50th Annual USA Track & Field National Masters Championship in Baton Rouge at LSU July 13-16 Features 900 Best USA Athletes 30-101 Years Old (Yes 101!), World Champions

BATON ROUGE, La., July 6, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The historic 50^th Annual USA Track & Field National Masters Championships will be held at LSU July 13-16, with 900 of the best USA athletes 30-101 years old. Among the entrants are 40 reigning world champions, Olympians, a dozen recent world record setters, 87 defending national champions, and many Baton Rouge area and Louisiana stars. Below are just some of the potential stars.

Among the athletes is a 101 year-old Baton Rouge star, the oldest woman ever competing in a national masters championship, Julia Hawkins, who set a world 100+ age record in the 100 meters. At the other end of the masters age spectrum is Olympic great Walter Dix (M31, Coral Spring FL), third to Usain Bolt in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing in both the 100 and 200 meters. He's entered in Baton Rouge in the M30 100 and 200 in his first masters championship. Three other Olympians are also competing: Rich Kenah (Sidney 2000), Atlanta, 46, in the 800 in Baton Rouge; Amy Begley (Beijing 2008), Atlanta, Georgia, age 39--entered in the 800, 1500, 5000, 10,000, long jump, discus, and shot; and Howard Lindsay  New York, NY, age 53 -- entered in the 100 dash and long jump., Competed for Antigua and Barbuta 1984 (Los Angeles), 1988 (Seoul), and 1996 (Atlanta).

Several 90 year-olds are entered including 99-year-old former Army and Air Force pilot Orville Rogers from Dallas, Texas who though in the "older" 95-99 group, will be racing the "younger" 90-94 group's Dixon Hemphill (92), from Fairfax Station, Virginia. 92 year-old Mary Norckauer, another Baton Rouge star, is registered for 12 events. And Olympic "family": Dr. William Bell, 95, Jonesboro, Ark, in the pole vault (current world record holder in 90-94) and father of Olympic pole vaulter Earl Bell. The 90's and 100's will be a unique feature of the meet. 

Another area star: Kevin Castille, Lafayette, LA 45, with the 14:11.09 WR he ran on June 9 in Nashville for 5000 meters -- average 4:33.9 per mile. Yet another Lafayette, LA star is Delmon McNabb, M71, 1968 NCAA champion in the javelin (and his event here), who held the national high school record before Terry Bradshaw.

Also competing are Hollywood, television, movie, and music performers, including Nolan Shaheed, 67 of Pasadena, California, national and world champion distance runner and jazz great who's played lead for Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder. On the female side of the 65+, distance star Sabra Harvey of Houston has become a world's best and record setter

Twelve athletes who broke world age group records in the last two years are entered, as well as fifty winners of USA Age Group Athletes of the Year awards. Among them: Sprinter Bill Collins, 66, Houston, TX, recovering from life-threatening Guillain Barre syndrome but still setting world records, overall 2016 USA Male Athlete of the Year—a model of masters lifetime inspiration. 875 athletes will be defending their national titles. Among them: legend Bob Lida of Wichita, KS, who set two world marks in the M80 200 and 400 at Daegu, South Korea World Masters Championships in March. Joy Upshaw: Lafayette, California, age 56. Entered in the 100 and 200 dashes, 80 hurdles, 300 hurdles, long jump, and triple jump, she won both hurdles and the long jump at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Perth, Australia last year, and indoors at the March, 2017 USATF Masters Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, NM, set a world mark in the 60m hurdles.

At least three truly outstanding female throwers are in the meet including Myrle Mensey, 68, of St. Louis, the 65-69 world record holder in the throws pentathlon; Neni Lewis, 57, Queens, NY, Masters Hall of Famer, who retains at least 12 age group world marks; and Carol Finsrud, 60, Lockhart, Texas, another Masters Hall of Famer who has set discus records for five consecutive age groups─W35, W40, W45, W50, and W55. (Gloria Krug, 86, New Oxford, PA, who holds 10 American outdoors records is entered but may be injured.)

Spectators and credentialed media will be admitted free. The meet is at Bernie Moore Track Stadium, 1 North Stadium Dr, Baton Rouge, LA 70802. The meet runs early morning (8AM) through all day Thursday through Sunday. The detailed schedule is http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2017/USATF-Masters-Outdoor-Championships/Schedule.aspx. For detailed information on entrants and logistics see http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2017/USATF-Masters-Outdoor-Championships.aspx. Media also note: for home towns of competitors see https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_nIrTE7JUbmwGBxLbVRYodhKuano1tmerzCil83ysc4/edit?usp=sharing

Many thanks for invaluable information for this release to USATF Masters Awards Co-Chairs Mary Trotto and Rachel Guest, long-time meet announcer Peter Taylor, Eric Engemann, President and CEO of SportsBR, MTF Vice-Chair Jerry Bookin-Weiner and MTF Chair Rex Harvey.

For overall masters media and onsite athlete interviews or information in Baton Rouge, and for onsite media credentials (may be obtained at the track from Bob or Eric), contact USATF Masters Media Director Bob Weiner [email protected] 202-306-1200. For meet social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, please feed or contact USATF Masters Social Media Coordinator Sandy Lee Triolo at email: [email protected]. For meet photography in Baton Rouge, many thanks to (and contact) superb masters T&F independent photographer David Albo at [email protected]. 

