USA Track & Field - New England Home Page

Headline News

Three days of competition by over 1000 entrants from ages 8-18 ran successfully at Fitchburg State College last weekend at the USATF Region I Junior Olympic Championship meet. The New England association hosts this meet in a rotation once every five years with five other associations from the rest of the New England states and the eastern half of New York.

The meet avoided severe weather - heavy downpours and some thunder rolled in on Saturday moments after the conclusion of the day's final event, and mist was the worst of the other two days. Thanks to the many officials and the Fitchburg State College staff for their tireless work.

The top 3 individuals and relays may advance to the National meet in North Carolina at the end of July, and a number of local youth made the standard. The preliminary results are posted on coolrunning.com with final updates after corrections and updates will be posted on CR and at www.usatfne.org/track on Wednesday.

Almost 500 youth age 18 and under took part at the USATF New England Junior Olympic Championship meet at friendly Fitchburg State College on Saturday, vying for qualifying spots for the Region I. Rain held off, and the meet ran efficiently, as the top 6 individuals and top 3 relays were eligible to advance to the Regionals next weekend, also at Fitchburg, where 5 other associations from New England and New York will also be contesting spots at Nationals. Results of the New England Junior Olympic Championship meet are available on the track page.

Light rain, wind, and raw conditions kept numbers down and performances modest at the USATF-NE Open Championships at MIT on Sunday. Greater Boston TC swept the men's and women's team titles for the umpteenth year, with New Balance Boston second in both divisions. Results are available at www.usatfne.org/track

The USATF-NE mountain circuit hit the halfway mark on Saturday at the Northfield Mountain Race / NE Trail Running Championship. Pacing the fields over the 10.5 mile up-and-down course with 1200' of climb were Josh Ferenc (BAA/Keene NH) and Abby Mahoney (CMS); Ferenc had almost a half minute over Justin Fyffe of CMS (whose runners took 8 of the top 10 places) and Mahoney's gap was over 2 minutes on orienteering ace Samantha Saeger.

It was one of the more pleasant days in the race's history with low humidity, a smattering of sun, and relatively good footing most of the way. Among the 216 finishers (2nd largest ever) were two age groups records, Eric Morse (M40) and Lisa Doucett (W50).

Providence senior Danette Doetzel won the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Track & Field Championships held in Fayetteville Arkansas last weekend. The senior capped her career with the gold in 33:25.71, winning by 14 seconds. Two NE athletes scored in the high jump, with Carin Knight of U. Conn 4th at 6'0", and Harvard's Becky Christiansen clearing the same height but with more misses for 5th. Also earning All-American honors were Boston University's Tahari James who bounced 43'7" for 7th in the triple jump, and Rhode Island's Jasmin Jennings, spinning the hammer 197'4" for 8th .

On the men's side, a pair of Ivy Leaguers brought home awards, as sophomore Craig Kinsley of Brown boomed his opening throw 240'6" for third in the javelin, and Harvard freshman Nico Weiler soared 17'6.5" for 6th in the pole vault.

Start of Rhody 5K Road Race
Photo Courtesy Tom Derderian

Boston Athletic Association runners Luke Meyer and Mariko Holbrook won New England titles and led the BAA to double wins at the 10th annual Rhody 5K / USATF-NE Championship on Sunday. Nearly 800 runners (up from last year) attacked the separate men's and women's races on the truly flat and fast course around the Twin River complex in Lincoln. Warm and sunny - but not extreme - conditions helped 35 men under 16:00 and 19 women to 19:00 or better.

Matched in stride by last month's 12K winner Joseph Koech (RUN) for over a mile, Meyer, a former Yale all-American moved to a 13 second margin in the next two miles, hitting the tape on the greyhound oval at 14:33. The BAA blue, always strong at this distance, placed their five scorers at 9th or better. Holbrook, clocking some strong times through the spring, took the women's championship (second overall behind BU grad Marissa Ryan) in 17:25, 22 seconds ahead of Tamie Robie.

Koech placed second and took his second straight masters title, matched by Craig Fram (Whirlaway) and Cathy Merra (GCS Triad) in their 50+ divisions. Other division winners were Mark Wigler (NMC 60+); Jim Daley (CMS, 70+) for men, and Sim Piergentili (Whirlaway, 40+, her third win in 2009) and Linda Usher (CMS, 60+).

