Local Runners Shine at Hershey Track and Field Games

Two East Greenwich athletes put in strong performances at the Hershey’s Track and Field Games North American Final Meet held on Aug. 2.

14-year-old Laura Murphy and 13-year-old Ally Carlsten were among seven athletes from Rhode Island who competed in the games, which are held in Hershey, Penn.

Murphy finished third in the 13-14 girls 200 meter dash, winning a bronze medal. She is the first athlete from Rhode Island to qualify for the North American Finals four times, having first competed there at age 10, and she carried the Rhode Island flag during the opening ceremonies parade of athletes.

This was Carlsten’s first trip to the North American Finals, and she had a strong performance in the 13-14 girls 100 meter dash with a seventh place finish.

Both girls qualified for the Northeast regional team representing New England and eastern Canada (Labrador, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island) with the fastest qualifying times in their respective events – Laura with 27.45 sec in the 200 meter dash and Ally with 12.90 sec in the 100 meter dash.

The Hershey Track and Field Games are the largest youth sports program of their kind in North America. Over 450,000 athletes age 9-14 compete in nearly 4,000 communities across the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, with top finishers advancing to state and provincial meets. From there, winners from each of the 8 regions then advance to the Finals with an all-expense-paid trip sponsored by the Hershey Company.

Roughly 450 athletes qualify to compete in the North American Final Meet each year. Olympic gold decathlon gold medalist Rafer Johnson served as grand marshal for the event for the 37th consecutive year, and Olympic gold medalists and track and field legends Carl Lewis and Jackie Joyner-Kersee were special ambassadors to the event. The meet was broadcast live by USA Track and Field, and all the races as well as the opening ceremonies can be viewed on www.USATF.tv. by clicking the Hershey’s Track and Field Games link.

Link to Laura’s race: http://www.usatf.tv/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45365&mgroup_event_id=4165&year=2014&do=videos&video_id=123733

Link to Ally’s race: http://www.usatf.tv/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45365&mgroup_event_id=4165&year=2014&do=videos&video_id=123718