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Welcome to the Washington Running Report
Women Fall 2002
2002 Autumn WRR Runner Rankings
Women's Division
Dot Collins
January/February 2003
Washington Running Report
Open Women
The open women's division is always fairly large, and these young women tend to turn up at large races, so there is plenty of head-to-head competition. Still, we have never believed head- to-head competition to be the last word in all circumstances, since different runners may choose to focus on different races, particularly in a ranking period such as this one, when there are so many big races to select from. Arlington's Casey Smith (photo at left by Kathy Freedman) won the Army Ten Miler in October, with the fastest time run by a woman this fall (58:21, which translates to a 35:04 10K equivalent), and, as such, is clearly the top ranked woman in the open division. Smith backs this performance up with a 35:28 third place overall finish at the also important Georgetown Classic 10K.
No stranger to the top of the rankings is our runner-up this fall. Silver Spring's Naoko Ishibe, who turned in two very fast qualifying times, was not on hand for any of the season's huge races. Ishibe's 28:14 at the Kensington 8K, where she finished just inside the top ten, was the third fastest time run by a woman ranked in this division. Ishibe's other race was a 17:27 at the 3M 5K. We note that she ran 2:47:22 at the Berlin Marathon September 29 to qualify for the US Olympic Trials Marathon! (That may explain her absence from local races this fall. Editor)
Elizabeth Scanlon of Alexandria was on hand at the Army Ten Miler, and managed a third place finish among all the women, in 1:00:19, which is evidence enough that she belongs in the top three of the fall rankings. The next week, she won the Marine Corps Marathon in 2:57:27. Scanlon was also second at the National Capitol 20 Miler, where she ran 2:11:56.
Fourth place in the open division has been awarded to Cecily Tynan, for her two strong performances this fall--a 17:40 third place finish at the Paul VI Runfest, where she beat age group competition from Lory Gray, and a fifth place show at the Wings Over Loudoun 10K in 36:17, for her fastest show of the season.
Closing out the top five is Lauren Burawaski, who had her best run at the Ntelos 8K, where she ran 28:36, a 10K equivalent time of 36:18. Burawaski also ran the Harrisonburg 10 Miler, where she covered the course in 1:01:45.
Pl Name Hometown
1 Casey Smith Arlington, VA
2 Naoko Ishibe Silver Spring, MD
3 Elizabeth Scanlon Alexandria, VA
4 Cecily Tynan Sterling, VA
5 Lauren Burawaski Harrisonburg, VA
6 Megan McLaughlin Alexandria, VA
7 Kristin Barry Arlington, VA
8 Lory Gray Alexandria, VA
9 Delores Ware Virginia Beach, VA
10 Nadia Baadj Williamsburg, VA
11 Heather Hanscom Rockville, MD
12 Kristine Wilson Newport News, VA
13 Denise Knickman Baltimore, MD
14 Brett Romano Harrisonburg, VA
15 Julia Sith Tappahannock, VA
16 Sharon Donovan Arlington, VA
17 Lou Hohnka Herndon, VA
18 Katie Filipczyk Chevy Chase, MD
19 Sherry Esposito Westminster, MD
20 Hilary Cairns Washington, DC
21 Kerry Rodgers Washington, DC
22 Margaret Polcawich Durwood, MD
23 Erin Conroy Hawthorne, NY
24 Kristin McCann Quantico, VA
25 Meredith Faulkner Williamsburg, VA
26 Dara Ono Fort Carson, CO
27 Jennifer Quarles Williamsburg, VA
Women 35 - 39
Photo at left: Ly Pham of Alexandria, VA was 11th in women's 35 - 39 Photo by Kathy Freedman
As always, the women's submasters division is small, yet competitive. Only 12 women in this division earned the required two qualifying times during the fall season. However, these women were fast. Leading the group is Laura Nelson, the only woman in this crowd to run sub-40:00 10Ks. Nelson did this in both her races, turning in a 58:28 at the Great Allegeny 15K, and a 2:18:39 at the National Capital 20 Miler.
Since there was very little head-to-head competition in this division, rankings were assigned based on fastest performance of the season. Using the criteria, Betsy Berry, who ran the Pepsi 10K in 40:04, is the runner-up.
