USATF-New England Headline NewsOctober 2001 through December 2001
USATF-New England Headline News
NASHUA PAL GET TWO MORE J.O. PLACES
Dec 26 -- Chute mix-ups in the Midget division races at the National Junior Olympic meet on December 7 sparked protests and required detailed review, but the Nashua PAL ultimately were awarded the bronze medal in both Midget Girls and Boys races. The PAL girls "B" team also seventh in the same race.
4 x 1600 TRACK RELAY ON JAN.5
Dec 19 -- USATF-NE will be running a 4 x 1600 meter relay indoors at Boston Boston University on Saturday, January 5, at 12:30 p.m. This will follow the Boston U. Development Meet (10 a.m.). Separate men's and women's races. Two masters records were set last year. Entry on the Track page.
MARATHON NEWS - BOSTON and VERMONT
Dec 19 -- Reminder that the 2002 Boston Marathon entry deadline has been pushed back to February 1, a month earlier than usual.
The KeyBank Vermont City Marathon expects to be filled by the end of December. The Relay is already filled!
NATIONAL MASTERS INDOOR ENTRY FORMS AVAILABLE
Entry forms for the 2002 National Masters Indoor Track & Field Championship are now available. Click here for complete Masters Championship information.
NASHUA PAL WINS NATIONAL JUNIOR OLYMPIC TITLE
Dec 8, Lincoln NE -- The Nashua PAL girls cross country team ran to a win at medals in the Bantam (10 and under) division at the USATF Junior Olympic National Cross Country Championships. The closest team event of the day was the Bantam Boys, with the top 3 teams within 8 points; local favorites Nashua PAL and Quincy TC placed 2nd and third. The sole individual medalist from the NE association was Jeffrey Colt of Nashua PAL, 2nd in the Bantam Boys race. (Note that we have not included the Midget (11-12) division results, as team cores are "under protest" and not final yet.) Full results can be found at the USATF Nationalsite.
ROETTER WINS BRONZE AT FOOTLOCKER FINALS
Dec 8, Orlando FL -- Natasha Roetter of Lexington MA took third place at the Footlocker Scholastic Cross Country Nationals at DisneyWorld on Saturday. The Mass. state champion and Northeast Footlocker winner was in second for most of the race and was just edged out of second in the final straight. Her time of 17:05.1 was under the previous meet record. Liz Gesel (Manchester NH Central) was 19th in 17:58.19. In the boy's race, Mint Henk (U-32, VT) was 19th in 15:29.84, and Anthony Truax (Dover NH) was 30th in 16:18.14. Only 32 runners qualify for the national final. Complete results and story.
VAITONES WINS CLONEY AWARD
Dec 9, Boston MA -- USATF-NE Managing Director Steve Vaitones was presented the Will Cloney Award at the 25th annual Bill Rodgers Jingle Bell Run. The award is presented annually by the event and Bill Rodgers Running Center for long term service to the sport in the New England region.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS COMING TO NEW ENGLAND
Dec 1, Mobile AL -- Several future National Championships were awarded to the New England association at last week's USATF Convention. The Men's National 5K Road Race will be held at the CVS/pharmacy Downtown 5K in Providence RI in both 2002 and 2003. The Junior (age 19 and under) 5000 meter racewalk will take place in Worcester in 2002 on October 6. The Masters National Indoor Championships will run at the Reggie Lewis Center through 2004 (the 2002 and 2003 meets were awarded to NE in prior years), and the Masters 5K Cross Country will run as part of the NE XC Championships in November 2004. We hope local athletes will take advantage of these national opportunities! More news from the convention can be found at www.usatf.org.
LUKE, CARRERA TOP 10 AT NATIONAL CORPORATE CHALLENGE
George Luke (GLRR) and Ryan Carrera (Holliston MA) placed in the top 10 at the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge World Final in New York last weekend. Luke, third overall, ran 17:10 for the series distance of 3.5 miles, while Carrera was 7th in 17:34 to pace his Raytheon team to a bronze medal.
