Former VCU runners Marie Elena Calle and Guy Alton took home the $100 prize money from Thursday's St. Joseph's Villa Summer 5K Series.
Marie Elena Calle, a winner in a #3 all-time meet performance of 18:31, ran away from the field halfway through the first loop of three on the 5K course with Hanover High School coach Jackie Kosakowski as a distant runner-up at 19:33.
Alton battled it out with former University of Richmond runner John Molz (2nd, 15:43) for 2 laps before beginning to open a gap in the final loop for a #2 all-time meet performance of 15:30. Jason Witt, a 2007 VHSL Group AAA state champion at Midlothian, who will head out for a two year church missionary trip in Zimbabwe next week after a strong freshmen season at BYU, was the third place finisher at 15:49.
Lee-Davis had the first high school finishers in both races as incoming freshmen Bonny Turnage ran with Maggie Walker all-state runner Clarissa Schick for much of the race before pushing in the final lap to dip under 20 minutes at 19:57 for third place behind the two post-collegiate female runners. Eight of the top ten women's finishers were either Maggie Walker or Lee-Davis runners with only Jackie Ferrance as the lone recent graduate and the rest all returning for high school competition this fall. Both are two schools are favored to qualify for state competition as teams out of the Central Region.
Lee-Davis junior Cody Snyder ran with recent Deep Run graduate and incoming VMI freshmen Booth Hornsby as well as recent Deep Run grad Greg Kaczka for the entire race until the two runners got into a kicking contest with Hornsby (8th, 17:08) pulling ahead in the final stretch though Snyder was the top high school finisher in 9th place at 17:11. The trio also helped pull along returning Deep Run runner Daniel Novak, who was the second high school finisher with a time of 17:38 for 12th place.
There were a total of 68 finishers in the men's race and 51 in the women's race (largest ever in race history) on a humid and muggy evening for the only St. Joseph's Villa 5K race for the summer of 2009.
St. Joseph's Villa 5K - Complete Results
St. Joseph's Villa 5K Race Videos: Men's Race - Women's Race
St. Joseph's Villa 5K Photo Gallery
Former VCU runners Marie Elena Calle and Guy Alton took home the $100 prize money from Thursday's St. Joseph's Villa Summer 5K Series.
Marie Elena Calle, a winner in a #3 all-time meet performance of 18:31, ran away from the field halfway through the first loop of three on the 5K course with Hanover High School coach Jackie Kosakowski as a distant runner-up at 19:33.