GSTC Men Finish 15th at USATF Club XC Nationals
Fourth East Coast Team; Highest Place in NJ-USATF History
Seattle, WA- The Garden State Track Club men finished 15th at the USATF Club National Cross Country Championships, the highest finish ever from a New Jersey team in the history of the meet. Scoring 528 total points, their scoring five averaged 32:37 in the club's first appearance at the 10k championship event. They also held off the Atlanta Track Club, Georgetown Running Company, Manhattan Track Club, and Greater Boston Track Club, making them the fourth finishing team on the East Coast. The performance also made the GSTC one of three teams in America who finished in the top 20 in both the USATF club cross country and track national championships in 2011.
After opening his first mile in 4:48, star miler Chris Heibell (Hillsborough HS) steamrolled through the 10k grassy course at Jefferson Park in 31:29, finishing as the Gold's #1 man. Jeff Perrella (Westfield HS), fighting through a hip injury, came in as the team's #2 at 32:00, with Adin Mickle (Triton Regional HS) running brilliantly with a career best 32:36 at the team's #3 man. Mike Dixon (Scotch Plains Fanwood HS), still plagued with an injury sustained from racing the Ashenfelter 8k and Philly marathon four days apart, was the team's #4 with a time of 33:07. Mike Anis (Edison HS) was the surprise #5 man, rounding out the team's scoring five in 33:49. Mark Del Monaco (St. Joseph's, Metuchen) was the 6th man in 34:29.
Results here: http://www.usatf.org/events/2011/USATFClubXCChampionships/results/openmen.asp
Race Start: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S57HJVvMiPU
Wanna laugh? Anis forgets license; TSA searches him, Chuck gets yelled at by TSA for filming it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2GoReWwv3A&feature=related
Men Capture First NJ-USATF Team Crown
Rutgers' Students Spiegel, Teichmann Put GSTC Over Top at 10 Miler
East Windsor, NJ- It was cold. The year-long Grand Prix overall score was tied. The team's strongest runners were 3,000 miles away. Many others were hurt. The Sneaker Factory won the Liberty Half Marathon months ago, the only NJ-USATF defeat suffered by the GSTC in 2011. Indeed, this was no walk in the park, literally and metaphorically.
Despite the odds, a pair of unsuspecting heroes surfaced, making all the difference as the Gold locked down their first open men's team title, ending a come-from-behind chase that started in early June with GSTC's first Grand Prix race- a dominating win at the President's Cup.
Dan Teichmann and Zach Spiegel, a pair of Rutgers students with finals looming in one week, ran 57:34 and 58:34, finishing as the 3rd and 5th team scorers. Not only was it their first ten mile race, it also marked the first time both youngsters were scoring finishers for the club and, quite honestly, it couldn't have come at a better time.
Superstars Ashwin Anantharaman and Taylor Burmeister sizzled up front, finishing third and fifth overall, respectively. Anantharaman closes out a record-setting season this fall, while Burmeister made a huge personal sacrifice to race the event, as he is still recovering from a huge effort in the Philly Marathon just weeks ago.
Results here: http://www.compuscore.com/cs2011/novdec/utf10m.htm. Pictures will be on Facebook by tonight.
West Windsor, NJ- The GSTC women continued their late season rally at the Grand Finale Ten Miler, rolling to a second place finish in the final NJ-USATF Grand Prix race of 2011. Fresh off a convincing win in the NJ-USATF 8k XC Championships, the Lady Gold were led by a fierce 1-2 punch of Cheyenne Ogletree (66:19) and Meghan DeCarlo (66:41) up front. Finishing second and third respectively overall, their team finished with a total team time of 4:40:15, just a few minutes off the winning team- a possible foreshadowing of what's to come from this group in 2012.
Coming in shortly thereafter were teammates Claire Tafelski (71:25 ), Nicolle Corre (75:48), Cathy Stutzman (81:41), and Karen Hill (99:13).
Warren Wins 200m at Brother Jasper Invitational
Bronx, NYC- Shay Warren opened up her 2011 indoor season in style, winning the open 200m at the Brother Jasper Invitational hosted by Manhattan College. The former Long Island University standout, making her GSTC debut, beat an 11-women field with a 27.63 clocking, and also placed fifth in the 400m at 61.58. These are both indoor club records.
Teammates Quanisha Booker and Ataysia Ingram also had a strong debut, as they placed 5th and 6th, respectively, in the open 200m.
Harris, Sewer, 4x400 Grab Gold in Track Opener
Bronx, NYC- It's a new year, but seemingly not much has changed.
The gold and black 4x400 closed out another track meet with a 4x400 victory, rolling over MAAC powerhouse Manhattan College in the meet's final event. While winning by just a few tenths of a second, they lead wire to wire thanks to a tough lead-off by Ricardo Garcia. The host Jaspers fought hard during the next three legs to catch up to Alan Brussard, Duval Sewer, and anchor Mike Brito- but all to no avail. The Gold finished in 3:26.25...watch them rock the house here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJpPb5IXR0s&list=UUAKiBZbPVeWsH_Z7uk4PRrA&feature=plcp.
Tony Harris started the festivities with yet another outstanding race. In his first career 1500m, he patiently sat on the lead pack. With 100m left, he popped into lane two, swung wide, and dropped the field with his patented kick to win in 4:11.82. Wanna see the kick? It's right here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuUBPIw3ig0&list=UUAKiBZbPVeWsH_Z7uk4PRrA&feature=plcp
In the 800, 2011 outdoor club national championships qualifier Duval Sewer also opened his season with a gold medal, holding off teammate Garcia in the final 50m for a 1-2 GSTC sweep in the half mile.
The GSTC jumps crew also got out of the gates well, as Matt Sunga (21'-9") and Jason Staggers (21'-2") finished third and fifth, respectively, in the long jump. Staggers came back and snagged a 5th in the triple (42'-1"), breaking a club record like Sunga in the LJ. Stags in the triple: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt39XEoLbzI&feature=autoplay&list=UUAKiBZbPVeWsH_Z7uk4PRrA&lf=plcp&playnext=1.
GSTC Enjoys Big Chill 5k
New Brunswick, NJ- Eleven GSTC members ran in the Big Chill 5k this Saturday, enjoying the large crowds that both start and finish along College Avenue in New Brunswick.
Props to Chelsea Mapa's Couch to 5k runners (see attached), all of whom finished their first 5k that they've trained all fall for! This group includes Sarah Eldaway, Megan McGlynn, Jami O'Leary, Patrick Parlej, Shawn Naughton, and Leslie Smith. Congrats on starting the program and finishing it with an awesome effort in Saturday's 5k!
I would like to hear from each of you as far as what goals/event areas you have in mind for winter and spring so we can plan.
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