Originally found at www.chroniclet.com
Written by, Paul Heyse

Lorain County’s Ultimate Track Club has made giant strides — and in a hurry. In three years, the fledgling program has gone from obscurity to performing on a national stage. UTC advanced 12 athletes from regionals to the AAU Junior Olympic Games at Nor­folk State University in Virginia. The Junior Olympics begin Saturday and run through Aug. 7.

“I’m very pleased with the kids and how things have gone for the program,” UTC founder and coach Luther Washington III said. “I want to build and develop a tradition and legacy similar to the programs at Glenville and Cleveland Heights.”

UTC has a lot to be proud of, but it also has unfinished business. It wants to end the season on a high note with a strong showing at Norfolk.

“It’s exciting,” said Washington. “Last year, we only had one kid achieve that status. This is quite a pleasant surprise.

I’m very much excited.”

Lorain junior Christian Nogueras and Clearview senior Brandon Sadler are two of the reasons UTC has quickly risen to such a high level.

“Personally for me, it feels great,” said Nogueras. “My main goal is to put Lorain on the map.”

A goal for both athletes is to achieve All-American status, which is a top-eight finish at Norfolk.

“We’re well-focused,” said Nogueras. “We joke around sometimes before and after practice, but once we start working every­one gets zoned in. There’s no more playing around until we’re finished.”

Nogueras and Sadler enjoyed high levels of success in their high school seasons.

Nogueras was a Division I state qualifier in long jump, taking third at Ohio State. Sadler was a Division II regional qualifier in the 100-meter dash and as a member of the 400 relay. Both are pumped about competing on the national level.

“It’s quite an honor,” said Sadler, who’s 5-foot-8, 145 pounds. “We’re excited to go down there.”

Things have clicked for UTC’s 400 relay, which has been an especially pleasant surprise. “We were all pretty good in our relays from our high schools, so there was a good foundation,” said Sadler. “We were all pretty solid in our baton work. We just had to get our steps down.”

UTC practices three times a week, typically Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings for two hours.

“A few of us have jobs, but Mr. Washington has been great and has helped to work around our schedules,” said Sadler. “We have a good program with a lot of young athletes.

“There are only two people in the 17-18 age category (young men’s), so we have a pretty young team. That’s good, too. Everyone should get better as they get older and develop.”

Sophomore Blake Benyard, a distance runner, was UTC’s lone national qualifier a year ago and ran in Des Moines, Iowa. Benyard will again compete in the 1,500 meters.

UTC enjoyed a stellar weekend earlier this month at the Lake Erie AAU district meet at Uniontown. UTC had regional qualifiers in 16 events, including four relays.

Washington, 37, is a safety officer for Lorain City Schools and a chemical dependency counseling assistant. He facilitates groups for the Lorain County Juvenile Court program in cognitive behavioral modification.

A 1990 Southview High graduate, he was a Division I state qualifier in the 200 meters for the Saints. He also ran track for a year at Ball State before a hamstring injury ended his career.

Washington wants to grow the program and plans to use the success to include and attract Lorain County athletes as young as 6.

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This entry was posted on Friday, July 30th, 2010 at 11:26 am and is filed under JRO Track & Field, Track & Field. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.