By Chuck Lyons

Lisle, IL – Phillip Rocha of Azusa and Elizabeth Lyons of Rosemead recently won a national championship for Southern California Road Runners (SCRR) in competition at USA Track and Field Youth Outdoor National Championships at Benedictine University in warm and humid weather.

In the midget boys division, Rocha won a gold medal in each of the three races he competed. On July 3, Rocha won the 3000 meters in 9:48.12, and a few hours later he won the 800 meters in 2:13.47. On July 4, Rocha won the 1500 meters in 4:35.07. Rocha ran second for the first three laps before pulling away on the last lap to win by about three seconds, reported SCRR Head Coach Dr. Mike Leong of Highland.

On the first day of the multi-day competition on June 29, Lyons, a freshman student and runner at Pasadena City College, earned seventh in the Young Women’s 2000 meters steeplechase in 9:25. She didn’t get over the first water jump easily and came out of water jump in last place about 75 feet behind the next runner. She gradually closed the gap each lap and eventually worked herself into seventh at the finish line to earn a medal.

About three hours later, Lyons won the Young Women’s 3000 meters race walk in 24:32.29. The event is a combination of using proper form and time for placement. So, walkers must follow form rules while being watched by seven judges around each lap with the possibility of being disqualified at any time during or after the race until the results are officially posted in the results area.

Joanna Hayes, 100 meter hurdles gold medal winner for USA at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, presented the USA Track and Field Youth Outdoor National Championships gold medal to Lyons and medals to other medal winners on that day.

Leong said that Lyons first and seventh place finishes helped put SCRR into first place in team competition on the first day. Teammate Hannah Valenzuela of Apple Valley earned a third place finish in both the 1500 meters (4:48.23) and 3000 meters (10:37.22) to help SCRR finish tied for ninth place with 24 points, just 10 points from second place among the 38 teams.

Rocha and his three gold medals helped the SCRR midget boys team finish among the team leaders in fourth place with 36 points among the 39 teams competing.

Leong said, overall, SCRR athletes from the Southland won 19 medals (four were gold).