Dickson, Stewart have good showings at Pan Am Jr. Championships

BYU track athletes Marcus Dickson and Rachel Stewart both 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 as of Dec. 31 of the year the games are held.