NE ATHLETES WIN NATIONAL AWARDS AT CONVENTION
November 30, Mobile AL -- Three USATF-NE members received sport committee honors at the 2001 USATF National Convention. The Outstanding Mountain Runner award was presented to Eric Morse (CMS/Berlin VT) our NE Grand Prix champ. Masters recognized NE chairman Phil Byrne (BAA/Charlestown MA) as the outstanding masters multi-event performer for the year, John Barbour (GLRR/Rockport MA) as the top masters road runner in the 45-49 division, and Carolyn Cappetta (Liberty/Concord MA) as the top female trackster 65-69. Mike Scott (Newport RI) was a recipient of a USATF President's Award for long time contributions to the sport. John Babington (Cambridge MA) will be on the coaching staff for the 2003 World Indoor Championship meet, and Southern Connecticut State coach Jim Barber is the head women's coach for the USA team at this summer's World Cup meet.
OFFICE CLOSED NOV 27-30
The NE office will be closed November 27 through November 30, as our staff is at the USATF National convention in Mobile AL. See the national website, www.usatf.org for news out of the convention.
ROETTER WINS FOOTLOCKER, 3 OTHERS QUALIFY
November 24, New York -- Natasha Roetter of Lexington MA won the Footlocker HS Cross Country Regional qualifier on Saturday, and will lead a group of four New Englanders to the finals next month. Roetter, a senior, won the her second regional race in a row, this one by 11 seconds in 17:48, as the top 8 runners in four regions qualify for a trip to the championship at DisneyWorld on December 8. Liz Gesel of Manchester (Central HS) NH was 5th in 18:19, while Caroline Bierbaum , of Groton (MA) Academy just missed a spot in the 32 runner final with a 9th place finish.
In the boys' race, a pair of state champs qualified for the final. Mint Henk of Braintree VT/U-32 HS., 6th a year ago, was 4th this time in 15:31. and Anthony Truax of Dover, NH was 7th in 15:41. Mass State "A" champion Andrews Pitts of Southwick MA was 10th and is an alternate.
VT NATIVE CHAPLIN WINS NCAA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
November 17 and 19 -- A weekend of collegiate cross country action was capped at Monday's NCAA Division I Championship Meet where Tara Chaplin, a senior at Arizona, won the women's national championship. The graduate of U-32 HS in Montpelier VT ran 20:34 to win by 7 seconds. Behind her, Boston College's Maggie Guiney was 10th to lead her Eagles to a 6th place finish. Providence was 10th, as five New England schools made it to the big race. Also top 25 were Kate O'Neil (Yale, 11), Jill Laurendeau (Georgetown/Manchester NH, 14), Maria Cicero (BC, 16), and Shalane Flanagan (North Carolina/Marblehead MA, 22). Top Men's team was Providence, equaling the women's tenspot placing. Dan Wilson of Connecticut (14), Tom McArdle of Dartmouth (16), and Adam Sutton of Providence (24) had top 25 finishes.
In the Division II meet at Slippery Rock U. on Saturday, Stonehill women placed 20th (Meghann Shanahan top NE runner in 28th); UMass Lowell men took 10th (Carl Mease 42nd) and Bentley men were 22nd.
Also on Saturday, Division III action found Middlebury and Williams go 1-2 in the women's race, strongly backed by Amherst in 7th and Brandeis in 13th; Mary Proulx (Keene State) finished 5th individual. On the men's side Dan Feldman of M.I.T. was 4th overall and his Engineer squad finished 20th. Other NE schools were Bowdoin (11), Keane State (14), Williams (15), and Tufts (23). Full results are at www.ncaachampionships.com.
NE RUNNERS SHINE AT REGION I JUNIOR OLYMPICS
November 18, Long Island -- Quincy TC, Nashua PAL, and Sentinel Striders won team titles at the USATF Region I Junior Olympics at Long Island NY on Sunday. There are five divisions of competition for boys and girls conducted in two year age groups by year of birth from 1991 and later to born 1983-1984. Nashua PAL won four divisions; Bantam Girls, Midget Boys and Girls, and Youth Girls, and medaled in three others.
Quincy TC took the Bantam (1991+) Boys win, and Sentinel Striders won the Intermediate Girls (and had two other placings). Also qualifying teams for Nationals were North Kingstown Recreation, Granite State Flash, and Greater Springfield Harriers.