Recent World Record setters attending Baton Rouge (includes WR's set 2015,16,17)
By Rachel Guest, USATF Masters Awards Co-Chair

M45
Derek Pye (49) – WR Indoor 60M hurdles set 2/18/17 in ABQ

M65
Bill Collins (66) – WR Indoor 60M set 3/5/16 in ABQ 
WR Indoor 200M set 3/6/17 in ABQ
Quenton Torbert (65) – WR Indoor Shot Put set 2/5/17 in ABQ

M70
Ty Brown (71) – WR Indoor 60M hurdles set 3/21/15 in Winston-Salem 
WR Outdoor 80M hurdles set 7/24/15 in Jacksonville

M80
Bob Lida (80)– WR Indoor 200M set 3/23/17 in Daegu 
WR Indoor 400M set 3/25/17 in Daegu

M95
Orville Rogers (99) – WR Indoor 1500 set 3/5/16 in ABQ

W55
Joy Upshaw (56) – WR Indoor 60M hurdles set 3/5/16 in ABQ
Oneithea Lewis (56) – WR Indoor weight throw set 2/19/17 in ABQ

W60
Rita Hanscom (62)– WR Outdoor Heptathlon set 6/28/15 in San Antonio

W65 
Myrly Mensey (67) – WR Outdoor Throws Pentathlon set 8/6/16 in Lisle

W75
Kathy Bergen (77) – WR Indoor 200m set 3/8/15 in New York 
WR Indoor 60m and HJ set 3/5/16 in ABQ 
WR Outdoor HJ set 6/6/15 in Pasadena

W100
Julia Hawkins (101)—WR outdoor 100m set in Birmingham 6/20/17

STARS ENTERED AT Baton Rouge, Louisiana at USATF Masters Outdoor Nationals, July 13─16, 2017 (as of on-time entry deadline)
By Peter Taylor, Long-time Meet Announcer

OVERALL:

Olympians Among Us

Walter Dix (M 30, Coral Spring FL), third to Usain Bolt in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing in both the 100 and 200 meters, is entered in Baton Rouge in the M30 100 and 200. Media will be interested in his stories.

Richard Kenah. Atlanta, Georgia, age 46. Entered in the 800. Rich Kenah, a standout in the middle distances at Georgetown University and later as an open competitor, represented the US in the 800 at Sydney in the 2000 Olympics. 

One of Rich's high-water marks in his marvelous open career came in the 800 final at the 1997 outdoor worlds in Athens, where he turned in a sizzling 1:44.25 and finished third, as the legendary Wilson Kipketer of Denmark prevailed in 1:43.38, with Norberto Tellez of Cuba getting the silver in 1:44.00. Ironically, at another meet that year Rich ran the same time that Kipketer ran in Athens, 1:43.38, to establish his own lifetime best.

Amy Begley. Atlanta, Georgia, age 39. Entered in the 800, 1500, 5000, 10,000, long jump, discus, and shot. A standout at the University of Arkansas, where she won two NCAA titles, Amy is a two-time US open champion in the 10,000 on the track, winning in 31:22.69 in 2009 and 32:06.45 in 2010. Her personal best is 31:13.78.

In 2008, Amy took the long flight to Beijing, China, to join her teammates in representing the US at the Olympics, where she finished 26^th in the 10,000 final.  The first full-time coach of the Atlanta Track Club, Amy will be putting her newfound versatility on display in Baton Rouge, where she will be one of a relatively few masters athletes to compete singlehandedly in a jumping event, the throws, and track races. 

Howard Lindsay. New York, NY, age 53. Entered in the 100 dash and long jump. Born in Jamaica, Howard competed for Antigua and Barbuta at the Olympic Games in 1984 (Los Angeles), 1988 (Seoul), and 1996 (Atlanta). In 1984 and 1996 he ran in the 4 x 400 relay, and in 1988 he competed in the 200 dash and the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays.

Olympic "family": Dr. William Bell, 95, Jonesboro, Ark, in the pole vault (current world record holder in 90-94) and father of Olympic pole vaulter Earl Bell.

Music, Movies, and Television

Nolan Shaheed: Pasadena, California, age 67. Nolan is entered in the 800 and 1500. Many people aspire to be world class in their chosen field, but few make it; Shaheed is actually world class in two distinct areas, music and track & field. Since working early in his career with Aretha Franklin, Nolan has demonstrated his brilliance time and again, working with Diana Ross, Phil Collins, Natalie Cole, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder, among other notables. In track and field, he is known for his versatility, setting a bevy of records both in indoor arenas and on the bigger tracks outdoors. Shaheed has the world records in the 800 for both M50 (a spectacular 1:58.65) and M60 (2:08.56 at age 61), and he has the M50 world record in the mile at 4:25.04. Nolan holds the M60 American records in both the 1500 (4:24.00) and mile (4:53.01). In the 5000, Nolan owns the American M60 mark of 16:56.96 (5:27.3 per mile), and he's also shown his stuff in the 2000 steeplechase, where he has the American records for M60 at 7:09.91 and M65 (7:19.62).

Damien Leake: Van Nuys, California, age 64. Entered in the 100, 200, and long jump. Damien has been a TV and movie actor for many years, having appeared in Serpico, Apocalypse Now, Highlander, Born on the Fourth of July, and numerous other productions, but the question is, how fast is he? Well, at this year's indoor masters nationals he ran the 60 dash in 7.73 seconds at age 64; competing on the  same track and thus at the same elevation, the ultra-quick Ronnie Baker won this year's open nationals in 6.45 seconds, with Quentin Butler 8^th in 6.66, just 1.07 seconds faster than Leake. In another notable outing, Damien won the 100 at the 2016 outdoor nationals in 12.26 seconds; the official wind reading was -3.6 mps. Not bad for 63. 

Bruce McBarnette: Sterling, Virginia, age 59. Entered in the high jump (he's won thirteen world titles) and triple jump. See also his listing under men 55-59.  On television, Bruce has appeared in such shows as 24 Hours, West Wing, The Wire, and Law and Order, while on the big screen he has been seen in Body of Lies, Ladder 49, Deep Impact, Jackal, and other films. A lawyer, acting is not his primary occupation; he is a realtor based in northern Virginia.

