Novi Freshman Luke Barnes Qualifies
for Junior Olympics Cross Country
11/23/05 by Scott Olson and Robert Smith (WEBSITE)
 
Novi High School freshman Lukas Barnes came in second in the USA Track and Field (USATF) Regionals held in Charleston West Virginia on Saturday November 19, qualifying him to enter the Junior Olympics next month.

The USATF Michigan race was held at Cass Benton Park in Northville on November 12. The top 25 individuals qualified for the regional meet in West Virginia. The top 20 finishers from each regional qualify for the USATF Junior Olympic National Cross Country Championships which is to take place on December 10 at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island. Barnes will be on the starting line there.

Barnes is racing in the Youth Division (ages 13 and 14). The distance is 4K (approximately 2.4 miles).  He is a freshman at Novi High School, where his team just recently earned back-to-back regional titles and a 9th place finish at the 2005 MHSAA Cross Country State Finals.