Third and fourth rank were a tough call, since the two women involved have almost identical 10K equivalent times, but they did not run head to head. In the end, we have awarded third to Susan Maher, who was third in her age division at the Army Ten Miler, where she ran 1:07:34 for her best showing of the season (40:36 10K equivalent). Our fourth ranked runner, Christy Prillaman, also had a 10K equivalent of 40:36. However, the race she selected was the Hilton Village 5K, where she crossed the line in 19:30. Both women also had 41:00 10K equivalent times-- Maher at the Kensington 8K, and Prillaman at the Mulberry Island Half Marathon.
Rounding out the top five in this division is Maureen Hall, who had her best race at the Autumn Glory 5K, where she ran 19:42. She also finished behind Nelson at the Great Allegeny 15K, where she ran 1:03:20.
Pl Name Hometown
1 Laura Nelson Waynesboro, VA
2 Betsy Berry Quinque, VA
3 Susan Maher Arlington, VA
4 Christy Prillaman Newport News, VA
5 Maureen Hall Lavale, MD
6 Robyn Humphrey Ellicott City, MD
7 Andrea Marsh Washington, DC
8 Kay Jones Fairfax Station, VA
9 Bonnie McDonald Roanoke, VA
10 Suzanne Scoggin Reston, VA
11 Ly Pham Alexandria, VA
12 Lana Marsh Fredericksburg, VA
Women 40 - 44
Photo at left: Gloria Santarpia of Odenton, MD 8th among women's 40 - 44 Photo by Kathy Freedman
The women's masters division is always among the largest groups included in the women's rankings, and this fall was no exception. An impressive 32 women earned the necessary two qualifying times to earn a slot in the fall 2002 rankings. Leading the group is Lee DiPietro, clearly the fastest woman in the group. DiPietro, who hails from Ruxton, MD, earns her slot essentially by being the only woman in the division capable of running sub-38:00 10K equivalents. DiPietro did this in both of her races this fall, running a 36:17 to finish fourth at the Georgetown Classic 10K, and a 2:53:22 to finish in the top 15 at the Baltimore Comcast Marathon, proving she is a strong competitor at a number of race distances.
In seventh place at the Georgetown Classic race, and in second place in these rankings, we find Maria Spinnler of Hagerstown, who was at her best at the big race, finishing in 38:34. Spinnler's second qualifying time was a 1:07:05 at the Virginia Ten Miler.
Third place in this division belongs to Laura Freix, who managed sub-40:00 10K equivalents in four of her six qualifying races. What assured her the third place finish, however, was her 38:41 finish just behind Spinnler at the Georgetown Classic 10K. Freix's fastest race, however, was actually a 38:39 at the United We Stand 10K, proving that her Georgetown results were no fluke.
Velda Kannewurf looked strong this fall, and managed to propel herself to a fourth place ranking. A 31:06 at the Ntelos 8K translates into a sub-40:00 10K equivalent, and was enough to keep Kannewurf ahead of the rest of her competition. Fifth and sixth place in this division were battled out at the King Henry 15K, where Kendall Tata and Debi Bernardes both stepped up to the line. In the end, Tata came across the finish in 11th place about a minute ahead of Bernardes, who finished 13th, with a time of 1:02:10. Tata's 1:01:08 finish gave her the distinction of the last woman in the group to run a sub-40:00 10K equivalent; thus she grabs the final slot in the top five, and Bernardes must settle for sixth.
