Barton, Edwards set for Pan American Junior Championships

Hokie duo trek to Peru for final summer event

July 20, 2017

BLACKSBURG – As a result of finishing in the top two of their respective events at the USA Junior Outdoor Championships, both Laurie Barton and Sarah Edwards will compete on the U.S. team that will participate at the Pan American Junior Championships held July 21-23 in Trujillo, Peru.

Pan Am Hub | Meet Schedule | Team Roster | 800m Start List | Steeple Start List | Live Stream

The Hokie duo is a part of the 85-athlete roster that is composed of the brightest stars under 20 years old in the track and field circuit, hailing from the high school and college levels.

Event times have been released, and Barton will start on Friday at 4:45 p.m. ET in the 800-meter run semifinals. If she advances, the finals start at noon on Saturday. The 3,000-meter steeplechase will begin on Sunday at 1:40 p.m. for Edwards.

Edwards, a freshman from Bellingham, Massachusetts, took home gold in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the USA Junior Outdoor Championships. She was coming off her first NCAA appearance, finishing 10^th in the same event. Edwards ran the second-fastest time in the event at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds, qualifying for the national meet with a school-record time of 9:52.89 and breaking the five-year-old record by nearly 11 seconds. The first-team All-ACC honoree also placed first in the event at the ACC Outdoor Championships, finishing with a time of 10:05.58.

Barton is coming off a silver medal performance in the 800-meter run at the USA Junior Outdoor Championships, where she clocked a time of 2:05.09. The freshman competed in the 800 at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds, advancing to the quarterfinals. Barton also earned second-team All-ACC honors following her fifth-place finish in the event at the ACC Outdoor Championships, crossing the finish line in a time of 2:05.48.

Fans can join the conversation by following USATF on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook and using the hashtag #PanAmJrs.

For more information on the USA Junior Outdoor Championships, click here to go to the home page.

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