Sports

RUNNING

ROBERT MINER tlsports@timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE – Chris Wadas and Heidi Wolfsberger ran to victories in Bernie’s Memorial, the Wilkes-Barre YMCA 3-Mile Run on the Fourth of July and captured top honors in the First Liberty Bank & Trust Triple Crown. The distinction earned them each a $500 U.S. Savings Bond and a trophy.

“It feels great, winning the Triple Crown,” said Wadas, who won Wednesday morning’s race in 15 minutes flat. “This is not only my first Triple Crown win, but the first time I’ve ever won this race.”

The first leg of the Triple Crown was the Valley Great 8, an 8-mile run in Conyngham in May. The second leg was the West Pittston 4-mile race in June.

Wadas’ win was in wire-to-wire fashion. The 25-year-old from Dallas outran second-place finisher, Chris Wasnetsky, 18, of Archbald by 10 seconds. Dan Dragwa, 39, of Mayfield, finished third in 15:57. Wadas’ twin brother, Nick, also from Dallas, finished fourth in 16 minutes flat. Nick finished second in the Triple Crown’s overall male bracket, winning a $100 bond. John Evangelista, 37, of Blakely, who finished eighth in 16:37, placed third in the male overall Triple Crown bracket, winning a $100 bond.

Wadas, the head track and field and cross country coach at College Misericordia, opened up about a 30-meter lead early in the race and maintained that lead for the first two miles. Then he increased his lead to about 80 meters over the third mile.

“After that, I just cruised to the finish,” he said. “Chris (Wasnetsky) ran a fine race. He will be running for the University of Scranton in the fall. He’s going to be a real good runner.”

For Wolfsberger, it was the second Triple Crown win in two years.

The 27-year-old from Moosic, who set many records at Riverside High School and Moravian College, won the 3-miler with a 12th-place overall finish in 16:52. She outran second-place finisher, Amy Rome, 40, of Dallas, by 1:50. Wolfsberger’s total time for the three races was 87:04.

“It feels great winning my second Triple Crown,” said Wolfsberger, who returned early from a vacation at Surf City, Long Beach Island, N.J., to run the final leg. “I’m sure glad they have this event. It’s great to see all these runners here today running in this event. A blond girl (triathlon specialist Monica Obsitos) went out fast and led early. I tracked her down just before 1-mile. I passed her. Then I just tried to stay with some of the guys.”

There were 363 finishers in this year’s 3-mile run and 104 finishers in the 3-mile walk, a record field according to YMCA staff members.

Emily Bilbow, 27, of Forty Fort, finished second in the female overall Triple Crown competition, winning a $100 bond. Swoyersville’s Traci Dutko-Strungis finished third in the overall bracket, winning the $100 prize.

West Wyoming’s Lynn Dolan, who actually compiled a better time (107:05) for the three Triple Crown races than Dutko-Strungis (115:23), was awarded the top female masters (40 and older) prize instead of the third-overall prize because it was more money ($200 bond). Helen Evans, 47, of Drums, was the second-place female masters winner. Gloria Rawls, of Mountain Top, finished third.

Kevin Southard, 47, of Scranton, won the Triple Crown male masters division top prize, a $500 bond. Mike Coco, of Exeter, finished second in the male masters class. Greg Bassham, of Mountain Top, captured the third-place prize.

Tom Cheffins, 53, of Carlisle, finished first in the 3-Mile Walk in 29:43. Joan Angeli, 51, of Plains Township, was the first female finisher, clocking in at 32:08.