The Dallas Post Dallas, PA August 8, 2003 19 Tue DALLAS POST -. Sports By KEVIN KAZOKAS Post Correspondent Tracey Polliard-McGurk has seen her share of Wilkes-Barre Triathlon fourth overall by completing ‘the course in 2:19:10. Downingtown Simpson, 28, came in second at Polliard-McGurk 1s top 2 local triathlon finisher resident Bianca bike stage. He finished 96th. “l was having a good race,” said the 33-year-old Robbins. “The swim went well and the first part of the sompetition. But that hasn’t made [ the three-part race any less challenging. Sunday marked the 10th consecu- tive year the 31-year-old Dallas resi- dent took part in the event. Yet even with all her experience, Polliard- McGurk still found the trek through the Back Mountain exhaustive. Like many of the other triathletes taking part in the 22nd annual com- petition, which was won by Blooms- burg resident Greg Remaly, Polliard- McGurk felt drained by the grueling course and the steamy weather. “The air was pretty thick, and when the sun came out on the bike (stage), it started to get pretty hot,” Polliard-McGurk said. But like many of the other racers, the amateur competitor refused to surrender to the taxing conditions. She finished the bike stage in a little more than an hour and completed the race with a 50-minute effort in the running stage. \ In the end, Polliard-McGurk fin- ished first among Back Mountain en- trants, third among women and 19th verall, in 2 hours, 24 minutes and 5 seconds. “It’s just exciting to do well in front of friends and family,” Polliard- McGurk said upon completing the 11-kilometer (approximately 7 miles) run that began and ended at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. Prior to that, she had embarked on a 1l.5kilometer (approximately 1 mile) swim at Sandy Beach, followed by a 40-kilometer (approximately 24 miles) bike ride through the Back Mountain. Polliard-McGurk was one of 269 competitors who reached the finish line in individual competition. Matthew Stephens, 28 (also of Bloomsburg), finished second over- , nearly 10 minutes behind Re- enaly. Remaly, 22, completed the race in 2:03:24, while it took Stephens 2:12:47. Sean Robbins, usually the Back Mountain's best, finished 96th after suffering with a flat tire on the bike leg of the race. 2:22:14, McGurk. followed by Polliard- bike was going great, and then I just flatted.” Tracy Polliard-McGurk breathed a sigh of relief at the end. She was the top local fin- isher, third among women and 19th overall. POST PHOTOS/JIM PHILLIPS ROLY = ah rae Gerald Levandoski puffed his way to the finish line. volunteers met on a regular ba- sis to make race preparations John Noonan, 43, of Troy, New York finished third, in 2:15:15. Among the women, 19-year-old Tracey Brauksieck of Cuyler, New York, took top honors and finished Not everyone fared as well. Dallas resident Sean Robbins, the top area finisher the last four years at the event, could not recover from a flat tire he encountered during the “I finished it just to finish. I did not want a DNF,” Robbins said. The event featured competitors from both the amateur and profes- sional ranks. A core committee of 33 during the seven months leading up to the ‘event. “This year we didn’t have the sponsor dollars for us to offer See TRIATHLON, pg 10 Paige Selenski competes in 3 Keystone sports By STEVE SEMBRAT For The Dallas Post Paige Selenski, a 13-year-old Shaver- town resident, took part in field hockey, track and field and soccer during Key- stone State Games competition. While she was one of the few — per- haps the only — athlete in three sports at the 2003 Summer Games, the daughter of - Brian and Judy Selenski doesn’t think of it as something out of the ordinary. “Im just going with it. ... It’s not a big deal.” Keystone officials don’t mind if athletes compete in more than one sport. What prevents many athletes from doing it most of the time is scheduling conflicts. The overlap in events makes it tough for an individual to play two sports, and is next to impossible to compete in three. Selenski, though, found a way to-do it. She started her week playing for Sizzle Sticks, a group from Dallas entered in the 7-on-7 field hockey tournament for play- ers heading into grades seven-nine that was held at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadi- Sting places second at Whitewater Back Mountain Sting recently captured second place in the U-14 di- vision of the Whitewater Cup Soccer Classic. They have placed first or second in three out of four