Photo below: Carol Housaman of Woodbridge, VA, 32nd in women's 40 - 44
Pl Name Hometown
1 Lee DiPietro Ruxton, MD
2 Maria Spinnler Hagerstown, MD
3 Laura Freix Centreville, VA
4 Velda Kannewurf Mechanicsville, VA
5 Kendall Tata Virginia Beach, VA
6 Debi Bernardes King George, VA
7 Lisa Warren Sykesville, MD
8 Gloria Santarpia Odenton, MD
9 Sherry Volk Williamsburg, VA
10 Marjorie Boyd
11 Tammy Rall Stafford, VA
12 Deborah Barnett Columbia, MD
13 Valerie Plyler Newport News, VA
14 Carla Darr Vienna, VA
15 Brenda Averette Midlothian, VA
16 Beth McCann Falls Church, VA
17 Linda Fournier
18 Sandy Blasey Kensington, MD
19 Maribeth Cowan
20 Carole Rosasco Arnold, MD
21 Lynn Bridges Cumberland, MD
22 Christy Dale-Slavin Silver Spring, MD
23 Renee Butler Washington, DC
24 Sarah Buckheit Reston, VA
25 Karen Koffler Severna Park, MD
26 Victoria Trunnell McLean, VA
27 Kim Harwig Yorktown, VA
28 Robin Goodwin Timonium, MD
29 Maureen Cook Chantilly, VA
30 Wendy Ponvert Bethesda, MD
31 Cindy Conant Kensington, MD
32 Carol Housaman Woodbridge, VA
Women 45 - 49
Linda Wack, at age 46, is still one of the area's top performers. This fall, she finished just outside the top ten in 12th place at the Georgetown Classic 10K, with a time of 40:21, a time more than one minute faster than the next fastest 10K equivalent time. Wack's other qualifying time was a 36:39 at the Run Through the Grapevine 8K.
Second place in this division belongs to Richmond's Cecil Astrop, who had two strong performances this fall at races in the southern portion of our region. She had her fastest showing at the Autumn Harvest 10K, where she ran 41:28. Her second race was the Richmond Marathon, where she finished in an impressive 3:28:16, good enough for 31st place among the women.
Sharon White ran 33:00 at the Ntelos 8K, to lock up the third place position, a feat she accomplished by beating Falls Church's Betty Blank in head-to-head competition at the Richmond area race. At the Georgetown Classic 10K, age group constant Blank finished in 22nd place, with a time of 41:47, making her worthy of the fourth place ranking in this group. Of course, Blank had several other qualifying times, including the 33:20 finish behind White at the Ntelos 8K, and top ten finishes at the Paul VI Runfest and the Vanguard Run for Recovery.
Finally, rounding out the top five is Dorothy Winn, who earned her slot by running very quickly at the Norfolk Toys for Tots 5K, where she finished the course in 20:05, in what was actually the fourth fastest time of the season for the women ranked in this group. Unfortunately, she didn't participate in any head-to- head competition, so fifth was the highest ranking we are able to award.
Pl Name Hometown
1 Linda Wack Germantown, MD
2 Cecil Astrop Richmond, VA
3 Betty Blank Falls Church, VA
4 Dorothy Winn Norfolk, VA
5 Sharon White Richmond, VA
6 Alison Suckling
7 Mary Siemann Frostburg, MD
8 Karen Keefer Chambersburg, PA
9 Laurel Easterson Hampton, VA
10 Ofelia Perotti Alexandria, VA
11 Carol Talley Toano, MD
12 Ellie Murphy Baltimore, MD
13 Bernadette Flynn Fairfax, VA
14 Helene Burden Reston, VA
15 Deirdre Sugrue Mt. Airy, MA
16 Betsy Henderson Roanoke, VA
17 Merrilee Seidman Alexandria, VA
18 Molly Gerke
19 Karen Miller Roanoke, VA
20 Katharine Daragan Silver Spring, MD
21 Sharon Wake Richmond, VA
22 Liz Recto Lexington Park, MD
23 Valerie Gamache Arlington, VA
Women 50 - 54
Nothing has changed in the women's 50-54 division, as Winchester's Sandra Adams is on top once again. There is little dispute that Adams belongs at the top of the pile, as she has four of the top ten times run by women ranked in this group this fall, including second in division (first among the ranked) at both the Marine Corps Marathon and the Army Ten Miler, her fastest race in 1:11:53. Adams also was on hand at the Fair Lakes 8K and the National Capital 20 Miler.
Richmond's Linda Gulick is the runner-up this fall in the women's 50-54 division, an honor she earns on the strength of a 34:42 showing at the Ntelos 8K, representing the second fastest time run by a woman ranked in this division. Gulick also owns the third fastest time of the group, a 44:04 at the Autumn Harvest 10K.
At the United We Stand 10K, Deborah Gebhardt of Adelphi and Alice Franks of Rockville went head to head. Gebhardt finished in 45:31, with Franks close behind her, finishing in 46:14, good enough to earn Gebhardt the third place finish, with Franks taking fifth. Between Gebhardt and Franks, in the fourth place slot, we find Frostburg's Ann Rose, who collects her ranking on the strength of a 1:10:48 performance at the Great Allegeny 15K. Rose's other showing was a 23:22 at the Baltimore Women's Classic 5K.