Three members of the Nashua PAL were individual race winners; Lindsay Panny, Bantam Girls 3K, 11:59; Nicole Slane, Midget Girls 3K, 11:1; and Jeffrey Colt, Bantam Boys 3K, 11:23.
The top three teams and indivduals in the top 20 qualify for the National Junior Olympic meet in Lincoln, Nebraska, in two weeks. Find out full results and who made the Nationals here .
REGIS COLLEGE LOOKING FOR TRACK COACH
Regis College in Weston MA is looking for a part time head coach for the winter and spring seasons, to start immediately. For a position description and contact information, send a message to the office .
HANN, NIEDZIALEK TAKE CROSS COUNTRY WINS
Reebok Boston, BAA team winners
(November 11, Franklin Park) Cold and windy -- Sarah Hann of Greater Lowell Roadrunners pulled away from Kristen Chisum over the final lap of the 6K course to win her first New England cross country title at Franklin Park on Sunday. Her 19:49 gave an 8 second margin at the tape. Chihsum, who will make her marathon debut in three weeks, led her Reebok Boston team to top honors, 37-54 over the BAA. For the men, New England champ was Justin Niedzialek of the BAA, taking fourth overall in 30:17. His BAA team took the first four scoring places, and they easily outscored Athletics East 19-71 for the men's team title. Vinny Mulvey of New York was the overall winner in a creditable 29:48. Hann and Niedzialek earned a trip to the Ras na hEireann in Dunleer Ireland on January 13, 2002.
Paul Hammond of Whirlaway just outran John Barbour of Greater Lowell to take the men's masters 8K race, as they recorded times of 26:24 and 26:26, respectively. Barbour pulled double-duty an hour later, returning to run the open 10K so his GLRR team would have a fifth scorerer; he took 55th in 33:28. Sue LaChance of CSU repeated as women's 40+ champion in 22:45 for the 6K. Check the full results here.
JUNIOR OLYMPICS RUN IN NASHUA
November 11, Nashua NH -- Host club Nashua PAL won six divisions and Sentinel Striders won three divisions at the USATF-NE Junior Olympic Championships held at Nashua's Cold Spring Park. Cold and windy was the order of the day for those contesting one of the nine races.
439 youth finished in the 10 races. Top 3 teams and other individuals in the top 25 qualified for next week's RegionI meet at Long Island NY. Results.
2002 GRAND PRIX SERIES VOTED IN
November 5, 2001 -- The USATF-NE Road Race Grand Prix series for 2002 was selected at Brandeis University on Monday evening. Nearly 100 voters, race presenters, and observers attended the meeting. Three new races will be on next year's schedule, though all have been championships in the past. The New Bedford 1/2 Marathon will kick off the circuit on March 17, last a championship in 1997. The Bedford NH Lions 20K returns for a second time (June 23), and the Mill City 5K in Lowell MA will offer separate men's and women's races over the coure used for the Brewery 5K on September 9. Repeating from this past year will be the James Joyce Ramble 10K in Dedham MA on April 28, the Stowe VT 8 Mile on July 21, Ro-jack's 5 Mile on September 29 in Attleboro MA, and the twenty-fifth annual Cape Cod Marathon will close out the circuit on October 27.
LOCALS PLACE WELL AT USA ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS
November 3-4, 2001 -- Five local runners placed in the top 15 at USA road championships this weekend. The USA 10K Championship ran at the SeniorBowl 10K in Mobile, Alabama, on Saturday. Blake Russell (Medford MA/new balance) and Sarah Hann (Northampton MA/Gr.Lowell) placed 8th and 9th in 34:10 and 34:11, respectively, in the women's championship. The race was won by Elva Dryer in 32:43. Jon Russell took 13th place in the men's run in 30:18; it was won by Nick Rogers in a course record 28:18.Hahn and Jon Russell were selected to compete as part of the USATF Association Athlete Development Program. (Full results: www.seniorbowl.com )
Sunday's New York City Marathon served as the 2001 USA Championship, and a pair of New Englanders just missed the 2004 Olympic Trials standard. Rusty Snow (Randolph MA/Reebok Boston) placed 33rd overall (14th US) in 2:22:55.
