BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Lake Butler Elementary School student Zoey Marshall has qualified to compete in the AAU Junior Olympic Games in track and field, winning the long jump and placing second in the 200m and 400m in the 9-year-old girls division at the June 23-26 Region 9 National Qualifier in Jacksonville.
Marshall, who competes for Athletics Academy Elite and is coached by Travis Sheppard, won the long jump with a personal record of 3.9 meters, while the runner-up had a distance of 3.23. She ran the 200m and 400m in times of 29.63 and 1:05.81, respectively, with the 400m performance being a personal record. Her 200m time wasn’t far off her personal record, which is 29.56).
The winning times in the 200m and 400m were 28.60 and 1:05.70.
An athlete had to place in the top five to qualify for the Junior Olympics.
To get to a national regional qualifier, an athlete had to earn a top-eight finish. Marshall won the long jump with a distance of 3.82 at the June 4 district qualifier in Jacksonville, while placing second in the 200m and 400m with times of 29.29 and 1:09.64.
Marshall, who is in her fourth year of AAU competition (and third year under Sheppard as her coach), has earned medals at every meet she’s competed in this year. Medals are awarded for placing in the top three. (The top eight in each event at the Junior Olympics will receive medals.)
The young athlete is following in the footsteps of her sister, Amika Davis, who was a standout in track and field as well, competing in the long jump, triple jump, 100m and 200m. Davis qualified for the Florida High School Athletic Association state championships at Union County High School in the triple jump.
The AAU Junior Olympic Games will be held July 30-Aug. 6 in Greensboro, North Carolina. A fundraiser to help Marshall make the trip — held in cooperation with the group 20 Strong — will be held Saturday, July 9, at 10:30 a.m. at the corner of C.R. 231 (Southwest Sixth Avenue) and First Way in Lake Butler.