"90 is the New 75":  Competitors Aged 90 -101 (yes 101!)

Orville Rogers: Dallas, Texas, age 99. Orville is entered in the 100, 200, and 400, which should guarantee him an excellent workout before he turns 100 on November 28 and breaking records becomes easier. Mr. Rogers holds the American outdoor record in the 400 for the M95-99 group at a nifty 2:21.82, set in 2013 when he was a relative pup of 95.

William Bell, Senior: Jonesboro, Arkansas, age 95. Entered only in the pole vault. The father of U.S. Olympic pole vaulter Earl Bell, Dr. Bell's medical specialty is anatomic pathology, but he won't be talking about that subject on July 15. Rather, he will be going for the M95 (men 95-99) world record in the pole vault. Bell is the current world record holder in this event for the 90-94 group at 2.05 meters (6-8¾), and his sole charge in Louisiana will be to clear a height, as there is no world record for the 95-99 classification.

Dixon Hemphill: Fairfax Station, Virginia, age 92. Entered in the pentathlon (the last of the five events is the 1500) and the 800, both to be contested on opening day, and the 100, 200, 400, 1500, and 2000 steeplechase races on the track and the discus and javelin in the field.

Mr. Hemphill, a graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont, has won too many golds in recent years to list here, but suffice to say he will win a lot more gold in Louisiana.

Richard Soller: North Bend, Ohio, age 90. Entered in the high jump and long jump. At the indoor masters in February, competing as an 89-year-old, Soller took gold in the M85 long jump with 1.91 meters (6-3 ¼).

Phil Brusca: Maryland Heights, Missouri, age 90. Entered in the shot put, discus, hammer throw, weight throw, and javelin. Crossing the line into the 90-94 group should be good for Phil in terms of records, as he still holds the American indoor mark in the shot for M85 at 9.82 meters (32-2 ¾) and is capable of setting some outdoor marks in his new age group.

Mary Norckauer: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, age 92. Entered in 12 events, the 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1500 on the track, the long jump and triple jump, and the shot put, discus, hammer and weight throws, and javelin.

Norckauer has done beautifully indoors, holding four American records in the W90 division, and thus it is time for her to make some dents in the list of outdoor records. Mary's W90 marks are 16.67 for the 60 dash, 1:22.94 for the 200, 3:13.45 in the 400, and 7:14.89 in the 800. 

Julia Hawkins, 101, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has entered just one event, the 100-meter dash. She's a graduate of LSU, class of 1938, and thus should enjoy running at her alma mater's track stadium one year before her 80^th reunion.

Julia took up competitive cycling at age 81 and began competing in  running events at age 100, but there is no official world record in the 100 dash for the W100 group (women 100-104).  

On June 10, however, at the National Senior Games in Birmingham, Julia ran the 100 in 39.62 seconds with a legal wind (+0.2 mps), a world record which she will aim to beat in Baton Rouge.

Local Favorites
The big meet will have a large number of entrants from the host city, Baton Rouge, far too many to list in full here. Two of the notables from Baton Rouge and an all-world distance runner from Lafayette, Louisiana (about 60 miles from Baton Rouge), are mentioned below.

Kevin Castille, 45, of Lafayette, has entered the 10,000 (see his summary under 45-49 in the men's section). 
Mary Norckauer, 92, of Baton Rouge, has entered 12 events (see "90 is the New 75").
Julia Hawkins, 101, of Baton Rouge, will run the 100 dash (see "90 is the New 75").

Big Stars by Age Group

MEN

35-39
Sean Burnett, Atlanta, GA: 34 at Grand Rapids last year he won the M30 100 in 11.13. He went to Perth World Masters as a 35-year-old, finished third in the 200 with a very good wind-aided 21.96.  Likely top choice in both the 100 and 200 this year in M35 group.  

40-44
Antwon Dussett: Peoria, Illinois, age 41. Entered in the 200 and 400 dashes. Based on his sterling career to date, Antwon can be considered one of the greatest long sprinters in US masters history, even at age 41. In 2011, at the world outdoor masters in Sacramento, Dussett ran a blazing 47.34 seconds in the 400 and 21.57 in the 200 to win the M35 golds. Two years later he won the 400 in the worlds with a wickedly fast 47.37 at age 38. Way back in 2011, Dussett set the current M35 American indoor record for the 200 dash ─ 21.67 seconds. The M40 indoor 400 mark for Americans? Yes, Antwon holds that one as well:  49.32 seconds. What about his current form? The answer is that on June 25 at open nationals he absolutely scorched the 400 exhibition race, winning it in a scintillating 49.01 seconds.

45-49
Kevin Castille: Lafayette, Louisiana, age 45. Entered in the 10,000 meters. Castille is a legend in the distance events who competes primarily on the road.  In April 2012 at age 40, in one of his rare ventures on the track, he flew to a time of 28:57.88 in the 10,000 meters, an amazing pace of 4:39.7 per mile and an American record that still stands for the M40 (40-44) category.

In 2016, at age 44, Castille had the distinction of being the oldest male qualifier for that year's U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon. On March 17, 2017, on the track in his home city of Lafayette, he ran 29:44.38 for the 10,000 meters, or 4:47.2 per mile and 18 seconds under Mexican Olympian Antonio Villanueva's M45 world record set in 1987. The next month, Kevin blasted a 14:22.55 in the 5000 on the track, well under the M45 American record, but on June 9 in Nashville, Tennessee, he put that mark to shame as he knocked out 14:11.09, a pending world record.

Allen Woodard, Houston TX -- WR holder in the M45 400m.  His March time of 49.09 has been approved as an AR and the WR. A USATF Athlete of the Week, he's been improving his WR for the age group over the past year.

