Holycross second at East Coast Invitational; 32nd at U.S. Junior Olympic Nationals

PRIEST RIVER — It’s not often you get a chance to compete against the best in the nation, but Priest River junior Teagun Holycross got just that chance recently at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympic National Championships in North Carolina.

Holycross met the national qualifying standard in the 400 hurdles, and competed as a member of the Spokane Speed Academy Track Club.

The Spartan three-sport athlete got a chance for a warm-up race at the East Coast Invitational a couple days before Nationals, and Holycross fared well by finishing second in the 400 hurdles in 1:00.08, and 11th out of 33 competitors in the 200 meters in 23.98, far exceeding his 22nd seed time.

At Nationals, Holycross ran in the first heat of the first day in 100 percent humidity, which while nothing new to folks in North Carolina is completely unlike anything ever seen in Priest River. He stayed with the No. 1 ranked runner in the country for two hurdles, before the kid simply pulled away from everyone.

Holycross ended up finishing fifth in his heat in 1:00.37, which was good enough for 32nd out of the 55 racers who had qualified for Nationals. More importantly, he gained valuable experience racing against some of the fastest athletes in the U.S.

“It puts him in the top 10 percent in the country and he had only run the race four times ever so we are very proud of him,” said dad Travis Holycross. “He has a lot of room for improvement which is exciting. He is hoping that running the 400 hurdles will help improve his 300 hurdle times this coming year so that he can run sub 40 seconds.”

The extra 100 meters will no doubt improve his 300 finish, as Holycross should have more in the tank down the stretch.

Holycross was sixth in the 3A state 300 hurdles last year as a sophomore, and stands a good chance to be in contention for a state title during his remaining two years.