Open Women
Naoko Ishibe of Silver Spring is once again our women's open division champion. Ishibe posted three qualifying times this summer, including a second place finish at the ever important Rockville Rotary Twilight 8K, where she was not only second overall, but hammered the rest of competitors in this division. Ishibe finished nearly a minute ahead of the next ranked women in this division in a time of 27:43. Ishibe's fastest race, however, was a 16:37 showing at the Run for Recovery 5K.

The next two ranking places were determined at the Leesburg 10K, which was won by our second ranked runner; Samantha Bates of Falls Church, VA. Bates finished the course in 36:05, 40 seconds ahead of second place finisher Elizabeth Scanlon of Alexandria, who covered the course in 36:45. That performance, coupled with an overall victory at the tough Annapolis 10 Miler, was enough to earn Scanlon the third place ranking for the summer. Bates also finished the Sunrise 5K in third place with a time of 17:40, for her second qualifying time.

Alexandria's Sharon Servidio hangs on in the top five, grabbing the fourth slot on the strength of her performance at the Twilighter, where she finished in the top five overall with a time of 28:41 for her fastest race of the summer. Servidio also ran the Hartwood Ten Miler in 1:01:23 for her second qualifying time.

Finally, the last slot in the top five belongs to Westminster's Sherry Esposito, who had two qualifying races, including an overall victory at the St. Agnes Labor Day 5K, where she ran an impressive 18:26 and beat strong age group competition from Denise Knickman. Esposito's second qualifying time came at the Orioles Advocates 5K.

Place	Name	                Hometown
  1	Naoko Ishibe	        Silver Spring, MD
  2	Samantha Bates	        Falls Church, VA
  3	Elizabeth Scanlon	Alexandria, VA
  4	Sharon Servidio	        Alexandria, VA
  5	Sherry Esposito	        Westminster, MD
  6	Denise Knickman	        Baltimore, MD
  7	Emily Enstile	        Potomac, MD
  8	Kristin McCann	        Stafford, VA
  9	Liz Boyer	        Woodbridge, VA
 10	Julia Smith	        Tappahannock, VA
 11	Bridget Niland	        Alexandria, VA
 12	Eileen Fleck	        Washington, DC
 13	Vicki Lang	        Columbia, MD
 14	Lisa Reichmann	        Silver Spring, MD
 15	Mary Davison	        Chesapeake, VA
 16	Patsy Long	        Potomac Falls, VA
 17	Emily Potter	        Charlottesville, VA
 18	Kerrie Bowes	        Columbia, MD
 19	Kristin Bremer	        Baltimore, MD

Women 35 - 39
Our summer 35-39 women's titleholder is no stranger to the number-one ranking. Silver Spring's Patty Fulton has certainly been atop the rankings before, and this summer she earned her place in grand style, turning in six qualifying times, including an impressive sixth place finish at the Rockville Twilight 8K where she ran 28:57. Her fastest race of the season, however, was an overall race victory at the WaWa Hartwood 10 Miler, where she ran 1:00:29. Fulton also scored second place overall finishes at the Kentlands 5K, the Capital Crescent 5K, the Run for the Roses 5K, and the Cure Autism Now 5K.

Baltimore's Kelly Barton and Monica Grillo of Arlington battled it out on the course at the Annapolis 10 Miler, with Barton finishing in fourth place just over a minute ahead of Grillo and ensuring herself the runner-up slot in these rankings. Barton's 1:05:26 (39:19 10K equivalent) at the Annapolis race was her fastest effort of the season. Her other qualifying time was a 19:49 third place finish at the Annapolis Women's Distance Festival. Grillo, who is firmly seeded in the third position, got her second qualifying time at the Cure Autism Now 5K, where she finished eighth in 19:37.

Patsy Long, who aged up mid-way through the ranking period, earned the fourth slot, running three strong races after her 35th birthday. She won both the Reston Women's Distance Festival and Larry Noel Greenbelt 15K, and was third at the Leesburg 10K. Her fastest race of the season was the Greenbelt 15K where she ran 1:00:48.

