Winners Dominate at 2011 USATF Cross Country Championships
By David Monti
February 5, 2011
(c) 2011 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
SAN DIEGO (05-Feb) -- In dominant fashion, the six winners at today's
USA Cross Country Championships won their respective races by
comfortable margins here in Mission Bay Park. The event, contested for
the second time here in four years, selected the junior and senior teams
for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships next month in Punta
Umbria, Spain, where athletes will compete in similarly warm and sunny
conditions.
In the senior women's 8-kilometer race, reigning Olympic 10,000m bronze
medallist Shalane Flanagan not only won as expected, but ran away from
the field. After the second of four 2-kilometer loops, Flanagan already
had a 25-second lead over her top rival and last year's runner-up,
Molly Huddle. Just four seconds behind Huddle, Olympian Magdalena Lewy
Boulet and Flanagan's training partner Lisa Koll battled for third.
Never looking behind her, Flanagan nearly doubled her lead over the
next loop, and romped to the finish line in 25:47, 21 seconds slower
than she covered the same course when she won here in 2008. Flanagan,
29, the second place finisher at last November's ING New York City
Marathon, secured her third national cross country title in four years.
"No, it wasn't," Flanagan replied when asked by a reporter if today's
victory was easy. She continued: "I hurt today. The fitness is there.
I didn't feel super sharp today, but the strength was there."
Behind Flanagan, Koll caught Huddle with a lap to go, but the USA 5000m
record holder surged away from last year's NCAA 5000m and 10,000m
champion to collect second place honors in 26:31.
"I caught up to her with about 2-K to go," explained Koll who finished
ten seconds behind Huddle and qualified for her first-ever national
team. "She made a move at the same point and I didn't have enough snap
in my legs."
Magdalena Lewy Boulet (27:02), Blake Russell (27:06), and Alisa McKaig
(27:07) rounded out the team spots. Kara Goucher, still on the comeback
trail from giving birth to son Colton last September, finished seventh
in 27:37. She is training for the NYC Half-Marathon on March 20, and
the Boston Marathon on April 18.
Vaughn Dominates Men's Race
While Flanagan's victory was expected, Brent Vaughn's in the senior
men's 12-K was not. The 26 year-old former University of Colorado
Buffalo didn't even plan to run this event. He had been in Houston a
week ago to contest the USA Half-Marathon Championships. He was
aggressive in that race, leading through the first half, but he was
unable to finish, dropping out at about the 8-mile mark. He said that
as he walked back to his hotel in Houston he thought of quitting the
sport, but changed his mind.
"Because of the fitness I knew I was in, my confidence in my coach and
my confidence in my ability, I decided, you know, I've got to race,"
said Vaughn. "I didn't want to waste this fitness. I've been working
too hard."
It was in the fourth lap of the 6-lap, 12-K contest that Vaughn, 26,
broke free of the lead pack, and established an 11-second lead. He
picked up another four seconds on the next lap as his closest pursuers,
the Oregon Track Club's Andrew Bumbalough and Matt Tegenkamp, realized
that they were battling for second.
"He kind of came out of nowhere," Bumbalough said of Vaughn. "When he went, he want hard."
Vaughn was never seriously challenged during the second half of the
race. He sailed over the emerald grass course to win by six seconds in
35:46. His victory represented both his first-ever national title and
international team berth.
"I can't really put it into words," he said of what it will mean to put
on the Team USA uniform in Spain next month. "I'm going to have a hard
time sleeping tonight."
Bumbalough, who hung on for second in 35:52, was also very pleased with his performance for coach Jerry Schumacher.
"It was finally a winter of fitness instead of injury," said the former Georgetown University Hoya.
Ed Moran passed Tegenkamp to take third, 35:54 to 36:01. Ben True got
fifth (36:03) and Brian Olinger sixth (36:05) to fill out the six-man
team. Several pre-race favorites fared poorly, including Olympians
Jorge Torres (10th) and Abdi Abdirahman (29th), and two-time World Cross
team member Scott Bauhs (DNF).
Cuffe Cruises in Juniors
Cornwall, N.Y., high school senior Aisling Cuffe crushed the junior
women's field by nearly half a minute, clipping through the 6 km course
in 21:13. She left her most serious rivals, Molly Grabill and Katie
Flood, after the first of three laps to make her first national team.
The 17 year-old, twice the USA junior champion at 5000m, was clearly
thrilled to be headed to her first global championships.
"It was a little tougher than I thought it would be the last K," said
Cuffe who could not suppress her joy. She added: "I'm so excited.
