4 medals is a club record

Members of the Jr. Highlander Track Club won four medals at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympic Games this summer in Greensboro, N.C.

That is a record for the club, which sponsors spring and fall track teams and a cross country team for students in grades K-8.

Winning medals were Jonathan Andrade in pole vault and the pentathlon; Bryce Leslie in pole vault; and Peyton Lowenstein in the javelin. She was the club’s first-time female winner in an outdoor event.

Jonathan placed fifth in both events, and Bryce and Peyton were sixth in their events.

“I am extremely proud of Jonathan and all his teammates for qualifying for the AAU Junior Olympics,” said Catherine Andrade, Jonathan’s mother. “You needed to finish in the top four at our regional meet in the multi-events and top six in all other events to move on.

“He works hard all year long and is very blessed to be a part of JHTC as the program truly is a family. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for all our athletes.”

Jonathan said, “Every year that I didn’t medal wasn’t a loss; it was a lesson which helped me achieve just the first part of my dream.”

All the Junior Olympics competitors were honored at the West Milford Board of Education meeting Sept. 17.

Peyton said, “Track pushes me to beat yesterday’s me. In life, I will always have to apply those lessons and track helped me prepare for that.

“I would never be where I am today without the help and support of my JHTC team and coaches.”

As a freshman at West Milford High School and member of the Highlander track and field team, Peyton finished First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-County.

She also competed at the New Balance Nationals in the Freshman Bracket as a JHTC member and won fifth place.

Notable athletes, including Olympians Sydney McLaughlin and Trayvon Bromell, have competed at New Balance Nationals, which has contributed to the meet’s reputation as a launching pad for track and field stars.

Brian Leslie, JHTC president and a teacher at Paradise Knoll Elementary School, introduced the team members who went to the Junior Olympics at the school board meeting.

“We create a love of track and field,” he said. “I am incredibly grateful to have this program and an amazing support system for these children. As you saw, we have some amazing young athletes that will turn heads for years to come.”

The AAU Junior Olympics are the largest national multi-sport event for youth in the United States.

AAU is a nonprofit volunteer sports organization that supports track clubs, such as JHTC.

JHTC club has 110 members participating in track and 42 in cross country. The teams are coached by Matt Romeo, working with Leslie, Niel Balestrieri and many others.