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Hodges in finals of 400 at nationals BUFFALO, N.Y. � Brittany Hodges of Medford qualified for the 400-meter finals in the 13-14-year-old youth division at the National Junior Olympics Track and Field Championships Saturday. Hodges, an incoming freshman at North Medford High, finished second in her heat with a lifetime-best time of 57.1 seconds. Her previous fastest time was 57.7. The five heat winners and the next three fastest runners advance to Sunday�s finals at the University of Buffalo. Hodges had the fastest time among the second-place finishers. "That was our goal to be running on Sunday," said Mark Hodges, Brittany Hodges� father and the track coach at North Medford. "Now she�s trying to see if she can break that 57-second barrier." Hodges took the lead with 100 meters to go in the qualifying heat but was just beaten at the wire. "She was really relaxed and looked very, very comfortable,�� said Mark Hodges. "She put herself in good position with the pack." Hodges failed to qualify for the finals in the 200 on Thursday. Another Medford runner, Emily Dunn, didn�t make the finals in the 100 and 200 meters in the 15-16-year-old intermediate division Thursday. Dunn, a North Medford sophomore-to-be, ran a 12.69 in her 100-meter heat and a personal best 26.35 in the 200. "She�s (set a personal record) every time she�s raced this summer," said Mark Hodges. "She�s improved a whole second in the 200 meters since the spring. Our goal was for her to run her best time. We were really encouraged." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA