2021 MidAtlantic USATF year in review
Lynn Knothe, Team Coordinator
The busy fall for the Mid-Atlantic USATF Grand Prix and Off-Road series finished up at the end of November with the Philadelphia Marathon weekend and the Delaware Open Cross Country Championship. PCVRC fielded strong teams for all of the events, finishing 3rd in the Grand Prix and 2nd in the Off-Road series. The 2022 series sees many of the races contested in the fall of 2021 returning to their regular spring dates for 2022. Sarah Rusk set a state age group record at the Boston Marathon!
Club members turned in several outstanding performances at the Philadelphia Marathon weekend. In the Dietz and Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon Rob Mason set another state record in the process of winning the 65-69 age groups. Betty Olmstead placed 3rd in 75-79 and Anthony Swierzbinski placed 5th in 35-39. The club’s largest contingent of racers was in the Rothman 8k. Allison Emmons continued her outstanding year of racing by winning the master’s division. Mike DiGennaro and Greg Cauller placed 2nd in age group, Matthew Cutrona 3rd in age group, and Liz Swierzbinksi and Gerald Herman placed 4th in age group. At Sunday’s AACR Philadelphia Marathon, Abby Dean set another state age group record in the process of winning her age group.
On the Saturday after Thanksgiving a group of brave runners battled the cold and wind at the hilly Brandywine Creek State Park in the Delaware Open Cross Country Championship. A strong performance by the team vaulted us from 4th to 2nd in the series standings. Mike DiGennaro and Allison Emmons led the way by winning the masters divisions. Matthew Cutrona, Dave Wiechecki, and Lynn Knothe all placed in their respective age groups.
PCVRC has numerous runners who placed in the overall Grand Prix and won age groups in the 2021 series. Congratulations to Abby Dean (1st), Allison Emmons (2nd), Greg Cauller (6th), Robert Mason (8th), and Matthew Cutrona (9th) for placing top ten in the individual Grand Prix for 2021! Additionally, Angelina Spadaccini (1st), Allison Emmons (1st), Abby Dean (1st), Betty Olmstead (1st), Mark Hannagan (1st), Anthony Swierzbinski (1st), Greg Cauller (1st), Matthew Cutrona (2nd), Robert Mason (2nd), and Gerald Herman (2nd) placed top 3 in age groups for the series. Andrea Rubinoff and Lynn Knothe each placed second in age group in the Off-Road Series. Details are being finalized for an informal awards luncheon following the Fireside Frostbite 5 Miler in Ambler.
Now is a great time to join USATF and participate in the Grand Prix or Off-Road series! You can join USATF by going to https://www.usatf.org/ and selecting Pike Creek Valley Running Club as your club affiliation. A list of the Grand Prix races is https://www.mausatf.com/grandprix-events/ and the Off-Road races is https://www.mausatf.com/off-road-events/.