Wisconsin Runner placed three harriers among the top nine overall finishers (Matt Downin, first place, 29:01; brother Andy Downin, seventh, 29:23; and Brad Kirk, ninth, 29:26) to beat runner-up Hansons Running Shop, of Michigan, by one point (60 to 61).
The first five runners for a declared team score by posting the lowest point total, and Hansons put five runners among the top 25 scorers, but the New England-raised Downin brothers' low points paved the way for the Wisconsin Runner victory, awarding it the title of the country's best (USA Track & Field Association) running club. Kyle Baker, of Indiana Invaders, was runner-up to Downin in a time of 29:05 and Chad Johnson, of Hansons, was third in 29:06.
Matt Downin, 23, grew up in Duxbury, Massachusetts before moving to Hamstead, New Hampshire between his freshman and sophomore years of high school, and was the 1994 Footlocker Cross Country Champion while attending Pinkerton Academy. He attended the University of Wisconsin, graduating in May of this year, and finished seventh at 10,000 meters and 15th at 5000 meters at this year's U.S. Olympic Trials in Sacramento.
Andy Downin, 27, was a member of this year's U.S. men's world cross country 4-kilometer team and placed sixth in the 1500 meters at both the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials in Atlanta and the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials. He attended Duxbury High in Massachusetts prior to attending Georgetown University, where he graduated in 1996. He was fifth at this event in 1999.
The Downin brothers now live and train together in Madison, Wisconsin.
For Matt, despite growing up in the area, he had only raced at Boston's historic Franklin Park twice (once as a freshman and once a senior in high school) but was familiar with the course, having done workouts here and watching his brother run. Even so, Downin said that he didn't know what to expect from himself. "The [early] pace seemed pretty sane to me," said the younger Downin, "but I really didn't know what to expect from myself coming into today. I just wanted to lag back, and I realized that I was feeling pretty good with ¾ of a mile to go."
Both Downins downplayed any sibling tensions. "Andy and I are very competitive people, but not to each other as much," said Matt. "It is more helping each other along and pushing each other. I think he is the best training partner I could have, and I think he would say the same about me."
As for now having won the national title at the high school level as well as one in his young post-collegiate career, Downin relished the thought. "It's always nice to win big races. As a runner, you don't always get to win a lot of races. You go out and finish second or third or fourth and it feels great, but you don't get to win too frequently. When you do, it is sort of a double bonus."
At last year's championship, Wisconsin Runner was sixth, only one place and two points behind Hansons Running Shop. On Saturday, the Wisconsin team avenged both its mid-West rival and the rest of the field. The Farm Team, of California, was the 1999 champion when the event was held in its home state at Long Beach and finished third this year. Twenty-seven men's teams, including 238 finishers, contested the men's championship (9855 meters), while 132 finishers and 15 teams battled in the women's race (6017 meters).
For the victorious B.A.A. women's team, it was the club's second victory in three years, winning by a 13-point margin over runner-up Indiana Invaders (90 to 103). All five B.A.A. runners finished among the top 30 scorers - something not achieved by any other club - but Amy Lyman (seventh overall) was the club's only athlete among the top 10.
B.A.A. Head Coach Michael Pieroni put the title in perspective. "It's nice to win, but it's even nicer to win on your home course," he said. "When our club won two years ago in Florida, it was missing something. There is no better place to run cross country than at Boston's Franklin Park, which so happens to be our home field. Then, to be the host club and presenting sponsor along with adidas is icing on the cake." B.A.A. women's coach Jeff Staab echoed Pieroni's sentiments: "Cross country is a total team effort. You saw that today from our club. We don't have any super stars, but what we do have are dedicated individuals who come together to race. Today we came together and won."
The victory by the B.A.A. women completed a hat trick of sorts for the club, having won the Mayor's Cup at Franklin Park on October 22 and the New England Championships at Franklin Park on November 12.
Kim Fitchen, who resides in Palo Alto, Calif. and trains with The Farm Team but whose affiliation is with Nike International, won the women's race in 20:04. After sharing the lead for much of the race with Carrie Tollefson, of adidas, Fitchen broke away over the last mile to win the individual title by 13 seconds. Tollefson was runner-up in 20:17 and Sarah Hann, of Greater Lowell Road Runners, was third in 20:20.
Fitchen, 32, who was a member of the U.S. bronze medal winning team at the world cross country championships this year, did not compete seriously in college and says she became dedicated to the sport in 1992. Following the death of her father, Peter, that year, Fitchen said that running and playing the piano helped her deal with her grief. "Running will help me deal with anything in life. It's just a great outlet and a great escape, and it enables me to process my emotions and express them, especially when I race." Fitchen also said that she still talks to her father before her races. On Saturday, she asked him if he thought she would run well. She was out-kicked and was runner-up to Collette Liss, of the Indiana Invaders, at last year's Fall Cross Country Championships; this year, she didn't wait until the end to make her decisive move. Liss was fourth this year in 20:25.
In the Masters Division 10K championship, Thomas Dalton, of Adirondack Athletic Club, and Susan LaChance, of Cambridge Sports Union, were the individual winners. Reebok Aggies, of California, and Run to Win, of Maine, were the respective men's and women's team champions in the 40 and older division.
The 2001 USA Winter Cross Country Championship will be contested on February 17 and 18 in Vancouver, Washington. Next year's Fall Championship is scheduled for December 1, 2001 in Mobile, Alabama.
