With the Caesar Rodney High School boys and girls teams hogging the spotlight in the sport for the district this past spring, two younger students figuratively running under the radar racked up some major achievements of their own.

    Seventh-grader Austinio Brown, 13, and eighth-grader Jazmine Lee, 14, both broke district records for their age groups in the 100- and 400-meter dashes, respectively.

    The two are students at the Dover Air Force Base Middle School and members of the school’s track team, and luckily for the Riders high school track team and Mike Tucci, boys head coach, Austinio is keeping his talents within the district.

    Austinio, who only just completed his second full season of competitive track, ran the 100 in 11.9 seconds and said he plans on only getting better before he reaches the CR team in the 2010-2011 season.

    “I think I can be a big part of their team after I finish eighth grade,” he said. “I’m training now to get faster. I train with my dad all throughout the year. I think I can get a lot faster than I am now.”

    At 5 feet 5 inches, Austinio said the fact that he is still growing would be part of what helps him improve, as long as he continues to work hard.

    As for the record, he was unaware he had broken it at the time, but when told at the team’s end-of-the-year dinner he was not too surprised.

    “I didn’t know until the banquet that I beat it,” he said. “I wasn’t really that shocked though.

    “I ran a lot of different times during the season in that event, some slow and some fast. But I knew that one was fast.”

    As for Jazmine, her record came in an event with a little more distance to it, as she ran the 400 in one minute and four seconds.

    She said the 400 was somewhat of a new event for her this year as she is traditionally a longer distance runner, and that she caught herself a bit off guard with the record-breaking time.

    “I usually run long distance, the 800 and 1,600,” Jazmine said. “Finally, for my eighth grade year, I asked if I could run the 400.

    “The first time I ran it, I broke the district record.”

    Jazmine measures in at 5 feet 6-inches, tall for her age, which is part of what she said helped her excel in an event her body wasn’t familiar with.

    As for next year, she will take her talents to St. Georges Technical High School in New Castle. And along with her talents, Jazmine said she would be bringing a newfound confidence.

    “I just gave it my all and found out that I can run the 400,” she said. “And I found out I’m close to high school times, so I feel like I’m probably going to be up there with the older girls.”

Email Brian Citino at brian.citino@doverpost.com