Huntington Woods Teen Shines at AUU Junior Olympics

Waza Track Club, which consists of athletes from throughout Metro Detroit, achieved an exceptional level of success at the AUU Junior Olympics held July 30-Aug. 6 in New Orleans.

Nine athletes participated and eight either set personal records (PRs) or improved on their national ranking, including 14-year-old Huntington Woods resident Claire Ford. Waza had one national champion, James Weekley, 13, of Farmington Hills, who was honored as an All-American.

Here are the team results:

Jordan Turner, 9, Highland Park: Improved her national ranking in the shot put from 16th to 10th with a new PR of 17’6”.

Rachel Toloday, 9, Livonia: Competed in the 1500m. 

Jordan Weekley, 10, Farmington Hills: Improved her national ranking in the shot put from 25th to 20th.

Melanie McDowell, 10, Novi: Set a new PR in the 800m, 2:55.15, and moved up in ranking to 55th from 66th. She also improved her national ranking in the 1500m from 42nd to 27th.

Alexis Lazarczyk, 14, West Bloomfield: Improved her national ranking from 43rd to 38th in the 1500m.

Claire Ford, 14, Huntington Woods: Set a new PR in the 1500m, 5:36.46, and moved up in national ranking from 46th to 26th. She improved her national ranking in the 3000m from 18th to 11th.

Rani Richardson, 15, Flint: After a disappointing end to her heptathlon hopes because of a leg injury on Saturday, came back on Monday with a noticeable limp to match her PR in the javelin, 60’1”, and improve her national ranking from 51st to 36th.

Mirad Hadzialijagic, 12, Novi: Set a new PR in the discus, 56’4”, and moved up from 60th to 55th place in the national rankings.

Also in 2011, Waza 2006 alumna Lindsay Clark of Walled Lake received a track scholarship to Michigan State University.

The team will begin cross-country training for youth athletes on Sept. 11. Watch the Waza Track Club icon on the Waza FC website for details.