HHS students participate in USA Track & Field Junior Olympics
Two Hillsboro High School students recently competed in the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics.
Mackenzie Conlon, the son of Shawn and Kim Conlon, and William “Ty” Alexander, the son of Fay Alexander and the late Joel Alexander, competed in the event in Jacksonville, Fla., July 27 - Aug. 1.
Earlier in July, Conlon finished second in state completion and third in Region 5 to qualify for the national competition in the 400-meter hurdles in the 17-18 age bracket. Alexander finished first in state competition and second in Region 5 in the 800-meter in the 13-14 age bracket to qualify for nationals.
Region 5 includes Ohio, Kentucky, Lake Erie, West Virginia and Michigan. Region 5 is one of 16 regions across the country which competed at the Junior Olympics.
Conlon will be a senior at Hillsboro High School, and Alexander will be a freshman. Both are members of the Excel Track Team, coached by Louis Reid in Washington Court House, and have trained since the end of the high school track season.
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They competed on July 29 during the Junior Olympics. Conlon finished 34th overall in the men’s 400-meter hurdles (17-18 age division) with a time of 58.28. Alexander completed the boys’ 800-meter run (13-14 age division) in 40th place overall with a time of 2:26.72.
“Both Ty and Mackenzie work very hard, and that is why they qualified for the Junior Olympic National Championships,” Reid said. “It is a great accomplishment to compete at the Junior Olympics. Many great athletes have competed there, including many former and current Olympians.
“Both athletes competed all summer long so that they could improve for the next track season. It was great coaching them. They are very self-motivated, so I am sure they will have a very successful cross-country and track season for Hillsboro.”
–Submitted by Carleen Alexander