Quick Times... Great Competition... Local Stars!
   
1985 winners - Erin Keogh and Ruben Reina - Happy Kira Jorgensen wins the Nationals
for San Diego - Cathy Schiro dominates - Keogh breaks the finishing tape!

1984
      The Olympic year competition at Kinney Nationals in Cross-Country featured a couple of very determined champions. Two very strong young athletes raced away from the fields to near 100 meter margins of victory that kind of left observers stunned!
      Cathy Schiro (Dover HS, NH) had run in the Olympic Trials marathon that year, so she obviously took her preparation in training very serious, with her 16:48.1-17:04.7 win over Rebecca Chamberlain (Leigh, San Jose, Ca) having all appreciate the huge background the four-time national qualifier had put into her career thus far. The short, powerful stride of the winner was very business-like as she put away the field. Stacia Prey (Brighton, NY) was third at 17:10.7, with Donna Combs (Ballard, Louisville, Ky) 17:21.5 in fourth, and Erin Keogh (Langley, McLean, Va), the southern regional champ and future great here, fifth at 17:22.3. Great team competition that year, with the Girls Midwest group with 47, West 58, Northeast 59, and South 61. Interestingly, from this group of athletes, Marnie Mason (Klamath Falls, Ore), the Western Regional Champ and 8th in the National Finals run, would return later as a coach at her alma mater, and prepare some great national finalists around the turn of the next century, with Marnie today coaching at the University of Oregon!
On the Boys’ side in 1984 it was Scott Fry from Perkins HS in Sandusky, Ohio, who ran away from the field during a 100 meter win at 14:50.0. Fry was another strongl runner, who overpowered this group over the course’s 5000 meters and two tough hills! Scott would go on to a fine career with the University of Wisconsin, helping them to the NCAA title in the next year of 1985, and again in 1988! John Trautman (Monroe-Woodbury, NY) was second in 1984 at 15:07.8, with Brad Hudson (South Eugene, Or) third at 15:11.5. Hudson was an interesting character, having moved west from New Jersey out of interest in the “Oregon running mystique.” A multi-year National Finalist, he once took the championship run out at 4:27 for the first mile in San Diego. That same year the Girls went out at some ridiculous like 4:52 first mile pace. They made a movie of the National Finals that year and showed it for the next couple of years the Friday evening before the National Championship run. The leaders at 4:27 and 4:52 died during the rest of the race, but I used to watch the jaws drop of those who watched the film who expected each year’s race to go out at that quick pace, even though I do not think the Boys ever were under 4:30 or the girls 5:00 for the first mile in any other year. 1984 had Troy Maddux (Woodland, Il) of the strong Midwest team in 4th at 15:17.3, with Bill Babcock (North Hunterdon, NJ) 5th at 15:18.5. North Hunterdon had an amazing string of qualifiers for these nationals, with the school probably ranking among the top couple in the history of the National Finals if a data base is ever established of schools with the most qualifiers in the last 25 years. The strong Midwest Boys squad scored 32 in 1984, with the Northeast 42, West 49, and South 104 in that competition.