Pl Name Hometown
1 Sandra Adams Winchester, VA
2 Linda Gulick Richmond, VA
3 Deborah Gebhardt Adelphi, MD
4 Ann Rose Frostburg, MD
5 Alice Franks Rockville, MD
6 Marjorie Marque Alexandria, VA
7 Janet Smith Harrisonburg, VA
8 Mary Egger Fairfax Station, VA
9 Sandy Salazar Columbia, MD
10 Linda Rose Baltimore, MD
11 Esther Buchser Abingdon, MD
12 Amy Rockhill Roanoke, VA
13 Jeanine Matte Arlington, VA
14 Maria Shields Davidsonville, MD
15 B. J. Derring Virginia Beac,h VA
16 Dana Ann Scheurer Reston, VA
17 Christy St. Clair Glen Arm, MD
Women 55 - 59
Photo by Kathy Freedman at left: Priscila Prunella of Rockville, MD, 16th in the women's 55 - 59 group
Norfolk's Jeanne Kruger-Williams is no stranger to the top slot, and this fall she finds herself in this position once again. She earns this honor with an age group win at the Marine Corps Marathon, one of the most important races of the fall season. At the overwhelmingly popular race, she ran 3:32:22, which equates to a 45:24 10K equivalent time, the fastest 10K equivalent run by any woman in this group. Kruger-Williams also ran the Norfolk Half Marathon and the Cape Henry 15K, to confirm her worthiness of the divisional victory this fall.
Second place was earned at the other big military sponsored race this fall, the Army Ten Miler, where Hideko Pirie fended off tough competition from runners like Dee Nelson and Lynn Hays, who were second and third in the division at the Army race. Pirie ran 1:16:47, well ahead of Nelson (1:22:21) and Hays (1:22:33) at her best race of the season. However, their performances at the Army Ten Miler were enough to earn Nelson and Hays the third and fourth rankings. Nelson was also on hand at the Fair Lakes 8K, where she finished in 39:11 behind Pirie (37:00), while Hays had a strong race at the Georgetown Classic, where her 50:46 performance put her less than two minutes behind Pirie.
At the 5K Run for Hospice at Ford's Colony, Hampton's Barbara Ivey beat Dee Nelson across the line, which was enough to let Ivey slide into the third place slot this fall. Ivey was a mere four seconds ahead of Nelson, finishing the race in 24:23 for her best race of the season. Ivey got her other qualifying time at the Mulberry Island Half Marathon, where she completed the course in 1:51:07.
Pl Name Hometown
1 Jeanne Kruger-Williams Norfolk, VA
2 Hideko Pirie Leesburg VA
3 Barbara Ivey Hampton, VA
4 Dee Nelson Gaithersburg, MD
5 Lynne Hays Arlington, VA
6 Judy Gilbert
7 Connie Friend Charlottesville, VA
8 Andrea Hess
9 Mary Kuta Rockville, MD
10 Ruth Hens
11 Sissy Logan Salem, VA.
12 Candice Michalik Lynchburg, VA
13 Barbara Davidson Fredericksburg, VA
14 Loida Velilla Falls Church, VA
15 Betty Brothers Virginia Beach, VA
16 Priscila Prunella Rockville, MD
17 Shelia Bailey Norfolk, VA
18 Lucia Davidson Arlington, VA
Women 60 - 64
There wasn't an abundance of head-to-head competition in this division, so rankings are based largely on 10K equivalent times. The exception to this rule, however, was the top slot, which was hotly contested between Washington's Barbara Szoradi and Jane Metzler of Falls Church. Szoradi and Metzler both lined up for the Georgetown Classic 10K, and Szoradi turned up at the finish line just under a minute ahead, with a time of 52:44, for her best run of the fall. Metzler, therefore, is runner-up in this division, finishing the Georgetown race in 53:27. Metzler also had a 50:59 at the United We Stand 10K.
