News

John Geesler, St. Johnsville runs 145.225 miles finishing 3rd at the Soochow 24 hour Ultra Race in Taipei

Soochow 24 Hours Ultra Race (6th)

Taipei, TPE; April 4-5

NOTE: From HEINRICH HUBBELING –Asst. Ed

MEN –

1. Ryoichi Sekiya, 38, JPN – 264.410 km

2. Muneharu Kuroda, 56, JPN – 250.873

3. John Geesler, 46, USA – 233.856

4. Hiroyuki Nishimura, 35, JPN – 231.067

5. Nobumi Iwamoto, 39, JPN – 226.273

6. Chen Chin-Chien, 40, TPE – 222.813

7. Ryoichi Sato, 44, JPN – 222.667

Women:

1. Naomi Fujita, 47, JPN – 223.763 km Asian Road Best

2. Fumie Sata, 43, JPN – 205.218

3. Stephanie Ehret, 41, USA – 201.977

On two successive weeks Adirondack Association members claimed USATF National’s Athlete of the week awards

October 12, Nicole Blood.

INDIANAPOLIS – Nicole Blood has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete
of the Week after breaking an 18-year-old course record at the 32nd Manhattan College Invitational in New York City’s Van Cortlandt Park.

Blood (Gansevoort, N.Y.), ran 13 minutes, 57.0 seconds on the 2.5-mile course to better the 18-year-old course record of 14:01.9, which was set

in 1986 by two-time Foot Locker champion Erin Keogh of Langley, Va. A 16-year-old junior at Saratoga Springs (N.Y.) High School, Blood won the Eastern States Championship, which was held as part of the Manhattan College Invitational. The meet drew a record number of almost 11,000 entries representing more than 350 high schools from 15 states and Washington, D.C., and is known as the largest one-day meet in the United States.

Now in its fourth year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

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October 5, Josh McDougal

INDIANAPOLIS – Josh McDougal has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after winning his fourth consecutive race of the season in taking first place at the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, North Carolina.

McDougal, a freshman at Liberty University, won the men’s 8 km race in 24 minutes, 0.91 seconds, which was 12 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor. The 2004 USA Junior 5,000m runner-up, McDougal was a member U.S. Team that competed at the IAAF World Junior Championships this summer in Grosetto, Italy and a member of the USA World XC Team that
competed in Brussels.

Now in its fourth year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week

2004 USA Running Circuit Offers Record Purse Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon Kicks-Off Season on February 7

INDIANAPOLIS – With a record $818,700 in guaranteed prize money, the richest USA Running Circuit in history is set for 2004. The USARC, a USA Track & Field road series, features USA Championships from 5 km to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners, including Olympians Deena Drossin, Meb Keflezighi, Elva Dryer and Bob Kennedy.

The tenth edition for the men and ninth for the women, the 2004 circuit has nine events for men and seven events for women. Every 2003 USARC race has returned to host a national championship.

The 2004 Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon, hosted by the Mercedes Marathon on February 7 in Birmingham, Ala., kicks off the Men’s USARC. At the Olympic Marathon Trials, qualified U.S. men will vie for three Olympic team spots and an Olympic Trials record purse of $271,500.

The Gate River Run 15K, a long-standing national championship, opens the Women’s USARC (also a Men’s event) on March 13. The 2004 circuit offers over $790,000 in national championship prize money plus a $25,000 grand prix purse. The River Bank Run 25K, CVS/pharmacy Downtown 5K and Tufts 10K also have Open prize money.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USARC race (15 points for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1), with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6000, $4000 and $2500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall. The USARC points at the USA Marathon Championships will be doubled.

The 2003 USARC was perhaps the best ever, featuring three U.S. records and five national championships records. While $425,000 was earned by U.S. athletes, fast times and exciting and deep competition were the rule.

