BYU track athletes Marcus Dickson and Rachel Stewart each took fifth place overall in their respective events at the Pan American Junior Championships in Medellin, Columbia, on Aug. 24-25.
Dickson, entering his sophomore season at BYU, took third in his 800-meter qualifier with a time of 1:52.92, qualifying him for the final. Dickson ran a 1:52.00 in the final to take fifth place, the highest placing American in the event.
Stewart, also a sophomore, ran a 4:43.75 in the 1500-meter, good for fifth place overall. She was the second American to finish the event.
Team USA ran away in the medal count, winning 16 gold, 16 silver and seven bronze for a total of 39, beating out second place Canada by 20 medals.
The Pan American Junior Championships take place every two years. The next championships will take place in Edmonton, Canada, in the summer of 2015. The games are open to athletes age 16 to 19, who are that age as of Dec. 31 of the year the games are held.
Justin Green is the sports information director over men's track and cross country for BYU Athletic Communications. He is a BYU student majoring in public relations and minoring in business and will graduate in April 2013. Email: justinjgreen8@gmail.