Besides the BAA club daily double, Whirlaway left the facility with three age division wins - W40+, M40+, M50+. Remaining trophies went to CMS women at 50+ and North Medford Club men at 60+. Greater Boston TC now tops both the open men's and women's rankings.

Runners chowed down on the GP circuit's most generous post-race feed. Standings are posted at www.usatfne.org/gp, with race results at coolrunning.com.

The series goes into a summer hibernation, resuming at the Ollie 5 Mile on Saturday, September 12 (note the date).

Bill Rogers celebrates National Running Day. Photo Courtesy B.A.A.

Bill Rogers celebrates National Running Day
Photo Courtesy of the B.A.A.

Bill Rodgers and the Boston Athletic Association joined USATF-NE at the June 3 Mini-Meet at MIT for a group run to give support to the first National Running Day. A good time was had by all as "Boston Bill" spent nearly 2 hours talking running with the attendees, and the BAA supported the day's competition. We appreciate their support!

The Track and field schedule has been updated, and the entry for the USATF-NE Open Outdoor Championships is now available at usatfne.org/track.

It's been unusually difficult to obtain use of track and field facilities for some of our events this summer. We have finally secured a site for the NE Masters Championships - Cranston West HS in Cranston RI on Sunday, July 19. Most events will be contested including all 4 throws. There will be no steeplechase or 400 hurdles (we will run 300 hurdles for all ages). Entry will be at usatfne.org/track by June 5.

The Track and field schedule has been updated, and the entry for the USATF-NE Open Outdoor Championships is now available at usatfne.org/track.

The USATF New England Association will host a USATF Level I coaching school. The school will be held Friday afternoon July 24 through Sunday afternoon July 26 at Governors' Academy in Byfield (Newbury) MA> The curriculum, covered in 21 hours over 2 1/2 days, is a good introduction to coaching the sport as a whole. It's particularly useful to youth club coaches, club track coaches, and high school coaches. It is also a pre-requisite to attending the specialized Level II schools.

A description of Level I and the registration material - all online - is at usatf.org/groups/Coaches/education/. Sign up early as the school will be limited to 125

After a strong spring season with wins at Amherst and New Bedford, Heidi Westerling (BAA/Acworth NH) led the women in the 2009 KeyBank Vermont City Marathon on Sunday. Just over a month beyond her creditable time and 14th place finish at the Boston Marathon, Westerling finished 9th overall in 2:35:02, over 3 minutes better than the previous women's mark set by Gordon Bakoulis in 1995 - and 21 minutes up on the second place female finisher. It was her third win at the Green Mountain classic.

The men's race was won by John Crews of Raleigh NC in 2:19:31, with the Moulton brothers, Pat and Casey, top New Englanders in third and fourth.

Led by Ryan Carrara, a near record field headed up the first mountain at the traditional opener of the USATF-NE Mountain Circuit, the Wachusett Mountain run. Construction on the paved route up the hill forced the traditional course to the summit to become an up-and-down combination road/trail course.

Carrara (New Balance Boston/Hudson MA) took the measure of Kevin Tilton (CMS/N.Conway NH) by just 4 seconds over the five-plus miles (30:44). In the women's contest, just one place and eight seconds separated winner Adrienne Shields (38:20, Brighton MA) from Abby Mahoney (CMS/Holyoke MA). The 335 mountain goats were supported by the Central Mass Striders.

Results are at coolrunning.com. The circuit continues at the all-road Pack Monadnock Run on May 31. See info at usatfne.org/trail. Scoring after one event is at Coolrunning. Scorers and circuit-long "mountain goats" who hope to gain a waiver into the 2010 Mt.Washington Road Race must have 2009 USATF membership.

Three collegians won NCAA Divsion 3 Collegiate titles at the D3 Championships in Marietta Ohio last weekend. Stephen Headley, a junior at Springfield College won the 100 in 10.51 (and took 3rd in the 200); sophomore Bryan Kolacz of Keene State (NH) won the hammer in 201'8"; and Lauren Philbrook, a senior from Williams College, led the 10,000 in 35:24.78. Williams brought home seven all-American honors, and M.I.T. returned with six.

Joseph Koech and Kim Duclos were the tape breakers in the 35th Bedford Rotary 12K, the third stop in the 2009 USATF-NE Road Race Grand Prix; 480 crossed the finish line in the championship, with another 211 in the accompanying 5K. The course was essentially the same as previous editions of the championship contested in the town.