Molly Taber (Medford MA/Merrimack Valley Striders), last year's New England champ, was 30th overall (15th US) in running a personal best 2:49:39. National champion crowns went to Scott Larson (2:15:26) and Deena Drossin (7th, 2:26:58). Full results at www.nyrrc.org.
2002 GRAND PRIX SELECTION ON MONDAY
The 2002 Grand Prix series selection meeting will be held on Monday, November 5, 7:00 p.m. at Brandeis University Athletic Center in Waltham MA. All USATF-NE members have a vote.
BEAUCHESNE TAKES MARATHON TITLE
Falmouth MA, October 28 -- A year after taking a late-race wrong turn, Eric Beauchesne returned to the CompassBank Cape Cod Marathon in fine style to win the USATF New England Marathon Championship on Sunday. The Greater Lowell RR ace recorded a personal best of 2:28:16, holding off masters Craig Fram (Whirlaway) and Larry Sayers (CMS) over the last 5 miles.
Women's winner Nikki Kimball, part of both the USA National Ultra and Mountain Running teams and now representing CMS, found the marathon to her liking and took the New England title in 3:01:29 . She edged club teammate Cheryl Taylor and mountain team cohort Suzy West (CSU). Nancy Corsaro (WRT) won the masters division. Full results at www.capecodmarathon.com.
Though neither ran the marathon, Chris Magill (BAA) and Grace Tucker (GLRR) held onto their top positions to each win their first USATF-NE Grand Prix titles. Whirlaway masters teammates Fram and Cosaro sealed the year-long series with their marathon wins. CMS and BAA won the open men's and women's team series, respectively, while Whirlaway won both masters team crowns.
Check out the final standings - and the 91 Ironrunners at the Grand Prix page.
REBENCIUC RETURNS FOR MAYOR'S CUP VICTORY
Boston, October 28 -- Sandu Rebenciuc, fomer West Springfield resident and CMS and GSH runner, returned to friendly Franklin Park to win the Boston Mayor's Cup Cross Country race on Sunday. Now part of the U.S.Army's World Class Athlete Program and living in Colorado, Rebenciuc outkicked Vinny Mulvey and Graem Reid of Iona College (competing unattached) in the final 150 meters to take the win by one second in 23:29. He's the first American winner since 1995. Priscilla Hein of the Indiana Invaders was the women's victor, her 16:30 bettering Sarah Hann (GLRR) by four seconds; both were top 5 finishers at last fall's National Championships held in Boston (5th and 3rd, respectively). Defending champion Sarah Dupre of the Boston Athletic Association was 4th in 16:53.
Team scoring couldn't have been closer; The B.A.A. and Westchester Puma men's teams both scored 92, with the B.A.A. taking the win on the basis of their better fifth runner. In the women's race, last year's top two finishers at the fall Nationals reversed their placings, as Indiana Invaders beat the host BAA by just 3 points, 63-66. The winners claimed the Coach William J. "Bill" Squires Trophy, named for the meet's founder. Youth races for age 14 and under over the 1.1 mile course were David Polgar of /02) State Bullets (5:49) and Siobhan Breagy of North Kingstown Recreation TC (6:30).
The Mayor's Cup was sponsored by the B.A.A. and adidas for the fifth year. The meet is directed by USATF New England and hosted by the Boston Parks Department. The four races recorded 659 finishers, the most ever in its 12 year history.
CHAKOUIAN WINS GOLD AT PAN AM JUNIORS
October 21 -- Bouncing back from nearly 20 hours of travel earlier in the week, a pair of New England athletes performed well at the 12th Junior Pan-American Championships in Sante Fe, Argentina. Jeff Chakouian (Seekonk MA/U.Kentucky soph) annihilated the competition and set a Junior Pan-American record with a winning mark of 19.92 meters/65 feet, 4-2.5 inches in his final throw to win the shot put. Three-time world champion John Godina held the previous record of 58-2, which Chakouian bettered in each of his five throws of the day. He then just missed the bronze medal in the men's discus throw. Chakouian's mark of 49.27m/161-7 was less than a foot behind the third-place mark of 49.53m/162-5.
