By Robert Miner
For Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE — Nick Costello and Marina Orrson successfully defended their crowns in the rain with victories in the YMCA’s 32nd annual 3 Mile Run “Bernie’s Memorial” on the Fourth of July.
Costello, 19, of Fort Collins, Colo., chopped 42 seconds off his winning time from last year, breaking the tape in 14 minutes and 47 seconds. He outran second-place finisher, Dom Delucca, 19, of Wilkes-Barre, by 10 seconds. Jeff Skwierz, 32, of Forty Fort, finished third, just one second behind Delucca.
“I went out hard right from the gun,” said Costello, who runs cross country and track (5K, 10K) for Colorado State University. “I wanted to get out of the rain as quickly as possible,” he added with a smile. “(Delucca and Skwierz) were close to me throughout the entire race — they were chasing me. After the second mile, I started pressing harder and was able to open up a lead. Then I kept pressing hard right to the finish.”
Orrson said her goal going into the race was to run the same time as her winning time from last year.
She did — exactly, finishing seventh overall in 16:12.
“I pushed the start to see if any females would go with me,” said Orrson, 24, of Shavertown.
No females did.
“Once I realized no other females were running with me, I just tried to keep up with the guys as much as possible,” said Orrson, who was a standout runner at Lake-Lehman High School and Misericordia University. “My watch didn’t start, so I wasn’t sure exactly how far into the race I was. So I waited ‘til I reached the last stretch and then sprinted to the finish.”
Orrson is a member of the Susquehanna River Runners Club. While a senior at Misericordia in 2013, she qualified for NCAA Div. III national competition in the 10K run.
Collins’ Colorado home features a 5,000-foot elevation. His connection to our area is that his grandparents have a home at Lake Wallenpaupack.
Wilkes-Barre YMCA’s 32nd annual “Bernie’s Memorial 3 Mile Run results
Top 12 finishers
1. Nick Costello, 19, Fort Collins, Colo., 14:47
2. Dom DeLucca, 19, Wilkes-Barre, 14:57
3. Jeff Skwierz, 32, Forty Fort, 14:58
4. Chris Wadas, 34, Courtdale, 15:08
5. Mickey Moorhead, 21, Wilkes-Barre, 15:42
6. Dave Sadvary, 18, Wilkes-Barre, 15:59
7. Marina Orrson, 24, Shavertown, 16:12
8. Joe Stanek, 26, Ashley, 16:30
9. Mike Turner, 23, Hudson, 16:38
10. Mike Havrilla, 18, Pittston, 16:41
11. John Martino, 30, Dallas, 16:47
12. Paul Leonard, 53, Scranton, 16:52
Male award winners: Overall: Costello. Age group winners: 10 & under: Deegan Ross, 19:26. 11-15: Riley Newman, 17:54. 16-20: Dave Sadvary, 15:59. 21-25: Mickey Moorhead. 26-30: Joe Stanek, 16:30. 31-40: Chris Wadas, 15:08. 36-40: Dan Boyers, 17:12. 41-45: Brendan Newman, 17:47. 46-50: Brian Kryspel, 18:22. 51-55: Paul Leonard, 16:52. 56-60: Brian Conniff, 18:25. 61-65: Dave Jiunta, 21:48. 66-70: Mike Koury, 18:44. 71 & over: George Cosmetis, 23:42.
Top 3 female finishers
1. Marina Orrson, 24, Shavertown, 16:12
2. Mackenzie Greenfield, 16, Old Forge, 17:55
3. Kelsey Cameron, 24, Souderton, 17:57
Female award winners: 10 & under: Meg Golden, 20:46. 11-15: Adiua Golden, 20:22. 16-20: Tara Johnson, 18:49. 21-25: Shelby Foster, 20:30. 26-30: Eryn Milius, 18:29. 31-35: Marsha Hanson, 19:59. 36-40: Jamie Barker, 22:15. 41-45: Melissa Obmann, 21:32. 46-50: Kirstej Sensbach, 38:26. 51-55: Michelle Holena, 36:13. 55-60: Desiree Evans, 39:04. 61-65: Dee Cordora, 38:48. 66-70: Karen Masley, 49:20.
3 Mile Race Walk winner: Ralph Gayoski, 51, Forty Fort, 29:37. Field: 674 (run-635, walk-39). Official starters: Phil Latinski and Joe Coyne. Timing and results: secondwindtiming.com. YMCA Executive Director: Jim Thomas. Announcer: Suzanne Youngblood. Race director: Lauranel Banks.
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