A Suffolk running group came out to shine over the weekend with a significant number of Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympic qualifiers that emerged from the 2014 AAU Region 5 track and field championship at Lakeland High School.

Ten qualifiers practice as part of the Suffolk New Energy Running Club, which is part of Tidewater Striders.

One of Suffolk New Energy’s coaches, Steven Sheppard, was excited to have that number of qualifiers, noting that three years ago, the entire club consisted of only six to eight athletes. Now, it has a roster of more than 35.

“We’ve been growing like crazy,” he said.

A few Suffolk New Energy athletes brought particularly positive press with their remarkable performances during the weekend meet that ran June 27-29.

The maximum number of events for which an athlete can qualify at the AAU Jr. Olympic Games is four.

“The two kids that qualified in four events were Betsy Pollard and Cierra (Sheppard),” Coach Sheppard said.

To qualify, they had to finish among the top eight in individual track events, top five in individual field events and top four in the relay events.

Thirteen-year-old Betsy Pollard qualified in the 800-, 1500- and 3000-meter runs, as well as the 4×800-meter relay. She set a new personal record (PR) in the 800 (2:44.02, eighth).

Pollard said that on Saturday, “I woke up that morning, and I was like, ‘I think I want to PR today in the 1500,’” and she followed through, cutting her time in the mile-long race by about nine seconds, from 5:47 to 5:38.67, good for third.

Cierra Sheppard ran together with Pollard in the 4×800, and qualified in the same individual events as Pollard, except they were at the 14-year-old level.

There were three Suffolk New Energy athletes who qualified in three different events. They included 14-year-old Caitlynn Melanson of Carrollton in the 800, 3000 and 4×800, 13-year-old Jada Smith of Smithfield in the 1500, 3000 and 4×800 and 13-year-old Mason Pratt in the 800, 1500 and 4×800.

Five other local New Energy team members qualified for the AAU Jr. Olympics. They included 12-year-old Cameron Gabe in the 800 and 1500, 12-year-old Samantha Grant of Carrollton in the 1500 and 3000, 9-year-old Jordan Linneman in the girls’ javelin throw turbo, 12-year-old Jack Van Straten in the 3000 and 12-year-old Evan Melanson of Carrollton in the 1500.

There were more than 800 athletes at the meet, representing four different states.

The 2014 AAU Junior Olympic Games will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, and they will run from July 22 to Aug. 2.