FREDERICK, Md.--Jake Green (right) of Martinsburg, W.Va., outpaced a field of 70 runners to capture the 2006 Hood College Blazer 5K in a course record 16:39 Sunday, April 23. The 21-year-old cruised through the mile in 5:07, added a second 5:07 mile and was clear of the field.

The event, in its third year, is sponsored by the Frederick News-Post and serves as a fundraiser for the Hood College Track Club.

At the moment the race started, the track club was in Fredericksburg, Va., becoming the first Hood College athletic team to participate in a Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) Championship. The CAC event was originally scheduled for Saturday but was postponed to Sunday as a result of poor weather.

The race behind Jake Green was very competitive. James Tugwell, the previous record holder and last year's winner, outlasted Eli Green, Jake's brother, (17:48 to 17:50) to claim second. Carl Clark, 42, followed in 17:56 to claim the first Master's position. Jessie Suldana, a 15-year-old high school student from Northern Virginia, was fifth in 18:05 and Jeremy Kurtz, a senior at nearby Governor Thomas Johnson High School, was sixth in 18:14.

The women's division was won by 14-year-old Nina Badell (left, receiving award from Hood head cross country and track coach Brent Ayer) of Burkittsville, Md. She outlasted Hood senior Rachel Collmus, 24:26 to 24:28. Badell runs for the Frederick Striders Track & Field Club and finished eighth at the national AAU junior Olympics in the 13-year-old girls 3,000-meter run last summer.

The Striders distance runners are coached by Hood College head track & cross country coach Brent Ayer. Collmus is captain of the cross country team and a founding member of the running program at Hood College.

"The field, while smaller than last year, was very competitive," Ayer said. "There was a good mix of younger and older runners, as well as members of the Hood College community. The 5K was hurt by the last-minute rescheduling of the CAC meet. I was looking forward to having our runners compete, volunteer and interact with members of the local running community."

Leaders from the Hood community included:

Jeb Beaver, 14th overall, first Hood Male Employee
Aaron Mullen, 16th overall, first Hood male student
Rachel Collmus, 23rd overall, first Hood female student
Kimberli Smith, 27th overall, first Hood female student (not in the running program)
Vicki Snyder, 40th overall, first Hood alumna
Melanie Adams, 47th overall, first Hood female employee

"All in all, we were fortunate that the weather held off," Ayer said. "I appreciate the support of the Frederick News-Post and the local running community."