TALLAHASSEE, Florida — It was a beautiful day in Tallahassee, Florida for yesterday’s USATF Club Cross Country Championships. Runners from all corners of the country took a trip to the sunshine state in the hopes of returning with a national title.
The Women’s Open 6 km was off at 12:00 p.m. ET with a lead pack forming early. The pack stuck together through the first 2 km, but Natosha Rogers of the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project began to pull away by the 3 km mark.
Carrie Verdon of T.E.A.M. Boulder attempted to close the gap through the final half of the race, passing Boston Athletic Association’s Andrea Rodenfels to move into the second slot just past the halfway point, but couldn’t make up the distance Rogers had given herself.
Rogers powered through the final kilometer in 3:16.9 to take the individual win and lead her team to victory, breaking the tape in 19:42.0. Teammate Olivia Pratt was the next Hansons-Brooks runner to cross the line, finishing seventh with a time of 20:19.0.
Katherine Munks, Amy Davis, and Anne-Marie Blaney rounded out the team with eighth, tenth, and 15th places, respectively. This brought the team total to 27, effectively holding off the Atlanta Track Club’s 63.
The Men’s Open 10 km toed the line at 12:45 p.m. ET and, like the women, formed a huge lead pack immediately. The real race began around the 7 km point with Zachery Panning of the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project and Nike’s Frankline Tonui.
The pair was almost in sync through the 7 km, 8 km, and 9 km marks before Tonui decided to go for it. Running the final kilometer in 2:56.9, he pulled away to cross the finish line in 30:14.6, ahead of Panning’s 30:17.3.
The Hansons-Brooks Distance Project ultimately swept the open club titles with a Men’s Open 10 km team victory. Zachery Panning led the way with his second-place finish, but Daniel Soto was never far behind. Running with the lead pack through the entire race, Soto picked off four competitors to finish third overall with a time of 30:45.7.
Alec Sandusky, Abdisamed Abdi, and Benjamin Kendell finished in tenth, 18th, and 25th, respectively. This brought the team total to 44, which wasn’t even close to being touched with the nearest score of 115 coming from the Bowerman Track Club.
On the master’s side, age division championships went to: Women’s 6 km – 40-44 Katie Sherron, 22:08.7, 45-49 Euleen Josiah-Tanner, 24:30.6, 50-54 Karolyn Bowley, 22:52.9, 55-59 Michelle Rohl, 24:26.1, 60-64 Lorraine Jasper, 25:50.9, 65-69 Sharon Moore, 31:41.4, 70-74 Jeanette Groesz, 30:23.2, 75-79 Myrna Barnett, 44:52.4. Men’s 10 km - 40-44 Jesse Davis, 33:55.1, 45-49 Todd Rose, 34:13.6, 50-54 Mark Yuen, 34:07.6, 55-59 Peter Hammer, 35:46.0, 60-64 Glenn Mohler, 45:34.1. Men’s 8 km - 60-64 Daniel King, 29:55.2, 65-69 Thomas Cushman, 34:12.3, 70-74 Doug Bell, 35:58.6, 75-79 Ronald Wells, 37:57.5, 80-84 John Elliott, 51:13.0, 85-89 Adrian Craven, 1:02:26.3.
Boston Athletic Association picked up a team win with 28 points in the Masters Women’s 6km 40+ division. In the 50+ division, Sirius Athletics tallied 19 points for the win, while the Greater Philadelphia TC totaled nine to take the 60+ division. Team Red Lizard rounded out the Masters Women’s club results with their 70+ division victory of 6 points.
The Indiana Elite Athletic Club won the Masters Men’s 10 km 40+ division by a narrow margin, beating the West Valley Track Club’s 88-point total with 85. The West Valley Track Club claimed a title of their own in the 50+ age group with 28 points, a huge margin over the nearest 89 points from the Central Mass Striders. The Bounder Road Runners took the first Masters Men’s 8 km victory of the day with their 60+ division win, followed by another in the 70+ category. The Atlanta Track Club rounded out the day with a win in the 80+ division.
A full list of results can be found here.