Recent graduates rule Buckley July 27, 2003 By Paulla Weinberg / Post-Tribune correspondent  Lowell - Many high school and college students use the opportunity to run the Buckley Homestead 5 Miler as a way to get ready for their upcoming cross-country seasons. Even though they use it as a training exercise, it`s difficult for anyone else to beat all of those young legs. Justin Stadt, a recent Crown Point graduate who will be attending Ball State in the fall, took advantage of the muddy cross-country course and won the overall title in a time of 27:29.   "It was a true cross-country course," said Stadt of the terrain that runs through the historic park. "The last two miles were really fun. It got really muddy." Stadt narrowly beat out Griffith`s Dennis Frazee, who placed second in 27:56. Frazee, a Calumet graduate who will be attending Wabash College in the fall, was leading the event for the first three miles. At that point, Stadt opened up and took over. "He took off," Frazee said. "I couldn`t keep up with him."   "I think I need to start going to the Dunes more often," said Frazee, referring to his training routine.   Placing third and fifth overall, respectively, were two Crown Point High cross-country runners, senior Dave Santelik and junior Ben Koch. Finishing in 15th was Ben`s brother, junior Joel Koch. These strong finishes may be an indication of how tough the Crown Point High runners may be this fall.  "We have a strong top five," Santelik said of his cross-country team, "and a couple of guys coming off injuries that will be right up there."   Tiffany Redlarczyk, who recently graduated from Lake Central, ran the event to help get in shape for her freshman year with the University of Arkansas cross-country team. She was the top woman finisher with a time of 31:37. "It`s a very slow time compared to last year," Redlarczyk said. "I`m not as conditioned as last year."   This was only Redlarczyk`s second race after bouncing back from a knee injury, so she wasn`t completely disappointed with her time, which was a minute and a-half slower that last year.   Kankakee Valley junior Aleesha Wall won her age division. Wall, who had recently recuperated from foot surgery, explained why she uses the event to prepare for her cross-country season. "When I run on my own, I don`t push myself as hard," Wall said, "but when I run against others, I push myself harder."   An incredible performance was turned in by 11-year-old Kesli Blankenship, who placed third overall for women in a time of 37:57. Blankenship will be in sixth grade at Lowell Middle School and plans on being on their cross-country team. Blankenship not only took home an award for placing third, she also won awards for being the youngest participant, the fastest Lowell female finisher and first place for 14 and under. "I wanted to break the record for my age division,"Blankenship said, "but I missed it by about 21 seconds."
			Post Tribune 7-28-02  By Paulla Weinberg   Lowell:  A steady rain did not dampen the spirits of the nearly 200 runners who took part in the fourth annual Buckley Five Miler at Buckley Homestead on Saturday.   This is perfect weather for running, said Crystal Vessell, 17, of Washington Township. Whatever the weather is, it's always perfect for running.   Vessell was running the race with her sisters, Miranda, 16, and Danielle, 14. They were there to get in shape for the upcoming cross-country season.   Most runners said that they were pleased with the weather, simply happy it was not extremely hot and dry.   The rain, however, came with a drawback, making parts of the newly configured course very slippery. While the first two miles were run on paved road, the last three were on grass, gravel and clay. Many runners said they had slipped on the wet surfaces.  Regardless of the conditions, the outcome went as expected.   Steve Schilling, 19, of St. John, finished first overall with a time of 27minutes, 29 seconds. Schilling, a student at Ball State University, has been sweeping the local race circuit this summer.   Tiffany Redlarczyk, 17, of Dyer, placed first overall for women at 31:08.  Redlarczyk, who is ranked among the top runners in the state, has also dominated locally this summer. While the Lake Central High School was happy with her performance, she said the wet conditions and the off-road terrain slowed her time.   The winner of the male Masters awards were David Ahner, 50, of Valparaiso, at 28:56, and Sandy Stefanski, 40, of Crown Point, at 32:36.   For the 14-under females, Kesli Blankenship, 10, of Lowell, finished with a time of 38:58. Andy Cleveland, 14, of Lowell, won for 14-under males, at 32:31.   Dustin Blink, 21, of Cedar Lake, won for his age division at 21:15. While not pleased with his performance, he said that his main goal was to put in miles to get ready for his cross county season at Southern Illinois University.   Mark Lobaugh, 37, of Merrillville, won first place for the males age 35-40, finishing 13th overall at 30:56.  I know I had better in me, Lobaugh said of his time, but I didnt want to take the risk of getting injured out there (on the slippery surface). This is just one race.   Michelle Calderon, 39, of Griffith, placed first for females age 35-40 at 39:51.   Alan Nelson, 56, of Chesterton, not only placed first in his age division age of 55-59, but also broke the course record for his division, with a time of 34:58. Nelson, who is a personal trainer, said he could have finished better but he was recovering from a knee injury.   Robert Edwards, 61, of Valparaiso, was first for males age 60-64. Edwards, once again, edged out his friend, James Paulsen, 61, of Valparaiso, by 10 seconds. Edwards had narrowly defeated Paulsen in last months Friendship 5K Run in Highland earlier this month.   Nearly 50 walkers participated in the two-mile walk held simultaneously.  Finishing first was Norm Johnson, 56, of Merrillville.
