If the youngsters take after their parents, some York County high school team should have a crack track team about 10 years from now.

The three couples - all from Romania - were among 17 people from around the world who became naturalized U.S. citizens Thursday. And among the Romanian contingent was a two-time Olympian and a couple national track and field champions.

The scene made Cristian Apalaghie, also a Romanian national track champion, fist-pumping happy.

A recently naturalized U.S. citizen, Apalaghie sat in the ceremonial courtroom of the York County Administration Building on Thursday morning to watch his six friends take the oath that made them Americans.

"It gave me the same thrill to watch them that I had in March," Apalaghie said, recalling his own naturalization ceremony.

Former Olympian Florin Ionescu, who participated in the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and his wife and Romanian national champion in the 800 meters, Simona Ionescu, said they came to the United States "for a better life, better opportunities."

Now living in West Manchester Township, they came to York County, they said, because of friends already living here.

One of those friends is Cornel Manuel Mancas, also an 800-meter runner, who moved here in 1999. Mancas and his wife, Bianca Ada Mancas, also were naturalized Thursday.

"For 11 years I've been waiting for this," he said.

First-year Common Pleas Court Judge Harry Ness administered the oath. He invited their families to angle for the best camera shots as the oath was administered.

"Six months ago, I first took my oath in this courtroom," Ness said. "My family and friends were here, so I got about 100 shots of the back of my head."

After the oath, Ness told the crowd that he had the pleasure of being an American "from birth."

"You've had to work hard for it," he said.

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