Raschker does it again as three WRs, 12 ARs fall at USA Masters Indoor Champs
By Jill Geer, USATF
Posted Monday, 31 March, 2008
BOSTON - 2008 Sullivan Award finalist Phil Raschker set yet another world record Saturday at the 2008 USA Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships, topping a three-world-record day that also saw WRs from Kevin Solomon and Orville Rogers at the Reggie Lewis Center.
The 61-year-old Raschker (Marietta, Ga.) is a finalist for the Sullivan Award, given annually to the nation's top amateur athlete. On Monday she will attend the Sullivan Award gala at the New York Athletic Club, but she's leaving her mark in Boston first. On Saturday, she crushed the W60 world and American record in the 400 meters, running 68.34 seconds to break the record of 70.15 set by Riet Jonkers of the Netherlands in 2005.
Two world records fell in the mile, with Orville Rogers (Dallas, Texas) breaking the M90 world and American record. His time of 9:56.58 surpasses the existing mark of 11:23.67 set by American legend Max Springer in 2005. Kevin Solomon also made his way into the world and American record books in the M60 mile, his time of 5:01.62 edging past the previous record of 5:01.72 set by American Dan Conway back in 1998. Doug Goodhue (Milford, Mich.) added an American record in M65 with his time of 5:21.72, and Chad Newton (Pisgah Forest, N.C.) broke his second listed AR of the meet thus far in M35, running 4:25.27.
In the long jump, men set American records at both ends of the masters age spectrum. Aaron Sampson (Salt Lake City), jumped 6.69m/21-11.5 in M45, and Edwin Lukens (Syracuse, N.Y.) soared 3.25m/10-8 in M85.
A recordalso went down in the men's shot put as Chad Lindsay of Lovell, Wyo., threw 16.69m/54-9.25 to break the M35 listed AR.
Other than Raschker, the sole woman to set an individual record on Saturday was another masters legend, Barbara Jordan, who ran 10.03 in the W70 60m. She had previously run 10.24 in January to set a pending AR in Hanover, N.H.
In the final two track events of the day, the Colonial Road Runners (Williamsburg, Va.) set an American record in the men's 50-59 4x800m relay with 9:06.90, and Rod Jett (Sacramento, Calif.) ran 8.21 in the 60m hurdles to shave .01 off the American record in the M40 age group.
For complete results, visit www.usatf.org
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