Click for Complete Results
WOMEN'S TEAMS 1.) Boston Athletic Association: 90 points. 2.) Indiana Invaders: 103. 3.) Fila Track West: 117. 4.) Reebok Boston: 128. 5.) Greater Lowell Road Runners: 142. 6.) Club Northwest: 148. 7.) Hager Hobblers: 166. 8.) Wisconsin Runner Racing Team: 195. 9.) Syracuse Chargers Track Club: 201. 10.) Boston Running Club: 222. 11.) Reebok Aggies: 242. 12.) adidas Club Connecticut: 287. 13.) Greater Boston Track Club: 332. 14.) Pacific West TC (CA): 341. 15.) Westchester Puma Track Club: 370. WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP (6017 meters) 1.) Kim Fitchen, Nike, 20:04. 2.) Carrie Tollefson, adidas, 20:17. 3.) Sarah Hann, Greater Lowell Road Runners, 20:20. 4.) Collette Liss, Indiana Invaders, 20:25. 5.) Priscilla Hein, Indiana Invaders, 20:25. 6.) Kristen Chisum, Reebok Boston, 20:34. 7.) Amy Lyman, Boston Athletic Association, 20:36. 8.) Jenelle Deatherage, Wisconsin Runner Racing Team, 20:37. 9.) Kristin Harper, Fila Track West, 20:41. 10.) Jaime King, Hagar Hobblers, 20:44. MEN'S TEAMS 1.) Wisconsin Runner Racing Team: 60 points. 2.) Hansons Running Shop (Michigan): 61. 3.) The Farm Team (Calif.): 98. 4.) Reebok Boston: 162. 5.) Indiana Invaders: 180. 6.) Club Northwest: 225. 7.) Reebok Aggies: 232. 8.) Boston Running Club: 235. 9.) Surekill Track Club: 293. 10.) Westchester Puma Track Club: 308. 11.) Team Strictly Running: 318. 12.) Boston Athletic Association: 332. 13.) Syracuse Chargers Track Club: 340. 14.) West Valley Track Club: 355. 15.) Runners' Edge: 385. 16.) Greater Boston Track Club: 433. 17.) Cal Coast Track Club: 448. 18.) Fila Track West: 458. 19.) Greater Lowell Road Runners: 479. 20.) Run N Fun: 494. 21.) Greater Springfield Harriers: 495. 22.) Hoy's Excelsior: 555. 23.) Genesee Valley Harriers: 680. 24.) North Shore Striders: 764. 25.) Bellmore Striders: 764. 26.) Cambridge Sports Union: 787. 27.) Athletics East: 822. MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP (9855 meters) 1.) Matt Downin, Wisconsin Runner Racing Team, 29:01. 2.) Kyle Baker, Indiana Invaders, 29:05. 3.) Chad Johnson, Hansons Running Shop, 29:06. 4.) Peter Sherry, Reebok Enclave, 29:19. 5.) Greg Jimmerson, The Farm Team, 29:20. 6.) Rick Sluder, Indiana Invaders, 29:22. 7.) Andy Downin, Wisconsin Runner Racing Team, 29:23. 8.) Sandu Rebenciuc, Greater Springfield Harriers, 29:23. 9.) Brak Kirk, Wisconsin Runner Racing Team, 29:26. 10.) Nolan Swanson, unattached, 29:27. MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP (9855 meters) WOMEN'S TEAMS: 40 and older: 1.) Run to Win; 2:00:56. 50 and older: 1.) Liberty Athletic Club; 2:11:47. 50 and older: 1.) Liberty Athletic Club; 2:47:26. FEMALE AGE GROUP: 40 to 44 1.) Susan LaChance, Cambridge Sports Union, 37:48. FEMALE AGE GROUP: 45 to 49 1.) Susan Maslowski, Greater Lowell Road Runners, 39:07. FEMALE AGE GROUP: 50 to 54 1.) Carolyn Smith-Hanna, Genesee Valley Harriers, 38:57. FEMALE AGE GROUP: 55 to 59 1.) Regina Wright, Liberty Athletic Club, 49:09. MEN'S TEAMS: 40 and older: 1.) Reebok Aggies; 2:43:21. 50 and older: 1.) Central Mass Striders; 3:06:00. 60 and older: 1.) Wolfpit Running Club; 2:03:16. MALE AGE GROUP: 40 to 44 1.) Thomas Dalton, Adirondack Athletic Club, 30:48. MALE AGE GROUP: 45 to 49 1.) Kenneth Leinbach, Boston Athletic Association, 32:46. MALE AGE GROUP: 50 to 54 1.) Vladimir Krivoy, unattached, 33:50. MALE AGE GROUP: 55 to 59 1.) Larry Ingram, unattached, 36:30. MALE AGE GROUP: 60 to 64 1.) Bill Borla, Wolfpit RC, 36:50. MALE AGE GROUP: 65 to 69 1.) John Dugdale, Wolfpit RC, 40:51. MALE AGE GROUP: 70 and Over 1.) John McManus, Millrose AA, 55:15.Organized by USA Track & Field - New England in cooperation with Boston Parks and Recreation.
Distances ... Men's Championship = 9855 meters; Women's Championship = 6017 meters.
Course records:
Men = Brad Schlapak, NYAC, 28:49, USA Championship, 03 DEC 1995.
Women = Joan Nesbit, New Balance, 19:05, USA Championship, 03 DEC 1995.
Weather conditions:
Partly cloudy. Temperature 36°F. Wind from the Southwest at 5 mph. Relative
Humidity at 35%. Course conditions: Good, firm footing, partially frozen
turf. 99% grass and dirt.