With consistent performances, rising star Ryan Shay and veteran Colleen De Reuck won the overall 2003 USARC Grand Prix titles with 68 and 73 points, respectively, and the accompanying $6000. De Reuck also defended her GP crown, while Shay won two U.S. titles – marathon and half-marathon. The other GP prize money winners were Meb Keflezighi and Marla Runyan (second) and Phillimon Hanneck and Sara Wells (third).

U.S. road records at 15 km (47:15) and 20 km (58:57 and 1:05:52) by Drossin, Keflezighi and Runyan respectively highlighted the 2003 USARC. The three U.S. records were the most set in one USARC season; the previous record was one (1995 and 2002).

Overall, 54 U.S. men and 49 U.S. women scored USARC points in 2003, and U.S. athletes took home $412,350 in prize money plus a $25,000 Grand Prix purse for the top three GP scorers.

The USA Running Circuit mission is to showcase, support and promote U.S. runners, and since its inception in 1995, the USARC and its races have provided over $4.2 million dollars to U.S. distance runners. Past USARC Grand Prix champions include Olympians Keith Brantly (’95), Mark Coogan (’96), Rod DeHaven (’98/’00), Colleen De Reuck (’02-03), Libbie Hickman (’99-00), Anne Marie Lauck (’96), Shelly Steely (’98) and Todd Williams (’99).

Below is the 2004 USARC schedule:

MEN
1) Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon*, Birmingham, AL $271,500 Feb 7
2) Gate River Run 15K, Jacksonville, FL $23,500 March 13
3) New York Road Runners 8000, New York, NY $20,000 March 27
4) Papa John’s 10 Miler, Louisville, KY $26,500 April 10
5) Fifth Third River Bank Run 25K, Grand Rapids, MI $10,600 May 8
6) Carondelet Hospital Hill Half-Marathon, Kansas City, MO $10,100 June 5
7) New Haven Savings Bank 20K, New Haven, CT $17,000 Sept 6
8) CVS/pharmacy Downtown 5K, Providence, RI $12,000 Sep 12
9) Food World Senior Bowl Charity Run 10K, Mobile, AL $25,000 Nov 6
SubTOTAL $416,200
USARC Grand Prix $12,500
TOTAL $428,700
WOMEN
1) Gate River Run 15K, Jacksonville, FL $23,500 March 13
2) Olympic Team Trials – Women’s Marathon*, St. Louis, MO $250,000 April 3
3) Fifth Third River Bank Run 25K, Grand Rapids, MI $10,600 May 8
4) Freihofer’s Run for Women 5K, Albany, NY $28,600 June 5
5) Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon, Duluth, MN $27,500 June 19
6) New Haven Savings Bank 20K, New Haven, CT $17,000 Sept 6
7) Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women, Boston, MA $20,300 Oct 11
SubTOTAL $377,500
USARC Grand Prix $12,500
TOTAL $390,000

*USARC points will be doubled at the USA Marathon Championships

USARC Grand Prix Champions (1995-2003)
1995 Keith Brantly not contested
1996 Mark Coogan Anne Marie Lauck
1997 John Sence Kim Jones
1998 Rod DeHaven Shelly Steely
1999 Todd Williams Libbie Hickman
2000 Rod DeHaven Libbie Hickman
2001 Dan Browne/Scott Larson Milena Glusac
2002 Dan Browne Colleen De Reuck
2003 Ryan Shay Colleen De Reuck

For more information on the USARC, go to: www.usatf.org

Keith Kelly, Alan Webb Go 1-2 at Mayor’s Cup; Kate O’Neill Women’s Champion Boston Athletic Association wins men’s and women’s team titles

BOSTON, Mass. – (October 26, 2003) – Keith Kelly, of Ireland, defended his title while Kate O’Neill, originally from Milton, Mass. won her first Mayor’s Cup cross country championship at Boston’s Franklin Park on Sunday, October 26.