Alexandria's Nancy Linck is our third place finisher this fall, going the distance at the Baltimore Comcast Marathon, finishing in 4:07:07. Linck also ran 2:04:20 at the LAWS Shelter Half Marathon, a good enough performance to firmly cement her third place spot.
Fourth place in these rankings belongs to Mary Kate Berglund of Richmond, who had the fourth fastest time run this season, an age group triumph over Margaret Broaddus at the Ntelos 8K. Berglunch also had a 44:23 performance at the King's Charter 8K, for her second qualifying time of the season.
Norfolk's Betty Munden is our fifth ranked finisher this fall, a title she earns with a 26:17 at the Toys for Tots 5K. Munden was also on hand at the Larchmont RAT Race 5K and the Cape Henry 15K.
Pl Name Hometown
1 Barbara Szoradi Washington, DC
2 Jane Metzler Falls Church, VA
3 Nancy Linck Alexandria, VA
4 Mary Kate Berglund Richmond, VA
5 Betty Munden Norfolk, VA
6 Donna Fitzgerald Leonardtown, MD
7 Margaret Broaddus Richmond, VA
8 Brenda Murray Chevy Chase, MD
9 Linda Simpson Annapolis, MD
10 Jill Mottus Baltimore, MD
11 Janet Newburgh Rockville, MD
12 Martha Lacy Roanoke, VA
Women 65 - 69
Four women in the 65-69 age bracket earn fall rankings in 2002. Lusby's Tami Graf is, not surprisingly, our age group winner. Graf is not only fast, but prolific, turning in nine qualifying times in the two-and-a-half month season. A 53:52 at the United We Stand 10K was her best showing this ranking period; however, she beat significant age group competition at other races. She ran 43:01 to beat second ranked Betty Dameron at the Fair Lakes 8K, which was enough to guarantee the top ranking.
Dameron had a good fall as well, turning in two qualifying times, the faster of which was a 59:51 at the Georgetown Classic 10K. Her second time was a 47:52 performance at the Fair Lakes race, where she finished behind Graf.
Third and fourth place were decided at the Ntelos 8K, where Mechanicsville's Shirley Wampler and Glen Allen's Barbara Guerrieri went head to head. Wampler finished ahead by nearly nine minutes, making her a clear favorite for the third place ranking, while Guerrieri must settle for fourth. The Ntelos race represented both women's season best showings, so there is little room for argument here.
Pl Name Hometown
1 Tami Graf Lusby, MD
2 Betty Dameron Fredericksburg, VA
3 Shirley Wampler Mechanicsville, VA
4 Barbara Guerrieri Glen Allen, VA
Women 70 - 74
Only two women in the 70-74 division earned the required two qualifying times. Severna Park's Yvonne Aasen is our top ranked runner this spring, turning in two qualifying times, the better of which was a 48:51 at the Down's Park Trail Run 5 Miler. Her second race was a 49:11 at the Dawson's Five Miler.
Washington's Jacqueline O'Neil had three qualifying times, and, as such, is the other woman ranked in this group. O'Neil was at her best at one of the biggest races of the fall, the Georgetown Classic 10K, where she turned in a 1:08:34 finish.
Pl Name Hometown
1 Yvonne Aasen Severna Park, MD
2 Jacqueline O'Neil Washington, DC
Women 75 & Over
Four women over the age of 75 earned rankings this fall, with Kay Morrison of Potomac leading the charge. Morrison had her best race at the Georgetown Classic 10K, where she ran 1:06:02, a performance she backed up with a 1:06:07 10K equivalent at the Somerset Back to School 8K and a 1:06:50 10K equivalent at the 3M 5K.
Monica Friedman of Silver Spring is our second ranked runner this fall, a title she earns with a 33:32 at the National Press Club 5K, and a 59:31 at the Kensington 8K.
Marque, who ran in behind Morrison at the Georgetown race, is our third ranked runner, with her best showing coming in Georgetown, where she ran 1:11:13. Finally, Christianburg's Louise Akers rounds out this group, turning in her best time at the Stop the Clock 5K, where she ran 37:17.
Pl Name Hometown
1 Kay Morrison Potomac, MD
2 Monica Friedman Silver Spring, MD
3 Hedy Marque Alexandria, VA
4 Louise Akers Christiansburg, VA
See the Men's Autumn 2002 WRR Runner Rankings