50-54 
Khalid Mulazim: Cleveland, Ohio, age 51. Entered in the 100, 200, and 400. Khalid Mulazim was one-fourth of the fabulous US team that ran 3:24.84 for the 4 x 400 in the 2011 world outdoor masters, a time that remains the official world record for M45 but was surpassed by a team at the Penn Relays this year (see entry for Karnell Vickers, below). Also in 2011, this time at nationals, Khalid ran the 400 in 50.18 seconds to set a world record for M45, a time that has since been officially surpassed.

On March 3, 2017, Khalid ran a 52.02 in the 400 indoors in Albuquerque, and that will be an American record once ratified. The American outdoor record for 400 in M50 is 51.39 set by the great Fred Sowerby in 1999; that record is now in danger.

Karnell Vickers: Acworth, Georgia, age 50.  Entered in the 100 and 200 dashes and the 100 and 400 hurdles. Karnell came up big at the 2017 Penn Relays, as even though he was 50 years old he ran on a world-record team M45 team in the 4 x 400 relay and an American-record M45 team in the 4 x 100 relay. In the 4 x 400, his team ran 3:22.79 to go well under the listed world record of 3:24.84. The 4 x 100 ran a sizzling 43.79 seconds (10.95 per man) in setting their record.

Last year, in Perth, Australia, at the outdoor world masters championships, Vickers, at 49, was at the top of the M45 age group, but he did not let that deter him. Almost incredibly, he won both the 100 dash in 11.09 seconds (wind:  +3.2 meters per second [mps]) and the 400 intermediate hurdles at 57.50 seconds. He was fifth in the 200 dash, but the time was very quick (22.91 seconds, wind:  +4.1 mps).

Paul Babits: Fort Wayne, Indiana, age 56. Entered only in the pole vault. A two-time qualifier for the US Olympic Trials, Paul has the remarkable distinction of being the world indoor record holder in the pole vault for three consecutive age groups: M45 at 5.14 meters (16-10 1/4), M50 at 4.75 (15-7), and M55 at 4.52 (14-10).  He does not, however, have any outdoor American or world records, but perhaps that can be remedied in Baton Rouge (see entry on Gary Hunter under 60-64).

Bruce McBarnette. Sterling, Virginia, age 59. Entered in the high jump and triple jump. Bruce has had a magnificent career in masters track and field, and in 2009 he was inducted into the USATF Masters Field Hall of Fame. He has won 13 world titles in the high jump, the most recent being in Daegu, South Korea, at the 2017 world indoor masters. There, at the age of 59 and thus at the top of his age group, he went gold with a leap of 1.70 meters.e

Scheduled to turn 60 in October, Bruce seems unlikely to set a record at Baton Rouge for 55-59, but a new mark is not beyond the realm of possibility. After all, Bruce has the American outdoor marks in the high jump for both M50 (1.94 meters [6-4 ¼]), which he set at age 52, and M55 (1.84 meters [ 6 – 0 ½]).    (See also the summary for McBarnette under "Music, Movies, and Television.")

60-64
Ralph Fruguglietti: Bakersfield, California, age 62. Entered only in the discus. Like M65 thrower Quenton "Doug" Torbert (q.v.), Ralph Fruguglietti is a thrower's thrower, someone for the other competitors to observe and study and, if they have time, to take notes about their observations. Ralph has the American outdoor record in the discus for M55 (1.5 kg) at a prodigious 55.14 meters (180 feet, 11 inches), although another thrower recently threw 55.61 to gain pending status. 

At Perth this past fall in the 2016 outdoor worlds, Ralph acquitted himself very nicely indeed in the big field of M60 discus throwers. The outcome? Ralph went gold with 54.45 meters (178-8), with the silver medalist (from Australia) managing 47.13 (154-7) and the bronze medalist (from Poland) heaving the implement 46.42 meters (152-3). Yes, you could say that Ralph won handily.

Gary Hunter:  Fort Wayne, Indiana, age 61. Entered only in the pole vault.  Hunter has distinguished himself over the years in many different ways, not the least being jumping high enough to secure the American outdoor pole vault record for three consecutive age groups: 4.75 meters (15-7) for M50 (also the world record), 4.36 (14-3 ½) for M55, and 4.11 (13-5 ¾) for M60. 

Last year, at outdoor nationals, Gary vaulted 4.05 meters (13-3 ½) to prevail very easily; the silver medalist jumped 3.50 meters (11-5 ¾). Hunter was inducted in 2010 to the USATF Masters Hall of Fame.

Oscar Peyton: Accokeek, Maryland, age 64. Entered in the 100 and 200. Born in November 1952, Oscar has had both the privilege and the challenge of hooking up frequently with Bill Collins (see listing in 65-69, below), who was born in November 1950. One big difference is that Collins was a collegiate and open star, while Peyton arrived late to the track world, not running competitively until he was 49.

Currently, Oscar has the world indoor mark for M60 in the 60 dash at a mercurial 7.52 seconds, and he has the American outdoor standard for M60 in the 200 dash at 24.14. Considering how many stars have preceded him in M60, owning these two records is a notable distinction indeed. 

In 2011, Peyton won both the 100 (11.89, wind -1.4 mps) and 200 (24.17, wind -0.4 mps) at the world outdoor masters in Sacramento.

65-69
Bill Collins: Houston, Texas, age 66. Entered in the 100, 200, and 400. This former Texas Christian University All-American is quite possibly the greatest sprinter in the history of the American masters program, and he gave even more evidence of that on April 28 at the storied Penn Relays, where he blazed a 12.33 in the 100 to break the world mark of 12.37 for M65. Bill has the American M60 record for the 100 at 11.83 seconds, and his M40 American mark of 21.86 in the 200 has held up against an onslaught of great sprinters since 1992.  Remarkable. 

