Monday, August 1, 2011

Anna Holt-Gosselin, Ryan Witters Victorious in GRC Debuts

GRC's newest additions, recent college graduates Anna Holt-Gosselin and Ryan Witters, recorded easy victories this weekend in their first post-collegiate action. Holt won the Friends of the W&OD Trail 10k in 36:49, while Witters won the Owensville, IN Watermelon 4 mile in 20:26.

Holt, a two-time All-American and multiple school record holder at MIT, has PRs of 4:41 for 1500, 16:57 for 5k, and 35:20 for 10k. "Anna is a tremendous talent, and her potential is virtually unlimited," said GRC coach Jerry Alexander. "She has improved rapidly in the last year, and if we can continue that trend, she will make the move up to national caliber on the track this spring."

Witters is a graduate of his hometown University of Evansville, where he recorded a cross country PR of 25:13. Witters considers himself an 800-1500 runner, but because Evansville does not sponsor track, his PRs of 1:57 and 3:59 are not indicative of his potential. "Ryan has a great combination of speed and strength, and I'm excited to see what he can do with a few months of track-specific training under his belt," said Alexander.

Holt and Witters will both run a series of low key road races this fall, and peak for USATF Club Nationals Cross Country in December. "Anna will be one of the top GRC athletes at Clubs, and Ryan has a great shot at cracking our top 7," said Alexander. But the emphasis for both runners will be outdoor track, where they both could threaten the GRC club records. "We're taking it one season at a time," said Alexander, "but Anna and Ryan will be ready to run come outdoors."

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