Fort Bliss Monitor

Bliss men finish 5th, women 8th in Army Ten Miler

Master Sgt. Steve Miller
Public Affairs Chief

The goal for Team Bliss was to improve upon last year’s performance, and that’s exactly what happened Sunday during the running of the 20th Army Ten Miler in Washington, D.C.

Team Bliss’ men’s team, which placed 9th last year, finished 5th among 106 teams in the active-duty division – the highest placing ever for Fort Bliss – with a combined time of 3 hours, 43 minutes, 41 seconds, compiled by Joe Borg, Robert Lucero, Manuel Portes and Larry Smith. Fort Carson, Colo., won in 3:27.42, followed by Korea’s Eighth Army team, Fort Hood and Fort Campbell, Ky., ahead of Team Bliss.

Meanwhile, the women’s team placed 8th, the same as last year, among 20 teams in the women’s active-duty division but did it in 4:41.31 instead of last year’s 4:44.34, thanks to Carmen Vega, Maria Tristan, Rachel Rosenbaum and Nancy Castro. Fort Bragg, N.C., won the women’s team title in 4:19.16.

The U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy defended its championship against three other teams in the Sergeants Major Division, winning it in 4:28.08, behind the efforts of Saik Ng, Victor Oates, James McDowell and Robert Lonergan. The top four runners times counted toward the team score in all divisions.

Finally, the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade placed two teams in the top 30 in the men’s active-duty division. One team, consisting of Ayinde Waverly, Sonny Garcia, Matthew Akers and Mahlon Eaton, finished 9th in 4:02.31 and the other, featuring Everette Sergeant, William Navarro, Kevin Turnblom and Clifford Barden, was 30th in 4:48.13.

“All team members should be proud of themselves. It takes a lot of discipline and dedication to wake up every day at 0500 – even Saturdays – to train,” said Rosenbaum coach for Team Bliss. She ran the race in 1:10.27, third among the Bliss women, who were paced Sunday by Vega in 1:09.06 and Tristan in 1:10.03. Castro was fourth for Team Bliss in 1:11.54.

Borg, 23, was the first Fort Bliss runner across the finish line in 52:44, which placed him 16th overall among the 13,071 finishers. Lucero, 21, was next for Team Bliss (36th overall) in 55:12, followed by the 45-year-old Portes in 57:45 (98th overall) and Smith, 33, in 57:59 (105th overall). Also running America’s largest 10-mile race in less than an hour for Team Bliss were 37-year-old Eric Newman in 58:44 and Juan Ruiz, 22, in 59:42. Todd Boehnlein finished in 1:01.53 for Team Bliss.

“I am very proud of these athletes for giving their all,” said Smith, assistant coach for Team Bliss. “We had six men go under an hour. This year training was more intense than last year to get ready for this event.”

USASMA’s times ranged from the 40-year-old Ng’s 1:06.10 to 46-year-old Enrique Trevino’s 1:14.48. Oates, 39, finished in 1:06.43, McDowell, 43, in 1:07.26 and Lonergan, 39, in 1:07.47.

Waverly, 21, also finished in less than hour (58:24) for 108th, pacing Garcia’s 1:00.57, Akers’ 1:01.29 and Eaton’s 1:01.41. For full results of Fort Bliss’ participation in the Army Ten Miler, please see the accompanying chart.

Running Blade streak to Halloween hoop title

Master Sgt. Steve Miller
Public Affairs Chief

Tournament Director Nate LaCour, left, congratulates players Sunday from the El Paso Running Blade, background, and New Mexico All-Stars for a successful Halloween Classic basketball tournament.

Seven teams began Fort Bliss’ Halloween Basketball Classic at Logan Heights Gym Friday night, but by Sunday afternoon only the Running Blade of El Paso could lay claim to the championship, played at Biggs Gym.

The venue change for the double-elimination tournament was necessitated Saturday night when a dunk by Kevin Hardy of the 230th Finance Detachment shattered the backboard at Logan Heights with 2:09 left in the first half and tore the rim off to boot. Hardy’s team was eliminated in an 85-64 loss to Wilson Optical.

Location didn’t matter for the Running Blade, as they romped to a 99-54 triumph over the New Mexico All-Stars in the championship game Sunday at Biggs Gymand weren’t seriously threatened Friday in a 102-77 win over USASMA, nor Saturday in victories over Wilson Optical (100-76) and the Fort Bliss men’s post basketball team (103-84).

“We wanted to match up in our zone defense to make them work hard on offense to tire them out,” said Eddie Avila, one of several stars for the Running Blade, of the title game. “My teammates were pushing the ball in transition – they made it easy for me to get open looks.”

Avila had enough open shots to score 15 points in the championship game – all on 3-pointers – and 36 points on 12 treys – six in each half – in Saturday night’s semifinals. Former UTEP Miner Eugene Costello had 36 in the title game Sunday, center Toraino Johnson scored 18 and Waydren Wallace added 12. Charles Booker led the New Mexico All-Stars with 16, Bharat Ram notched 13 and Anthony West scored 10.

“Our guys were tired, and they had a fresh team coming out,” said Jamila Davis, coach for the New Mexico All-Stars, who made the trip from Albuquerque. “We only had six players (Sunday), so it may not have changed the outcome, but I would have liked to see both teams starting fresh.”