Bill, a USATF Masters Hall of Fame, has been bothered in recent years by Guillain-Barré syndrome, but he continues to turn in great times in both individual events and relays. For example, in February 2016 in Albuquerque, Bill became the first 65+ man to break the 25-second barrier indoors in the 200, roaring to a time of 24.94. Earlier in the meet he had run 7.69 seconds in the 60, another world record.

Quenton "Doug" Torbert. Redlands, California, age 65. Entered only in the shot put. Doug Torbert is a "thrower's thrower," one whom other masters throwers can watch and emulate. Last year, at age 64 and thus at the top of the 60-64 age group, he dominated the shot put at the outdoor worlds in Australia. Four times he put the spheroid more than 15.00 meters, with a winning mark of 15.56 meters, or 51 feet, 0.6 inches. No other finalist in his age group bettered 15 meters.

Doug owns the American outdoor record in the shot (5 kilograms) for men 60-64 at 16.69 meters (54-9 ¼), and he already has the official world outdoor mark for M65 with a throw just short of that at 16.66 meters (54-8).

Thaddeus "Thad" Wilson. Oxnard, California, age 66. Entered in the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, long jump, and triple jump. Thad's world M60 record in the 100 hurdles of 14.37 seconds stands out as a sterling example of what "more mature" athletes can do in events that combine technique and speed. The time has stood up since 2011, and why not? It's smoking hot.

Also in 2011, Wilson won the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles at the worlds while finishing second in the 100 dash. In addition, he was fourth in the long jump but did not compete in the triple jump. Will records in the horizontal jumps be a part of Thad's future?

70-74
Ty Brown: Washington, DC, age 72. Entered in the 100 and 200 dashes and the 80 hurdles. Ty is a track fan's (and coach's) dream, as he is a preternaturally fast hurdler and a wonderful sprinter, placing him in excellent position for golds in the hurdles and sprints as well as the relays.

At Baton Rouge, however, the redoubtable Kenton Brown (age 72, Austin, Texas) will give him everything he wants in the sprints (at indoor nationals, Kenton edged Ty by 0.05 seconds in the 60 dash and then won the 200, which Ty did not run, in 27.86).  Kenton Brown has entered the 100 and 200.

At present, Ty Brown is the only American man to hold two masters world records in the straight hurdles. In 2013, at the age of 68, he flew through the 100 hurdles in 15.20 seconds, an absolutely wonderful  time. Two years later, at age 70, he zipped through the 80 hurdles in 12.61 seconds. That these two records still stand, especially given the competition from European athletes, is a testament to Brown's brilliance.

Gary Patton: Rock Rapids, Iowa, age 71. Entered in the 400, 800, 1500, 5000, and 10,000. The 400 could be a bit short for this ace middle-distance runner, but he may well sweep the remainder of his races. On April 30, 2017, in Oregon, Patton demonstrated his recent fitness by hurrying through 3000 meters in 11:19.19 for an America record; the pace was slightly over 6:04 per mile.  

Last year, at the world outdoor masters in Australia, Gary secured a bronze medal in three different events: the 800 (2:34.13), the 1500 (5:04.87), and the 5000 (19:54.27); the 5:04.87 is now the American record for M70. Gary also holds the still-standing American record in the 1500 for M65, which he set way back in 2011: 4:46.05.  Finally, Gary has the M70 record for the mile at 5:35.03.  Enough said.

80-84
Bob Lida: Wichita, Kansas, age 80. Entered in the 100, 200, and 400.  Bob Lida, even from fairly close up, resembles a much younger competitor, sprinting like a thoroughbred with an athletic style and good stride length. He is arguably one of the two greatest masters sprinters in the world right now.  In 2012, Bob was selected by World Masters Athletics as the male masters athlete of the year, and in 2013 he won the 100, 200, and 400 at the world outdoor masters in Brazil.

In March of this year, having flown all the way to Daegu, South Korea, for the world indoor masters, Bob gave another amazing demonstration of "young at 80."  On March 23 he spanked the 200 dash in 29.15 seconds ─ that's right, 29.15 ─ to set a world mark.  Two days later he came back in the 400 to run 1:10.20, another world record. How does he do it? 

WOMEN

40-44
LaTrica Dendy: Bronx, New York, age 44. Entered in the 100, 200, and 400 dashes and the 400 intermediate hurdles. Sweeping three sprints and the long hurdles at the top of your age group (LaTrica will turn 45 in November) sounds extremely difficult, but Dendy is both courageous and talented, and she just might win them all. At the worlds in Perth last year, on her 44^th birthday, she won the 400 in 56.90 and was credited with an American record for women 40-44, albeit Olympian Jearl Miles-Clark ran faster at age 41. In addition, Dendy was the silver medalist in the 200 with a sweet 25.47 (wind +3.7 mps). 

The Perth performances came as no surprise to veteran Dendy observers, as she established herself years ago as a true standout. In the 2009 outdoor worlds in Finland, LaTrica won the 400 in brilliant fashion, ringing up a 55.35 to get the official American W35 record (Jearl Miles-Clark ran faster at age 36, but that time is not considered the W35 record).  In the 400 hurdles, for good measure, she went gold in 1:01.19, also the current American record for W35 (open star Sandra Glover has a faster time achieved in that age group).

Rachel Guest: Surprise, Arizona, age 42. Entered in the 80 hurdles and pentathlon. The versatile Guest currently holds the W35 and W40 American indoor marks for the pentathlon and the W40 outdoor mark for the heptathlon, which she established at the 2015 outdoor worlds in Lyon, France, as the silver medalist. She came away with gold, however, in the 80 hurdles (11.67 seconds), and the following year, at the worlds in Perth, Australia, took another gold in that event, running a wind-aided 11.42 seconds.

