Open Women
Pennsylvania's Misti Demko was in our area several times and crushed the local competition in the two area races she ran. She was fifteenth overall (first American woman) at the Fila Baltimore 5K where she ran her fastest time of the season, finishing in 15:56 for the fastest women's qualifying time among the ranked runners. Demko's other race was second place finish at Baltimore's Avon Running 5K, where she beat tough competition from perpetual top finisher Naoko Ishibe by a mere two seconds.

Our second place ranking belongs to Sterling's Carole Zajac- Tynan, who hung close to Demko at the Fila Baltimore 5K, finishing in the top twenty overall with a time of 16:13 for her fastest run of the fall. She had a third place finish at the Outback Steakhouse Corridor Classic 8K, beating out tough age group competition from youngster Heather Hanscom, Bridget Quenzer, and Melissa Rittenhouse. She was also the winner of the Richmond NTELOS 8K, where she beat Beth Green, who earns the third ranking. Green had her best race at the NTELOS 8K, where she finished in 26:16, good enough for third place among the women. Green also won the AllTell Capital City 10K.

Naoko Ishibe, who hails from Silver Spring, was behind Demko by only seconds at the Avon 5K; however, the supreme performances by Zajac-Tynan and Green have relegated Ishibe to the fourth slot this fall. Ishibe's 16:59 at the Avon 5K was, in fact, her fastest race this fall. Her other qualifying time was a women's division victory at the Jones Falls 8K, where she ran 28:45.

Finally, rounding out the top five this fall is Annandale's Cathy Pugsley, who just edges 23-year-old Heather Hanscom for the final berth among the top five. Pugsley and Hanscom ran head- to-head at the Vanguard National Run for Recovery, where Pugsley finished in second place, running in six seconds ahead of Hanscom in 17:05.

Place	Name	                Hometown
  1	Misti Demko	        Hershey, PA
  2	Carole Zajac-Tynan	Sterling, VA
  3	Beth Green	        Richmond, VA
  4	Naoko Ishibe	        Silver Spring, MD
  5	Cathy Pugsley	        Annandale, VA
  6	Heather Hanscom	        Alexandria, VA
  7	Sharon Servidio	        Alexandria, VA
  8	Elizabeth Scanlon	Alexandria, VA
  9	Denise Knickman	        Baltimore, MD
 10	Sherry Esposito	        Westminster, MD
 11	Dolores Ware	        Virginia Beach, VA
 12	Bridget Quenzer 	Catonsville, MD
 13	Melissa Rittenhouse	Baltimore, MD
 14	Vicki Lang	        Columbia, MD
 15	Robin Oswald	        Washington, DC
 16	Connie Buckwalter	Lancaster, PA
 17	Vicki Boyer	
 18	Catherine Phillips	Lynchburg, VA
 19	Kristen McCann	        Stafford, VA
 20	Aurora Scott	        Portsmouth, VA
 21	Suzanne Laprade	        Richmond, VA
 22	Karen Ghalib	        Hunt Valley, MD
 23	Kathy Hoof	        Richmond, VA
 24	Maureen Lanning	        Richmond, VA
 25	Kerrie Bowes	        Columbia, MD
 26	Kristin Bremer	        Baltimore, MD
 27	Stephanie Smith	        Tappahanock, VA
 28	Karen Killeen	        Winston-Salem, NC
 29	Margaret Polcawich	Rockville, MD
 30	Julie Hayes	        Arlington, VA
 31	Margie Shapiro	        Annandale, VA
 32	Kristin Milot	        Haymarket, VA

Women 35 -- 39
The women's 35-39 division is always a competitive bunch, and this fall, Hagerstown's Maria Spinnler is our top finisher. Spinnler earned her top ranking with an age group triumph over Waynesboro's Laura Nelson at the Great Allegany 15K, where Spinnler ran 54:30 for her fastest race of the fall. Spinnler's other qualifying time was a top five finish in 18:06 at the Baltimore Avon Running 5K.

