Faces in the Crowd

Arman (Gino) Hall

PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. > Track and Field

Arman, a senior at St. Thomas Aquinas High, won gold in the 400 meters at the World Youth Championships in Lille, France, with the best high school time in the world this year (46.01). He also anchored the U.S. sprint medley relay team to a world record 1:49.47. Earlier this year he won the 400 at high school nationals and at the Florida 4A championships.

Layla Choate

HAZEL, KY. > Equestrian

Layla, a recent Calloway County High graduate who rides for Torpey Performance Horses, won the inaugural Interscholastic Reining Championship by half a point (217.5 total) at the National Reining Horse Association's Derby Show in Oklahoma City. In 2010 she won the youth reining national title. Next year she will compete at South Carolina.

Inky Ajanaku

TULSA > Volleyball

Inky, a 6'4" senior middle hitter at Bishop Kelley High, was named tournament MVP following USA Volleyball's A2 junior national team's 3--1 victory over the Czech Republic team to win the European Global Challenge in Pula, Croatia. Last fall Inky led the Comets to their fourth straight Class 5A state championship and was named tournament MVP.

Jim Barber

ZIONSVILLE, IND. > Open-Water Swimming

Barber, a 51-year-old sales engineer, became the first American to swim the Strait of Gibraltar and back, breaking the world record by six minutes (7:49:00). Factoring in ocean currents, he swam 21 miles between Spain and Morocco. Barber has also completed the Triple Crown of open-water swimming, crossing the English and Catalina channels and circling Manhattan.

Jena Hemann

BREESE, ILL. > Track and Field

Jena, a recent graduate of Central Community High, set state records in the long jump (20' 1½") and 100 meters (12.02) and won the high jump (5'7") and triple jump (37' 11¾") at the class 1A state meet, winning all four events for the second year in a row. She is the first athlete in state history to win four straight high jump titles. Next year she will compete at Texas A&M.

Brandon Matchett | Bailey Narr

PITTSBURGH > Marbles

Brandon, a seventh-grader at Barack Obama Academy of International Studies, and Bailey, a sixth-grader at Sterrett Classical Academy, were named the King and Queen of Marbles at the 88th National Marbles Tournament in Wildwood, N.J. Brandon won 8--4 in the finals and Bailey won 8--5.

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BILL SIMMONS (HALL)

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NRHA/WALTENBERRY (CHOATE)

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R. SEARCY/BRO. R. MERKEL (AJANAKU)

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GRACE KITTLE (BARBER)

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TERI BATSON (HEMANN)

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HEATHER L. MATCHETT (MATCHETT)

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DAWN NARR (NARR)