Like, last year I was hoping to go to Canada (for the IAAF World Junior
Championships), and I missed it (because she did not have a qualifying
time)."
Grabill finished second in 21:39, and Flood third in 21:43. Two 14
year-olds, Emma Abrahamson (10th) and Alana Hadley (19th) made the
top-20.
Stanford University's Erik Olson also dominated in winning the junior
men's race. The bronze medallist in the junior division at the NACAC
Cross Country Championships last year accelerated midway through the
penultimate lap, breaking away from the field, covering the 8 km course
in 24:48, and winning by nine seconds. Maxwell Straneva of Syracuse
University finished next in 24:57, and Craig Lutz of Lewisville Marcus
High School in Texas was third (25:06).
"Really, for me, the last 3-K is when I tried to drop the hammer," said
Olson who runs for Stanford University. "I just felt like my strength
this past winter... allowed me to push with 3-K to go."
Olson was unconcerned by the early front-running of UCLA freshman Dustin
Fay, who was caught in the second lap and would eventually finish 35th.
"Eight-K is a pretty long distance," Olson said. "It's pretty hard to
lead from start to finish. If it happened to be, like, Dathan
Ritzenhein, I'd be a little more worried."
The overall masters (40+) titles went to two athletes in the 45-49
category, Colleen De Reuck and Peter Magill. De Reuck's win over the 8
km course in 28:47 was expected, and she beat her nearest rival,
triathlete Joanna Zeiger, by more than a minute and a half. Magill, 49,
upset Gray Mavhera, 41, and Christian Cushing-Murray, 43, running
26:17. Magill turns 50 in four months and could become the first-ever
50 year-old to break 15 minutes for 5-kilometers.
"That's my only individual goal this year," said Magill who works in the
research department of a California law firm. He credited his success
to training wisely, and not trying to do the workouts he did 25 years
ago.
"I don't train like an idiot," Magill quipped. "Most masters runners train too hard. You have to adjust every day."
Full Results Here: Top Results Below
Men:
Place NO. NAME AGE TEAM/CITY Finish Pace ===== ===== ======================== === =============================== ======= ===== 1. 807 Brent Vaughn 26 Black Hawk, CO 35:46 4:46 2. 712 Andrew Bumbalough 23 Portland, OR 35:52 4:46 3. 760 Edward Moran 29 Williamsburg, VA 35:54 4:47 4. 808 Matt Tegenkamp 29 Portland, OR 36:01 4:48 5. 779 Benjamin True 25 Hanover, NH 36:03 4:48 6. 714 Brian Olinger 27 Westerville, OH 36:05 4:48 7. 766 Max King 30 Bend, OR 36:11 4:49 8. 713 Andrew Carlson 28 Saint Paul, MN 36:20 4:50 9. 723 David Jankowski 26 Blowing Rock, NC 36:29 4:51 10. 761 Jorge Torres 30 Boulder, CO 36:36 4:52 11. 720 Robert Cheseret 27 Colorado Springs, CO 36:37 4:52 12. 765 Bobby Mack 26 Raleigh, NC 36:38 4:52 13. 801 Colin Leak 24 Ann Arbor, MI 36:44 4:53 14. 776 Jeremy Johnson 26 Albuquerque, NM 36:45 4:53 15. 792 Jacques Sallberg 36 Pasadena, CA 36:53 4:54 16. 767 Craig Curley 22 Tucson, AZ 36:59 4:55 17. 800 Charlie Serrano 26 Simi Valley, CA 37:01 4:56 18. 773 Benjamin Bruce 28 Springfield, OR 37:07 4:56 19. 785 Matthew Gabrielson 32 Minneapolis, MN 37:13 4:57 20. 711 Jason Hartmann 29 Boulder, CO 37:27 4:59Women