Kelly, 26, who resides in Providence, R.I. and who represents New Balance, beat runner-up Alan Webb, 21, of Fairfax, Va. (Nike), by 36 seconds. Kelly’s time of 23:19 over 8 kilometers was 29 seconds faster than he ran last year (23:48) when he took home his first Mayor’s Cup Revere bowl.

Passing the mile mark in 4:32, Kelly led Karl Savage, 24, of ZAPfitness in North Carolina; Paul Mwangi, 36, of Westchester Track Club in New York and Webb. By two miles, Kelly (9:18) had taken a seven-second lead over Webb (9:25) and the field, consisting of chasers Savage, Mwangi and – farther back – John Mortimer, 27, of the Boston Athletic Association and Jamaica Plain, Mass.; Vinny Mulvey, 25, of Ireland; and Cain Williams, 28, of the B.A.A. and who resides in Providence.

Kelly hit the four mile mark (18:52), having placed even more distance between he and Webb (19:17), who now ran alone in second. Mwangi (19:24) trailed Webb by seven seconds with Mortimer (19:28) another four seconds behind in fourth.

Kelly’s long, loping stride seems to have closed just a bit from three years ago when he made his first major impression in the U.S. in winning the 2000 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship, but the Providence College graduate’s dominance has remained intact. He cruised a final time over the course’s landmark, Bear Cage Hill, while the gap between the five finishers behind him remained similar over the final half of the race: Webb (second place, 23:55), Mwangi (third place, 24:02), Mortimer (fourth place, 24:08), Mulvey (fifth, 24:21) and Williams (sixth, 24:25).

A field of 180 finishers ran in the men’s championship race, and the Boston Athletic Association – led by Mortimer and Williams – put all five of its scorers among the top 30 finishers overall to regain control of the Squires Cup, presented to the winning team. Bryn Mawr (Penn.) Running Company, last year’s team champion, was second this year and finished four points behind the B.A.A. by a score of 69 to 73. The B.A.A. men last won the men’s championship in 2001. Thirteen teams fielded full squads this year.

The B.A.A. also won the women’s team title, successfully defending its 2002 title and posting a winning score for the fourth time in the last six years. (Besides this year and last year, the B.A.A. women also won in 2000 and 1998). Seven teams scored (72 finishers in the women’s championship 5K), and the B.A.A. (66 points) placed four finishers among the top 15 and all five among the top 24 overall finishers. Reebok Boston was the second place team with 95 points.

Kate O’Neill, 23, currently residing New Haven, Conn. and who competes for Nike, pushed the women’s pack through the initial mile. Amy Rudolph, 30, of Providence (adidas); Atalalegh Ketema, 20, of Ethiopia (Westchester Track Club); and Kathy Newberry, 25, of Williamsburg, Virginia (adidas) ran as a group with O’Neill with Kate’s twin sister, Laura (New Haven and Nike), and Ann McGranahan, 24, of North Carolina (ZAPfitness) just steps behind.

By two miles, the women’s 5K championship race had whittled itself down to Rudolph, Ketema and Newberry, but Kate O’Neill still appeared to hold the advantage. With a finish which includes 600-meter perimeter run around The Playstead (large, open field), the race came down to a two-person battle between Rudolph and O’Neill. O’Neill tested Rudolph, a Team USA California athlete, with a burst with 400 meters remaining and the result was clear: O’Neill took first (16:33) by two seconds over runner-up and U.S. Olympian Rudolph (16:35). Newberry was third in 16:37, McGranahan was fourth in 16:43 and Laura O’Neill was fifth in 16:54.

Kelly intends to run a full, fall cross country schedule, and the New England Championship at Franklin Park on November 9 is next for him. Subsequently, he will return to his native country to run the Irish National Championship on November 30 with the intention of earning a position on the Irish team to compete at the European Championship in Scotland on December 14.

