“It’s a blessing to see all the hard work they put in,” said B.B. Roberts, a former standout sprinter and football player at Wesley Chapel High who founded the club in 2014.

Four of the club’s eight members who competed in the AAU Junior Olympics were named to the All-American team. Those Speed Starz athletes included Ethan Rosson, Isaiah Burns, Sheldon Rogers and King James.

Rogers, a Weightman Middle seventh-grader, overcame tripping over a hurdle and regaining his traction after a front flip to finish sixth in the 100 hurdles for his division.

“He put on a very entertaining race,” Roberts said, lauding his young runner for not giving up.

Burns, a Wesley Chapel High senior, was sixth in the long jump. Also sixth in the long jump, but in a different age group was King James, a West Zephyrhills Elementary fifth-grader who also took sixth in the 100.

Additionally, Rosson, 9, placed eighth in the 1,500-meter run while Wesley Chapel junior Annalyse Rogers finished 9th in the 100 and 16th in the 200.

“She's been working extra hard all summer,” Roberts said of Rogers. “She's one of the leaders of the team.”