SJAC WINS 2003 USATF CLUB CHALLENGE!
Outscores other Mid-Atlantic Association clubs to defend 2002 title
The running of the Philadelphia Marathon and Rothman 8K races on Sunday November 23rd marked the completion of Mid-Atlantic USA Track Field's 2003 Grand Prix and Club Challenge. For the second year in a row the South Jersey Athletic Club won the Club Challenge. This 13 race series pitted teams of runners from running clubs in the Mid-Atlantic region, an area covering the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and all of Delaware against each other in a series lasting from March through November.
HAMPTON TAKES FIRST PLACE, FLANAGAN SECOND!
Gain awards in USATF Grand Prix
Joy Hampton of Clarksboro easily won the 2003 Grand Prix conducted by the Mid-Atlantic association of USA Track & Field. Competing in 10 events in the series, Hampton tallied 146 points, fifty percent more than her closest competitor. Along the way, Joy typically won her age group each race, separate from the USATF competition. Jim Flanagan of Haddonfield garnered second place honors in the Grand Prix. Jim held the runer up position alone after finishing in a tie for 2nd in the 2002 competition. Flanagan also competed in 10 series events, reaping many age group victories.
| Final Club Standings: | |
| South Jersey Athletic Club | 4935.632 |
| Pike Creek Vly Running Club | 4839.914 |
| Valley Forge Striders | 4821.766 |
| Bryn Mawr Running Co. | 2913.279 |
| Pineland Striders | 1049.839 |
| Philadelphia Masters | 376.729 |
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SJAC runners gather for a post race picture after the Stone Harbor Lions 10K in August
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Hampton (left) and Flanagan (right) in action at Caesar Rodney Joy and Jim were consistently SJAC's highest point scorers, accounting for one-third of their team's total points in the Club Challenge.
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| Several SJAC members tallied points in the Grand Prix competition. |
Rules of the competition
Runners for the participating clubs must be Mid-Atlantic USATF members. An unlimited number from each club may participate in each race with the five best age graded scoring runners counting towards their clubs points. At least one runner from the masters category and each gender must be represented among the five scoring runners.
The series began in March on St. Patrick's Day in Wilmington , DE at the 40th Annual Caesar Rodney Half Marathon and was followed just six days later by one of the area's fastest 5K races, the Bancroft 5K on SJAC's "home turf" in Haddonfield.
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The 2003 Age-Graded Competition
Final Results:
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Name
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Pts |
Name
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Pts | ||
| Joy | Hampton | 146 | David | James | 140 |
| Andrea | Niggemeier | 94 | James | Flanagan | 90 |
| Shirley | Geerling | 82 | Richard | Webb | 80 |
| Kara-Lynne | Kerr | 80 | Frank | Hopper | 72 |
| Robin | Jefferis | 74 | Robert | Taggart | 66 |
| -----------other SJAC Grand Prix point scorers--------------- | |||||
| Lori | Hageman | 48 | Nick | Pomponio | 14 |
| Denise | Dahlhoff | 28 | Joseph | Kopacz | 12 |
| Ann | Warsing | 28 | Chris | Scola | 10 |
| Rita | Alles | 14 | Ed | Maher | 10 |
| Brandon | Hamilton | 8 | |||
| 2003 Mid-Atlantic Association Grand Prix | |
| March 16 | Caesar Rodney Half Marathon |
| March 22 | Bancroft 5K |
| April 13 | Penn Relays Distance Classic 20K |
| May 4 | The Broad Street Run 10 Miles |
| May 17 | Law Enforcement 5K Unity Run |
| June 7 | Moorestown Rotary 8K Run |
| June 21 | Capital 5000 |
| August 24 | Stone Harbor Lions 10K Run |
| September 28 | Four Seasons Parkway 5K |
| October 12 | The Delaware Distance Classic 15K |
| October 26 | Radnor Run 5 Miler |
| November 23 | Philadelphia Marathon |
| November 23 | Rothman Institute 8K |
SJAC surged into the lead at the fifth race in the series, the Law Enforcement Unity 5K. Following closely behind were the Valley Forge Striders and the Pike Creek Valley Running Club. While remaining competitors during each race, a strong comradierie has developed among the participants from these three clubs over the two years this competition has been held.
CLUB MEMBERS EARN AWARDS DURING SERIES
Throughout the Grand Prix, SJAC members garnered many age group awards. In fact, the award ceremonies were typically dominated by members of the top three Club Challenge teams; SJAC, Valley Forge Striders and Pike Creek Valley Running Club.
Team SJAC with several age group awards after the Capitol 5000 in Harrisburg, PA….June 15, 2003
Thirty-six SJAC members participated in at least one eent in the Club Challenge series. Nineteen different club members contributed to the SAJC team scoring.
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SJAC is Mid-Atlantic
USATF club #14
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Interested in becoming a Mid-tlantic USATF member for 2004? You can appply online or print out an application from their website: