Results from the U.S. National ST Championships--American Cup Final
A great weekend of racing wrapped up Sunday at the U.S. National Short Track Championships and American Cup Final in Wausau, Wisconsin. Records fell and champions were crowned. Here are the 2010 National Short Track Champions:
Pony Ladies(10 and under): Saree Han (Federal Way, WA) - Puget Sound Speedskating Club
Pony Men: Aaron Heo (Warrington, PA) - Potomac Speedskating Club
Midget Ladies(11-12): Sally Chea (Midlothian, VA) - Virginia Speedskating
Midget Men: Thomas Insuk Hong (Laurel, MD) - Virginia Speedskating
Juvenile Ladies(13-14): Alexis Burkholder (McMurray, PA) - Pittsburgh Speedskating Club
Juvenile Men: Andrew Astalos (Grosse Pointe Shores, MI) - Wolverine Sports Club
Junior Ladies(15-16): Rachel Stewart (Chesterfield, VA) - Virginia Speedskating
Junior Men: Claude Gilbert (Spring Valley, NY) - Fairfield County Speedskating Club
Intermediate Ladies(17 and older): Sarah Burg (Marquette, MI) - Alpena Speedskating Club
Intermediate Men: Julian Wood (McMurray, PA) - Pittsburgh Speedskating Club
Master 30-39 Ladies: Silvia Acevedo (Greenfield, WI) - Badger Speedskating Club
Master 30-39 Men: Martin Medina (Macedon, NY) - Rochester Speedskating Club
Master 40-49 Ladies: Maria Hopp (Littleton, CO) - Broadmoor Speedskating Club
Master 40-49 Men: Bradford Kuzik (Painesville, OH) - Lakewood Speedskating Club
Master 50-59 Ladies: Karen Verrone (Rochester, NY) - Rochester Speedskating Club
Master 50-59 Men: Rick Barber (Mechanicville, NY) - Capitol District Speedskating Club
Master 60-69 Ladies: Carole Moore (Flushing, NY) - Flushing Meadows Speedskating Club
Master 60-69 Men: John Diemont (Richmond, CA) - Golden Gate Speedskating
Master 70+ Men: Francis Whelan (Ferguson, MO) - Metros Speedskating Club
In the Short Track American Cup Final it was a battle for the top spot in the men’s races between Eddy Alvarez (Miami, FL) and Jeff Simon (Las Vegas, NV). The two battled back and forth on Friday and Saturday with Alvarez winning the 1500m and Simon winning the 500m. On Sunday they matched up again in the 1000m A Final along with Kyle Carr (Marquette, MI) and JP Kepka (St. Louis, MO). Simon held the lead with one lap to go when Alvarez attempted an inside pass. The skaters collided and went crashing into the boards. Simon was injured, and Alvarez was disqualified and given a yellow card, excluding him from the competition. The race was rerun with Kepka edging out Carr for the win. The points Carr earned in that race, combined with consistent skating, led to an overall victory for Carr and earned him a spot on the 2010 World Short Track Team traveling to Sofia, Bulgaria on March 19-21.
The ladies races were dominated by Jessica Smith (Melvindale, MI). She won the American Cup Final by winning three out of the four A Finals. Emily Scott of Florida won the 1500m Super Final.
The Overall American Cup Series Champions for 2009-10 are Jonathan Garcia of Texas and last year’s winner Mary Grace (Northbrook, Illinois).