Monroeville's Tammy Slusser and Patty Fulton did battle at the Montgomery County Marathon In The Parks, and Slusser edged Fulton 2:55:38 to 3:02:59 so Slusser is awarded our runner-up ranking in the division, while Fulton must settle for third. Slusser was also fourth at the NTELOS 8K in 28:46 for her second qualifying time, while Fulton turned in a 29:15 at the Kensington 8K for her second (and fastest) qualifying time.

Laura Nelson, who was right on target at the Allegany race, grabs our fourth slot, largely on the basis of her finish just behind Spinnler. Nelson also ran the inaugural Baltimore Marathon in 3:04:05 and the Harrisonburg 10 Miler in 1:05:38.

Finally, Sterling's Patsy Long claims the fifth and final spot in the upper echelon of these rankings for the division. We've awarded her the fifth place finish in recognition of her very impressive run at the Georgetown Classic 10K, where she finished in the top fifteen in 38:58. Patsy also won the Wings Over Loudoun 10K.

Place	Name	                Hometown
  1	Maria Spinnler	        Hagerstown, MD
  2	Tammy Slusser	        Monroeville, PA
  3	Patty Fulton	        Silver Spring, MD
  4	Laura Nelson	        Waynesboro, VA
  5	Patsy Long	        Sterling, VA
  6	Maureen Hall	        Lavale, MD
  7 	Phillippa Wellborn	Potomac, MD
  8	Kelly Barton	        Baltimore, MD
  9	Kendall Tata 	        Virginia Beach, VA
 10	Tamara Rall	        Stafford, VA
 11	Edie Ashton	        Mclean, VA
 12	Kay Jones	        Fairfax Station, VA
 13	Carol Krill	        Stafford, VA
 14	Andrea Wagner	        Richmond, VA
 15	Dona Elder	        Forest, VA
 16	Lisa Buckman-Lewis	Virginia Beach, VA
 17	Diane Haupt	        Virginia Beach, VA
 18	Vicki Suttle	        Alexandria, VA
 19	Suzanne Scoggin,	Reston, VA
 20	Debbie Kopecky 	        Virginia Beach, VA

Women 40 - 44
Masters runner and triathlete extraordinaire, Lee DiPietro leads the masters division this fall, an honor she earns by simply being the fastest woman out there. DiPietro had two qualifying times this fall, both representing top ten finishes. Her best race was a seventh place finish at the Outback Steakhouse Corridor Classic where she ran over the line in 29:44. She also finished sixth at the Avon Running 5K in 18:29.

At the Outback race, Rockville's Gretchen Triantos was just behind DiPietro, finishing in 30:34, good enough for a tenth place finish and enough to earn her the second place ranking for the fall. Triantos's fastest race, however, came at the Rockville MTA 5K where she ran 18:27 to win the women's race.

King George's Debi Bernardes grabs the third place ranking behind DiPeitro and Triantos, though she didn't face either woman in head-to-head competition. She was, however, impressive in the races she ran, cruising to a top ten finish at the SunTrust SunTrust Richmond Marathon in 3:10:16. Her fastest race was a 39:05 at the Georgetown Classic 10K, where she finished in the top fifteen.

Annapolis's Jill Hargis, never a stranger to the top tier of women in her age group, places fourth this fall, based on two strong performances at the Jones Falls 8K and Dawson's Five Miler. She was at her best at Jones Falls, where she ran 31:17. Finally, Baltimore's Pat Wilkerson snatches the final berth in the top five of this division with a 19:20 performance at the Avon Running 5K.

