Weeks, Mora, Hyer win 1 mile national titles in Rochester

Niagara Results Scoreboard
 
On Saturday (21-May) 56 athletes and 13 teams from USATF Niagara competed in the USATF Masters 1 Mile Championships in Rochester, N.Y. The championships, hosted by the Rochester Mile, were the seventh event in the 2022 USATF National Masters Grand Prix.  A total of 178, from 25 states, athletes competed in the championships.

Niagara athletes won three national titles with seven others earning visits to the awards podium for finishing in the top three in their division.  In the team competition Niagara teams earned seven visits to the awards podium; including a national title won by the Genesee Valley Harriers women's 40+ squad.

Winning individual national titles were Scott Weeks (Syracuse Chargers TC), Joseph Mora III (Genesee Valley Harriers), and Edna Hyer (Checkers AC).

Weeks, 50, captured the men's 50-54 division running 4:45.  Mark Andrews (Genesee Valley Harriers, 51) finished third in a time of 4:56.  Weeks' age graded score of 90.69% was the 9th best among the 123 male competitors and the second best turned in by the Niagara athletes.

Mora, 60, won the men's 60-64 division running 5:05. His age graded score of 91.92% was the fifth best on the day in the men's race and the best turned in by a Niagara athlete. 

In the women's 85-89 division, Hyer ran to victory running 12:07 (72.35%).

Picking up silver medals for their second place finishes were Coreen Steinbach (71, Syracuse TC, Pompey, NY, 7:14, 84.70%), Jaret Herter (41, Genesee Valley Harriers, Rochester, NY, 4:35, 87.50%), and John McMahon (55, Checkers AC, Williamsville, NY, 5:01, 89.36%).

Third place finishes were captured by Allison Carr (43, Bergen Elite, Buffalo, NY, 5:36, 78.85%), Heather Patterson (47, Genesee Valley Harriers, Rochester, NY, 5:55, 77.47%), Mark Andrews (51, Genesee Valley Harriers, Rochester, NY, 4:56, 88.00%), and Jim May (76, Genesee Valley Harriers, Williamson, 6:38, 85.08%).

Amy McMahon, 54, of Williamsville, NY, who finished fourth in the women's 50-54 division, turned in the best age-graded performance by a Niagara women.  Her time of 5:43 converted to a 86.54% age-graded score.

In the team competition the Genesee Valley Harriers women's 40+ squad (Heather Patterson, Sandra Gregorich, Murphee Hayes) won with a total team time of 19:26 and led an all-Niagara podium sweep.  Finishing second was the Checkers AC (19:50 - Amy McMahon, Judy Arlington, Joann O'Loughlin) and third was the Greater Buffalo AC (23:42 - Susan John, Yang Qu, Barbara Sauer).

The Genesee Valley Harriers M50+ team, led by Joseph Mora III, finished second with a total team time of 16:31.  The other scoring team members were John Van Kerkhove and Timothy Riccardi.

Third place team finishes were turned in by the Genesee Valley Harriers M40+ (Jaret Herter, Christopher Hernandez, Prem Kumar) and Syracuse TC M70+ (James Foster, Timothy Leonard, Douglas Wood) squads.
 

USATF MASTERS GRAND PRIX STANDINGS - Niagara 

Full Grand Prix standings

Individuals (top 10)

W45  Heather Patterson (9th place)
W55  Jodie Jensen (8th place)
W65  Colleen Newman (10th place)
W70  Barbara Sauer (1st place)
W85  Edna Hyer (1st place)

M50  Mark Andrews (4th place)
M55  John McMahon (2nd place)
        Dale Flanders (3rd place)
        Mike Nier (9th place)   
M60  John Van Kerkhove (3rd place)
        Joseph Mora III (4th place)
        Timothy Riccardi (9th place)
M65  Mark Rybinski (9th place)
M70  Douglas Wood (9th place)
M75  Jim May (10th place)

Teams (top 5)

W40+  Genesee Valley Harriers (5th place)
W60+  Genesee Valley Harriers (5th place)

M60+   Genesee Valley Harriers (3rd place)
M70+   Genesee Valley Harriers (3rd place)
           Syracuse TC (4th place)
           


There are three more events on the 2022 Grand Prix calendar.

June 29 - July 10	World Masters Athletics Championships (Non-Stadia LDR Events)	Tampere, Finland
Sep 18	USATF Masters 12 km Championships	Highlands, NJ
Oct 22	USATF Masters 5 km Cross Country Championships	Boulder, CO