Aroostook team ready for TAC Junior Olympics

Alissa Beals of Ludlow heads a team of five young athletes representing Aroostook County Express, who will compete in The Athletics Congress Track and Field Junior Olympics July 22-23 at Chapel Hill, N.C.

Beals, Eleanor Anderson of Houlton, Jason Howe and Jeremy Bell of Hodgdon, and Jared Stewart of Amity qualified for the national event during regional TAC Junior Olympic competition in Providence, R.I., June 28-30.

The 14-year-old Beals, who will enter Hodgdon High School this fall, won the regional pentathlon in her division, and finished second in the high jump.

This will be her third trip to the nationals in track and field. Beals finished second in the regionals last year and competed in the nationals in Lincoln, Neb., where she finished 24th. In 1989, she competed in the nationals in Hershey, Pa., and that same year went to Indianapolis, Ind., for the TAC Cross Country nationals.

Beals holds three Aroostook County middle school track and field records and has been The County all-around champion for two years, winning the 100- and 200-meter dashes, the high jump, and the 100-meter hurdles.

Wednesday, in Bangor, Beals won three Hershey Track State Championships by taking the 100- and 200-meter events and the long jump. She also won those events as a 12-year-old. Among her honors to date, are 18 Aroostook County championships and seven state titles.

She qualified for this year’s TAC nationals with her second-place regional score of 2,612 points in the pentathlon, which includes the 100-meter hurdles, the shot put, high jump, long jump and 800-meter run.

Scoring a personal best of 5-feet-1 in the high jump, Beals also qualified for the nationals in that event. Although not qualifying in the hurdles, she posted a personal-best time of 16.3 in Rhode Island.

With the top three athletes from each region eligible for the nationals, competition is always tough.

“The girl who won last year was really good,” Beals said, citing the quality of the competition where girls in her age brackett score in the 3,000-point range.

Another year of experience is a good reason Beals is hoping to finish higher this year.

“I’m doing better in every event now,” she said.

The five athletes participate in a recreational program coached by Rick Cortis, who will accompany them to North Carolina.

Anderson, a 14-year-old runner, qualified for the nationals by finishing third in the 3,000-meter event. While this will be her first TAC national meet, she is no stranger to such competition. Twice, Anderson has competed in the TAC Junior Olympic XC nationals and, last year, her 19th-place finish earned her All-America honors.

Howe qualified by finishing third in the javelin in the 13- to 14-year-old division; Bell third in racewalk in the 15-16 division, and Stewart (who is making his second trip to the nationals) third in the javelin in 15-16 age group.