Both Kate and Laura O’Neill said the Manchester (Conn.) 4.75-mile Road Race on Thanksgiving Day may be their next effort. After that, they will look to represent the U.S. team for the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships by running the USA trials race in Indianapolis this winter. The O’Neills, who attended Milton High School just 10 minutes from Franklin Park, last raced on the course (6K version) as Yale University juniors two years ago (Fall 2001) at the NCAA Region I Championship. On Columbus Day earlier this month (October 13), the pair placed second (Kate) and fourth (Laura) at the USA 10K Championship in Boston (Tufts Health Plan Run for Women).

The Franklin Park 5K drew 175 finishers and two youth races (boys: 147; girls: 143) brought the day’s total to 717, making the 14th edition among the largest in event history. The Mayor’s Cup is regarded as the most competitive open cross country race on the East Coast and has been presented by the B.A.A. and adidas since 1997. USA Track & Field – New England and the Boston Center for Youth and Families directed the races, which featured $4,200 in prize money awards.

For complete results in the youth, championship and open competitions, go to: www.coolrunning.com

Boston Mayor’s Cup Cross Country Races
Franklin Park, Boston, MA, Sunday, October 26, 2003
55-degrees, overcast; breezy, 10-12 mph swirling winds

MEN
1. Keith Kelly, 26, New Balance, 23:19 ($500); 2. Alan Webb, 21, Nike, 23:55 ($250); 3. Paul Mwangi, 36, Westchester Track Club, 24:02 ($150); 4. John Mortimer, 27, B.A.A., 24:08 ($100); 5. Vinny Mulvey, 25, unattached, 24:21 ($50)

MEN’S TEAMS
1. BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION, 69 points ($500); 2. BRYN MAWR RUNNING COMPANY, 73 ($250); 3. PHILADELPHIA TRACK CLUB, 134 ($150); 4. REEBOK BOSTON, 158 ($100); 5. WESTCHESTER TRACK CLUB, 194 ($50)

WOMEN
1. Kate O’Neill, 23, Nike, 16:33 ($500); 2. Amy Rudolph, 30, adidas, 16:35 ($250); 3. Kathy Newberry, 25, adidas, 16:37 ($150); 4. Ann McGranahan, 24, ZAPfitness, 16:43 ($100); 5. Laura O’Neill, 23, Nike, 16:54 ($50)

WOMEN’S TEAMS
1. BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION, 66 points ($500); 2. REEBOK BOSTON, 95 ($250); 3. WESTCHESTER TRACK CLUB, 157 ($150); 4. GENESEE VALLEY HARRIERS, 162 ($100); 5. ATHLETICS EAST, 174 ($50)

MEDIA
For further information, contact:
Jack Fleming, Boston Athletic Association (mobile, 617-694-8218)

Complete Results: http://www.coolrunning.com/results/03/ma/Oct26_14thAn_set1.shtml

USATF announces “Zero Tolerance” anti-doping action plan

INDIANAPOLIS – USA Track & Field President Bill Roe and CEO Craig Masback on Wednesday unveiled a major new USATF action plan in the anti-doping movement, called “Zero Tolerance.”

Developed by combining existing programs and USATF priorities with ambitious new initiatives, “Zero Tolerance” focuses on three goals: increasing efforts to catch and punish cheaters; expanding educational efforts and focusing the message on the theme that cheating is wrong and cheaters will be caught; and taking a more visible role on these issues.

With its emphasis on “significant, substantive action steps,” the plan specifically addresses issues in the anti-doping movement that have been writ large, particularly in recent weeks and months.

Among the initiatives being launched by USATF as part of the plan are:

• A substantially increased set of punishments and fines for athletes who cheat and their coaches. This could include lifetime bans for first steroid offenses and fines up to $100,000 for steroid convictions.
• Implement a groundbreaking effort to proactively root out cheaters. This program will encourage whistle blowing and ask former cheaters to tell us how they did it so we may share this information with testing authorities.
• Create an elite athlete outreach program focused on anti-doping messaging. Utilize Golden Spike Tour community outreach programs and USATF youth events to introduce the “Zero Tolerance” program to other elite athletes, young people and college athletes.
• Call for an emergency drugs in sports summit in Washington, D.C. USATF has called for a summit of major U.S. sports leagues and proposed the meeting be hosted by the Drug Czar’s office.
• Engage the IAAF on the issue. Urge the IAAF to enforce its own rules requiring all IAAF member countries to conduct out-of-competition testing.