An elite level open runner several years ago, Kenyan Koech has settled in Melrose MA, and led from early in the race to set a course record of 37:50 on the 2 year old course that ran out of the Bedford High School with a finish on the track. The Team RUN ace had 14 seconds on the improving Dan Vassallo of adidas New England.

Duclos (Central Mass Striders) similarly led for most of the race and set a new circuit standard of 42:31, 2:29 up on silver medalist Jennifer Campbell (Cambridge RC).

Koech was also top masters finisher ahead of teammate Titus Mutindi, who still leads the M40 scoring. Craig Fram (Whirlaway) turned 50 since the last GP race, and was over a minute ahead of John Barbour, while Gordon McFarland (CSU) took his second 60+ division championship in a row. Tara Cardi (Reebok RR-Providence) led a strong masters field - 4 in the top 10 results - with a fourth overall placing. Among the 50+ women, Cathy Merra followed her 4th place in the Boston Marathon last month with a division win, and Patty Foltz added to her series lead with a 60+ age group win.

A strong team effort by the upstart adidas New England (originally christened as Go the Distance over the winter) gave them 3 minutes over Whirlaway for men's honors, but the WRT masters took both 40+ and 50+ team trophies and leads those divisions after 3 races. Cambridge Sports Union were first in the 60+ group. Central Mass Striders outlegged Greater Boston on the women's side as the two squads are 1-2 on the series scoreboard as well, with Whirlaway 40+ women matching their male counterparts in both individual and GP total placings, and GCS Triad earning their first 50+ team win.

Team scores are posted at www.usatfne.org/gp, with race results at coolrunning.com. Next on the GP schedule is the 5K which returns to the Twin Rivers course in Lincoln RI on Sunday, June 6.

USA Track & Field today announced Team USA men's marathon squad for this summer's IAAF World Championships in Athletics, with Lowell's Nate Jenkins one of five marathoners who will toe the line for the USA. The Worlds will be held in Berlin, Germany, August 15 - 23 with the men's marathon running on August 22.

Jenkins (GLRR/Saucony), along with 2004 Olympian Dan Browne qualified based on their performances at the Olympic Trials Marathon in New York in November 2007, Nate in 8th at 2:14:56 and Browne in 6th at 2:13:23. Rounding out the team are Justin Young (CO), based on his 2:13:54 at the 2008 Rotterdam Marathon, and Fernando Cabada (CO) and Matt Gabrielson (MN) from their 1-2 finishes at the 2008 USA Marathon Championships in Minneapolis.

The women's marathon team, with no New Englanders, was announced earlier this week; the track and field team will be selected at the USA Championships June 25-28 in Oregon.

Meet information and entry form for the USATF-New England Junior Olympic TF Championship at Fitchburg State College is posted on the USATF-NE JO pages

The meet qualifies for the Region I meet June 27-28, also at Fitchburg State, so we expect large numbers to participate. There are a number of other youth meets on the schedule, including the MIT mini-meets May 20, 27, and June 3, and a series of events hosted by the Amherst (NH) Track Club and , the 35th annual Bedford Rotary 12K in Bedford New Hampshire. The race begins at 9:00 a.m. and the site this year is the Bedford HS (see Amherst TC website).

USATF reminds Masters athletes that the early entry deadline for all USA entries for the World Masters Championships in Lahti, Finland is Friday, May 15th in order for entries to be processed and sent to Finland. Entry forms and other athlete and travel information can be found on our website at the USATF Website.

The USATF-NE Mountain Running circuit gets started in just under three weeks at the 17th Mt.Wachusett Road Race; there are a few changes to the popular series.

- There are course changes this year at Wachusett. Due to road construction this year, it will be a half trail/half road race, and go up-and-down with a distance of 5.25 miles. The start on Mile Hill Road remains the same, but it then diverges to include hiking and ski trails, totaling about 3 miles up and 2 miles down.

- Ascutney will also be a half road, half trail instead of all trail

- Cranmore, as the USA Mountain Championships, finds runners from 16 states already confirmed including 17 former members of US Mountain Running Team. Course photos & map have been posted at www.whitemountainmilers.com/cranmore

Ricardo Jaquite - Boston's Madison Park HS
(Photo: John Nepolitan/www.dyestatmetro.com)

The country's oldest and largest relay meet, the 115 year old Penn Relays is more than a track meet; it's a rite-of-spring festival with HS, Collegiate, and Open competitors part of the carnival. Three days of events covering the entire TF schedule gives a sense of how big track and field is beyond the state boundaries in the northeast, as 271 boys 4x100 relay teams took to the track in one afternoon. From that last 4x100 team up to the USA vs the World relays featuring international stars, it is track and field to the max.

