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Women Summer 2004
2004 Summer WRR Runner Rankings
Women's Division
by Roland Rust
November/December 2004
Washington Running Report
Photo above: Washington, DC's Sharon Donovan is twelfth among open women for the summer season.
Open Women
For whatever reason, the foreign influence was virtually non- existent in the Summer rankings period. Nevertheless, there were 13 qualifying runners. The top spot goes to Olympic Trials qualifier Christina Wells of Woodbridge, Virginia. The showdown race was the Race for the Cure, where Wells (16:41) defeated second-ranked Sharon Lemberger (17:39) of Washington, DC, and fifth-ranked Lisa Thomas (17:41) of Alexandria, Virginia.
The most competitive race was the Rockville Rotary Twilighter 8K, where Lemberger (28:22) defeated third-ranked Victoria Lynch (28:52) of Washington, DC, fourth-ranked Susannah Kvasnicka (29:10) of Great Falls, Virginia, and fifth-ranked Lisa Thomas (29:17) of Alexandria. The oldest ranker was 45-year-old Olympic Trials qualifier Lee DiPietro of Ruxton, Maryland, and the youngest was 22-year-old Samia Akbar of Herndon, Virginia.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Christina Wells 29 Woodbridge, VA
2 Sharon Lemberger 30 Washington, DC
3 Victoria Lynch 30 Washington, DC
4 Susannah Kvasnicka 32 Great Falls, VA
5 Lisa Thomas 28 Alexandria, VA
6 Naoko Ishibe 35 Silver Spring, MD
7 Samia Akbar 22 Herndon, VA
8 Alisa Harvey 38 Manassas, VA
9 Jackie Concaugh 28 Alexandria, VA
10 Jill Krebs 23 New Windsor, MD
11 Lee DiPietro 45 Ruxton, MD
12 Sharon Donovan 29 Washington, DC
13 Victoria McParland 28 Rockville, MD
Women 35 - 39
Photo by George Banker: Kelly Barton of Baltimore is eleventh in the 35-39 division.
Spring champion Naoko Ishibe of Silver Spring, Maryland again leads the category. Her best race was a 17:05 at the Baltimore Women's Classic 5K, defeating fifth-ranked Maureen Hall (19:10) of LaVale, Maryland.
Second is 2003 runner-up Alisa Harvey of Manassas, Virginia, whose best race was a 17:47 at the 9-11 Memorial 5K in Arlington, Virginia. Third is Christina Morganti of Severna Park, Maryland, who ran a 31:00 at the Dawson's Father's Day 5- Mile in Annapolis. Christy Underdonk of Kensington, Maryland is fourth, with her best race being an 18:40 at Bethesda's Capital Crescent 5K. Ishibe and Harvey also qualified in the Open division.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Naoko Ishibe 35 Silver Spring, MD
2 Alisa Harvey 38 Manassas, VA
3 Christina Morganti 39 Severna Park, MD
4 Christy Underdonk 35 Kensington, MD
5 Maureen Hall 39 LaVale, MD
6 Helen Beven 36 Kensington, MD
7 Denise Knickman 35 Baltimore, MD
8 Maureen Ackerly 35 Richmond, VA
9 Kristin DiDomenico 37 Potomac Falls, VA
10 Maria Kozloski 38 Washington, DC
11 Kelly Barton 39 Baltimore, MD
12 Meredith Valmon 35 Rockville, MD
13 Roxann Polo-Reasor 38 Blacksburg, VA
14 Susan Volpe 35 Herndon, VA
15 Linda Sawvell 38 Newport News, VA
16 Lana Marsh 37 Fredericksburg, VA
Women 40 - 44
The 40-44 division was again quite competitive, with 17 runners qualifying. Monica Grillo of Arlington, Virginia enters the division with a bang, taking the top spot. The decisive race was the Annapolis 10-Mile, where Grillo (1:08:17) defeated second- ranked Jill Hargis (photo at left, 1:09:24) of Annapolis, and fourth-ranked Julie Thienel (1:09:30) of Columbia, Maryland.
