Soldiers Win 1996 Army Ten-Miler

By Master Sgt. Stephen Barrett, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 1996 – A pair of soldiers cruised to victories here Oct. 13 in the 12th annual Army Ten-Miler race.
 
In the men's competition, 2nd Lt. Michael Bernstein of Fort Hood, Texas, became the first Army runner to win the race, taking 34 seconds off the course record.
 
On the women's side, Second Lt. Chris Udavich of Fort Lewis, Wash., captured the women's crown with a time of 58:30.
 
An All-American cross country runner while attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., Bernstein finished in 47 minutes, 59 seconds. The old record of 48:33 was set in 1994 by Pete Weilenmann of Arlington, Va.
 
Defending 1995 men's champion Navy Lt. Ronnie Harris -- who finished third in the 5,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Atlanta -- captured second place with a 48:37. Harris is with the Navy Bureau of Personnel in Arlington, Va.
 
Army Spc. Gordon Sanders of Fort Campbell, Ky., finished third, while Spc. Samuel Bobbitt of Fort Benning, Ga., took fourth. Fifth went to George Probst of Blacksburg, Va.
 
Udavich, a fifth-place finisher last year, broke away at the four-mile mark and cruised to a 68-second advantage over second-place finisher Lori Eppard of Dayton, Ohio.
 
Jennifer McNerney-Schretz, a ninth-place finisher in 1995, captured third place with a time of 59:49. Lori Robertson of Fort Leavenworth, Kan., took fourth place with a 1:01.16 time, edging Lynn Hart of Fayetteville, N.C., by five seconds.
 
Over 9,000 runners competed in the race, sponsored by Army Recreation Services and the Association of the U.S. Army.

Men's Competition

1. 2nd Lt. Michael Bernstein (A)  Fort Hood, Texas          47:59
2. Lt. Ronnie Harris (N)          Arlington, Va.            48:37
3. Spc. Gordon Sanders (A)        Fort Campbell, Ky.        49:40
4. Spc. Samuel Bobbitt(A)         Fort Benning, Ga.         50:16
5. George Probst                  Blacksburg, Va.           50:27
6. Sgt. Sammy Ngatia (A)          Fort Lee, Va.             50:47
7. Spc. Rob Lee (A)               Fort Lee, Va.             50:58
8. Edmond Burke                   Burtonsville, Md.         50:59
9. George Darden                  Washington                51:01
10. Jeff Morganti                 Arlington, Va.            51:26

Women's Competition

1. 2nd Lt. Chris Udavich (A)      Fort Lewis, Wash.         58:30
2. Lori Eppard                    Dayton, Ohio              59:38
3. Jennifer McNerney-Schretz      Bellport, N.Y.            59:49
4. Lori Robertson                 Fort Leavenworth, Kan.  1:01:16
5. Lynn Hart                      Fayetteville, N.C.      1:01:21
6. Fiona Branton                  Arlington, Va.          1:01:27
7. Patty Schull                   Ashburn, Va.            1:01:30
8. Josephine Creel                Haleiwa, Hawaii         1:01:32
9. Eva Hagen                      Austria                 1:01:37
10. Mary Knight                   Atlanta                 1:01:46