Masback and Roe developed the plan in concert with the USATF Board of Directors, which met October 18-19 in Cleveland. The full text of the plan is attached.

HICKMAN EXPECTING

In this edition:

===============================================================
– U.S. men win Pan Am Cup 20 km, women finish second
– NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships wrap-up
– Raschker repeats in world record style
===============================================================

U.S. men win Pan Am Cup 20 km, women finish second

Tim Seaman walked a season-best 1 hour 25 minutes and 24 seconds to lead Team USA to an upset win in the 20-kilometer competition Saturday at the 2003 Pan Am Cup in Chula Vista, Calif.

Team USA’s victory comes on the heels of a win in the team 50 km competition last Monday at the Pan Am Cup and provides an unprecedented sweep for the Americans.

The U.S. team won a tiebreaker to win the team 20 km title over Ecuador, who were led by 1996 Olympic Champion Jefferson Perez. Perez won the race in 1:23:12, while Seaman placed fourth overall.

Kevin Eastler finished behind Seaman in fifth place in 1:25:34. Other top American finishers included Sean Albert (11th-1:27:42), Curt Clausen (15th-1:30:45), John Nunn (17th-1:32:13) and Dave McGovern (19th-1:39:32).

In the women’s 20 km Sam Cohen finished seventh in 1 hour, 44 minutes, 56 seconds to lead the U.S. to a second-place finish. Mexico’s Rosario Sanchez won the race in 1:37:14 as Mexico won its third consecutive women’s title.

Top American finishers in the women’s race were Cohen (7th-1:44:56), Bobbi Jo Chapman (8th-1:45:47), Jolene Moore (9th-1:46:52), Cheryl Rellinger (10th-1:47:27) and Susan Armenta (11th-1:49:03).

In the men’s 50 km Pan Am Cup competition March 10 in Tijuana, Mexico, 2000 Olympian Philip Dunn’s second-place finish and fourth-place finish overall, led the American men’s squad to the overall team title for the first time.

NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships wrap-up

LSU sprinter Muna Lee led the Lady Tigers to their second consecutive team title by becoming the first woman in nine years to win the 60m/200m double at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships over the weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Lee broke the 21-year-old collegiate indoor 200m record Friday with her time of 22.49. She won the 60m title by coming from behind in 7.17 to edge Jamaican Elva Goulbourne of Auburn (7.24), who earlier won the long jump and triple jump.

The LSU women finished with 62 points, with Florida and South Carolina tied in the runner-up spot with 44. The Lady Tigers won their 10th NCAA indoor title and 24th overall track championship under coach Pat Henry.

In men’s competition, the host Arkansas Razorbacks easily won their 17th indoor championship and 37th track or cross country title for coach John McDonnell. The Hogs ran away with the team competition with 52 points for their first NCAA title since 2000. Auburn was a distant runner-up with 28 points, and Nebraska was third with 26 points.

South African Alistair Cragg defended his 5,000m title Friday in 13 minutes, 28.93 seconds, and led a 1-3 Arkansas finish in the 3,000 meters on Saturday to clinch the title with his winning time of 7:55.68. Cragg’s Arkansas teammate, Daniel Lincoln, placed third in 7:57.43.

At the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships Saturday in Boston, St. Augustine’s easily won the women’s team title with 73 points, while Abilene Christian successfully defended its men’s team crown with 58 points.

Abilene Christian was a distant runner-up in the women’s competition with 53 points followed by defending national champion North Dakota State with 41 points. Abilene Christian narrowly held on to the men’s title, with runner-up Western State finishing just four points behind. Cal State Bakersfield was third with 34 points.