Place	Name	                Hometown
  1	Lee DiPietro	        Baltimore, MD
  2	Gretchen Triantos	Rockville, MD
  3	Debi Bernardes	        King George, VA
  4	Jill Hargis	        Annapolis, MD
  5	Pat Wilkerson	        Baltimore, MD
  6	Win Persina	        Washington, DC
  7	Gloria Santarpia	Odenton, MD
  8	Marjorie Boyd	        Annapolis, MD
  9	Julie Caprio	        Baltimore, MD
 10	Franziska Grieder	Kensington, MD
 11	Carole Rosasco	        Arnold, MD
 12	Beth McCann	        Falls Church, VA
 13	Lisa Coleman	        Sykesville, MD
 14	Cinda O'Dell	        Virginia Beach, VA
 15	Pat Keating	        Clarksville, MD
 16	Kathy Hall	        Richmond, VA
 17	Pamela Cook	        Chantilly, VA
 18	Carolyn Wilson	        Millwood, MD
 19	Brenda Averette	        Midlothian, VA
 20	Deborah Barnett	        Columbia, MD
 21	Julie Hayden	        Ashburn, VA
 22	Sarah Buckheit	        Reston, VA
 23	Renee Butler	        Bethesda, MD
 24	Chris Newsham	        Alexandria, VA
 25	Yolanda Washington	Baltimore, MD
 26	Berandette Flynn	Fairfax, VA
 27	Jean Betz	        Cabin John, MD
 28	Karen Koffler	        Severna Park, MD
 29	Joan Nugent	        Silver Spring, MD

Women 45 - 49
Germantown's Linda Wack is back in the rankings and back on top this fall, winning the women's 45-49 division easily. Wack beat out tough age group competition from Betty Blank at both the Outback Steakhouse Corridor Classic (12th place) and the Georgetown Classic 10K (18th place), to prove that she is truly the fastest runner in this group.

Our second place finisher hails from the southern reaches of our region. Richmond's Cecil Astrop ran 3:14:55 at the SunTrust Richmond Marathon, which was an impressive enough performance to earn her the runner-up place in the fall rankings. Astrop's fastest race was a masters victory at the AllTell Capital City 10K in 40:56.

Blank, our third ranked runner, had a total of seven qualifying times, with the fastest being a 19:40 at the Baltimore 5K. She also finished just outside the top ten at the NTELOS 8K, where she crossed the line in 32:17. A mere seven seconds behind Blank at the Baltimore 5K was Donna Lewis of Bel Air, and she earns the fourth place ranking. Lewis's other qualifying time was a very respectable 20:50 at the Avon 5K.

Finally, our fifth place finisher for the fall is Norfolk's Dorothy Winn who had her best performance at the Neptune Festival 8K, where she turned in a 33:24 and beat out age group competition from Christie Wamsley, Diana McWhite, Diana Harper, and Evie Thomson. Winn also had three other qualifying times, including the F.O.P. Ten Miler and the Norfolk Half Marathon.

Place	Name	                Hometown
  1	Linda Wack	        Germantown, MD
  2	Cecil Astrop	        Richmond, VA
  3	Betty Blank	        Falls Church, VA
  4	Donna Lewis	        Bel Air, MD
  5	Dorothy Winn 	        Norfolk, VA
  6	Nancy Ferris	        Goode, VA
  7	Valerie Guilfoil,	Columbia, MD
  8	Katharine Daragan	Wheaton, MD
  9	Stephanie Shipp	        Great Falls VA
 10	Bonnie Legro	        Baltimore, MD
 11	Barbara Bandiera	Glen Allen, VA
 12	Evie Thomson	        Virginia Beach, VA
 13	Christie Wamsley	Colonial Heights, VA
 14	Donna Harper	        Virginia Beach, VA
 15	Diana McWhite	        Virginia Beach, VA
 16	Cathy Renkiewicz,	Burke, VA
 17	Mimi Fackler	        Norfolk, VA
 18	Claudia Perkins	        Hampton, VA
 19	Suanne Shocket	        Manassas, VA
 20	Lili Wang	        Gaithersburg, MD

Women 50 - 54
Chapel Hill's Barbara Matthewson was in the area for two races this ranking period, and she is undoubtedly the fastest women over 50 running in our area. She had two nearly identical 10K equivalent times this fall: a 1:13:16 (44:02 10K equivalent) at the FOP Ten Miler and a 34:47 (44:09 10K equivalent) at the Neptune Festival 8K. Both races provided tough age group competition from Jeanne Kruger-Williams, who ends the ranking period in third place this fall.

Our second ranked runner, however, is Sandra Adams who earns her ranking on the strength of a 2:34:35 finish at the DCRRC National Capital 20 Miler. Adams was also on hand at the Fairlakes 8K in 35:31. Unfortunately, she didn't run head to head with any age group competition at either race; however, in recognition of the fact that she is faster than anyone except Matthewson, we have awarded her the runner-up ranking.