Ricard Jaquite (Madison Park, Boston) became a rare scholastic winner from our region at Penn, taking highest honors the hgh school triple jump. His final attempt, spanning 49'1.5" won by just 1/2 inch, and the student by way of Portugal becomes one of the best bouncers ever from the New England.

In the Olympic Development (OD) / open events, BAA runners secured two victories; Lucas Meyer won the 5000 in 14:07.96 (with Harry Norton of North Andover third in 14:11.40) and Mariko Holbrook was the 10,000 winner in 34:40.05. Olympian Joanne Dow (Manchester NH) won the 5000 meter walk 23:17.33 setting a new masters W45 American Record. Rounding out the gold medalists, Jasmine Jennings (Rhode Island) won University divsion hammer throw at 190'3".

Also making the podium were Emily Jones (Harvard MA), second in the scholastic 3000 at 9:32.22; Eric Aish of (Boston), second in the OD steeplechase with 8:56.06; Drew Soltysiak (Gr.Boston TC) third in the javelin with 213'3"; and Providence College men, third in the 4 x mile relay in 16:22.95. In masters relay events, the Mass Velocity sprint relay crew had two medal performances, 2nd in the M60+ 4x100 (51.79) and 3rd in the M50+ 4x400 (3:50.18).

Among the records set was the scholastic 4x800 where Albemarle of Virginia, who set a new indoor standard at the Nike Indoor Nationals at the Reggie Lewis Center in March, beat Morris Hills NJ. Both teams smashed the old mark with Albemarle in front in a stunning 7:30.67. It was the second time the 4x8 HS record was set at Penn; 88 years ago, Cedar Rapids IA booked a mark of 8:25.4, almost 50 seconds slower!

Full results can be reviewed at pennrelaysonline.com

One second seperated Kosgei and Tune at the finish of the 2009 Boston Marathon.

Kenya's Salina Kosgei won the closest women's race in the 113-year history of the Boston Marathon. Dire Tune (the 2008 Boston champion from Ethiopia) crossed the finish line one second later.
Photo: Victah Sailor

Ethiopia's Deriba Merga won the men's 2009 Boston Marathon.
Photo: Victah Sailor

Eric Blake and Sherry Piers were top New England finishers in Monday's B.A.A. Boston Marathon. Nearly 23,000 finished the journey from Hopkinton to Boston, the ideal temperatures cancelled out by the almost constant headwind. Winner Deriba Merga, 4th place finisher at the Beijing Olympics, moved out of the 12-strong pack with two others on the downhill into Newton Lower Falls, and hammered off his final challenger up the Braeburn Hill after the firehouse turn. The Ethiopian's win was just the second non-Kenyan gold in 18 years.

After winning the closest finish in race history in 2008 Ethiopian Dire Tune was on the other end of a finish kick on Monday as Kenyan Salina Kosgei used her old track speed to win the kick and cut the closest ever finish gap to just one second.

American runners Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher, honest contenders for the win, each took third place in their races; it was the first time since 1985 that Americans had a top 3 finish in both men's and women's races. Hall forced the early pace and was still aggressive after the break, while Goucher lead in the later stages and only seeing a gap before the final turn onto Boylston Street.

South African Ernst Van Dyk scored a record eighth Boston win in the men's wheelchair race.

Blake (BAA/New Britain CT) repeated his honor of first from the six state region, finishing 24th in 2:23:54. Piers (Falmouth ME) had negative splits and recorded an 11th place finish, 14 seconds from cracking the top 10 with her 2:37:04 that dropped her personal best from last year's Olympic Trials on a day where PB's were uncommon. The host B.A.A. was women's open team winner with Somerville Road Runners a surprising second. The B.A.A.'s male counterparts were third and top from NE behind Hansons-Brooks Distance Project whose 3 scorers were in at 2:18 or better.

Sim Piergentili (Whirlaway/Wilmington MA) placed 40th in 2:54:48 for top NE master and eighth overall, while Robert Landry (Gr.Springfield Harriers/Ludlow MA), at 2:36:46, led NE men 40+. Whirlaway Racing Team was best among local masters, second team of women 40+ and fourth men 40+.