	Publication date: 07/30/2001                 Gavit grad Burns up Buckley                 Ex-Gladiator, LC junior take top honors                   BY DAVID SMEAD                 Times Sports Writer   LOWELL -- When Tom Burns and Dustin Blink ran against each other in                 high school cross country meets, it was serious business.                 Neighborhood road races are different. They're much more relaxed,                 and a chance to renew old acquaintances.                 "For the first mile and a half, we were pretty close and we talked                 about how much mileage we've been doing this summer," Blink, 20,                 said after the Buckley 5-Miler, an event that brought over 300                 runners and walkers to the Buckley Homestead County Park last                 Saturday morning.                 Blink, a 2000 Lowell grad, and Burns, who graduated from Gavit the                 same year, led the pack together until about midway through the                 race.                 "Then he pulled away," Blink said.                 Burns won the race in 27:21.9, with Blink second at 28:03.3. Both run                 cross country in college (Burns at Indiana University and Blink at the                 University of Southern Indiana), but have kept their summer race                 schedules to a minimum.                 "I ran a lot of races last summer, but this is just the second one I've                 run this year, and it'll probably be the last one before I go back to                 school," Blink said.                 Burns said he approached the Buckley 5-Miler as "just a run," rather                 than a workout, but he still managed to set a course record in the                 Male 15-19 age group.                 "I wasn't looking to race hard," he said. "I won't start running hard                 again until September. I woke up this morning and thought I'll just go                 out and run even splits each mile."                 The Buckley 5-Miler is the only road race Burns is running this                 summer.                 "On the Division 1 level, cross country is so demanding, emotionally                 and physically, that you don't put too much emphasis on summer                 racing," he said. "Those races don't mean much. They're just fun to                 run."                 Burns said he chose the Buckley run because it's closer to the                 distance of typical college race (most local races are 5K's while a                 college race is anywhere between a 8K and a 10K), and its course                 presents a nice challenge. The first three miles are run on pavement                 while the last two are run on grass.                 Burns was one of six runners to set course records in their respective                 age groups. Particularly notable was Roger Staffen of Rensselaer, who                 obliterated the former Male 50-54 mark by nearly three minutes.                 Tiffany Redlarczyk of Dyer (Female 15-19), Karen Nagel of Lowell                 (Female 20-24), Catherine Bell of Schererville (Female 25-29), Linda                 Kovacs of St. John (Female 45-49), and Margie Van Kley of DeMotte                 (Female 55-59) also set age group records.                 Redlarczyk, in fact, shattered the all-time female course record with                 her time of 30:03.6.                 "This was a hard course because there are a lot of hills and turns,"                 said Redlarczyk, a 16-year-old Lake Central junior who had returned                 from an Olympic training camp in San Diego two days earlier. "My goal                 was to win overall female and run a straight pace, and I did."                 Redlarczyk has had a busy and productive summer, winning seven of                 eight local races. The Buckley 5-Miler was her last one for the year.                 "Our season's starting (in prep cross country), so there's no more                 races," she said. "It's kind of sad because you get to run against                 people of all ages and you meet a lot of nice people."                 David Smead can be reached at dsmead@howpubs.com