St. Augustine’s swept the 400 meters as Wilan Louis won the men’s race in 47.67 seconds, while Libia Rodriquez captured the women’s crown in 53.83. Meet records in the 60 meters were posted by North Carolina Central’s Jason Smoots in the men’s race (6.55), and Lincoln’s Shandria Brown, who won the women’s competition in 7.43.

At the NCAA Division III Championships at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., the Wheaton (Massachusetts) College women’s team won its fifth consecutive crown, while the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men’s team won its third straight title

Wisconsin-La Crosse’s men’s team title was its tenth overall, winning the crown with a Division III record total of 71 points. Wisconsin-Oshkosh was the runner-up with 34 points, giving Wisconsin-LaCrosse the largest victory margin ever in Division III Championships competition. Nebraska Wesleyan was third with 27 points, with Gustavus Adolphus fourth with 23.

Wheaton totaled 54 points in winning its fifth straight championship in only the ninth season of the program. Lehman College was the runner-up with 48 points, followed by Williams College (3rd-42 points) and Wisconsin-Oshkosh (4th-41 points).

For complete NCAA Indoor Championships coverage, visit www.ncaachampionships.org.

Raschker repeats in world record style

Masters legend Phil Raschker reportedly set a new indoor heptathlon world record in the women’s 55-59 age group by totaling 6,724 points at the USA Masters Indoor Heptathlon Championships March 8-9, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Raschker shattered her best mark from 2002 by 349 points. The indoor masters heptathlon features the 60m, 60m hurdles, 800m, high jump, pole vault, long jump and shot put.

Raschker now sets her sights on the 2003 USA Indoor National Masters Championships, March 28-30 in Boston.

Drossin Defends USA 8K XC Title

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Drossin Wins 7th USA Cross Country Title Gary Grabs Men’s 4K Crown, Horowitz Junior Champ By Charlie Mahler, Running USA wire

HOUSTON – (February 15, 2003) – 2002 World Cross Country silver-medalist Deena Drossin of Mammoth Lakes, Calif. won her 7th USA Cross Country Championship on Saturday in the slop of Buffalo Bayou Park. Drossin, a member of Team USA California, charged to the front of the pack at the start of the women’s 8K event and romped to a 36 second victory over World Cross bronze-medalist Colleen De Reuck with her 29:06 clocking.

In other action on an off-and-on rainy, 65-degree day that made the 2K loop courses a brown wallow, Olympian Robert Gary won his first-ever U.S. title in the men’s 4K event in 12:53 and Duke freshman Clara Horowitz won the junior women’s 6K event in 23:34. The races selected the six-runner USA teams for the 2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships to be held on March 29-30 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“My plan going into the race was to stick with the lead pack for a good lap or so until I felt strong enough to go,” Drossin, a 2000 Olympian, said. “But after seeing the course, I didn’t have the confidence that I could pull away like I wanted to, so I went from the gun and tried to push it from the start. The problem is that running aggressively could work against you, especially going down the hill.”

Drossin – who turned 30 on Valentine’s Day – will be joined at Worlds by four other Team USA Distance Running athletes. Milena Glusac of Team USA California finished third in 30:17, Katie McGregor of Team USA Minnesota was fourth in 30:27, Jen Rhines of Team USA California was fifth 30:29, Sara Wells of Team USA Minnesota was sixth in 30:30.

Drossin, De Reuck, Glusac and Rhines were the scoring members of the USA’s 2002 World Cross silver medal-wining team.

“I am optimistic about our chances,” Drossin said of World Cross 2003. “It’s something that I dream about, both for the team and as an individual. I am going to put in a good month of training at altitude at Mammoth Lakes and be ready to run in Lausanne.”