1985
      Some super running was featured at the 1985 Championships, with the Boys’ contest by far the deepest ever, with nine athletes dipping under the magic 15:00 barrier on the challenging 5k course, and one young lady dominating a strong Girls’ field.
      Ruben Reina (Jay, San Antonio, Tex), who would go on to a super career at the University of Arkansas, was the undefeated Southern Regional winner by nine seconds, with a good group of challengers from around the nation. Reina, with a very smooth stride, would emerge a solid winner with a Course Record 14:36.8 over Mark Mastalir (Jesuit, Sacramento, Ca) 2nd 14:41.3, one half of a fine twin duo (Eric 9th here) that would go on to Stanford University. Mark Dani (Valhalla, El Cajon, Ca) was third at 14:50.9, with Jonathan Hume (Green Mountain, Lakewood, Colo) next at 14:51.4. Robert Henes (Woodbridge, Cayahuga, Oh) was fifth in the cooking contest at 14:52.6. The Young ladies contest fell into the recent pattern of one athlete racing away from the field to a very, very impressive win. This go-round it was undefeated Virginian (Langley, McLean) Erin Keogh who cranked a 16:43.8 time to win by over 100 meters and just miss the CR set by Janet Smith a couple years previous. Keogh, with wiry strength, lightly powered over the course to her huge win, with Suzy Favor (Stevens Point, Wisc), still a force at the Olympic level worldwide, next at 17:07.8, and Carol Gray (New Prairie, Laporte, Ind) third at 17:16.9. You can see the field was spread out a bit this morning. Aimee Harms (Annandale, Va) was fourth at 17:19.6, with Susannah Beck (Waynflete School, Portland, Maine) 5th at 17:20.0. Keogh and Harms’ runs showed the continuing rise of southern runners, as this Kinney series exposed runners from all areas of the nation to top competition, with 1984 high placing Keogh obviously having a big goal for 1985!

1986
      The 1986 contest was one that featured dominating, popular wins. With the meet being held in typically sunny San Diego, home of super active lifestyles for its residents, the Saturday morning two races were becoming very popular with fans, with the possibility of locally successful participants swelling that support well up into the thousands. Marc Davis of San Diego HS, with the school located such that Marc could look out some of his classroom windows across Balboa Park to the actual Kinney Nationals course, was an undefeated star in 1986, and the top returnee from the series at 8th place. Marc was kind of a brash personality, atypical of the distance runner types, and he had charged to a Course Record Western Regional run in Fresno, California of 14:38 off a first mile of 4:27, breaking the time of famed National Champ Eric Reynolds. Electricity was in the air on another sunny morning for the Boys and Girls contests. Winners Davis and Erin Keogh (once again) were awesome! Marc edged away from a very strong group to a dominating 14:38.1 win, very close to the Course Record set the previous year, with his over ten second margin of victory over Todd Williams (Monroe, Mich) giving the locals a chance to celebrate with their local prep hero mightily over the last mile! Marc went on to a fine career at the University of Arizona, with Williams the University of Tennessee, with both eventual Olympic level runners of note. Robert Kennedy of North Westerville, Ohio, another future great as he went on to the University of Indiana and Olympic level, was third at 15:05.3, with Paul Vandegrift (Archbishop Kennedy, Gwynedd Valley, Pa) fourth at 15:08.1, and Mason Myers (Vacaville, Ca) 5th at 15:08.7. Interestingly, Marc Davis still holds the American Record for two miles at 8:12.74, with Kennedy the AR for 5000m at an impressive 12:58.21 (quick math has three 4:09 1600's without rest and a 30 second 200 there!!! for the 5000m). A very competitive team struggle on the Boys’ side had the West with 36 points, the Midwest 40, Northeast 50, and South 90. Way back in the Boys’ race was Bryan Dameworth of Agoura, California, who became the first ever ninth grader to qualify for these championships, and an eventual champion in the series. Dameworth had a shoe stepped off during the 1987 Regional competition, or he would have been the first ever four-time qualifier for these Finals, an honor later achieved by one of the Torres brothers from Illinois.
On the Girls’ side in 1986 it was still the Erin Keogh show, with the Virginian romping away to a 16:55.7 run on the warm morning in her over 100 meter win over Kim Kauls (Forest Lake, Mn) 17:18.7, and Wendy Neely (Lake Bradock, Burke, Va) 17:19.0. A future hero for the Women’s side of the meet was set up in local Kira Jorgensen (Vista, Ca), who was 4th as just a sophomore at 17:30.3, with Elizabeth Brenden (Rye Neck, NY) 5th at 17:38.4. Tight team scoring at the Midwest win with 45 to the 51 for the West, 56 for the Northeast, and 79 for the South.