	Buckley course is a true test VU's Crague takes overall prize in 5-miler Published 07/31/2000 09:32:16 PM   BY DAVID SMEAD Times Sports Writer LOWELL -- Aaron Crague has had a record-setting summer. The Valparaiso University junior is taking his offseason training seriously, because the Crusaders' men's cross country team is counting heavily on him. "We're looking for him to be up there leading the pack," said VU assistant coach Chris Hernandez who, like Crague, is a Lake Central grad. Considering the way his workouts have gone, it looks like the college season can't come soon enough for Crague. The 20-year-old Schererville resident has won three road races and set meet records in two of them -- the St. John Festival Run onJuly 14 and last Saturday's Buckley 5-Miler, which he finished in 26:24.   Hernandez, himself an active road racer, finished second to Crague in the Men's 20-24 division. But because Crague was the overall winner, Hernandez took home the age-group trophy.   Crague started to pull away from the pack after the two-mile mark. "My second mile was a little slower than my first," Crague said. "My first mile was 5:10 and my second was 5:15. I wanted to get closer to the 5:10 pace."   Crague and Hernandez agreed that the course in and around the Buckley Homestead County Park was a tricky one. It was a mixture of paved roads and farm fields. "This course had a little bit of everything, with all the hills and the grass. It was interesting," Crague said. "The last two miles were the toughest part of the race because it was on grass. The pavement is a little quicker." "On the grass, there were only certain places where you had firm footing," Hernandez, a 24-year-old Munster resident, said. "In some places, you had to run single-file. It was a true cross country course."   Sandra Stefanski, 38, of Crown Point was the overall female winner, finishing in 31:48.9. The second annual Buckley race, sponsored by the Lowell Parks Department and the Lake County Parks and Recreation Department, also featured a two-mile race walk and a three-mile wheelchair race. Jerry Lambert of Russiaville, Ind. was the overall winner in the walk while Brittany Caroll of Lowell was the top female finisher.   Greg Mitro, 38, won the wheelchair race. The Hobart resident competes in an average of 10 events a year, and in most of them, he's the only wheelchair entrant. Saturday was no exception. "I'd love to see more people come out," said Mitro, who finished in 56 minutes flat. "The more competition, the better." With nobody else to push him, Mitro said he pushes himself. "I just try to beat my personal best," he said. "Basically, it's just the challenge of being able to do it."   A total of 307 people, including 60 walkers, took part in the races. Many of them were members of the Calumet Region Striders running club, and the five-mile run was part of the Striders' Gold Cup Series.   "We had a really fast field," race director Jeff Manes said. "Any of the top 25 runners could have won it. "The Buckley Homestead's picturesque scenery seemed to make the race a hit with runners. "This race was voted the Best Small Race in the Gold Cup Series," Manes said. "The folks love it."   David Smead can be reached at dsmead@howpubs.com or at (219) 933-3232.     Buckley 5-Miler 5-mile results   Overall male winner -- Aaron Crague, Schererville 26:24.   Overall female winner -- Sandra Stefanski, Crown Point 31:48.9.   