Individually, Drossin continues to close the gap between herself and nine-time USA harrier champ and three-time World Champion Lynn Jennings. Drossin’s seven titles – six at the 8K distance and one at 4K – place her ahead of Doris Brown who won five USA tiles. (Brown, now Brown-Heritage, is the coach of this year’s USA senior women’s team.)

Gary, who competed for the U.S. in the steeplechase at the Atlanta Games but had never won a national title until today, charged up a sharp hill just before the two mile mark to pull away to victory. As is typical for the 4K event, the chute filled quickly behind him.

“I didn’t plan to take the lead early, but once I was up there, I tried to keep things rolling,” the Ohio State grad said. “At the same time, I am not a very big fan of sitting back in cross country races. I wasn’t planning on slowing down and giving anyone a chance to get back into the race.”

Joining Gary on the World team will be Dan Wilson, second in 12:57, Notre Dame’s Luke Watson, third also in 12:57, the U.S. Army’s Sandu Rebenciuc fourth in 12:58, Karl Savage, fifth also in 12:58, and 2002 USA Marathon Champion Dan Browne sixth in 12:59.

In the Junior Women’s race, Horowitz took command of the race near the mile mark and pulled away for a comprehensive victory. For the 2002 graduate of Head-Royce High School in Oakland, Calif., the win and earning a spot on the national team were about redemption and outerwear.

“I have wanted to make the world team ever since I saw the USA jerseys and all the gear,” Horowitz explained. “Last year I ran at Junior Nationals in the track 5000 and I was third when top two go, and I missed it by about less than half a second, so I was really bummed. The fact that I get to represent the country – even though it’s at a junior level – I’m just really excited.”

Making the USA squad along with Horowitz were Laura Hodgson of the University of Washington, runner-up in 24:10, Amy Hastings of Arizona State, third in 24:19, Rebecca Walter of the University of Michigan, fourth in 24:21, Julia Lucas of North Carolina State, fifth in 24:25, and Angela Homan of Auburn University of 24:39.

In USA Masters Championship competition, Carmen Ayala-Troncoso won the women’s 6K event in 23:49, while David Olds won the 6K men’s event in 21:42.

Team Championships were contested as well at Buffalo Bayou. The adidas team of Glusac, McGregor, Rhines and Amy Rudolph won the women’s 8K event scoring with 14 points to Nike’s 22. Nike won the men’s 4K scoring with a 21-22 victory over adidas. The Reebok Aggies won the junior women’s event with 17 points.

Championship racing resumes tomorrow morning with the junior men’s 8K at 10:00 a.m., followed by the women’s 4K at 10:45 a.m., and finishing with the men’s 12K race at 11:15 p.m. Defending junior men’s champ Tim Moore and men’s 12K champ Meb Keflezighi of Team USA California return to defend their titles.

USA Cross Country Championships Houston, TX, Saturday, February 15, 2003

MEN 4K
1) Robert Gary, adidas, 12:53
2) Dan Wilson, ASICS, 12:57
2) Luke Watson, Unattached, 12:57
4) Karl Savage, Unattached, 12:58
4) Sandu Rebenciuc, US Army, 12:58
6) Daniel Browne, Nike, 12:59
7) Chad Johnson, Nike, 13:00
8) Brad Hauser, Nike, 13:03
9) Ian Connor, Nike, 13:05
10) Matt Gabrielson, Team USA Minnesota, 13:14

WOMEN 8K
1) Deena Drossin, ASICS*, 29:06
2) Colleen De Reuck, Nike, 29:42
3) Milena Glusac, adidas*, 30:17
4) Katie McGregor, adidas#, 30:27
5) Jen Rhines, adidas*, 30:29
6) Sara Wells, ASICS#, 30:30 7) Amy Rudolph, adidas*, 31:02
8) Elva Dryer, Nike*, 31:19
9) Sarah Toland, Nike, 31:24
10) Dana Coons, adidas, 31:35
*Team USA California; #Team USA Minnesota

For full results and more, go to: http://www.usatf.org