Kruger-Williams from Norfolk, who finished behind Matthewson at the Neptune Festival and the FOP Ten Miler, was good enough this period to earn the third place ranking. In addition to these two strong performances against Matthewson, Kruger-Williams headed north for the Marine Corps Marathon, and finished the course in 3:30:11, good enough to win her age division and cement her place in the top three this fall.

Adelphi's Deborah Gebhardt is the fourth ranked runner this fall, a place she earns with age group triumphs at the Georgetown Classic 10K and the Avon Running 5K, where she beat out fifth-ranked runner Maria Shields. Shields earns the fifth place ranking as a result of her strong finish at the Avon Running 5K in 22:14 and her 3:50:20 finish at the inaugural Baltimore Marathon.

Place	Name	                Hometown
  1	Barbara Matthewson	Chapel Hill, NC
  2	Sandra V. Adams	        Winchester, VA
  3	Jeanne Kruger-Williams	Norfolk, VA
  4	Deborah Gebhardt	Adelphi, MD
  5	Maria Shields	        Crofton, MD
  6	Marge Rosasco	        Joppa, MD
  7	Dana Ann Scheurer	Reston, VA
  8	Marjorie Marque	        Alexandria, VA
  9	Marilyn Bevans	        Baltimore, MD
 10	Lynda Furr	        Fairfax Station, VA
 11	Melissa McLeod	        Norfolk, VA
 12	BJ Derring	        Virginia Beach, VA
 13	Terry Miffleton	        Richmond, VA
 14	Linda Rose	        Baltimore, MD
 15	Christy St. Clair	Fork, MD
 16	Gay Legg	        Towson, MD
 17	Betty B. Brothers	Virginia Beach VA
 18	Linda Willett	        Mechanicsville, VA
 19	Joanne D'agostino 	Virginia Beach, VA

Women 55 - 59
Eleven women in the 55-59 division earned the two qualifying times necessary to earn a fall ranking. At the front is Linda Tice of Glen Arm, who earns the top slot as a result of the three fastest times run by women ranked in this group. Her best race was a 21:10 at the Maryland Komen Race for the Cure; however, she was also on hand at the Vanguard Run for Recovery and the Avon Running 5K.

Behind Tice is Gaithersburg's Dee Nelson who turned in the next two fastest times, good enough to earn herself the runner-up position. Her fastest race was a 23:43 at the Great Frederick Fair 5K.

Charlottesville's Connie Friend, who had two strong races including a second place in her division at the Lynchburg BB&T 10 Miler where she ran 1:25:56, has been awarded our third place ranking. Her fastest race, however, was a 39:12 at the NTELOS 8K.

Andrea Hess of Midlothian is our fourth ranked runner, a distinction she earns on her 50:20 finish at the AllTell Capitol City 10K. Hess also ran the Norfolk Half Marathon, finishing in 1:55:14.

Finally, grabbing fifth place in the rankings is Hampton's Barbara Ivey, who was behind Friend at the Lynchburg race, finishing in 1:29:07 for fourth in the division. This, coupled with her 23:43 finish at the Hilton Village 5K, is enough to get her into the top five women in the division.

Place	Name	                Hometown
  1 	Linda Tice	        Glen Arm, MD
  2	Dee Nelson	        Gaithersburg, MD
  3	Connie Friend	        Charlottesville, VA
  4	Andrea Hess	        Midlothian, VA
  5	Barbara Ivey	        Hampton, VA
  6	Chris Craun	        Bethesda, MD
  7	Judith Gilbert	        Stevenson, MD
  8	Nancy Linck	        Alexandria, VA
  9	Julie Trapp	        Silver Spring, MD
 10	Priscila Prunella	Rockville, MD
 11	Joan Smith	

Women 60 - 64
Lancaster PA's Heide Moebius came to town to run several races this fall and ran away with the top ranking in the women's 60-64 division. She was fastest at the Avon Running 5K, where she took care of the age group competition, running over the line in 24:35. She isn't afraid of long distances either, as she tackled the SunTrust Richmond Marathon as well, covering the course there in 4:31:31.