Marathon results in many forms for every participant, state, and team, are at www.baa.org.

B.A.A. racing action started on Sunday this year, as Jarrod Shoemaker and Maria Varela went into the history books as winners of the inaugural B.A.A. 5K which ended at the Boston Marathon finish line. Shoemaker, a 2008 Olympic triathlete from Maynard, Mass., won in 14:29, while Varela, from Brighton, Mass., won on the women's side in 17:37. They led a field of nearly 4,000 runners, with included six past champions including Joan Samuelson, Amby Burfoot (1968), Greg Meyer (1983), Ingrid Kristiansen (1986, 1989); Neil Cusack (1974); and Lorraine Moller (1984).

A pair of close finishes marked the debut of the professional B.A.A. Invitational Mile. Darren Brown of Austin, Texas, won the men's mile in 4:11.6, taking the lead with about 250 meters remaining on the three-loop course before breaking the tape at the Boston Marathon finish line. On the women's side, Anna Willard of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., ran on the shoulder of Marblehead native Shalane Flanagan before surging past with 200 meters to go for a 4:38.6 win.

Scholastic athletes from the eight host cities and towns along the Boston Marathon course squared off in the first invitational miles of the day. The girls race found Newton teammates Margo Gillis (5:10.6) and Carolyn Ranti (5:14.1) ahead of Rebecca White of Natick (5:17.4). The boys' race pack only broke up in the final 200 meters with Ryan Hardiman of Brookline finishing in front in 4:37.3, followed by Daniel Hamilton of Newton (4:38.0) and Omar Abdi of the Boston (4:39.2). Two runner team titles based on total time were Boston (men) and Newton (women).

Though the weather hasn't been entirely cooperative, colleges and high schools are several weeks into the outdoor track and field season. The current outdoor schedule for New England and regional/national events is posted at the track and field page, usatfne.org/track/outdoors.html.

It will be updated regularly as events and dates are added or modified.

Rebecca Donaghue (New Balance Boston) ran to 36th place - and third American - at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan, on Saturday. Team USA was fifth in the women's race, won by Kenya with an amazing 14 points (1-2-4-7). The 3 loop 6K course competitors met with was described in one IAAF press release as a "sometimes violently undulating route through the countryside, their shoes traversing an ever changing surface of sand, gravel and grass." A strong wind, evident at the course's uphill finish, added to the challenge.

"I got a good start, but I had a bit of trouble breathing once the race got underway," noted Donaghue. "My legs felt pretty heavy, especially going up that last hill. I've never felt that bad finishing up the hill".

"I think competing against international fields helps make you tougher. I am so proud to represent the United States and wear the uniform."

Former Harvard runner Lindsey Scherf, finishing her eligibility at graduate school in Oregon, also represented the US, placing 75th. The US Junior Women and Junior Men also placed fifth as teams, with the Senior Men eighth in their uber-competitive races; Kenya (3 wins) and Ethiopia (1 win) took the first two places in each competition with two divisions going to tie-breakers. Results, stories, and photos can be found at iaaf.org.

The USA Masters National Indoor Track and Field championships headed south to Landover Maryland and the Prince Georges County Athletic Complex last weekend, where local competitors earned a share of top medals over the three days of action.

Winning a pair of golds each in the meet's largest field of entries every (over 900) were Craig Fram (M50-54m, Plaistow NH) in the Mile / 3000m, Dennis Melanson (M75-79, Westwood,MA) in the 60 / 200, Mary Harada (W70-74, Newbury MA) in the Mile / 3000m, and Barbara Jordan (W70-74, Burlington VT) in the 60 and 200m. James Morton (M50, Springfield MA, 800m) and Stephen Peckiconis (M50, Roslindale MA, 3000m race walk) also raced to gold.

Mass Velocity Track Club finished 6th overall in the team standings. It was only the second time in twelve years the meet has not been held in Boston; it will return to Boston for one more year in 2010. Full results - but still being corrected - are at usatf.org.

Lexington-based Saucony, Inc. is offering runners and residents a temporary solution to the unavoidable "pit stop" dilemma during the current Boston Marathon training season: a portable toilet service for one month along this highly traveled section of the marathon course.

