.nationalscholastic.org/

Posted on 03/19 at 10:07 AM

 Thursday, August 09, 2007

By Jennifer Small
Sports editor

The Fort Belvoir Sonic Boom Track team competed at the Amateur Athletic Union’s Track and Field Junior Olympic Games July 27 through Aug. 4 in Knoxville, Tenn., and came away with six medalists and one national champion.

Cordarius Franks, 14, won the Boys Youth 800 meters in a time of 2:03.67 to claim Belvoir’s seventh national title since the team’s inception eight years ago.

“Cordarius has really come on in the past couple of years. A few years ago, he was just an average runner in our club, and now, he’s one of the top half-milers in the nation,“ said Richard Herman, Sonic Boom commissioner. “It’s all about Coach [Charles] Swindell, he got Cordarius to believe in himself, and [Cordarius] bought into his system.“

After nationals, Franks will be ranked fourth in the nation in the event.

“Going into the Nationals, he was ranked 24th or so but after the first round he ran the fastest time,“ Herman said. “He was kind of surprised, but then again, knowing him, not really, because he’s one of those kids who never quits.“

At regionals, Franks was tripped up on the final lap of the race and fell back 100 meters. He got up and sprinted all the way back to the front of the pack and won the race, Herman said.

“He’s the reason we do what we do. We don’t think they’re going to improve, and then the light goes on. He’s become a really great runner, we’re really proud of him.“

Nigel Crawley, 14, qualified for the meet in the pentathlon, triple jump, 100-meter hurdles, 200-meter hurdles, and as a member of the 4x100 meter relay team. Crawley medaled in the 100-meter hurdles with a 7th place finish, and in the 200-meter hurdles with an 8th place finish.

Jaquantis Carter, 12, also medaled, with an 8th place finish in the 1500 meter race walk with a time of 9:37.98.

Amanda Lugo, 12, medaled with a 7th place finish in the shot put, throwing 32 feet, 7 inches.

The final Sonic Boom medalist was Olivia Clark, 14, who finished 5th in the high jump, clearing 5 feet.

All finishers in the top 20 earn All American status. Belvoir All-Americans included Dominique Miller, 14, in the pentathlon; and Kaleigh Winner, 10, in the 200 and 400 meters. Also earning All-American honors was the Intermediate Boys 4x800 meter relay team, which finished 10th overall, and missed medaling by two seconds. The team is made up of Brian Allen, Andre Simmons, Anthony Swindell and Antwan LaCounte, and alternates Robert Allen and Kevin Johnson, all of whom now hold All-American status.

“They actually improved their time from regional by 15 seconds,“ Herman said. “They ran very, very well.“

Perhaps the most exciting part of the relay team is that the team will stay together next year, with one significant addition.

“Next year, Cordarius moves up to that age group, so they’ll all be back with the addition of Cordarius,“ Herman said. “They’re really going to be good.“

The Youth Boys 4x100 meter relay also competed in the meet, made up of Kolin Demps, Crawley, Cameron Lewis, and Miller.

Deyonna Harris, 9, competed in the Sub-bantam Girls 100 and 200 meter races. Also qualifying for the meet were Jason Wellington, 18; and Warren Simmons, 19, in the shot put; and Tiara Swindell, 18, in the 200 and 400 meter races, but they were unable to compete in the meet.

Tiara, a freshman on the George Mason Track and Field Team, is the niece of Sonic Boom head coach Charles. 

“Tiara would have placed in 200 and 400,“ Herman said. “She’s in the upper echelon of those events.“

According to Herman, Charles Swindell is the main reason for the success of the Belvoir youth track program.

“Coach Swindell is the one who really prepared these kids; he needs to get a lot of credit for these kids,“ he said. “He’s the best thing that has happened to Fort Belvoir track, he’s a godsend. He’s been around for every National Champion; before him, we didn’t have any.“

Overall, Belvoir claimed one national champion, six national medalists, and nine All-Americans.

