Samantha Berggren and Eleanor Fulton--both had very memorable days at National JOs today. Both will return home knowing that their efforts are paying off in a huge way.
Before these two had their turn, however, Kita Alvares and Samantha Chamberlain, both of Cheyenne Mountain High School, advanced to Sunday's finals in the intermediate girls 400 hurdles. Alvares ran 1:03.52 and Chamberlain ran 1:04.92 to claim the sixth and eighth slots, respectively in tomorrow's finals. Shortly thereafter, Sarah Benson (Rampart) advanced to the young women's finals with a 1:04.72 and fifth place in prelims.
Then, early in the Omaha afternoon, Eleanor Fulton (Highlands Ranch) took the track in the intermediate girls 3000. Ten minutes later, she would finish seven seconds ahead of the closest competition, winning in very solid 10:03.04. Teammate Kristen Kientz put an exclamation point on the race for the Colorado girls, finishing fourth in 10:25.90.
Late in the afternoon, it would be Sam Berggren's turn in the intermediate girls 800 meters. While Berggren was unable to match Fulton's first-place finish, Berggren would turn what is very likely the fastest 800 ever run by a girl her age from Colorado. She claimed third place with a time of 2:09.13. In the young women's version of the same event, George Washington's Trishawn Battiste claimed a nice second place with a time of 2:14.14.
Tomorrow concludes the six-day competition. Chamberlain, Alvares, and Benson are scheduled to compete in the 400 hurdle finals and a handful of Colorado competitors will be competing at 1500 meters on the final day of competition.