1. 643 Shalane Flanagan 29 Portland, OR 25:47 5:07 2. 623 Molly Huddle 26 Providence, RI 26:31 5:16 3. 646 Lisa Koll 23 Portland, OR 26:41 5:18 4. 669 Magdalena Lewy Boulet 37 Oakland, CA 27:02 5:22 5. 622 Blake Russell 35 Pacific Grove, CA 27:06 5:23 6. 626 Alissa McKaig 24 Blowing Rock, NC 27:07 5:23 7. 666 Kara Goucher 32 Portland, OR 27:37 5:29 8. 627 Kim Conley 24 West Sacramento, CA 27:50 5:32 9. 619 Megan Duwell 24 Flagstaff, AZ 27:58 5:33 10. 660 Allison Kieffer 23 Tempe, AZ 27:59 5:34 11. 628 Gwen Jorgensen 24 Milwaukee, WI 28:00 5:34 12. 665 Kara June 28 Austin, TX 28:09 5:36 13. 649 Katherine Newberry 32 Ann Arbor, MI 28:19 5:37 14. 674 Nicole Feest 27 Fort Collins, CO 28:25 5:39 15. 618 Meghan Armstrong 25 Richfield, MN 28:27 5:39 16. 614 Jamie Cheever 23 Minneapolis, MN 28:32 5:40 17. 607 Anne Bersagel 27 New Balance Silicon Valley 28:45 5:43 18. 644 Kate Niehaus 22 Stanford, CA 29:13 5:48 19. 653 Amy Mortimer 29 Leonardville, KS 29:17 5:49 20. 671 Magdalena Donahue 29 Albuquerque, NM 29:20 5:50Junior Boys
1. 540 Erik Olson 18 Novato, CA 24:48 4:56 2. 519 Maxwell Straneva 18 Binghamton, NY 24:57 4:57 3. 529 Craig Lutz 18 Highland Village, TX 25:06 4:59 4. 576 Justin Vilhauer 19 Visalia, CA 25:09 5:00 5. 528 Ryan Poland 19 Westminster, CO 25:16 5:01 6. 501 Ammar Moussa 17 O'Brien's Army 25:20 5:02 7. 548 Jacob Benn 18 San Antonio, TX 25:21 5:02 8. 571 David Perry 18 Portland, OR 25:23 5:03 9. 547 Matthew McElroy 18 Huntington Beach, CA 25:27 5:03 10. 537 Clint McKelvey 18 Maryville, TN 25:28 5:04Junior Girls
1. 421 Aisling Cuffe 17 Cornwall On Hudson, NY 21:13 5:36 2. 453 Molly Grabill 18 Poway, CA 21:39 5:43 3. 441 Katie Flood 18 Des Moines. IA 21:43 5:44 4. 449 Sierra Vega 18 Santa Ana, CA 22:00 5:48 5. 401 Julie Nacouzi 17 Buffalo Chips Running Club 22:09 5:50 6. 452 Hannah Valenzuela 17 Apple Valley, CA 22:17 5:53 7. 443 Chelsea Orr 19 Sammamish, WA 22:22 5:54 8. 412 Julia Foster 17 Wings of America 22:22 5:54 9. 435 Alexis Goldsmith 18 Orland Park, IL 22:35 5:57 10. 423 Emma Abrahamson 14 Carlsbad, Ca 22:36 5:58Masters Men
1. Peter Magill 49 M Compex Racing -B 26:17 5:13 2. Gray Mavhera 41 M Compex Racing 26:38 5:18 3. Christian Cushing-murray 43 M Compex Racing 26:46 5:19 4. Rusty Snow 41 M Santa Barbara Athletic Assn. 26:52 5:20 5. Tim Julian 40 M Portland, Or 27:09 5:24 6. Mike Blackmore 49 M Eugene, Or 27:20 5:26 7. James Johnson 42 M Fleet Feet Sports Boulder Racin 27:22 5:26 8. Everett Whiteside 40 M Pensacola, Fl 27:23 5:26 9. Danny Martinez 48 M Alhambra, Ca 27:28 5:27 10. Tony Torres 41 M Compex Racing 27:37 5:29Masters Women
1. Colleen De Reuck 46 F Running Republic of Boulder 28:47 5:43 2. Joanna Zeiger 40 F Running Republic of Boulder 30:21 6:02 3. Tania Fischer 44 F The Janes Elite Racing 30:36 6:05 4. Carmen Ayala-Troncoso 51 F Austin, Tx 31:15 6:13 5. Beth Ellickson 44 F Glendale, Az 32:05 6:22 6. Laura Stuart 45 F Encinitas, Ca 32:21 6:26 7. Lisa Goldsmith 46 F Fleet Feet Boulder - Real Women 32:52 6:32 8. Rosalva Bonilla 48 F Big Bear City, Ca 33:05 6:34 9. Kathryn Martin 59 F Northport, NY 33:39 6:41 10. Linda Vigil 42 F Carlsbad, Ca 33:48 6:43
PHOTOS:
Brent Vaughn pulls away from the field on his way to victory at the senior men's race at the 2011 USA Cross Country Championships in San Diego (photo by Jane Monti).
Aisling Cuffe took the lead in the third kilometer to win the women's junior race at the 2011 USA Cross Country Championships in San Diego (photo by Jane Monti).
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