Washington's Barbara Szdradi is our second place finisher, with a strong race at the Georgetown Classic 10K, where she ran 52:19. She also took on the Marine Corps Marathon, running 4:15:20. Anna Berdahl of Silver Spring was at her best at the Outback Steakhouse Corridor Classic 8K, where she ran 42:55.

Baltimore's Jill Mottus finished the Maryland Komen Race for the Cure in 26:20, for her best performance of the fall, and as such, gains the fourth place ranking. She was also the most prolific runner in this group, posting seven qualifying times.

Finally, Mary Kate Berglund of Richmond was our final top five runner in this group, posting a 43:35 at the NTELOS 8K for her fastest race of the fall. She also turned in a 28:50 at the Run for Read 5K.

Place	Name	                Hometown
1	Heide Moebius	        Lancaster,  PA
2	Barbara Szdradi	        Washington, DC
3	Anna Berdahl	        Silver Spring, MD
4	Jill Mottus	        Baltimore, MD
5	Mary Kate Berglund	Richmond, VA
6	Betty Munden	        Norfolk, VA

Women 65 - 69
The women's 65-69 division is led once again by Lusby's Tami Graf, who is certainly no stranger to the top slot. Graf is simply the fastest woman in this division, as she owns the five fastest times run by the women ranked in this group. Her fastest race was a 25:11 at the Goblin Gallop. It is also worth mentioning that she finished just outside the top fifty at the Outback Corridor Classic, finishing in 41:57.

Potomac's Angela Craighead tackled two marathons this fall, and in doing so earns second place for the fall. At the Marine Corps Marathon she turned in an impressive 4:35:26, to win the women's 65-69 division. And, she was back up and running just a few weeks later, cruising across the line at the Montgomery County Marathon In The Parks in 4:40:25.

Phyllis Altrogge of McLean was behind Graf in the age group competition at three local races this fall; the Goblin Gallop, the Vanguard Run for Recovery and the Kensington 8K. Her consistent running this fall is enough to earn third place.

Rounding out the top five in this division we find Washington's Betsy Levin and Baltimore's Joanne Shecter. Levin's best race was 1:02:33 at the Rockville MTA 10K, while Shecter's best effort was a 30:26 showing at the Fila Baltimore 5K.

Place	Name	                Hometown
1	Tami Graf	        Lusby, MD
2	Angela Craighead	Potomac, MD
3	Phyllis Altrogge	McLean, VA
4	Betsy Levin	        Washington, DC
5	Joanne Shecter	        Baltimore, MD
6	Barbara Guerrieri	Richmond, VA

Women 70 - 74
Four women in the 70-74 division crossed the line ahead of the qualifying standard at least twice this fall, collecting rankings for themselves. Leading the charge was McLean's Lee Glassco, who had the fastest qualifying time by the ranked runners in this division. Glassco ran 32:24 at the Vanguard National Run for Recovery. She also turned in a 34:23 at the Race for Cooperative Development.

Second place in this division belongs to Washington's Jacqueline O'Neil, who had her best race at the 3M 5K where she ran 32:56. Third in the division is held by Martha Trimmer, who hails from Grasonville. Trimmer ran 39:17 at the Jones Falls 8K, for her best showing of the fall ranking period.

Finally, closing out the division is Reston's Terry Hamilton, who turned in her best performance at the Fair Lakes 8K where she ran 1:06:20.

Place	Name	             Hometown
1	Lee Glassco	        McLean, VA
2	Jacqueline O'Neil	Washington, DC
3	Martha Trimmer	        Grasonville, MD
4 	Terry Hamilton	        Reston, VA

Women 75 & Over
One woman over the age of 75 earned the required two qualifying times to earn a spot in the fall rankings. Eighty-four year-old Hedy Marque of Alexandria completed the Avon Running 5K and the Vanguard National Run for Recovery under the qualifying standard to earn her place. Marque's best performance was a 31:36 at the Avon Running 5K.

Place	Name	        Hometown
1 	Hedy Marque	Alexandria, VA