B.A.A. Women Capture Third USATF National Club Cross Country Championship

Billed as Mudville 2006: The Battle By the Bay, the eighth annual USATF National Cross Country Club Championship held on December 9 in San Francisco, CA, did not disappoint. Rain the night before the championship left the storied course at Golden Gate Park soft and challenging. "It really sapped a lot of their strength", noted B.A.A. women's coach Jeff Staab, "but they ran tough and pulled off a terrific victory. It was great to finish as champions again."

For the B.A.A. women, winning the National Championship is a familiar feeling and an annual goal. Winners in the inaugural race in 1998 and again in 2000, the women have been runners-up twice (in 2003 and again last year) and have never finished lower than fourth place. Their victory this year ties the record for most USATF National Club Cross Country Championship titles at three.

The women had stiff competition from See Jane Run, a local California team that had won the previous two titles, and the Wisconsin Runner Racing Team. Traveling from the East Coast on Thursday, the women, who won the USATF-New England Cross Country title last month, were determined to bring the championship back home to New England. A mere 18 points separated the three teams, but strong performances all around sealed the win for the B.A.A..

Kasie Enman had another spectacular performance, finishing seventh overall and third association runner (individuals not competing as a part of a USATF Association team are removed from the scoring). Enman, who was fourth at the USATF New England Cross Country Championships and 12th at the Mayor's Cup Cross Country, improved upon her 14th place finish last year.

In her second time competing at the Club Nationals, Duxbury native and former Boston College standout Julie Spolidoro finished 19th overall, a huge improvement over her 57th-place finish in 2004. She was followed by another former B.C. great, Jennifer Donovan, in 39th place. Veteran cross country runner Mary Proulx was the fourth B.A.A. runner across the line, placing 59th. Both Proulx and Enman share the distinction of having won team bronze at this championship in 2004, silver in 2005, and now the coveted gold medal in 2006.

Rounding out the scoring for the B.A.A. was Brett Ely in 68th place overall. Running in her first cross country race since the 2004 Club Nationals, Ely, who qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon at The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in October, was determined to compete and help the team to the title.

Strong performances were also turned in by Emily LeVan, a specialist in the marathon where she has twice finished as the top American woman at Boston, and Lisa Cappello and Katie Twarog who also placed in the top half of the record field of 250 runners.

The B.A.A. men, who finished fifth at the 2005 championship, had a strong top-ten performance. Overcoming a fall by Jason Bialka early in the race and a side-stich that impacted Mark Miller's performance, the team finished a solid eighth in the 42-team field.

Patrick Moulton led the team with his 34th-place finish overall. Ben Schmeckpepper also finished in the top 50, taking 40th place in the highly competitive field.

The B.A.A. also had an individual USATF National Club Cross Country Champion in the 50-54 age division. Ken Leinbach moved from third to first over the last 800 meters of the race to pull-off a 1-second victory.

The 2006 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships featured the elite clubs from across the United States. The top post-collegiate teams compete annually for top honors and bragging rights as the nation's best cross country teams. This year, a record 60 clubs and 1200 competitors took part in the event.

The Open Men's 10k race was won by former Big 10 Cross Country Champion Matt Downin, who broke away at the 8K mark to capture his second USATF National Club Cross Country title. Arizona State University standout Amy Hastings, the 2005 NCAA Indoor 5,000m champion who still has eligibility remaining in indoor and outdoor track, won the women's 6-kilometer race.

In the men's team competition, ZAP Fitness, who finished third at the 2006 Mayor's Cup, held off Team XO to claim their first team title.

WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS 1. Boston Athletic Association 140 points (3. Kasie Enman, 20:49; 11. Julie Spolidoro, 21:21; 28. Jennifer Donovan, 21:44; 45. Mary Proulx, 22:03; 53. Brett Romano, 22:12; 69. Emily LeVan, 22:31; 84. Lisa Cappello, 22:45 ; 85. Katie Twarog, 22:46) 2. Wisconsin Runner Racing Team 147 3. See Jane Run 158

MEN'S TEAM RESULTS 1. ZAP Fitness 52 points 2. Team XO 83 3. Asics Aggie Running Club 136 4. Run Flagstaff 160 5. Team Good River 162 6. Wisconsin Runner Racing 201 7. Boulder Running Co./adidas 228 8. Boston Athletic Association 280 (29. Patrick Moulton, 31:30; 35. Benjamin Schmeckpeper, 31:42; 54. Sean Nolan, 32:10; 65. Josh Ferenc, 32:24 ; 77. Jason Bialka, 32:30; 114. Ramon Laboy, 33:13; 126. Mark Miller, 33:36)