Top 3 finishers in each age group   Men Age 14-Under -- 1. Mike O'Hare, Lowell 31:47; 2. Ryan Hall, Highland 33:03.7; 3. Trevor Redlarczyk, Dyer 33:25.7. Age   15-19 -- 1. Matt O'Hare, Lowell 27:58.4; 2. Dustin Blink, Lowell 28:26.6; 3. Tom Burns, Hammond 29:02.8.   Age 20-24 -- 1.Aaron Crague, Schererville 26:24; 2. Chris Hernandez, Munster 28:36.3; 3. Erik Oslawski, St. John 36:59.5.   Age 25-29 -- 1.Jeremy Larson, Chicago 28:38.9; 2. Bobby Maszak, Homewood 38:13.5; 3. Keith Kozubal, Lowell 44:45.1.   Age 30-34 -- 1.Ron Blake, Hobart 29:08.1; 2. Andy Harper, Winamac 29:54.7; 3. Pete Artim, Lowell 33:55.4.   Age 35-39 -- 1. MattMcCormick, Park Forest 28:11.6; 2. Patrick Koerner, Bourbonnais 28:50.6; 3. Phil Newberry, Kankakee 31:28.7.   Age 40-44 1. Chris Shockley, Flossmoor 29:25; 2. Ray Byers, Valparaiso 31:00.7; 3. Bill Wachter, Park Forest 33:10.   Age 45-49 -- 1.Sam Cortes, Orland Park 28:32.6; 2. David Ahner, Valparaiso 28:49.7; 3. Roger Steffen, Rensselaer 30:25.4.   Age 50-54 -- 1.Danny Wolfe, Crown Point 34:28.6; 2. Kenny Dillon, Portage 35:42.6; 3. Israel Toledo, Merrillville 36:24.2.   Age 55-59 -- 1.William Strachan, Crown Point 35:53.6; 2. Robert Maszak, Homewood 36:02.4; 3. Pete Uhrhammer, DeMotte 37:38.1.   Age 60-64 -- 1. David Laterneau, St. John 35:45.3; 2. Roy Vale, Crown Point 41:36; 3. Gideon Falk, Homewood 42:43.6.   Age 65-Over -- 1. Devon Clark, DeMotte 40:50.6; 2. Hal Weatherford, Flossmoor 45:42; 3. James Johnson, Crown Point 47:26.3.   Clydesdale -- 1. Tom Brandt, Crest Hill 35:13.4; 2. Jeff Sundberg, Chesterton 35:50.3; 3. Michael Willis, Schererville 38:27.6.   Female   Age 14-Under -- 1. Amanda Shike, Munster 37:38.4; 2. Aleesha Wall, DeMotte 38:02.7; 3. Kesli Blankenship, Lowell 39:03.5.   Age 15-19 -- 1. Tiffany Redlarczyk, Dyer 31:57.1; 2. Guadalupe Merlos, Gary 34:27.7; 3. Crystal Meeks, DeMotte 34:40.8.   Age 20-24 -- 1. Karen Nagel, Lowell 33:32.9; 2. Erin Dust, Schererville 50:06.7; 3. Trista Velez, Shelby 52:17.7.   Age 25-29 -- 1. Tina Blankenship, Lowell 42:57.3; 2. Tara Kostoff, Schererville 58:42.9.   Age 30-34 -- 1. Kim Brune, Valparaiso 35:52.9; 2. Milka Sanders, Lowell 41:30.3; 3. Cheryl Kuzman, Crown Point 42:29.   Age 35-39 -- 1. Sandra Stefanski, Crown Point 31:48.9; 2. Jayne Willis, Schererville 41:24.6; 3. Sherry Foley, DeMotte 43:30.2.   Age 40-44 -- 1. Mary Anne Rogers, Highland 35:40.5; 2. Sue Brown, Valparaiso 40:57.6; 3. Rhonda Smith, Lowell 41:15.2.   Age 45-49 -- 1. Linda Kovacs, St. John 40:23.1; 2. Ann Thompson, Lowell 41:48.6; 3. Karen Bizon, Munster 52:50.2.   Age 50-54 -- 1. Betty Ritter, Valparaiso 43:41.8; 2. Diane Dumonte, Valparaiso 47:33.5; 3. Gayle Schaumann, Olympia Fields 49:13.4.   Age 60-Over -- 1. Norine Weatherford, Flossmoor 52:26.9.   2-mile walk results Top 12 Male Walkers 1. Jerry Lambert, Russiaville, Ind. 21:44.8; 2. Chase Parkinson, Lowell 22:36.1; 3. Jorge Martinez, Gary 22:51.3; 4. Dean Schramm, Crown Point 24:44.3; 5. Norbert Knight, Portage 25:28.7; 6. Jim Manes, Lake Village 25:35.1; 7. Rick Parente, Lowell 29:28.5; 8. Scott Parente, Lowell 32:00.7; 9. Norbert Doedtman, Hammond 33:02.4; 10. Steven Lambert, Highland, 33:51.5; 11. Tom Spencer, Lowell 37:35.8; 12. Tom Hobson, Wheatfield 38:34.6.   Top 20 Female Walkers 1. Brittany Caroll, Lowell 23:18.6; 2. Donna Tanaskoski, Crown Point 24:31.1; 3. Gail Parkinson, Lowell 24:40.9; 4. Margaret, Goolsby, Portage 25:27.1; 5. Colleen Lemcke, Dyer 25:51.1; 6. Betty Larson, Lowell 26:04.4; 7. Katie Long, Lowell 27:01.1; 8. Erin Gavelek, Lowell 27:04; 9. Beth Gasper, Lowell 27:23.3; 10. Marcie Sobiski, Hobart 27:52.5; 11. Rose Cyphert, Crown Point 27:58.9; 12. Kathy Corey, Lowell 28:05.6; 13. Kim Gavelek, Lowell 28:28.7; 14. Millie Schramm, Crown Point 29:23.8; 15. Nan Parente, Lowell 29:27.1; 16. Amanda Sobiski, Hobart 29:28.2; 17. Laura Neal, Hebron 31:09.5; 18. Karen Klenk, Portage 31:10.4; 19. Callie Parkinson, Lowell 31:40.6; 20. Margaret Carroll, Lowell 31:47.6.   .