Baxter claims title, Barton places fifth at Pan American Junior Championships

Hokie pair perform well on national stage

July 22, 2017

TRUJILLO, Peru – Laurie Barton and Rachel Baxter represented the U.S.A. Track and Field team well at the Pan American Junior Championships on Friday and Saturday, as the Hokie duo produced top-five finishes.

Barton turned in a time of 2:07.92 in the 800-meter run to place fifth and Baxter took home the pole vault title, clearing a height of 4.41m (14’5.5”) to break the meet record.

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

Barton, a rising sophomore, was one of two Americans in the event alongside Bolles High School product Caitlin Collier, hailing from Florida. Collier (2:05.26) finished third behind the Canadian pair of Victoria Tachisinski (2:04.22) and Jazz Shukla (2:04.52) in the finals.

In the preliminaries on Friday, Barton crossed the finish line in 2:12.46 to finish second in her heat, qualifying for the finals on Saturday. A total of 14 competitors participated in the 800.

Baxter, an incoming freshman from California, broke her personal record on Friday. She edged second place, who also reigns from America, Carson Dingler, by 8.25 inches.

The 3,000-meter steeplechase will begin on Sunday at 1:40 p.m. ET for fellow Hokie Sarah Edwards.

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

For more information on the Pan American Junior Championships, click here to go to the home page.

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