Rhode Island high schooler Kristin Michalski (W.Warwick) finished sixth in the women's hammer throw (52.12m/171-0). Athletes from 27 countries across North, South, and Central America competed in Sante Fe.
TUFTS 10K CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
Monday, October 8 -- Colleen deReuk took individual honors at the 25th annual Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women on Columbus Day. Gusty winds and temperatures in the 40's and the sight of a few snowflakes kept performances slower than recent years. A big breakthrough by Greater Lowell's Sarah Hann, clocking 33:38 for a 2 minute PR and 5th overall. The GLRR team placed 2nd to adidas Woodbridge Running Co. in the club scoring. 4900+ runners crossed the starting (and presumably the finish) line. 25 women were honored for contested all 25 races. The USA National 10K will be run with the race in 2002 and 2003.
DOW WINS NATIONAL RACEWALK IN WORCESTER
Sunday, October 7 -- Joanne Dow (Manchester NH) covered 12,891 meters in an hour to take that USA National racewalk title in Worcester on Sunday. Good numbers and quality were the order of the day in the event which awarded titles to Junior, Open, and Masters walkers. The event was hosted by the New England Walkers. The Senior Men's 2 Hour was won by Sean Albert, a resident athlete at the US Olympic Training Center, covering 27,031 meters, the second most ever for the time. That field included four USA National Team members. Records in three different divisions narrowly escaped the meet unbroken. Click here for complete results and photos.
CAPE COD MARATHON ENTRY CLOSED
Entry into the final Grand Prix event of they year, the Cape Cod Marathon on October 28, is closed.
RUSSELL and RUSSELL TAKE 5 MILE HONORS
October 1 -- Husband and wife team Jon and Blake Russell (Medford MA / New Balance) took the New England titles at the Ro-Jack's Run 5 Mile Championship on Sunday. Jon, new athlete rep on the USATF-NE board, was 10th overall in 24:14, while Blake was 5th woman in 26:34. Overall winners were David Chelule (22:32) and Jane Ngotho (25:56). Over $4500 in team prize money was distributed to New England clubs. Chris Magill and Grace Tucker retained their overall individual Grand Prix leads. Team scoring is close in most division, with a tie for the lead in the men's 40+ division. The Cape Cod Marathon is the only remaining event in this year's circuit. Clubs and members should complete their entry procedures this week, as the race is closed to all but USATF members at this point. Check the Grand Prix standings and results.
2002 GRAND PRIX SELECTION MEETING ON NOVEMBER 5
The selection meeting for the 2002 Grand Prix series will be held on Monday evening, November 5, 7:00 p.m., at Brandeis University. Races interested in bidding should contact the USATF-NE office.
USATF NATIONAL 1 & 2 HOUR RACEWALK CHAMPIONSHIP
Entry forms for the USATF National 1 & 2 Hour Racewalk Championship are available by clicking here. The event, sponsored by USATF-NE and the New England Walkers will be held at Worcester Polytechnic Instituute on Sunday October 7.
DONNELLY PICKED FOR USA WORLD 1/2 MARATHON TEAM
(September 25) - Mike Donnelly, 26, of Providence RI (Team New Balance) was picked by USATF for the 10th IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships to be hosted by Bristol, England on Sunday, October 7. 2001 U.S. half-marathon champions Dan Browne and Milena Glusac will lead the strongest USA team since 1992. Nine of the ten team members have set half-marathon personal records this year, including Donnelly at 1:05:49.
FAST TIMES AT CVS Downtown 5K
(September 17) - Nearly 3000 runners crossed the finish line on Sunday at the New England 5K Championship race, the CVS Downtown 5K in Providence. Overall winners Gilbert Okari (13:31) and Uta Pippig (15:30) clocked the year's fastest 5K road times in the six state region. The closest battle of the day found the Greater Lowell women just 3 seconds ahead of the BAA when their five runners' times were totaled up. Grace Tucker (GLRR) took over the top spot in the individual women's open standings, while Chris Magill now holds just a one point lead over David Hinga (MVS), who was top New Englander and 10th overall. Five down and two to go as the series moves to Ro-Jack's Run in Attleboro MA on September 30. Check the Grand Prix standings and results.
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