GVH, Checkers AC, Syracuse TC All Compete Well at National Club Championships in Washington

Niagara Results Scoreboard 

On Saturday (14-Dec) 28 athletes and six (6) teams from USATF Niagara competed in the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships at Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place, Washington. A total of 1416 athletes and 205 teams competed in the five championship races (Open Men 10 km, Open Women 10 km, Masters Women 6 km, Masters Men 40+ 10 km; Masters Men 60+ 8 km). 

It was a gray day, with winds gusting in off the Puget Sound up to 40 miles per hour. Temperatures were in the upper 40s with rain holding off until afternoon.
 
The Niagara highlights were:

OPEN 

In the men's 10 km race Brennan Root (Genesee Valley Harriers) ran to a 109th place finish in a field of 407 runners representing 51 scoring teams. He stopped the clock at 34:26 on a day that many ran up to two minutes slower than typical. His GVH teammates Nick Ferri and Kevin Johnson finished 295th and 370th, respectively.

In the women's 6 km open race Katie Lembo (Genesee Valley Harriers) stopped the clock at 22:13 finishing 44th in the field of 297 runners. Her GVH teammates Wallace Wallace and Mary Manzari finished 252nd and 286, respectively.

MASTERS

In the men's masters 8 km race, the highlight of the day was the second place team finish by the Genesee Valley Harriers 60+ team. The squad's scorers were Alan Evans (5th 60-64; 31:45), Joseph Mora (10th 60-64; 32:42), and Mike Nier (16th 60-64; 33:36). Their team score was 25 points trailing only the 18 points scored by the TC Running Company from Minnesota. A total of 19 teams competed in the 60+ division. In the M70+ team competition the Genesee Valley Harriers and Syracuse Track Club finished sixth and ninth, respectively in the field of 13 teams. The GVH team scorers were James Robinson (4th 70-74; 36:46), Gene Jensen (19th 70-74; 41:08), and Mitch Moore (29th 70-74; 43:13). The Syracuse TC scorers were Ted Larison (18th 70-74; 40:38), John Eckert (27th 70-74; 42:22), and James Foster (32nd 70-74; 44:24).

In the women's masters 6 km race, the Checkers Athletic Club finished a strong fourth in the 40+ team scoring with 61 points. Their scorers were Jennifer Keenan (3rd 40-44; 23:25), Jennifer Boerner (8th 40-44; 23:59), and Amy McMahon (4th 55-59; 26:35). Team Red Lizard from Oregon won with 21 points. In the 50+ team competition, the Genesee Valley Harriers finished 11th with Cassandra Crane (17th 55-59; 31:25), Sandra Gregorich (22nd 60-64; 32:55), and Sharon Moore (2nd 70-74; 33:15) scoring for the team.

Individually, Keenan (3rd 40-44) and Moore (2nd 70-74) earned trips to the award podium for their top-three placings.

The Niagara Results Scoreboard and link to the full championship results can be found here.

The 2025 championships will be held in Tallahassee, Fl on January 11, 2026. The championships will be held the day after the World Cross Country Championships.