La Vale's Maureen Hall is the only other woman in this group to score a 10K equivalent time (on a course we believe to be correctly measured) under 40:00. Hall ran Lisa's Run in 19:09, which translated to a 39:52 10K equivalent. She also ran the Katie DeRosa 5K, where she finished in 19:14.

Place	Name	                Hometown
  1	Patty Fulton	        Silver Spring, MD
  2	Kelly Barton	        Baltimore, MD
  3	Monica Grillo	        Arlington, VA
  4	Patsy Long	        Potomac Fall, VA
  5	Maureen Hall	        La Vale, MD
  6	Ellen O'Neill	        College Park, MD
  7	Julie Deutschmann	Columbia, MD
  8	Julie Pape	        Baltimore, MD
  9	Kendall Tata	        Virginia Beach, VA
 10	Carol Krill	        Stafford, VA
 11	Suzanne Cote	        Falls Church, VA
 12	Robyn Humphrey	        Ellicott City, MD
 13	Pam Balcke	        Charlottesville, VA
 14	Sophie Speidel	        Charlottesville, VA
 15	Lisa Fichman	        Columbia, MD
 16	Dana Smith	        Annapolis, MD

Women 40 - 44
Forty-three-year-old Lee DiPietro is the women's 40-44 winner this summer, by virtue of being much faster than any other woman in the division. She is the only woman capable of running sub- 38:00 10K equivalents, and she did so twice. At the Run for Recovery, she finished in 17:31 for her fastest race of the season, and at the Bel Air 5K she ran 17:56. At the Run for Recovery she was the second woman overall across the line, and at the Bel Air race she was third, but the first woman over 40 to cross the line.

Our second ranked runner had two overall wins, a top ten finish at a major race this summer, and a fifth place finish in her fourth qualifying race. Gretchen Triantos of Rockville won the Riley's Rumble Half Marathon in 1:30:15; however, on the very hilly and always hot course, this was her slowest performance of the summer. She also won the Capital Crescent 5K in 18:21 for her fastest race of the summer. She finished in the top ten at the Twilight 8K, finishing in 30:18. Just for good measure, she had a top five finish at the Run for the Roses, covering the 5K course in 18:43.

At the Twilighter, Baltimore's Eleanor Simonsick was just over a minute behind Triantos, and as such, has slipped nicely into the third spot in the women's 40-44 rankings. Simonsick also won both the Frederick Steeplechasers Women's Distance Festival and the BRRC Women's Distance Festival. She also finished just behind DiPietro at the Bel Air 5K, crossing the line in 18:45.

Julie Caprio tried to hunt down Simonsick on the course of the BRRC Women's Distance festival, but came up short, settling for third place in a time of 19:37. Her fastest race of the season came at the Hadassah Race for Research, where she ran 19:25 and captured the overall women's title, just ahead of age group rival Gloria Santarpia, who is our fifth ranked runner.

Twelve seconds behind Caprio at the Hadassah Race for Research was Santarpia, earning the final berth amidst the top five runners in this division. Santarpia had four other qualifying times as well. Her fastest race was a 19:03 at the St. Agnes Labor Day 5K where she was third overall (first master) in the women's division.

Place	Name	                Hometown
  1	Lee DiPietro	        Towson, MD
  2	Gretchen Triantos	Rockville, MD
  3	Eleanor Simonsick	Baltimore, MD
  4	Julie Caprio	        Baltimore, MD
  5	Gloria Santarpia	Odenton, MD
  6	Pat Wilkerson	        Baltimore, MD
  7	Debi Bernardes	        King George, VA
  8	Sheri Segal	        Virginia Beach, VA
  9	Fiona Branton	        Arlington, VA
 10	Beth McCann	        Falls Church, VA
 11	Carole Rosasco	        Arnold, MD
 12	Win Persina	        Washington, DC
 13	Robin Goodwin	        Timonium, MD
 14	Sheila Fees	        Gettysburg, PA
 15	Doris Windsand-Dausman	Frederick, MD
 16	Deborah Barnett	        Columbia, MD
 17	Sarah Buckheit	        Reston, VA
 18	Joan Nugent	        Silver Spring, MD
 19	Jennifer Lundeen	Port Republic, MD
 20	Karen Koffler	        Severna Park, MD
 21	Kathi Canese	        Arlington, VA
 22	Dorothy Beckett	        Columbia, MD
 23	Brenda Averette	
 24	Nelda Clelland	        Catonsville, MD
 25	Kiyoko Asao-Ragosta	Charlottesville, VA
 26	Cheryl Michael	        Richmond, VA

