Wednesday, November 21, 2001
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Wednesday, November 21, 2001 |
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PTC Flash represents Georgia well at region meet The PTC Flash competed in the Regional Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2001. The team competed with the Georgia Association and four other associations which include the states; Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The athletes rose to the challenge and did very well. The top 20 individuals and the top three teams in each age group qualify for the nationals (10 and under age group and up). Nineteen athletes made the trip to Cary, NC to compete. Since the 8 and Under age group does not advance to Nationals, the five athletes in that age group are not eligible to advance. Of the remaining 14 athletes eligible to travel to the Nationals, held in Lincoln, Nebraska on Dec. 8, 9 qualified. They are Kie Fujii, Mary Herbal, Kara Markle, Shannon Philipps, Mary Roberts, Renee Wetli, Rebecca Stokes, and Vince Brown, and Lacey Garrett. All are planning to attend. Only two full teams compete and both placed. The 8 and Under Girls took third place team. and the 10 and Under girls took second place. The 10 and Under girls will be competing in the USATF Nationals on Dec. 8, in addition to the AAU Nationals on Dec. 1. Twelve of the 19 athletes had Personal Best Record (PR) performances at the Regional meet. This is an extraordinary task considering the challenging course and the high level of competition at this national qualifier meet. Haley Smith, 8 and under girls, did extremely well. She had yet another PR, and an average of 6:49 per mile, to better her already great record. Smith is only seven, so she will be in this same age category next year. Incidentally, Smith also just recently won a writing contest sponsored by the USATF for her experiences with PTC Flash. Visit www.runninggirl.com also linked to USATF web site. Mary Herbal, obviously caught up in the excitement of the meet and determination to help her team, had the run of her life, not only with a PR, but shaving almost two full minutes off her best time. Vince Brown also had an incredible performance. This was not only another PR for him, but his excellent time of 11:13 (a 6:01 per mile average) places him among the very best in his age group. The eight and under girls ran a 2K. Haley Smith finished in sixth place with a time of 8:28.30. She was followed by Rita Steiger, 15, 9:44.30; Chelsey Bowman, 16, 10:21.40. The eight and under boys were led by Tomoharu Shimada, 12, 8:11.40 and Ian Roberts, 22, 9:10.30. The 10 and under girls ran a 3K. Mary Roberts led the team with a sixth place finish in a time of 12:47.60. She was followed by Shannon Philipps, 15, 13:31.10 Mary Herbal, 16, 13.31.40, Kie Fujii, 18, 14:02.50, and Kara Markle, 23, 14:51.10. The 10 and under boys were led by Justin Jarrell, 22, 13:10.50, who was followed by Baylen Garrett, 34, 17:27.50. For the 12 and Under Girls Rebecca Stokes, placed 19th with a time of 12:44.60. Stokes was followed by Fumika Shimada, 22, 12:56.90 and Tarsha Bingley, 41, 22:43. For the 12 and Under Boys, Vincent Brown, placed fifth with a time of 11:13.10, while Jonathan Garrett, placed 41st with a time of 14:17.20. Lacey Garrett placed 20th in the 14 and under girls division with a time of 10:58.10, while Sean Wetlu placed 35th in the 14 and under boys division with a time of 16:43.30. |
