Torrance : Council Honors Runner

Prize-winning student runner Jessica Reifer, 13, was honored this week by the City Council with a citation of special recognition.

Reifer, an eighth-grader with straight A’s entering Madrona Middle School, was one of five West Coast athletes to win a gold medal Aug. 7 in races at UCLA’s Drake Stadium. In June, she placed first for her region in the Arco Jesse Owens Foundation 1,500-meter run.

She was awarded one of the first Western Regional Arco Jesse Owens Foundation National Scholarships on Aug. 8. The $2,000 scholarship award was based on good grades, community service and athletic achievements.