"As we enter the final weeks of training for Boston, there's a major increase in runners training along the Newton hills, especially on the weekends," said Sharon Barbano, Saucony vice president of public relations, and a former Boston Marathon runner herself. "On those long runs, nature often calls and this stretch of road offers no place for impromptu relief, except the bushes and gardens on or near private homes. We hope this pit stop offers a practical solution for both the runners and the neighborhood during the final weeks of Boston training".

The Saucony porta-john is located away from any private homes, near the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Walnut Street, just west of the Johnny Kelley statue along the access road. It will be serviced regularly. Removal of the unit is set for April 13th, when long training runs are completed and runners are resting up for the 113th running of the Boston Marathon on April 20th.

In addition to the excellent athletic performances produced at last weekend's Nike Indoor Nationals, a pair of local administrators were recognized by the National Scholastic Sports Foundation (NSSF) for their excellence in support of the sport.

Larry Martin (Londonderry NH) was honored with the NSSF Mike Byrnes Coach of the Year award. After his own athletic career at Londonderry HS and University of New Hampshire, Martin went on to over 30 years of coaching successes in the Granite State. Following multiple state championships in the early 70's with a fledgling program at Raymond HS, he went on to set state benchmarks in his career at Londonderry HS. Along with 24 state titles and three New England championships in cross country and track, there were over 100 individual state titleists, seven national champs, and three Footlocker finalists. Away from the school, Larry coached the NH Tracksters youth club, and still serves as state Indoor Track Chairman, founder and director of the NH Junior HS Cross Country Championship (largest in the northeast), publisher of NH XC Journal.

Larry Newman (Bradford MA), long time statistician and announcer in New England, received the Allen Dawson Achievement Award from the NSSF. Larry, a certified "track and field nut", has long kept the New England High School "All Time" records and statistics. He served as one of the announcers for last weekend's meet, capping his season-long schedule of being the voice of numerous scholastic and collegiate meets.

Patrick Tarpy and Heidi Westerling led over 1900 runners through the Whaling City to win at Sunday's New Bedford Half Marathon, the second race of the 2009 USATF-NE Grand Prix. It was a double-double, as both had won at the series opener Jones 10 Mile in Amherst MA threw weeks earlier. Both also earned bonues for their winning times.

In his first race at that long a distance, Tarpey (Team RUN/ Providence RI) ran 1:03:27 and put almost two minutes between himself and runner-up/masters winner Joseph Koech, with defending champ Derese Deniboba (ETH/NY) a full turn around the dial behind. Titus Mutinda (M40, Team RUN/ Lowell MA) led the NE masters, with Dave Oliver (M50, GLRR/Westborough MA), Gordon MacFarland (M60, CSU/Brookline MA), and Harry Carter (M70, BAA/Blackstone MA) topping the other age division charts.

Westerling (BAA/Acworth NH), so consistent in the GP event longer distances, clocked 1:11:35 for the rugged loop, the fastest time by any female in 19 years. Whirlaway teammates Simonetta Piergentili (W40, Wilmington MA) and Nancy Corsaro (W50, Methuen MA) along with Patty Foltz (W60, GLRR/Stowe VT) took home the age group titles.

Ever the team event in its calendar position as a pre-Boston Marathon tune-up, over 25 teams scored in both open divisions and nearly as many masters squads placed. The Boston Athletic Association, led by Matt Ely put 5 men in the top 14 to score the win, and the blue's women also took gold. Whirlaway took both masters titles, as well as the men 50+, where the CMS women matched the Kaz-men. Cambridge Sports Union prevailed among the men 60+.

The change in directorship to the Friendly Sons of St.Patrick went seamlessly, and a festive atmosphere prevailed in the race area following the competition, as downtown businesses partnered in the post-race "Restaurant Run".

The series resumes on May 16, returning to Bedford NH after a year away for the 12K championship. Team scores will be posted at www.usatfne.org/gp.

With several National records etched into the books, the Nike Indoor Nationals at the Reggie Lewis Center provided a sparkling finish to the indoor season. One of the two "HS Nationals" contested, the meet saw a larger crowd - and more all-tie list marks than the last scholastic season closer held here ten years ago. Directors are the National Scholastic Sports Foundation.

Two New Englanders took home gold on the "home" track; the girls from Newton Centre Athletics won the 4 x mile in NE Record 20:25.90 - and took second in the 4 x 800 (8:58.63, first NE team under 9 minutes) as well, while Andrew Springer (Westerly RI) won the mile in the nation's fastest for 2009, 4:08.47 - and also placed fifth in the 2 mile (9:06.25) just a few hours later.