Women 45 - 49
The top two spots this summer in the women's 45-49 division were decided at the Rockville Rotary Twilight 8K, one of the two biggest races of the summer. Germantown's Linda Wack and Falls Church's Betty Blank went head to head, and Wack won the battle, finishing in the top 25 overall in 32:07, more than a minute ahead of Blank, who finished 33rd in 33:27. As a result, we have awarded Wack the title in this division, and Blank settles for second. Wack also finished fourth at the Riley's Rumble Half Marathon in 1:36:55.

To her credit, Blank ran two other races, including a top three finish at the Mitzvah 5K, where she finished in 19:05, and the DCRRC Women's Distance Festival, where she ran 20:38 to take fourth place. This, coupled with her strong performance at the Rockville race, is more than enough to secure her second-place position for the summer rankings.

Donna Lewis of Bel Air earns the third spot this summer, a result of her being the only other woman in the age group to score qualifying 10K equivalent times under 43:00. Lewis ran 20:36 at the Bel Air 5K, and 20:31 at the St. Agnes Labor Day 5K. Fourth place belongs to Columbia's Valerie Guilfoil, who earns her spot largely on the strength of a top ten finish, not far behind Lewis, at the St. Agnes race, running 20:54.

There was a battle for fifth and sixth places, which were decided at the Twilight 8K. McLean's Heather Sanders and Gaithersburg's Debbie Flynn finished less than 20 seconds apart, with Sanders coming out on top. As a result, Sanders grabs the final slot in the top five, and Flynn must settle for sixth.

Place	Name	                Hometown
  1	Linda Wack	        Germantown, MD
  2	Betty Blank	        Falls Church, VA
  3	Donna Lewis	        Bel Air, MD
  4	Valerie Guilfoil	Columbia, MD
  5	Heather Sanders	        McLean, VA
  6	Debbie Flynn	        Gaithersburg, MD
  7	Michelle Lybarger	Irvington, VA
  8	Sandy Andrew	        Salem, VA
  9	Renee West	        Cabin John, MD
 10	Kathleen Hibbert	Woodbine, MD
 11	Diana McWhite	        Virginia Beach, VA
 12	Jean Lauzon	        Spotsylvania, VA
 13	Carol Encarnacion	Germantown, MD
 14	Pamela Gooding	        York, PA

Women 50 - 54
The only woman in this division able to run a sub-45:00 10K equivalent is Rose Malloy, and, as such, she is our champion for the summer rankings. Malloy had only two qualifying times, the faster of which was a 21:07 at the Meadfest 5K. Malloy also finished an impressive 11th place at the Annapolis Women's Distance Festival in 21:24.

Second and third place in these rankings were earned running over hills at the Annapolis Ten Miler. Deb Gebhardt came out on top among ranked women in this division, finishing the race in 1:15:12 (45:12 10K equivalent), showing she was at her best when it counted. Behind Gebhardt at the Annapolis finish line was Maria Shields, who ran 1:17:13, a good enough performance to secure her third place ranking. And, to further support her ranking, Shields had two even faster performances--a 22:07 at the St. Agnes Labor Day 5K and a 22:10 at the Hadassah Race for Research 5K.

One of our southern Virginia runners, Norfolk's Jeanne Kruger- Williams, posted an age group win at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, blasting past the finish line in 1:43:39. Kruger- Williams also posted an age group triumph at the Norfolk Naval Station 8K, finishing in 47:17.

Finally, Ann Rose of Frostburg has claimed the final slot in the top five with a 22:44 at the Lisa's Run 5K, making her the next fastest woman to take to the racecourse in this division. Rose's other qualifying time was a 23:09 at the Katie DeRosa 5K.

