University of Massachusets Athletics
Johnson Twins Featured In The Springfield Republican
March 25, 2010 | Men's Cross Country
March 25, 2010
HOLYOKE, Mass. - UMass cross country and outdoor track and field brothers, Kevin and David Johnson were recently featured in The Springfield Republican for participating in the St. Patrick's Day Road Race. The piece, written by Bill Wells discusses the twins' performances in the race along with their personal ties to this hometown event.
"We just tried to work it with a bunch of UMass guys. We wanted to work the first 4 (miles) and cruise the last 2" said David.
Both brothers had an impressive 2009 cross country campaign. Kevin Johnson was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference team as well as the Academic All-Conference team. As a UMass Athlete, Kevin also grabbed co-Fall Scholar Athlete accolades along with women's track and field competitor, Shiyi Zan.
Running with confidence, David missed taking home All-Conference honors in cross country this season by falling only seconds out of the top 15. At the UMass Five-Way Meet (9/19), David led the Minutemen by capturing first on the team and third overall, helping to lead the team to a first place overall finish.
Also competing in the Road Race were senior and junior Sonny Gamble and Robert Deegan. The duo finished 11th and 13th respectively.
The Johnson brothers, along with Gamble and Deegan will begin competition once again as the outdoor track and field season kicks off on April 3, as the Minutemen head to the UConn Invitational.
Below is the full article from MassLive.com:
Holyoke St. Patrick's Road Race Draws Ludlow Twins David And Kevin Johnson
By: Bill Wells
The Johnson brothers of Ludlow are committed to their University of Massachusetts cross country and outdoor track & field teams.
But if an opportunity pops up where they can also run in a local road race, they do so, especially the biggies.
As they have done the last five years, the twins from Ludlow hopped in the Holyoke St. Patrick's Road Race, where David crossed Saturday in 32 minutes, 47 seconds, and Kevin finished one second later. The 21 year olds placed No. 9 and No. 10 in the record field of 4,847.
"We felt pretty good," David said. "It was really warm out there today. It's not so much that it's 70, it's just that the temperature has changed from 45 degrees to 70 degrees, and the body always takes a couple weeks to adjust to that.
"The pace was a lot slower than it normally is. We just tried to work it with a bunch of UMass guys. We wanted to work the first 4 (miles) and cruise the last 2."
The Johnsons ran in the Jones Group Realtors 10 Mile Road Race in February, which drew 691 runners to Amherst.
"We only do cross country and outdoor track," Kevin said. "At the end of cross country season, we'll do the Talking Turkey, and in the summer we'll do the Bridge of Flowers (in Shelburne Falls) and 4th of July (in Springfield).
"We did a hard tempo (at the St. Patrick's race), not an all-out race. We wore trainers; nothing too serious. We wanted to put in a good effort before the (outdoor track) season starts and knock the rust off."
The Johnsons said they have never seen the crowds so big for the St. Patrick's race.
"This is the biggest fan base, as well as runner base," Kevin said. "It's great to have fans lining the entire race. That's spectacular. Most races you have a few people at the start and finish of the race. But this is great because you have fans all along the course, at the finish and at the start."
The 2007 Ludlow High School graduates, running with their high school uniforms on, ran the majority of the race with UMass teammates Sonny Gamble (No. 11, 32:59) and Robert Deegan (No. 13, 33:52).
RECORD FIELD: The 2010 St. Patrick's race smashed its previous mark for finishers, with 4,847 people completing the 10K. This year's race saw an increase of more than 1,100 runners from the 2009 record field of 3,706.
RECORD-SETTER: Holyoke's Carol L'Esperance set a new record in the women's 60-69 division, finishing Saturday's race in 46:22. Despite very warm weather, the 60 year old smashed the previous mark of 47:35, set by Zofia Turosz in 2000.
LOCAL DIVISION WINNERS: With nearly 5,000 people participating in this year's St. Patrick's race, winning a division is a noteworthy accomplishment. Along with L'Esperance, eight people from Western Massachusetts managed to run their way to first-place showings in their respective categories.
Williamstown's Kent Lemme won the men's 40-49 age group, while South Hadley's Cheryl Abert (50-59) and L'Esperance were crowned champions on the women's side. Doug Theroux and Jennifer Gilberg won the Holyoke resident division. Ludlow's Zach Pietras and Wilbraham's Katelyn MacLellen were first in the Irish-American category, and Ludlow's Dan Crowley was the male high school champion.
IN MEMORY: A group of 30 or so people ran the race in memory of Springfield's Conor Reynolds, a 17-year-old Cathedral High School senior who died after being stabbed in the neck March 13.
"This is just another way to remember Conor," said John Cirelli, a friend of the Reynolds family. "It's another positive thing about Conor. To do something like this in his memory is a wonderful thing and a great feeling, especially knowing the family, and the family that they are. They are great people."
HINE QUALIFIES FOR TRIALS: South Hadley High School graduate Zac Hine ran a 1:04:14 at the New York City Half Marathon Sunday, qualifying him for the 2012 Olympic Trails.
RESULTS: Meaghan Matthews-Hegarty of Springfield placed No. 15 among the women Sunday in 1:23:43 at the New Bedford Half Marathon, which served as a USA Track & Field-New England Grand Prix event. Springfield's Carlos Rivera was the top local finisher, placing No. 96 in the field of 2,300 in 1:16:47. New York City's Derese Deniboba won the race in 1:05:21, less than 24 hours after placing second at the St. Patrick's race.