45-49
Sonja Friend-Uhl. Boca Raton, Florida, age 46. Entered in the 400, 800, and 1500. Sonja seems to have been "dropping down" a bit recently, incorporating the 400 in her repertoire even though she has made her reputation as a middle distance runner and remains excellent at "going long." 

A participant in the 2000 Olympic Trials, Sonja serves as a role model for other runners who want to see how the stars do it in terms of both style and pacing.  Speaking of Olympians, Joan Benoit Samuelson has the listed American indoor record for W45 at 3000 meters (10:02.55), but on January 27 of this year, Sonja eclipsed that mark with a time of 9:53.04. 

In 2011, Friend-Uhl won gold in both the 800 and 1500 at the outdoor world masters in Sacramento, and she currently holds the world indoor record in the mile for W40 at 4:44.81 while also being the American outdoor record holder in the 1500 for both W40 (4:16.99) and W45 (4:29.61).  

Emma McGowan. Sugar Hill, Georgia, age 49. At the indoor championships this year, Emma won the 200 in a sparkling 26.79 seconds and the 400 in 1:00.50 while taking second in the 60 in 8.21. That she did not win the 60 no doubt surprised some people, as Emma has solidified her place in the top echelon of US masters sprinters. 

Last year, at the world outdoor masters in Perth, Australia, went gold in both the 100 (12.80, wind +1.5 mps) and the 200 (25.51, +1.9). The year before, in her native France (she is now a US citizen), she won the world outdoor title in the 100 and finished second in the 200 and 400.

50-54
Lisa Valle. Albuquerque, New Mexico, age 51. Entered in the 800 and the 2000 steeplechase. Lisa came to fame in 2009 by winning the 800 and 1500 at the world masters outdoor nationals in Finland, and she has turned in numerous outstanding performances in the succeeding years.  

Perhaps the pinnacle for Lisa came in 2011 at the world outdoor masters in Sacramento, where she won the W45 800 in 2:20.73, took second in the 1500 with 4:44.00, and dashed to victory in the 2000 steeplechase in a time of 6:58.89. Six years later, that time remains the American W45 record for the steeplechase.

On June 4 of this year, running in a regional meet in San Mateo, California, Lisa completed the 2000 steeplechase in 7:59.66, now a pending American record for the W50 group.

55-59
Lorraine Jasper: Birchrunville, Pennsylvania, age 55. Entered in the 400, 800, and 1500. In Daegu, South Korea, in March at the 2017 world indoor masters, Jasper simply dominated the 800 (2:32.73), besting the runner-up by an extravagant 10.27 seconds. In the 1500 it was again Jasper for the gold, as she turned in a 5:36.30 to lead the pack.

In the 400 at Daegu, Lorraine scored a bronze medal in a time of 1:06.86. Just a few months earlier, in the 2016 outdoor worlds in Perth, Australia, Jasper also put on quite a show. She went silver in the 400 (1:06.97), gold in the 800 (2:32.14), and silver in the 1500, where she set an American W55 record of 5:08.96.     

Oneithea "Neni" Lewis. Oakland Gardens (Queens), New York, age 57. Entered in the hammer and weight throws. Neni is one of the greatest throwers in masters track and field history, and the record book certainly backs up that assertion. In the hammer, Neni has the world marks for W40 (4 kg) at 57.08 meters (187-3), W45 (4 kg) at 56.21 meters (184-5), and W50 (3 kg) at 55.46 meters (181-11).  Amazing. 

The weight throw is also Neni's province, as here she has the world standards for W40 (20 lb) at 19.09 meters (62-7), W45 (20 lb) at 17.88 meters (58-8), and W50 (16 lb) at 18.76 meters (61-6).

Not surprisingly, Neni's versatility in the throws has given her three other world marks, the records in the throws pentathlon for W40, W45, and W50.  Yes, this Masters Hall of Famer is a superstar in the best sense of the word.

Joy Upshaw: Lafayette, California, age 56. Entered in the 100 and 200 dashes, 80 hurdles, 300 hurdles, long jump, and triple jump. Joy is a consummate stylist with great power, the kind of athlete who is perfectly suited for the sprints, hurdles, and jumps. No doubt she takes after her father, Monte Upshaw, who in 1954 broke Jesse Owens's long-standing high school record in the long jump (and yes, Olympic long jumper Grace Upshaw is her sister). Last year, in Perth, Australia, at the world outdoor masters, won gold in both of the hurdle races, winning at 80 meters in 13.05 seconds (wind +1.1 mps) and 300 meters in 50.65.  In addition, she won the long jump with 4.92 meters (16-1.75, wind +2.4). Earlier in the year, at the indoor nationals in Albuquerque, she set a world mark in the 60 hurdles at 9.71 seconds and American marks in both the 60 dash (8.48) and the 200 (27.51). 

60-64
Linda Cohn: Northridge, California, age 64. Entered in the 100 dash, long jump, shot put, discus, and javelin. A former endurance cyclist and marathon runner, Linda has been branching out recently in her track and field career, but the javelin is still her specialty. She has the American and world outdoor record for W60 in the javelin (500 grams) at 37.50 meters (123-0) and the American mark for that age group at 400 grams (39.16 meters/128-5). 

Linda also has the American outdoor mark for W55 in the javelin at 40.23 meters (132-0). 

Carol Finsrud, Lockhart, Texas, age 60. Entered in the shot put, discus, hammer throw, weight throw, and javelin. An Olympic Trialist as recently as 2000, Carol has been a high-profile thrower in the US masters program for many years. Remarkably, she is the listed American record holder in the discus for five consecutive age groups ─ W35, W40, W45, W50, and W55, albeit her W35 record has been surpassed (but not ratified). Turning 60 in February 2017 gave Carol an opportunity to set still another record, and the W60 American mark in the discus of 32.58 meters (106-10) that was set way back in 2006 was an obvious target. In May at the Sierra Gold meet in California, Carol hurled the discus a magnificent 36.08 meters (118 feet, 4 ½ inches) to better the record by more than 11 feet. Amazing. 