Place	Name	                Hometown
  1	Rose Malloy	        Annapolis, MD
  2	Deb Gebhardt	        Adelphi, MD
  3	Maria Shields	        Crofton, MD
  4	Jeanne Kruger-Williams	Norfolk, VA
  5	Ann Rose	        Frostburg, MD
  6	Lynn Smith	        Harrisonburg, VA
  7	Judy Allen	        Cassanova, VA
  8	Christy St. Clair	Glen Arm, MD
  9	Edie Tress	        Baltimore, MD
 10	Judi Carbary	        Columbia, MD
 11	Brenda Avery	        Heathsville, MD
 12	Marilyn Bevans	        Baltimore, MD
 13	Dana Ann Scheurer	Reston, VA
 14	Linda Scandore	        Charlottesville, VA
 15	Melissa McLeod	        Norfolk, VA
 16	Martha Selonick	        Crownsville, MD
 17	Donna Akers	        Narrows, VA
 18	Laurie Dove	        Boyds, MD

Women 55 - 59
Eleven women in this age group managed to fight the heat of DC summer and participate in at least two races during this ranking period. Sharon Dolan of Gaithersburg is the victor in this age bracket, posting four qualifying times, including a 21:08 at the Katie DeRosa 5K. She was undefeated by the other ranked women in this division, and owned the four fastest times run this summer in this division, making her the clear winner.

Second and third for the summer belong to Linda Tice and Dee Nelson, respectively. Tice came out ahead of Nelson at the BRRC Women's Distance Festival, finishing in 22:34, more than two minutes ahead. Tice also ran a 1:17:36 at the hilly Annapolis Ten Miler to secure her second place ranking. Nelson, to her credit, had her best time at the St. John's 5K, where she ran 22:40. Nelson also had seven other qualifying times, making her the group's most prolific runner (another member of the 50+ Club! Editor).

Fourth place belongs to Sissy Logan of Salem, who earns her spot with two strong races, including a best time at the AEP Festival 5K where she ran 23:24. She was remarkably consistent, posting her second time at the Lewis Gale 5K in 23:47.

Finally, rounding out the top five in this bracket is Betty King of Crofton, who ran Virginia Beach's Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and finished in 1:48:48. Her second qualifying time was a 23:36 at the Annapolis Women's Distance Festival 5K.

Place	Name	                Hometown
  1	Sharon Dolan	        Gaithersburg, MD
  2	Linda Tice	        Glen Arm, MD
  3	Dee Nelson	        Gaithersburg, MD
  4	Sissy Logan	        Salem, VA
  5	Betty King	        Crofton, MD
  6	Meredith Bonta	
  7	Andrea Hess	
  8	Judith Gilbert	        Stevenson, MD
  9	Priscila Prunella	Rockville, MD
 10	Muffet Chatterton	Crofton, MD
 11	Julie Trapp	        Silver Spring, MD

Women 60 - 64
Charlottesville's Lis Villadsen takes the crown in the women's 60-64 division as a result of her 25:17 at the CTC Independence Day 5K, one of the fastest races (on an accurately measured course) turned in this ranking period by any runner ranked in this division. Villadsen's other qualifying time came at the Charlottesville Women's 4 Miler, where she ran 33:37.

Silver Spring's Anna Berdahl was the second fastest woman over 60 during this ranking period, turning in three qualifying times this summer. Berdahl's fastest race, and the second fastest 10K equivalent time run this summer by the women in this group, was a 25:44 at the Columbia Women's Distance Festival.

Third place in the rankings belongs to Arlowene Garland who had three qualifying times. She ran a 23:54 on the course at the 2001 Mental Health 5K; however, the course was short. Her other two times were a 1:32:58 at the WaWa Hartwood 10 Miler, and a 43:49 at the Heritage 5 Miler.

Betty Munden was the only woman in this group to run against any of the other ranked women. She defeated Sylvia Boecker twice this ranking period, at the Naval Station 8K and the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon. Munden's best race was a 43:51 at the Naval Station race.

Finally, rounding out the top five is Jill Mottus of Baltimore, who had her best race at the St. Agnes Labor Day 5K, running over the finish line in 26:53.

