With temperatures soaring in the triple digits, the 35th annual USA Track & Field Junior Olympic Championships began preliminary and finals action in the multi events as well as finals in the steeplechase and race walk for several age divisions on Tuesday. This is the final meet of the Verizon Youth Series.

The meet, being webcast live by USATF, in cooperation with i2sports Trackmeets.com, is taking place at California State University, Sacramento, site of the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials.

Action was hot off and on the track early on Tuesday, with WNY Jets’ Alyissa Hasan establishing a new youth girls pentathlon record with 3521 points. Hasan broke Jacquelyn Johnson’s mark of 3474 points, set in 1998. In the youth boys pentathlon competition, New World Track Club’s Michael Thomas (3149) edged out San Diego Athlete’s Glen Woods (3059) to claim the youth boys title.

In Tuesday’s race walk action, Andrew Adams (Spartanburg) and Victoria Dell’Aquila (NJ Striders) both won the bantam division of the 1500m race walk. Adams won the boys division (7:16.07), while Dell’Aquila won the girls division (8:40.54). While in the midget division, Eric Lawson (Elgin Sharks TC) won the boys division (7:32.37), while Allison Snochowski (New Balance) won the girls division (7:50.37) of the 1500m race walk.

Other finals on Tuesday included the 2000m steeplechase, where David Ryan (Havasu Harriers) won the intermediate boys division (6:12.62), while Richie Pemberton (Bozeman Trac) won the young men division (6:08.70).

After four events in the young women’s heptathlon, twin sisters Diana (3262) and Julie (3055) Pickler lead the competition. The Picklers both compete for the Texas Express. World Track Club’s Gayle Hunter leads the intermediate girls heptathlon with 2840 points through four events.

Through five events of the intermediate boys decathlon, Pre TC’s Ben Looney leads with 3255 points, while Team Idaho’s Donovan Kilmartin, a member of the World Youth Championships team that competed last week in Debrecen, Hungary, is the day 1 leader with 3893 points.

In order to be eligible to compete at the 2001 USA Track & Field Junior Olympic Championships, athletes had to advance through association and regional competitions. USA Track & Field is comprised of 57 local Associations across the country, advancers then moved on to one of the 16 Regional competitions.

Athletes here in Sacramento compete in one of five age divisions, determined by birth year. Those age divisions are Bantam (1991 or later), Midget (1989-90), Youth (1987-88), Intermediate (1985-86) and Young Men/Women (1983-84).

For more information on the 2001 USA Track & Field Junior Olympic Championships, all USATF Youth programs and the Verizon Youth Series, including complete results, visit the USATF web site at www.usatf.org.