A true devotee of track and field who competed collegiately at the University of Texas, Carol even has her own throwing venue, dubbed Atlas Field, outside of Lockhart, Texas. A marvelously versatile performer and member of the USATF Masters Hall of Fame, she owns the W55 American record in the throws pentathlon, and many more good results are sure to come.

Rita Hanscom. San Diego, California, age 63. Entered in the 100 dash, 80 hurdles, high jump, pole vault, long jump, and pentathlon. Possessing a velvety stride, Rita (a former marathoner) has branched out into a number of different events over the years, and she has done beautifully, to say the least.

Hanscom has the American records in the decathlon for both W50 and W55 and the heptathlon for W50, W55, and W60. In 2009, after winning five golds in the outdoor worlds in Finland, Rita was named by World Masters Athletics as the female masters athlete of the year. She is a member of the USATF Masters Hall of Fame.

65-69
Sabra Harvey: Houston, Texas, age 68. Entered in the 800, 1500, and 5000. Sabra is a late bloomer; at age 51 she couldn't run a lick. She had good height (5-8), but that was it, and she recollected in an interview that she weighed around 160 pounds. The rest, as they say, is history, and she is now a superstar.  For example, in the outdoor worlds at Perth, Australia, she hooked up with all-time great Kathy Martin, who was 65 at the time, and beat her after a titanic battle. Sabra's winning time was 2:39.61, a W65 world record.

In Perth, Sabra went against Kathy Martin on two other occasions, winning the gold in the 1500 (5:39.71) and running second to Kathy in the 5000.

Back in 2014, at outdoor nationals, Sabra set the still-standing world W65 record in the 1500, at 5:29.85, and a few weeks ago, in Oregon, she struck again.  Sabra required only 11:47.30 to get through the 3000, safely below the existing world record of 11:48.2 by the great Angela Copson of Great Britain.  Look for more great things from this late- developing phenom.

Myrle Mensey. St. Louis, Missouri, age 68. Entered in the shot put, discus, javelin, hammer, and weight throw. Competing in all five throws at Baton Rouge will not be particularly remarkable for Myrle, nor will it be surprising if she wins all five, as she has the world outdoor record for the W65 group in the throws pentathlon.

Myrle has the American marks in the hammer (3 kg) for women 65-69 at 39.61 meters (129-11) and both the W60 and W65 weight throw (12 pounds) at 17.78 meters (58-4) and 16.81 meters (55-2), respectively.

A Masters Hall of Famer, Myrle was selected as the USATF masters track and field athlete of the year for 2013.   

75-79

Kathy Bergen: La Canada, California, age 77. Entered in the 100 and 200 dashes, high jump, discus, and javelin. A relative latecomer to track and field, Kathy made a splash at the 1995 indoor masters in Reno, Nevada, and it's been "all good" ever since. For reporters, the top concern might be doing justice to her many achievements, as she has been so prolific that it is easy to miss one.

Last fall, Kathy competed in Perth, Australia, at the World Masters Athletics (WMA) Championships, and once again she acquitted herself beautifully. In the 100-meter dash she blasted a time of 15.56 seconds (wind was + 0.9 meters mps) to win by daylight, as the silver medalist  ran 17.56. In the 200, Bergen blazed a 34.39 (wind, + 4.2), well in front of the runner-up, who was timed in 36.79.  The high jump was also Kathy's, as she leaped 1.22 meters (4-0).

To give some perspective to Kathy's great career (she entered the  USATF Masters Hall of Fame in 2008) one must look at her individual world records at outdoor venues. She was the first 70+ woman to break 15 seconds in the 100, running 14.76 seconds in 2010, and that remains the W70 world mark. She also has the world standard for W75, this time at 15.31 seconds.

In the 200, Kathy has the world records for W70 (a scalding 31.39 seconds) and W75 (33.79 seconds). The W70 world record in the high jump is hers at 1.30 meters (4- 3 ¼), and she is co-holder of the W75 world record at 1.22 meters (4-0). Enough already!  

80-84
Jeanne Daprano: Fayetteville, Georgia, age 80. Entered in the 200, 400, 800, and 1500. A true superstar and Masters Hall of Famer, Jeanne has achieved several notable firsts. In May 2007 she became the first 70+ woman worldwide to break 7 minutes in the mile, uncorking a remarkable 6:47.91 at Duke University, a time that is still the world record for W70.

In 2012, in California, Jeanne was at it again, as she ran 6:58.44 in the mile to become the first 75+ woman to go under 7 minutes (this is still the world standard for W75). Moving forward to June of this year, Jeanne, at age 80, ran a mile in 8:35.04 to become the first American woman 80 or above to break 9 minutes in that race (the existing record, set way back in 2001, is 9:00.52). Finally, let us not forget that Jeanne has the world outdoor mark for W75 in the 800 at 3:07.35. She set it back in 2011, and it still stands. Why is that?  Well, it's too fast for everyone else.

85-89
Gloria Krug: New Oxford, Pennsylvania, age 86. Entered in the shot put, discus, javelin, hammer throw, weight throw, long jump, and triple jump. Gloria is widely known as an excellent thrower, but she is getting good competitive experience in the horizontal jumps as well. The question is how many American records she has outdoors for the 85-89 group, and can she get more in Baton Rouge? Currently, Gloria has 10 American records outdoors ─ two in the shot put, superweight, throws pentathlon, and ultraweight pentathlon ─ and one each in the hammer and weight throw. Perhaps her most impressive record is 19.75 meters (64-9) in the W85 hammer throw (2 kg), which she achieved in 2016.