Laura Freix of Centreville, Virginia is third. She ran 19:23 at Fairfax's Tim Harmon 5K to defeat fifth-ranked Leslie Minnix- Wolfe (19:35) of Herndon, Virginia. Spring and 2003 champion Maria Spinnler is only seventh this time, having not faced off against any of the other top 17 runners.
Photo below: Cathy Friedel travels up to the DC area from Solomons, MD to race and is currently ranked eleventh.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Monica Grillo 40 Arlington, VA
2 Jill Hargis 43 Annapolis, MD
3 Laura Freix 42 Centreville, VA
4 Julie Thienel 40 Columbia, MD
5 Leslie Minnix-Wolfe 42 Herndon, VA
6 Robyn Humphrey 40 Ellicott City, MD
7 Maria Spinnler 42 Hagerstown, MD
8 Andrea Wright 42 Charlottesville, VA
9 Gloria Santarpia 42 Odenton, MD
10 Pat Keating 43 Dayton, MD
11 Cathy Friedel 40 Solomons, MD
12 Patricia Zerfas 42 Kensington, MD
13 Donna Karasic 40 Baltimore, MD
14 Donna Elder 41 Forest, VA
15 Sushila Nanda 43 Arlington, VA
16 Marjorie Boyd 42 Annapolis, MD
17 Laeticia Warring 41 Reston, VA
18 Pamela Lovett 41 Newport News, VA
Women 45 - 49
The 45-49 division was very strong in the Summer period, with 19 qualifiers. The top two runners would also have led the 40-44 division. Unfortunately, none of the top five runners competed against each other.
The Spring and 2003 champion, Lee DiPietro of Ruxton, Maryland, again tops the category. Her best performance was a 17:53 at Baltimore's Bay Cafe Labor Day 5K. A strong second is Patty Shull of Asburn, Virginia, whose performances include a 37:55 at Washington's Lawyers Have Heart 10K. Third-ranked Dorothy Beckett of Columbia, Maryland ran a 20:51 at Columbia's Women's Distance Festival 5K, and fourth-ranked Alison Suckling ran a 42:48 at the Crofton 10K. Both edged fifth-ranked Debbie Flynn of Gaithersburg, Maryland, on the basis of quality of competition defeated. Flynn's best performance was a 33:41 at Rockville's Twilight 8K.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Lee DiPietro 45 Ruxton, MD
2 Patty Shull 45 Ashburn, VA
3 Dorothy Beckett 46 Columbia, MD
4 Alison Suckling 48 Arnold, MD
5 Debbie Flynn 48 Gaithersburg, MD
6 Carole Rosasco 45 Arnold, MD
7 Robin Goodwin 45 Timonium, MD
8 Carol Talley 49 Toano, VA
9 Dorothy Winn 48 Norfolk, VA
10 Carole Roeder 47 Ashburn, VA
11 Laura Roman 49 Baltimore, MD
12 Elizabeth Snyderwine 46 Potomac, MD
13 Becky Roed 45 Springfield, VA
14 Linda Ingleson 46 Williamsburg, VA
15 Claudia Mackintosh 49 Norfolk, VA
16 Mary Cupo 48 Baltimore, MD
17 Myra Washington 47 Montgomery Vill., MD
18 Jenny Rexrode 49 Fredericksburg, VA
19 Lisa Schrader 49 Annapolis, MD
Women 50 - 54
The baby boom generation produced a very competitive age group, with 20 runners qualifying. Linell Smith of Baltimore is number one, based largely on Baltimore's MCVET 10K, where Smith (45:41) defeated second-ranked 2003 and Winter rankings leader Betty Blank (47:09) of Falls Church, Virginia, and fifth-ranked Mary Lang (47:22) of Pasadena, Maryland. Smith's best time was a 21:04 at Baltimore's Bay Cafe Labor Day 5K.
