Troy University's new cross-country coach, Casey McDermott, put on her own cross-country clinic on Saturday, 27 August 2011, racing to a 17:55 victory on the trails of Dothan's Westgate Park in the Life Is A Beach 5K. Coach McDermott was first woman, first overall, and just plain first; finishing almost 300 meters ahead of runner-up and top male Sean Kent, a junior year distance runner at Dothan's Northview High. Jose Gomez was the second man in, third overall in 19:59, while Marianna, Florida personal trainer Mark McCarra was the top male master, finishing fifth overall in 21:16. Just ahead of McCarra at 21:13, Dothan's Dana Cody was the second woman in. Melissa Unrath of Enterprise, Alabama successfully defended her 2010 Life Is A Beach title, running 21:54. It was Unrath's second title in a week; seven days earlier she had taken overall woman honors in Dothan's Dowtown MusicFest 5K.
McDermott takes over this fall as Troy University's coach for both the men's and women's cross-country teams. She will also be an assistant coach for the track team. McDermott comes to Alabama from Drake University, where she was an outstanding student and distance runner, setting a school record of 10:44.48 in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Moving from the corn and soybean country of Iowa to the cotton and peanut belt of Alabama could be challenging--McDermott was born in Des Moines, grew up just outside Des Moines in Newton, and attended Drake University in Des Moines. On the other hand, she might just be overdue for a change of scenery. Troy's first cross-country meet of the 2011 season will be the fourth annual Troy Invitational on Saturday, September 3.
Top Ten Women, 2011 Life Is A Beach 5K
- 17:55 ~ Casey McDermott (F, 22) Troy, AL
- 21:13 ~ Dana Cody (F, 31)
- 21:54 ~ Melisssa Unrath (F, 43)
- 24:17 ~ Kristina Bennett (F, 38)
- 24:32 ~ Carolyn Houston (F, 39)
- 25:07 ~ Emily Cherrington (F, 35)
- 25:35 ~ Heidi Anderson (F, 30)
- 25:57 ~ Kendl Watt (F, 27)
- 26:51 ~ Ashley Merritt (F, 29)
- 27:02 ~ Hannah Loftin (F, 25)
- 27:06 ~ Jamie Bass (F, 32)
- 27:12 ~ Jill Wofsey (F, 48)
Top Ten Men, 2011 Life Is A Beach 5K
- 18:57 ~ Sean Kent (M, 16) Dothan, AL
- 19:59 ~ Jose Gomez (M, 37)
- 21:16 ~ Mark McCarra (M, 46) Marianna, FL
- 21:24 ~ Ben Loftin (M, 26)
- 21:35 ~ Mac Mantle (M, 35)
- 21:42 ~ Jeff Dasinger (M, 39)
- 21:42 ~ Chris Neudecker (M, 47)
- 21:52 ~ William Pearson (M, 17)
- 21:55 ~ Michael Brennan (M, 26)
- 21:58 ~ Michael Houston (M, 12)
Links:
- Complete results of the 2011 Life Is A Beach 5K at dothanrunners.com
http://dothanrunners.com/lifeisabeach2011l.htm
- 2010 story, "Ireland and Bokenfohr winners at this beach party"
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/08/dothan-beach-2010.html
- "FAMU cross-country opens 2010 campaign at Troy"
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/09/troy-xc-invitational-2010.html
- "New Coaches Join Track Program," by Alicia Clampett
http://www.troytrojans.com/news/2011/8/29/TRACK_0829114048.aspx
- Casey McDermott bio at GoDrakeBulldogs.com
http://www.godrakebulldogs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=1209455
- Upcoming races in Dothan and other places within 1oo miles of Tallahassee
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
No comments:
Post a Comment