Community sports | Bradenton runners dot podium at Robinson Preserve run
The eighth annual Robinson Preserve 5K/10K brought more than 1,100 runners from 15 states and several countries to Bradenton on Sunday, but runners from Manatee County still managed to take home plenty of medals.
Hannah Brickse, a 27-year-old from Bradenton, finished first in the female 5K run with a time of 18:57, edging fellow resident Leigh Nordman, 34, by nearly three and a half minutes.
While Brickse's gold was the only overall first-place finish for Manatee runners, three more won overall medals and six others finished first in upper age groups. In the men's 10K, 26-year-old Michael Lamb of Bradenton finished second. Two women from Bradenton, 25-year-old Emily Eagan and 42-year-old Rae Ann Darling-Reed, finished second and third, respectively.
In the men's senior grand master division of the 10K, Glen Muirhead, 62, o f Parrish, finished first with a time of 48:59, and in the veterans' division 73-year-old Ron Murphy of Bradenton ran the 10K in 57:28 to take first.
Area runners fared even better in the 5K. Men's senior grand master Karl Haas, a 63-year-old from Bradenton, finished first with a time of 24:14, and veteran Rick Hatelhoffer, a 72-year-old from Bradenton, won in 26:16. Women's masters runner Mary Quinn, a 60-year-old from Bradenton, won with a time of 23:38 and veteran Melanie Perrone, a 70-year-old from Bradenton, won her division with a run of 33:29.
Jon Mott of Tampa finished first in the 10K with a time of 32:27, and Kaitlin Koplin of Fleming Island won the women's 10K in 38:55. Christ Trebriga of Tampa won the men's 5K in 16:18.
Somerset wins Week 1 of IMG National
After grabbing a first-round win against Miami Florida Christian at the IMG National Classic, IMG Academy Blue team stumbled to a blowout loss in the second round against Kissimmee Osceola in Bradenton. Pembroke Pines Somerset Academy won the first week with a 6-4 win against Christian Brothers from Memphis.
Pitcher Derek Cartaya tossed 6 1/3 innings with five strikeouts in the championship game to finish the tournament with a 2.21 ERA and take MVP honors.
IMG Academy finished in sixth place after losing to Alabama's Cullman 3-2 in the fifth-place game.
Week 2 of the IMG National begins Tuesday at IMG Academy. IMG Academy White will be in the field, which includes only three teams from Florida. IMG Academy opens its second week Tuesday at 1 p.m. against St. Edward from Lakewood, Ohio. Windermere Prep and Spring Hill Bishop McLaughlin are the other representatives from the Sunshine State.
The second week of the tournament runs four days, concluding with a championship game Friday at 1 p.m.
Gladiators continue fight for seeding
The Southwest Florida Gladiators already locked up a playoff spot in the Florida Football Alliance with a 40-0 win against the Orlando Rattlers.
After a bye week, the Gladiators, an amateur adult football team from Manatee County, travel to Jacksonville on Saturday to meet the Jax X-Men with an outside shot of still finishing in a tie atop the North Division.
With two games left in the regular season, the Gladiators trail the Tampa Bay Patriots by two games and host the Patriots at Lakewood Ranch Park in the regular-season finale April 9.
Suncoast Travel Ball returns to Manatee County
Suncoast Travel Ball kicks off its April schedule with a Suncoast Travel Ball Tournament in Manatee County.
The STB State Championship, a three-day tournament, begins Friday across Manatee County Parks and concludes with final games Sunday.
Nine age groups ranging from 8U Machine and Kid Pitch to 15U will spend the weekend around Bradenton.
This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 11:57 PM with the headline "Community sports | Bradenton runners dot podium at Robinson Preserve run ."