Some Racewalkers to Watch

Panseluta Geer. Hazlet, New Jersey, age 70. Entered in the 5000 and 10,000 racewalks. A former masters racewalker of the year in the U.S., Panseluta has acquitted herself very well in a variety of competitions. For example, at the 2011 world outdoor championships in Sacramento, she took fifth in both the 5000 racewalk (31:52.87) and the 10,000 racewalk (1:03:16.55), even though she was 64 and thus at the top of her age group.

Leon Jasionowski. East China, Michigan, age 72. Entered in the 5000 and 10,000 racewalks. Last year, Leon took a second at nationals in the 5000 racewalk (29 minutes, 46.94 seconds) and a bronze in the 10,000 racewalk (1:01:55.0), but he hopes to do better this year.  He certainly has some staying power; in the 20,000 racewalk he has the American road records for both M60 (1:46:22) and M70 (2:04:39), while in the 25,000 racewalk he has the American road record for M65 at 2:27:34.

Finally, and perhaps most impressively, Jasionowski has the American road record for the 50,000 walk in the M65 group at 5:11:22.

Andrew Smith: Whittier, North Carolina, age 67. Entered in the 5,000 and 10,000 racewalks. Andy Smith has a very pleasing, aggressive style, and his results have been very good over the years.  Last year at nationals he took second in both M65 racewalks, 29:11.73 in the 5000 and 59:49.2 in the 10,000.  

David Swarts. Jackson, Michigan, age 52. Entered in the 5000 and 10,000 racewalks. Swarts, who holds the American outdoor record for M45 in the 3000 racewalk at 13:49.38, finished third in the 5000 walk at the 2016 outdoor worlds in Australia, completing the distance in 24:18.23.  Earlier in the year, however, he walked 23:13.13 in the 5000 at nationals, only to lose to Zbigniew Sadlej (see below). An excellent stylist with both a long stride and quick turnover, he should certainly distinguish himself in Baton Rouge. After all, in the 2016 US Olympic Trials he finished 16^th in the 20,000 racewalk; not bad for someone in his early 50s.

Karen Swisher: Shawnee, Kansas, age 65. Entered in the 5000 and 10,000 racewalks. Karen turned in a very nice effort at the US Senior Games in Birmingham, Alabama, this year, as she strode to an easy gold medal in the 1500 walk, finishing in 8:41.83, a time that ranked her fourth among all women at the championship.

Zbigniew Sadlej:  Royal Oak, Michigan, age 55. Entered in the 5000 and 10,000 racewalks. Zibby, as he is known to his friends and fellow walkers, won both the 5000 walk on the track and the 10,000 walk on the road last year at outdoor masters nationals; his time of 23:11.93 in the 5000 walk equates to a mind-boggling 7:28.0 per mile.  In August 2016, Zibby was first overall in the 1-hour US open championships in Wisconsin, traveling 12,145 meters (7.55 miles) in 60 minutes. Hard to believe.  

Michael Wiggins. Hawarden, Iowa, age 68. Entered in the 5000 and 10,000 racewalks. At last year's outdoor nationals in Michigan, Michael downed Andrew Smith (q.v.) to win both racewalks. In the 5000 on the track he fled to a very quick 27:48.10, while the 10,000 on the road required 56 minutes, 37.1 seconds.

Kathy and Norm Frable: Ivins, Utah, both 71. Kathy is entered in both  racewalks and the 400, 800, and 1500, while Norm has signed up for the high jump and both racewalks.

In Perth, Australia, at the worlds, Kathy won three bronze medals in the racewalks, while Norm won two silvers and a bronze. Earlier in the year, at outdoor nationals in Michigan, they both acquitted themselves very well, to say the least. Kathy went gold in both the 5000 racewalk (34:10.07) and 10,000 racewalk (1:10:54.2), and Norm held up his end of the bargain by winning the shorter racewalk in 29:39.96 and the longer event in 1:01:20.0. 

Also at nationals, Kathy won the 400 dash (1:49.06) and 5000 run (29:41.47) and medaled in the 200 and 800, while Norm pulled down a bronze in the high jump (1.35 meters, 4-5).

2016 Award Winning Athletes who will be competing at the
2017 National Masters Track and Field Championships
at Baton Rouge, LA 
By: Mary Trotto, USATF Awards Co- Chair

(LISTED IN AGE GROUP FROM YOUNGEST TO OLDEST)

LEGEND:
SP = SHOT PUT, DT = DISCUS THROW, HT = HAMMER THROW, WT = WEIGHT THROW, 
JAV. = JAVELIN THROW; PV = POLE VAULT,  HJ = HIGH JUMP, LJ = LONG JUMP, TJ = TRIPLE JUMP, 
SH = SHORT HURDLE, LH = LONG HURDLES, 2KSC = 2000M STEEPLECHASE

Athletes who will be defending their 2016 National Outdoor Titles
(LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

LEGEND:
SP = SHOT PUT, DT = DISCUS THROW, HT = HAMMER THROW, WT = WEIGHT THROW, 
JAV. = JAVELIN THROW; PV = POLE VAULT,  HJ = HIGH JUMP, LJ = LONG JUMP, TJ = TRIPLE JUMP,
SH = SHORT HURDLE, LH = LONG HURDLES, 2KSC = 2000M STEEPLECHASE

Contacts: Bob Weiner, USATF National Masters Media Director 202-306-1200 [email protected]; and Eric Engemann, President and CEO, Sports BR, 225-588-1058 [email protected]

SOURCE USATF Masters Media Committee and Robert Weiner Associates

Related Links

http://www.usatf.org