Silver medals went to Charlestown MA boys (3:33.33) in the Sprint Medley, and Boston's Ricardo Jaquite in the triple jump, 49'11", a New England best. Bronze went to Rhode Island's Mike Gama in the weight (72'9.25"), Emily Jones (Harvard MA) in the 2 mile 10:25.76, Emmaline Berg (Holliston) in the shot (42'2.75"), and Waltham TC/Newton girls Sprint Medley (4:07.90).

Six US high school records peppered the results; Friday, Conor McCullough (CA), whose father was an all-American at BU, started things off with a pair of records topped by the first HS toss of the 25 lb weight over the 90' line (92'7.5") while Illinois freshman Lukas Verzbicas shattered the scholastic Boys 5000 meter record in 14:18 (and won the 2 mile in a US frosh record 8:57.44). Sunday, boys records in the 60 meter hurdles (Wayne Davis, 7.70) and 4x800 (Albermarle 7:36.99, first HS ever under 7:40 indoors).

The meet could not have been run as successfully as it was were it not for the 50+ local officials and the cadre of volunteers from various local high schools who graciously worked over the three days.

The full results are at National Scholastic Sports Foundation website, while you can see thousands of pictures and get downloadable videos of every event at the new website IAMSPORT.org.

At the USATF Indoor Combined Events championship, local athletes Kasey Hill and Matt Chisham recorded creditable scores and placings in heptathlon and pentathlon, respectively. Chisham, an assistant coach at Harvard, placed fourth of eight in his seven event specialty with 5443 points behind winner Jake Arnold (5748). He tied for the best high jump and had the second best pole vault in the two day competition. Finishing seventh was former Brookline MA and Dartmouth College star Mustapha Abdur-Rahim, now training in Arizona.

Hill's score of 4051 placed sixth of eleven qualifiers behind winner Diana Picker (4391). She recorded the best mark of the competition in the shot put - 41' 9 3/4".

In the European Championships held in Torino, Italy, Mary Cullen, Providence College alum who has been training with coach Ray Treacy in Providence over the fall and winter, earned a bronze medal in the 3000 meters. Cullen, who won the NE XC championship in the fall and set an Irish national record in that event at the BU Valentine meet, clocked the fastest time in the qualifying round and then pushed the pace in the final and held on for third in 8:48.47. Teammate Roisin McGettigan, with the same PC pedigree, was fourth in the 1500, just 1/10 out of the medals.

Kasie Enman (BAA/Huntington VT) placed third at Saturday's North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Cross Country Championships. Athletes representing nine national federations competed in the fifth annual event at the Chain of Lakes Park in Titusville FL.

Enman's bronze medal was part of a strong pack race by the US senior women, who places 1-3-4-5 to take the win over Canada. Her time was 20:23 over the 6K course.

In the senior men's race, former Providence College and BAA runner Dylan Wykes of Canada placed second.

The Boston Athletic Association announced the creation of a new 5 km race to be held on the Sunday before the Boston Marathon. On Sunday, April 19, the first BAA 5-K will run through Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, finishing at the marathon's famous finish line on Boylston Street. Entries are limited to 4000, and registration is available online only, at www.baa.org beginning Thursday, March 5, at 10:00 a.m.

Entry for the 2009 Mt.Washington Road Race is now open. Event registration is totally on-line, and it is by lottery.

All race applicants, both lottery and lottery bypass, must register between March 1 and March 15. Successful selectees will be posted shortly afterwards; there is no waiting list for non-drawn names.

All information can be found at www.mountwashingtonroadrace.com. Please read all information and instructions carefully.

Dan Verrington (CMS/Bradford MA) finished fifth overall and won his second straight masters title at the USA 50K Road Race Championship at Caumsett State Park in Huntington NY on Sunday. The 46 year old Verrington clocked 3:25.22, but was only third New Englander as Central Mass Strider teammates Justin Fyffe (E.Dumemrston VT) and Ben Nephew (Mansfield MA) took the open silver and bronze medals, respectively, behind winner Michael Wardian (Arlington VA), who won his second consecutive USA 50 km title in 2:56:36. USATF-NE treasurer Stephen Peckiconis (CSU/Roslindale MA) was 17th in the 91 finisher field, and 2nd in the M50 division.

. The Championship will also be held at Caumsett for the next three years. Results - www.usatf.org