Place	Name	                Hometown
1	Lis Villadsen	        Charlottesville, VA
2	Anna Berdahl	        Silver Spring, MD
3	Arlowene Garland	Warsaw, VA
4	Betty Munden	        Norfolk, VA
5	Jill Mottus	        Baltimore, MD
6	Brenda Murray	        Chevy Chase, MD
7	Sylvia Boecker	        Williamsburg, VA

Women 65 - 69
The top two women in this division unfortunately did not run head to head at all this summer. In light of this fact, we have to base their rankings strictly on 10K equivalents. As a result, the number one ranking for the summer belongs to Lusby's Tami Graf, who had the two fastest times run by women in this division during the summer months. Her best performance was at the Leesburg 10K, where she beat out strong age group competition from Angela Craighead and Marjorie Lane, covering the course in 55:25. Her other race was a 27:02 at the Annapolis Women's Distance Festival.

Close behind Graf time-wise was Joanne Mallet of Rockville, who had her best performance at the Kentlands 5K, running 27:08 to beat out age group competitor Phyllis Altrogge. Because of this, we have awarded her the second place ranking in the division.

In recognition of her strong race at the tough Leesburg 10K, Angela Craighead, who finished behind Graf in 59:39, earns the third place ranking. That, however, was the slower of her two performances this spring; she also had a 1:31:02 (58:00 10K equivalent) at the Larry Noel Greenbelt 15K.

Phyllis Altrogge of McLean was the only other woman in this division to post 10K equivalents under the one hour mark, and, as a result, she earns the fourth place ranking for the summer. Altrogge's best race was a 27:54 at the Kentlands 5K.

Betty Dameron of Fredericksburg grabs the final slot in the top five women with two qualifying times. Dameron ran 48:54 at the Fredericksburg Lion's Club 5 Miler, and 1:43:56 at the WaWa Hartwood 10 Miler.

Place	Name	             Hometown
1	Tami Graf	        Lusby, MD
2	Joanne Mallet	        Rockville, MD
3	Angela Craighead	Potomac, MD
4	Phyllis Altrogge	McLean, VA
5	Betty Dameron	        Fredericksburg, MD
6	Yvonne Aasen	        Severna Park, MD

Women 70 - 74
Five women in the 70-74 division appear in the summer rankings. The leader of the pack in this division was Lee Glassco, who had the five fastest times run by any woman in this division. Glassco ran a 42:28 at July's Bastille Day 4 Miler, and also had strong showings at several area Women's Distance Festivals.

At the MCRRC Run for Roses, Glassco came in ahead of Mildred Lieder, who has earned second place in these rankings. Lieder's finish behind Glassco, coupled with her division win over Terry Hamilton at the PGRC Women's Distance Festival in a time of 38:58, was enough to make her the runner-up in this age group for the summer.

Terry Hamilton of Reston, however, was not far behind and is our clear third place finisher, as the result of her strong performance at the BRRC Women's Distance Festival, where she finished 50 seconds ahead of Lieder and over a minute and a half ahead of Martha Trimmer.

Trimmer, who also had four qualifying times, takes the fourth spot in this age division, a place she earned when she crossed the line ahead of Georgia Kaczmarek at the Orioles Advocates 5K. Kaczmarek, who had her best race at the Hadassah Race for Research 5K, with a time of 42:03, earns the final ranking spot in this group for the summer period.

Place	Name	                Hometown
1	Lee Glassco	        McLean, VA
2	Mildred Lieder	        Silver Spring, MD
3	Terry Hamilton	        Reston, VA
4	Martha Trimmer	        Grasonville, MD
5	Georgia Kaczmarek	Parkville, MD

Women 75 & Over
Only one woman earned the required two qualifying times during the summer ranking period to earn a ranking. Potomac's Kay Morrison had four qualifying times, including a 32:42 at the Kentlands 5K. And, even at age 75, Morrison is not shying away from the tough events, as she was on hand at Riley's Rumble Half Marathon, finishing in 2:39:17.

Place	Name	        Hometown
1	Kay Morrison	Potomac, MD