Posted: July 18, 2005

Athletics: News & Notes, Volume 6, Number 56

Greater Boston Track Club wins combined title at Club Nationals; 18 Meet Records Shattered

The Greater Boston Track Club of Massachusetts dominated Saturday in winning the combined team title at the fifth annual USA Track & Field National Club Championships at Icahn Stadium in New York City with 211.5 points. The LeMans Track Club of New York City placed second with 195.5 points, closely followed by the Shore Athletic Club of New Jersey with 180 points. As reported in Sunday's USATF News & Notes, Shore AC won the men's team title with 140 points, while LeMans took the women's championship with 160.5 points.

More than 800 event competitors from 50 clubs and 21 states competed in the two-day event. With entries for the meet at an all time high, eighteen meet records were broken. Championship records established on the men's side included 10 performances in the following events: 100m (10.41, Kenneth Baxter- New York Elite), 200m (20.82, Jimmie Hackley- Shore AC), 110m hurdles (13.78, Unyime Akpan- Executive TC), 5,000m Race Walk (20:34.13, Tim Seaman- New York AC), Pole Vault (5.21m/17-1), Patrick Manson- Indiana Invaders), 4x100m Relay (40.41, Executive TC), 4x400m Relay (3:07.92, New York Elite), 4x800m Relay (7:35.42, New York Elite), Sprint Medley Relay (3:24.28, New York Elite), Distance Medley Relay (10:16.24, New York Elite).

On the women's side, eight championship records were established: 100m Hurdles (13.15, Antoinette Wilks- New York Elite), 400m Hurdles (59.15, Elizabeth Bayne- Norfolk Real Deal), 3000m Steeplechase (10:11.82, Dawn Cromer- Pacers /Brooks), 5,000m (16:41.77, Alemtsehay Misganaw- Westchester TC), 5,000m Race Walk (22:54.73, Joanne Dow- New England Race Walkers), Javelin Throw (47.66 m/156-4), Kateema Riettie- Greater Boston TC), Triple Jump (13.14m/ 43-1.50), Sherita Williams- Greater Boston TC), 4x800m Relay (9:14.31, Greater Boston TC).

The top men's performance went to Uryime Akpan of Executive TC for winning the 110m hurdles in of 13.78 seconds. Antoinette Wilks (N.Y. Elite) was awarded the top women's performance for winning the 100m hurdles in 13.15 seconds.

"Both the quality and the size of the meet have vastly improved to the point that we now have a true National Championship," said USATF President Bill Roe. "Now our next goal is broader participation from the Midwest to the West as we look towards the future."

For complete results from the USA Track & Field National Club Championships, visit USATF.org.

Rupp sets American junior record

University of Oregon sensation Galen Rupp set a new American junior record with his fourth-place finish Sunday in the 3,000 meters at the Nuova Atletica Dal Friuli Sport Solidarieti meet in Lignano, Italy.

Rupp, the American junior record holder at 10,000m, finished the race in 7 minutes, 49.16 seconds to better the previous AJR of 7:58.00 set by National Track & Field Hall of Famer Gerry Lindgren in 1965. 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials 5,000m champion Adam Goucher won the race in 7:40.09, his fastest 3,000m performance since 2001.