“We are very happy, considering the amount of kids we brought,“ Herman said. “This year, the competition was a little tougher. Normally, a lot of the teams that this year competed in AAU go to the USA Track and Field Nationals; but it was all the way out in California, so a lot of the teams opted not to go. Usually, the USATF times are faster than AAU, but this year that wasn’t the case; it was very tough competition.“

Posted on 08/09 at 07:56 AM

 
Thursday, July 16, 2009

By Charles Swindell
Special to the Eagle

Summers & GeorgiaRee track athletes, including several former Fort Belvoir athletes, continue to perform well. Over the weekend, the club competed in the USA Track and Field Region III Championships at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, Md., and represented both the area and themselves well.
The meet consisted of teams from Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Potomac Valley which is comprised of teams in Maryland, northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.
The top three athletes advance to USATF Nationals, which are held at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro, N.C. July 28 through August 2.

Results
• Second place:
Young Men’s 4x800m relay
• Second place:
Brian Allen, 800m
• Second place:
Kevin Johnson, 400m
• Second place:
Isaiah Simmons, shot put
• Second place:
Isaiah Simmons, discus
• Third place:
Gustavo Osorio, decathlon
• Fourth place:
Young Men’s 4x400m relay
• Sixth place:
Jessica Colbourn, high jump

Posted on 07/16 at 01:45 PM

Friday, July 03, 2009

By Tamika Matthews
Sports editor

Several Sonic Boom track club athletes advanced to the USA Track and Field Association Region III Junior Olympics Championships after top-six finishes at the USATF Potomac Valley Association Junior Olympics.
The event was held June 18 to 21 at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, Md.
The Region III championships are Tuesday through Friday at the same venue.
Khaila Lyons advanced with fifth-and-sixth place finishes in the sub-bantam 100m and 200m dash, respectively. On the sub-bantam boys’ side, Angelo Martin raced his way to fourth-and-fifth place finishes in the same races.
The bantam boys long jump event saw two Belvoir athletes advance to the championships, with Joshua Breece taking first place and Jaquan Holmes finishing fifth.
Courtney Bennett also had a successful outing, taking home first-place honors in the youth girls’ 1kg discus throw category and third place in the 6 lb. shot put.
On the intermediate side, Nigel Crawley advanced by placing second in the 110m hurdles, fourth in the 400m hurdles and fifth in the triple jump.
Region III championship competitors must place in the top three spots to advance to the National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championship, which is held at N.C. A&T University in Greensboro, N.C. July 28 to Aug. 2.

USATF Potomac Valley Association Junior Olympics — Fort Belvoir results
Sub-bantam girls 100m dash
Sixth place: Khaila Lyons, 15.88

Sub-bantam girls 200m dash
Fifth place: Khaila Lyons, 32.96

Sub-bantam girls 4x100m relay
Fifth place: Fort Belvoir Sonic Boom, 1:08.59

Sub-bantam girls long jump
Fifth place: Aislinn Warmka, 2.44m

Sub-bantam boys 100m dash
Fifth place: Angelo Martin, 15.42

Sub-bantam boys 200m dash
Fourth place: Angelo Martin, 31.19

Sub-bantam boys 800m run
Fifth place: John Bryner, 3:02.80

Sub-bantam boys 4x400m relay
Sixth place: Fort Belvoir Sonic Boom, 5:47.05

Bantam girls 4x400m relay
Fifth place: Fort Belvoir Sonic Boom, 5:35.03

Bantam girls long jump
Fourth place: Jada Gaskins, 3.47m

Bantam girls shot put
Fifth place: Dakota Kindred, 4.58m

Bantam girls high jump
Sixth place: Dakota Kindred, 1.07m

Bantam boys long jump
First place: Joshua Breece, 3.94m
Fifth place: Jaquan Holmes, 3.70m

Midget girls javelin
Sixth place: Darion Holmes, 17.19m

Midget boys high jump
Sixth place: Christian Abenes, 1.24m

Midget boys long jump
Fifth place: Christian Abenes, 4.05m

Youth girls high jump
Sixth place: Emily Maguder, 1.45m

Youth girls 6 lb. shot put
Third place: Courtney Bennett, 11.08m

Youth girls 1 kg discus throw
First place: Courtney Bennett, 28.67m

Youth boys 200m dash
Fourth place: Ricky Morgan, 24.18m

Youth boys 400m dash
Sixth place: Percy Martin, 55.83

National Organizations: | AAU | USATF |