The second spot was decided by Washington's Lawyers Have Heart 10K, where Blank (41:56) decisively defeated third-ranked Patty Donohue (45:15) of Alexandria, Virginia. Donohue's best race was the Annapolis 10-Mile, where she ran 1:18:49 to beat the top- ranked Smith. Fourth is Linda Gulick from Richmond, Virginia, whose best performance was a 21:58 at Richmond's Race Against Domestic Violence 5K.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Linell Smith 51 Baltimore, MD
2 Betty Blank 50 Falls Church, VA
3 Patty Donohue 50 Alexandria, VA
4 Linda Gulick 52 Richmond, VA
5 Mary Lang 50 Pasadena, MD
6 Maria Shields 53 Davidsonville, MD
7 Jean Lauzon 51 Spotsylvania, VA
8 Donna Nidds 52 Brambleton, VA
9 Karen Erb 53 Alexandria, VA
10 Peggy Davis 52 Falls Church, VA
11 Rita Twist 51 Linthicum Hills, MD
12 Diana Joaquin 51 Arlington, VA
13 Patricia Gilley 51 King William, VA
14 Linda Mills 54 Salisbury, MD
15 Stephanie Shipp 50 Great Falls, VA
16 Lainey Bernstein 51 Potomac, MD
17 Brenda Mitchell 53 Williamsburg, VA
18 Kathy Hennes 52 Laurel, MD
19 Betsy Henderson 51 Roanoke, VA
20 Giovanna Tosato 54 Bethesda, MD
Women 55 - 59
The 55-59 age group has also gotten much stronger, with 17 runners qualifying in the Summer period, compared to only seven a year before. Alice Franks continues to dominate the division. The most decisive race was the Rockville Twilight 8K, where Franks (36:42) beat third-ranked Freyda Greenberg (38:57) of Falls Church, Virginia, and fourth-ranked Catherine Van Brocklin (39:37) of Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Second is Rose Malloy of Annapolis, who ran 1:22:02 at the Annapolis 10-Mile, to beat Van Brocklin (1:27:36). Malloy also beat fifth-ranked Meredith Bonta twice--36:11 at Annapolis's Dawson's Father's Day 5-Mile to beat Bonta's 39:49, and also 21:53 at Annapolis's Women's Distance Festival 5K to again beat Bonta (23:41).
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Alice Franks 55 Rockville, MD
2 Rose Malloy 55 Annapolis, MD
3 Freyda Greenberg 55 Falls Church, VA
4 Catherine Van Brocklin 57 Gaithersburg, MD
5 Meredith Bonta 58 Crofton, MD
6 Mary Napoleon 58 Batesville, VA
7 Chris Craun 58 Bethesda, MD
8 Nancy Avitabile 56 Bethesda, MD
9 Nancy Crippen 57 Stafford, VA
10 Jane Poole 56 Falls Church, VA
11 Betty Brothers 57 Virginia Beach, VA
12 Colleen Himelright 56 Fredericksburg, VA
13 Mary Saunders 59 Vinton, VA
14 Christy St. Clair 55 Fork, MD
15 Barbara Biasi 56 Yorktown, VA
16 June Schneider 57 Millersville, MD
17 Ann Hirn 58 Portsmouth, VA
Women 60 - 64
Sharon Dolan of Gaithersburg, Maryland, the 2003 champion, again leads the Summer rankings period, followed by 2003 runner-up Joan Coven of Williamsburg, Virginia. Dolan's biggest rankings challenge was the Bethesda's Burning Tree 5K, where Dolan (22:25) defeated third-ranked Dee Nelson (24:28) of Gaithersburg.
