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Running
Penguin Pace 5k
When the 2012 Penguin Pace 5k began, one woman shot to the front of the women's field so fast that the core of the Strider women's racing team thought she would have won the race, but the trio of Robyn Humphrey, Caroline Bauer and Pat Wilkerson worked together and slowly reeled in the front runner.
After a mile and half, mostly downhill, they caught the leader, thought to be from a rival running club, on the backside of the hilly course through the Beaverbrook community and "crushed her."
Humphrey, Bauer and Wilkerson continued to run together. With a last gasp of speed, Humphrey nosed ahead of her two rivals on the final slope on Elliot's Oak and pulled away to win in 20:15.
"I've never broken 20 minutes on this course," she noted, but she came really close this year.
In spite of running 10 miles the day before, Karsten Brown had little trouble dispatching the men's field at the Penguin Pace. He took the lead after the first quarter mile and never looked back. He finished in 17:26.
The top three male and female finishers and all age-group winners received as awards the signature Penguin Pace cap, which is ideal for winter running.
The very hilly course wound downhill through the Longfellow neighborhood of Columbia and then circled around Beaverbrook. A long steep uphill challenged runners in the last mile of the 3.1-mile race.
A little light snow and wet roads didn't stop 384 from finishing. A record field of 500 entered the race, which closed out for the second year in a row.
Top finishers:
Overall male: 1. Karsten Brown, 17:26.
Overall female: 1. Robyn Humphrey, 20:15.
1-14 male: 1. Daniel Smolyak, 21:48; 2. Jackson Koepke, 24:37; 3. Samuel Garner, 24:44.
1-14 female: 1. Gabriella Esquivel, 28:09; 2. Emma O'Brien, 30:30; 3. Kate Johnson, 30:34.
15-19 male: 1. Gary Smolyak, 18:28; 2. Nolan Dunnigan, 20:21; 3. Joe Menton, 22:56.
15-19 female: 1. Jessica Duggan, 23:37; 2. Samantha Vermillion, 28:43; 3. Sarah Harbinson, 31:20.
20-29 male: 1. Ben Hemler, 23:14; 2. Bruce Chambliss, 24:07; 3. Brian Gulden, 25:27.
20-29 female: 1. Caroline Bauer, 20:21; 2. Christa Wagner, 20:44; 3. Amanda An, 21:37.
30-39 male: 1. Joel Gladfelter, 18:14; 2. Sigurd Knippenberg, 20:26; 3. Joshua Marsh, 20:36.
30-39 female: 1. Tiffany Hevner, 20:38; 2. Heather Purcell, 21:32; 3. Rebecca Skaar, 21:49.
40-49 male: 1. Akintunde Morakinyo, 19:35; 2. Gregg Ford, 19:48; 3. Dennis Albright, 20:20.
40-49 female: 1. Michele Firlie, 23:12; 2. Marsha Demaree, 23:23; 3. Maura Dunnigan, 24:11.
50-59 male: 1. John Chall, 19:56; 2. Yasuo Oda, 20:38; 3. Mark Rosasco, 20:59.
50-59 female: 1. Pat Wilkerson, 20:27; 2. Dorothy Beckett, 22:05; 3. Carole Rosasco, 23:34
60-69 female: 1. Adee Snowman, 32:03; 2. Frances Daum, 33:16; 3. Mary Carter, 33:56.
60-69 male: 1. Patrick Gary, 21:28; 2. James Carbary, 21:42; 3. Ronnie Wong, 22:12.
70-99 female: 1. Dolores Stewart, 34:45; 2. Jean Evansmore, 37:00; 3. Mary Brandenstein, 44:52.
70-99 male: 1. William Brandenstein, 29:02; 2. Warren Pitts, 29:38; 3. Dennis Atkins, 45:33.
Jump rope
Kangaroo Kids
Members of the Kangaroo Kids Competition Team participated in the AAU Maryland Jump Rope Invitational Tournament, held at the Gary Arthur Community Center at Glenwood, Feb. 4. There were 81 competitors from five teams from Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey and Virginia.
The tournament included both an Experienced Division for those who have previously competed in a competition, and a Novice Division, for first time competitors. Ribbons were awarded to the top eight finishers per event in each age group. Kangaroo Kids earning ribbons were:
Experienced Male Single Rope Events
One-Minute Speed 9-10: 1. Michael Maiden; 3. Kevin Aguilera. 11-12: 1. David Gordon; 3. Michael Laper. 13-14: 1. Aaron Weingrad; 2. Cameron Simmons. 15-17: 1. Sam Trossman.
One-Minute Power 9-10: 2. Michael Maiden; 3. Kevin Aguilera. 11-12: 2. David Gordon; 3. Michael Laper. 13-14: 1. Aaron Weingrad; 2. Cameron Simmons. 15-17: 1. Sam Trossman.
Freestyle 9-10: 1. Michael Maiden; 3. Kevin Aguilera. 11-12: 1. David Gordon; 2. Michael Laper. 13-14: 1. Cameron Simmons; 2. Aaron Weingrad. 15-17: 1. Sam Trossman.
Experienced Female Single Rope Events
One-Minute Speed 11-12: 2. Sophie Skalny. 13-14: 1. Christina Kratzmeier; 2. Jessica Lawson; 6. Meg Weigman. 15-17: 1. Lauren Bork; 2. Lynn Walsh; 3. Cecilia Hartley.
One-Minute Power 11-12: 2. Sophie Skalny. 13-14: 2. Christina Kratzmeier; 3. Jessica Lawson; 4. Meg Weigman. 15-17: 2. Cecilia Hartley; 3. Lauren Bork; 4. Lynn Walsh.
Freestyle 11-12: 1. Sophie Skalny; 5. Amanda Carson. 13-14: 1. Christina Kratzmeier; 3. Jessica Lawson; 6. Meg Weigman. 15-17: 1. Lauren Bork; 2. Cecilia Hartley; 3. Lynn Walsh.
Novice Male Single Rope Events
One-Minute Speed 9-10: 1. Connor Byrne. 11-12: 1. Alex Manning.
One-Minute Power 9-10: 1. Connor Byrne. 11-12: 1. Alex Manning.
Freestyle 9-10: 1. Connor Byrne. 11-12: 1. Alex Manning.
Novice Female Single Rope Events
One-Minute Speed 9-10: 3. Kacie Costello; 4. Samantha Suhrcke. 11-12: Maya English.
One-Minute Power 9-10: 3. Kacie Costello; 8. Sabrina Yi.
Freestyle 9-10: 4. Kacie Costello; 8. Samantha Suhrcke. 11-12: 1. Maya English.
Soccer
Columbia Soccer Club travel
The CSC Storm Runners (U-16 girls) finished their futsal season on a high note with a 5-1 victory over the Arundel Magic Feb. 5. This victory, the Storm Runners' third in a row, was marked by terrific goalkeeping from Carley Noppinger and Katherine MacKie and strong overall play from Kate Harkleroad, Becca Riley and Lauren Marshall and balanced scoring from Carley Noppinger, Erica Noppinger, Christina Kochanski and Maddie Jones.
Noppinger got the scoring started very early with a goal in the game's first 10 seconds. Jones doubled the Storm Runners' edge when she cracked a free kick in to the net beyond a screened Magic keeper.
In the second half, Jones struck again when Kochanski took a quick corner kick and found an unmarked Jones with a perfect pass. Jones rammed home the ball in the lower right corner of the net. Erica Noppinger notched her first goal of the season when she took a pass from Kochanski and slipped a shot between the keeper's legs. Kochanski ended the scoring when she collected a rebound from a Harkleroad shot and knocked it home before the keeper could react.