Atlanta Track Club Prevails At USATF Champs

Joe Gray won the men’s individual title.

The 16th annual USATF National Club Cross Country Championships were held last weekend in chilly Bend, Ore., on decidedly gnarly courses designed by elite American runner Max King.

In the Master’s Division, the Atlanta Track Club captured both the men’s and women’s events. Club members Chad Newton and Sonja Friend-Uhl led their respective divisions.

The open division on the men’s side went to Champions League Athletic Performance thanks to the fourth-place finish of  former University of Colorado standout, Brent Vaughn who clocked 31 minutes, 20 seconds. The club defeated rival ZAP Fitness by the narrowest of margins (one second).

Meanwhile, the men’s individual title went to Joe Gray of the Club Northwest and Laura Thweatt of Boulder Track Club prevailed in the women’s race.

Gray’s time for the 10K race, which contained 400 runners, was 31:05. Sean Quigley came across the finish line second in 31:11.

Thweatt enjoyed a comfortable margin in the women’s race. The second-place finisher, Amy Van Alstine, was 20 seconds back.

For More: United States Track and Field