Erika Odlaug
Odlaug celebrates breakthrough win at Golden
West Invitational in June 2001
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Nef Araia
Araia wins Meet of Champions in Ohio
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by John Dye
BALTIMORE MD 9/21/01 -- DyeStat announces Erika Odlaug,
Deerfield IL senior, and Nef Araia, Lawrence North IN junior,
as winners of the Nike Athlete of the Week
award for the second week of the 2001 cross country season.
Until the night of June 9, 2001, Odlaug was second fiddle in Illinois
to Maria Cicero, who beat Odlaug by 10 seconds in the Illinois Class
2A 3200 in May. Then that night, in the Golden West Invitational
at Sacramento CA, Odlaug pulled away from Cicero on the last lap
to win by 13 seconds in 10:11.31, a PR for Erika by 16 seconds.
That started a golden month for Odlaug. She followed up the next
weekend with a great double -- second to Anita Siraki in the adidas
Outdoor Championships 2-mile in Raleigh and a win in the Junior
Nationals 3000 in Richmond -- and a 3000 victory in England for
the USA junior team.
Odlaug's sudden celebrity added recruiting visits to her schedule
as cross country season started. But she is still red hot. Odlaug
is trampling course records every week. This week it was Detweiler
Park in Peoria IL, home of the Illinois State Meet. Odlaug ran the
Illinois girls distance of 2.5 miles in 13:30, which was 19 seconds
faster than Cicero's state meet record and 58 seconds faster than
Odlaug's own time last year.
Araia ended the 2001 outdoor season disappointed in his performance.
He asked his coach what it would take to get under 15 minutes in
cross country and 9 minutes in the 3200. "Do everything times
10," the coach said. Araia took it to heart and went to the
Meet of Champions in Hilliard OH last Saturday with some good early
times under his belt. Araia dominated a race filled with champion
teams from Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan, shaking off tough Wesley
Smith, Hudson OH, in the last half mile. Araia isn't under 15 minutes
yet, but he is getting close. His winning time of 15:12 in Ohio
was the fifth best 5k time in the US this year.
The Nike Athlete of the Week award will be presented each Friday
to the boy and girl who had the most outstanding achievement of
the previous 7 days. To nominate athletes, see the AOW
Nomination Form.
Honorable Mention Week of September 20
Boys
- Bobby Curtis KY, winner of the first
Nike Athlete of the Week award, remained unbeaten this year by
winning the Viking Invitational in Louisville in 14:44, fastest
5k time in the US this year.
- Payton Batliner
CO, cousin of former Colorado University star Adam Batliner, won
the big Liberty Bell Invitational in 15:34 5k.
- Bret Schoolmeester
CO, who couldn't run in the Liberty Bell because Denver Metro
schools cancelled athletic participation due to the terrorist
attacks, won the Cherry Creek Invitational the next day in a swift
15:18.
- Tim Moore MI, 15:45 5k, winner of the
Walled Lake Invitational over the tough Gilbert Willis Park course.
- Micah Vandenend
IL, 14:29, fastest 3 mile in the US this season, winning the Richard
Spring Invitational at Detweiler Park, Peoria IL.
- Steve Mucchetti CT
and Alex Bloom CT, both timed in 14:41 3m for 1-2 in the
Wilton Invitational in Connecticut
- Chris Lukezic WA
14:45 3m winning the Port Angeles Invitational in Washington
- Michael Haddan CA,
14:55 3m winner of the Woodbridge Invitational, second straight
major invitational win for the Woodbridge soph.
- Scott Fuqua AL,
14:58 3m course record winner of the Tennessee Classic at Knoxville.
- Matt Noonan MO 16:03
5k to beat better known Adam Perkins by 28 seconds at Rim Rock
Farm.
- Matt DeBole NC,
15:54 5k to win at NC State University's 5038 meter course.
- x
Girls
- Megan Kaltenbach
CO, winner of the Liberty Bell Invitational in 17:49, second fastest
5k of the season in the country.
- Allison TubbsWA, 16:46 at Emerald Ridge
Trail, fastest 3 mile time of the season in the US
- Jessie Cickay PA, 18:26 5k, a course record
at brutal Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia to win the Briarwood
Invitational, 2nd straight big meet victory for the soph sensation.
- Nikki Bohnsack MI,
17:52 5k, winner of the 3-state Meet of Champions in Hilliard
OH
- Molly Huddle NY,
18:10 5k to win at Darlington Park, Mahwah NJ
- Elisa Zemlick MI, 18:11 5k to win the
Nike-Holly Invitational.
- Angela Homan OH, 18:14 5k to win the Ottawa
Invitational
- Tenke Zoltani MD, 18:17 5k to win Dulaney
HS's own Barnhart Invitational
- Ashley Sanders MO, 18:28 5k to win the
Missouri Southern Stampede
- Angela Blackmon SC, 18:34 5k to win the
South Carolina Coaches Classic at Fort Jackson
- Nikki Peterson NV, 17:17, fastest at the
big Woodbridge CA Invitational and second fastest 3 mile in the
US this season. Nikki is a sophomore at Faith Lutheran Academy
in Las Vegas.
- Caitlin McTague NY, 17:45 3m to win the
Shaker Invitational at Colonie Town Park.
- Amber Harper UT,
17:48 3m to win the Murray Invitational in Utah
- Amy Hastings KS,
11:30 2m, beating Erin Mortimer in a duel of the best in Kansas
at Rim Rock Farm
- Katherine Merrill
NC soph, 18:55 to win at NC State University's 5038 meter course.
- x
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