CONGRATULATIONS
Brendan Bernard Kindergarten Graduate!
Pictured with his sister Erica!
Son of Doug and Julie Bernard & Grandson of Ann and Bruce Bernard & Kathy and Roger Gibson!

HALE ALUMS EARN NCAA ALL-AMERICAN AWARDS

Two Hale High School alumni, Bryant Wilson and Curtis Barclay, won All-American awards competing for Grand Valley State University at the NCAA DII Outdoor National Track and Field Championships held in Walnut, California at the Mt. Sac track facility on May 24-26. Wilson and Barclay have been teammates beginning from their youth soccer and baseball teams at age eight through their middle and high school teams and are now in their third year of competing on the GVSU track teams. Athletes from the DII schools across the country compete at meets during the track season to try to qualify for the National Championships. In most events, usually about the top 15 or 16 performances are selected to compete at the National Championships. Then at the Championships, the top eight finishers in each event are awarded All-American status

Barclay qualified for his first National in the 3000 meter steeple chase. This race is almost two miles in length and has various barriers to hurdle over each lap and also has a water hazard after one of the barriers to go through after the jump. Barclay was one of 16 competitors that had to run a preliminary race on Thursday to determine the field of 12 that would run in the final on Saturday. Barclay made the final and then ran a strong race to finish 7^th for his All-American status. Barclay finished the race with a time of 9:11.56. The race was won by Daniel Maina of Abilene Christian.

Wilson won his fourth consecutive National Championship in the pole vault. He previously won the 2007 indoor, 2007 outdoor, and the 2008 indoor National Championships. He has competed in three indoor seasons and three outdoor seasons and has earned All -American status all six times and been crowned National Champion four times. At this National, he cleared 5.18 meters (17') to win the meet, defeating Dan Tierney of Ashland who also cleared 5.18 meters, but had more misses. Wilson has a personal best of 5.33 meters (17' 5.5”).

Wilson and Barclay together scored 12 of GVSU's 30 points to help lead the Lakers to their best ever Outdoor National finish of 6^th place. The men's first place team was Abilene Christian of Texas.

Also attending this event was another Hale resident, Navy Sea Bee Command Master Chief Daryl Johnson, stationed at Port Wanamie California. Johnson Drove 2 hours to watch and support the two Hale Competitors! Johnson has been in California for months now, and has been on several tours of Duty overseas including Iraq! He recently was promoted to the rank of Command Master Chief. Both Wilson and Barclay were surprised to see him there and very appreciative of his effort to come so far to see them, They were honored he attended!