The second-ranked Joan Coven's best race was 22:37 at Williamsburg's Run for Mental Health 5K. Nelson gets third in a very close call over Priscilla Prunella (photo left of Prunella) of Rockville, Maryland. The two runners split in two decisions, with Nelson (27:24) defeating Prunella (28:01) at the Cross-Country 5K in Comus, Maryland, and Prunella (25:59) defeating Nelson (27:34) at the Gaithersburg Cross-Country 5K. Nelson gets the very slight edge due to more qualifying performances. Fifth is Judith Gilbert of Stevenson, Maryland, whose best performance was a 1:42:42 at the Leesburg 20K.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Sharon Dolan 61 Gaithersburg, MD
2 Joan Coven 62 Williamsburg, VA
3 Dee Nelson 60 Gaithersburg, MD
4 Priscilla Prunella 60 Rockville, MD
5 Judith Gilbert 60 Stevenson, MD
6 Nancy Jakubec 61 Richmond, VA
7 Muffet Chatterton 60 Crofton, MD
8 Elizabeth Schwartz 62 Laurel, MD
9 Mary Ann O'Connor 62 Reston, VA
10 Janet Newburgh 62 Rockville, MD
11 Jeannette Novak 60 Damascus, MD
Women 65 - 69
Winter and 2003 champion Tami Graf of Lusby, Maryland takes first in the 65-69 division. The only race featuring two of the top five runners was the Run for Roses 5K in Wheaton, Maryland, where Graf (27:24) defeated fourth-ranked Anna Berdahl (28:24) of Silver Spring, Maryland.
Second was Arlowene Garland of Warsaw, Virginia, whose best was a 26:55 at Fredericksburg's Run for Shelter 5K. Third-ranked E.C. Williams, the Spring champion, also ran under 27 minutes, recording a fine 26:57 at the Metro Run & Walk 5K in Vienna, Virginia. Jill Mottus of Baltimore is fifth. Her best race was a 29:19 at Baltimore's Women's Classic 5K.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Tami Graf 67 Lusby, MD
2 Arlowene Garland 65 Warsaw, VA
3 E.C. Williams 65 Reston, VA
4 Anna Berdahl 65 Silver Spring, MD
5 Jill Mottus 66 Baltimore, MD
6 Jamie Wollard 65 Rockville, MD
7 Pauline Ely 65 Hampton, VA
8 Nancy Fraser 67 Charlottesville, VA
9 Ann Manciagli 68 Williamsburg, VA
10 Lilli Metzger 68 Silver Spring, MD
11 Roberta Presby 68 Virginia Beach, VA
Women 70 - 74
Pat Ewell, the 2003 and Winter champion, takes the age group, defeating 2003 runner-up and Spring champion, Yvonne Aasen of Severna Park, Maryland. Ewell's edge is very narrow, and was based on number of qualifying performances, because none of the top five runners competed against each other. Ewell's best time was a 30:13 at Williamsburg's Warhill 5K.
Second-ranked Aasen ran a fine 1:03:06 at the Crofton 10K, and third-ranked Joanne Mallet of Rockville, Maryland recorded a 31:41 at the Women's Distance Festival 5K in College Park, Maryland. Jacqueline O'Neil of Washington, DC takes fourth, with a best of 1:09:40 at the Lawyers Have Heart 10K, and Lee Glassco of McLean, Virginia is fifth. Her best race was a 35:44 at Bethesda's Capital Crescent 5K.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Pat Ewell 70 Williamsburg, VA
2 Yvonne Aasen 72 Severna Park, MD
3 Joanne Mallet 70 Rockville, MD
4 Jacqueline O'Neil 72 Washington, DC
5 Lee Glassco 72 McLean, VA
Women 75 & Over
The oldest woman qualifier is 80-year-old Louise Akers of Christiansburg, Virginia, who also leads the category. She ran a fine 38:06 at the Salem Distance Run 5K. Second is Martha Trimmer of Baltimore, whose best was a 44:32 at Baltimore's MCVET 5K. Rounding out the category is Mildred Lieder of Silver Spring, Maryland.
Pl Name Age Hometown
1 Louise Akers 80 Christiansburg, VA
2 Martha Trimmer 75 Baltimore, MD
3 Mildred Lieder 77 Silver Spring, MD
See the Men's Summer 2004 WRR Runner Rankings