The Coastal Georgia Track Team, with several youth participants from Richmond Hill and surrounding areas, recently competed in a highly-competitive meet in Taylors, SC consisting of 3,000 kids from Georgia and South Carolina.

Eighteen of these local athletes qualified for the AAU Junior Olympics, to be held July 27-August 3 in Greensboro, NC.

Two of these athletes, Samaya Scranton and John Dodson, both of Richmond Hill, were named Region 8 champions.

The team consists of athletes ages 5-16.

Each of the qualifiers had to finish in the top six of their perspective events.

The Richmond Hill qualifiers were:

Kyree Hall, 800m/shot put

Samaya Scranton, 400m/800m

Zion Smithbey, discus

Tilman Smithbey, 80m hurdles

Shawn Johnson, 4x800m relay

Kiale Kehoe, 4x800m relay

Jasai Taylor, 4x800m relay

Kendrick Joshua, 100m, 200m, 4x100m

Kemon Dobson, 4x800m relay

Kason Hall, shot put

John Dodson, 1500m/300m

Caeylin Menzie, shot put, turbo javelin, 1500m racewalk

Dervante Menzie, high jump

Jayden Taylor, 800m/4x100m

Qualifiers from outside Richmond Hill included Danielle Knox, 1500m/3000m, Artevion Walker, 100m/200m, Timothy Alston Jr., 4x100m, discus, pentathlon, and Jaylen Irish, 100m/200m/4x100m.