1987
      The 1987 competition featured strong wins by Bob Kennedy (North Westerville, Ohio) and popular local hero, Kira Jorgensen, now at Rancho Buena Vista HS, a new school in Vista, California, just north of the course in San Diego County.
Kennedy, as summarized above, was a strong, smooth striding star who recorded a 4:03 mile as a prep, and kind of led things into the modern era of US distance running with a well-planned career at the University of Indiana and beyond, leading to an attempt to compete with the Olympic level flood of African runners at that level in the 1990's. His well chronicled attempts to pursue the professional lifestyle of a runner and challenge the amazing series of world level performances that emerged during his Open level career captivated American fans, with his 12:58 American 5K record certainly a stunning performance, but frustratingly still a tad away from the medal level performances at the Olympic and World Championships we all hoped for. John Sence (Milford, Oh) was next behind Kennedy’s 1987 winner of 14:59.0 with his 15:08.9, with Harley Hanson helping lead a 1-2-3 Midwest sweep with his third place 15:12.7 run. Chip Smith (Albquerque, NM) was fourth at 15:14.3, with John Horkheimer (Pittsford, NY) 5th at 15:15.0.
Kira Jorgensen was a bubbly personality, super for success at these championships, happy for the TV cameras and everyone she came in contact during the meet weekend. Her career goal, to be an astronaut, which did not surprise you a bit if you spent three minutes around the area star. And, oh boy did the locals take her to heart when she romped away from the field to a 50 yard win at 17:08.7 to 17:16.7 over Susan Bliss (St. Charles, Mo). Megan Thompson of Florissant, Missouri was third at 17:27.6, with Sarah Schwald (Colorado Springs, Colo), today on the nation’s top Olympic level distance stars after a career at the University of Arkansas, was next at 17:27.8, with Christi Constantin (Newton, NJ) 5th at 17:34.9.

1988
      1988 featured some exciting racing, and frustration for the local hero!
      The Boys’ race that year had a bit of an upset, as third placer from the Midwest Region, Brian Grosso (Walled Lake Western HS, Michigan) race away to a 50 yard win over thus far that year undefeated Northeast Regional champ Jason DiJoseph (Paul VI, Haddonfield, NJ) 15:03.3-15:10.1, with fellow New Jerseyite Michal Mykytok (Bound Brook HS) next at 15:12.7. Junior Bryan Dameworth (Agoura, Ca) was fourth at 15:15.4, with John Coyle (Christian Brothers, Lincroft, NJ) making it 3 of the top 5 from his state with his 15:15.7 run. The Northeast was impressive with its 25 point total over the West with 43, Midwest at 92, and South with 95 points in the team contest!
In the Girls raced in 1988 it was a Midwestern 1-2 run, with Celeste Susnis (Kankakee Valley, Wheatfield, In) the winner at 17:14.4 over Melody Fairchild (Boulder, Colo) 17:18.1. Susnis, from rural Indiana, told us she used to have to retreat to the indoors treadmill in the face of some of the Midwest winter conditions during her preparation, with her win as an eleventh grader here coming off a thirty second Regional victory in her area. The story was back a ways for the locals, with Kira Jorgensen, the defending champion, steadily fading back through the pack, with the weight of the locals all on her shoulders, eventually finishing 21st place. The ever-optimistic Jorgensen shrugged it off soon after, and spent the rest of the weekend enjoying the company of the great Nationals crew, relieving all who sensed the burden some of these favorites carry around. Northeast Regional winner Christi Constantin (Kittatinny Regional, NJ) was third at 17:18.4, with Karen Hecox (South Hills, West Covina), an eventual 3000m NCAA Champ for UCLA, 4th at 17:30.4, and Sarah Schwald (Liberty, Colorado Springs, Colo) still just a soph, 5th at 17:39.5. The Midwest Girls were nearly as dominant as the Northeast Boys this date, scoring 27 to the West’s 55, Northeast 58, and South 83 in the team department.