appearances in this tournament. Pictured, from left, first row: Rachel Schaub, Stephanie Pace, Erin Sutliff, Aime Sgarlat, Krissy Stanks, Kendra Sirak, Lisa Giacometti, Coach Tim Sutliff. Second row: Coach Megan Deubler, Head Coach Jeff Pace, Molly Kalish, Katie Goode, Marissa Harrison, Caroline Boris, Jamie Lips- ki, Emily Deubler, Jacqueline Thomas, Coach Ed Stanks. sent from photo: Alicia Evans. ~ when I was in third grade and I really Keystone State Games results Girls basketball Gorski leads Pocono to silver Melissa Gorski of Dallas completed a memeorable week of competition by leading her team to a silver medal finish in the youth female basketball division of the Keystone State Games. Gorski scored a game-high 22 points in the gold medal game August 1, but the team came up on the short end of a 65-58 score. Lyndsay Ellis, Shaver- town, backed up Gorski with 14 points, including four three-pointers. Earlier in the week, Gorski kept Pocono undefeat- ed in pool play when she put in a layup with 11 sec- onds remaining for a 69-67 win over Lehigh Valley. She scored a game-high 25 points in that contest. Scholastic wins gold The Pocono scholastic girls team won the gold medal with a 92-89 overtime victory over Laurel Highlands. Rosalyn Wentko and Janelle Zabresky, both of Dallas, were key members of the squad. Stitzer. Robinson again deny Corbett and Blinn By LAURA SIMON For The Dallas Post DALLAS — Carlyle Robinson's chip-in from the rough on the back of the green on the 16th hole Sunday allowed Robinson and Tom Stitzer to defend their title on Sunday at the Potentate Golf Tournament at Irem Temple Country Club in Dallas. : “I could stand there and look at that shot until my son retires and not make it again,” Robinson said. “We played steady all weekend, and when you play decent, those things happen.” Stitzer and Robinson won the event after the 16th hole, as they were up by three holes with two to play against the team of Jim Blinn and Brian Corbett. It was the second consecutive year Robinson and Stitzer defeated Blinn and Corbett in the fi- nal round. “We made three mistakes today and they made one,” Corbett said. “The big difference was (Robinson’s shot on 16) and they made more birdies.” The champions were able to reach the final round by defeating the father/son team of Tom and Lynn Kilduff in semifinal Sunday morning. “I did well on the front nine this afternoon, but hooked some shots on the back nine,” Stitzer said. “But for two days, we hardly had any bogies, which helps a lot.” The victory marked the 10th time Robinson has won the event, and it was the second cham- pionship for Stitzer. : Corbett and Blinn defeated the top-seeded team of Jim Hoover and Bill Gaylord in the semifinals to advance to Sunday afternoon’s fi- nals. Blinn and Corbett are no strangers to the fi- nals, as they have finished second numerous times. “We have finished second again and again and again,” Blinn said. “After so many finals, they should just give it on merit.” Rain plagued the tournament again Sunday. While all of the morning rounds were fairly dry, those playing in afternoon rounds were not so fortunate. The players experienced two rain delays. The first delay was called around 4 p.m. and lasted less than a half-hour. However, the second rain delay, which started around 6 p.m., suspended - play for more than an hour. Despite all the rain and its corresponding de- lays, it was just another enjoyable tournament for all of the golfers. “It is the fun of competing,” Blinn said. “Get- ting to the championship is what you shoot for and you just have to hope you play well.” This article appeared in original form in the Times Leader. um. Selenski was a standout for the team as a forward. She scored the winning goal in overtime in a crossover game in the tournament. Sizzle Sticks made it to the medal round and finished fourth. “Field hockey is my favorite sport right now,” Selenski said. “I went to a camp liked it. I've gradually gotten better at it. “I tried track and I was good at that.” Track came next on Friday, a day in which she had to do a little juggling with See 3 SPORTS , pg 10 A ———— seen HR TR TRE SRE a See KEYSTONE, pg 10 FOR THE DALLAS POST/AIMEE DILGER The Pocono Region's Jaime Lipski, left, fought for the ball with Nittany Region's Avery Johnson in the first period of the bronze medal matchup in Keystone State Games field hockey at the Uni- versity of Scranton. Pocono won the contest, 2-0.
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