Indeed, the New Mexico squad had to survive a loser’s bracket semifinal earlier Sunday, as they came from behind to eliminate the Fort Bliss post team 100-97 in a thrilling battle. Team Bliss led 94-89 late in the game after Marcus Reed kissed a jumper off the glass for two points. But Booker drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing to cut the Bliss lead to 94-92, and another trey from the right wing – this time by David Mazzarella – gave the New Mexico All-Stars the lead with 1:21 left.

From there, a free-throw battle ensued, during which Blake McCallon missed a key 1-and-1 opportunity for Team Bliss with 17 seconds left and his team trailing 98-94. Malik Waters broke free for a layup to seal the deal for the visitors before Bliss’ Klay Gardiner nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to account for the 100-97 final.

Sports briefs

Stout Gym closure
The gym floor at Stout Physical Fitness Center is closed for sanding and rescreening. It will reopen Monday. Other facilities at Stout – such as the cardio loft, racquetball courts, weight room and locker room – remain open.
The gym floor is also scheduled to close at noon Nov. 4 to accommodate the NCO Wives Club’s annual bazaar, which is scheduled for Nov. 6 and 7. The remainder of the facility closes at 1 p.m. Nov. 5 and reopens at 5:30 a.m. Nov. 8.
Patrons wanting to use gym floor space are encouraged to use Biggs, Logan Heights or Milam Physical Fitness Centers. For information, call 568-4508.

Flag football playoffs
The single-elimination post flag football championships will take place Monday through Friday next week at Finney Field and Stout Field. The Echelons Above Corps League crowned defending post champion E Battery, 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, as its playoff champion last week, with the Independent League and Corps League holding their league tournaments this week.
For information call Scott Carr at 568-5995.

Post 10K run
The post 10-kilometer run is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. Nov. 5 at Biggs Physical Fitness Center. Sign-up for runners begins on site at 5:30 that morning. For information, call 568-4508 or 5995.

Boxing championships
The brigade box-offs have been rescheduled for Dec. 10 and 11 at Stout Gym. Bouts will begin at 6 p.m. each night.
The first night features a doubleheader card, with 11th ADA Brigade taking on 31st ADA Bde, followed by 6th ADA Bde versus 108th ADA Bde. The two teams winning Friday night will meet Saturday night for the post boxing championship.
For information, call 568-4508 or 5995.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	October 28, 2004

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	Bliss men finish 5th, women 8th in Army Ten Miler Master Sgt. Steve Miller Public Affairs Chief The goal for Team Bliss was to improve upon last year’s performance, and that’s exactly what happened Sunday during the running of the 20th Army Ten Miler in Washington, D.C. Team Bliss’ men’s team, which placed 9th last year, finished 5th among 106 teams in the active-duty division – the highest placing ever for Fort Bliss – with a combined time of 3 hours, 43 minutes, 41 seconds, compiled by Joe Borg, Robert Lucero, Manuel Portes and Larry Smith. Fort Carson, Colo., won in 3:27.42, followed by Korea’s Eighth Army team, Fort Hood and Fort Campbell, Ky., ahead of Team Bliss. Meanwhile, the women’s team placed 8th, the same as last year, among 20 teams in the women’s active-duty division but did it in 4:41.31 instead of last year’s 4:44.34, thanks to Carmen Vega, Maria Tristan, Rachel Rosenbaum and Nancy Castro. Fort Bragg, N.C., won the women’s team title in 4:19.16. The U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy defended its championship against three other teams in the Sergeants Major Division, winning it in 4:28.08, behind the efforts of Saik Ng, Victor Oates, James McDowell and Robert Lonergan. The top four runners times counted toward the team score in all divisions. Finally, the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade placed two teams in the top 30 in the men’s active-duty division. One team, consisting of Ayinde Waverly, Sonny Garcia, Matthew Akers and Mahlon Eaton, finished 9th in 4:02.31 and the other, featuring Everette Sergeant, William Navarro, Kevin Turnblom and Clifford Barden, was 30th in 4:48.13. “All team members should be proud of themselves. It takes a lot of discipline and dedication to wake up every day at 0500 – even Saturdays – to train,” said Rosenbaum coach for Team Bliss. She ran the race in 1:10.27, third among the Bliss women, who were paced Sunday by Vega in 1:09.06 and Tristan in 1:10.03. Castro was fourth for Team Bliss in 1:11.54. Borg, 23, was the first Fort Bliss runner across the finish line in 52:44, which placed him 16th overall among the 13,071 finishers. Lucero, 21, was next for Team Bliss (36th overall) in 55:12, followed by the 45-year-old Portes in 57:45 (98th overall) and Smith, 33, in 57:59 (105th overall). Also running America’s largest 10-mile race in less than an hour for Team Bliss were 37-year-old Eric Newman in 58:44 and Juan Ruiz, 22, in 59:42. Todd Boehnlein finished in 1:01.53 for Team Bliss. “I am very proud of these athletes for giving their all,” said Smith, assistant coach for Team Bliss. “We had six men go under an hour. This year training was more intense than last year to get ready for this event.” USASMA’s times ranged from the 40-year-old Ng’s 1:06.10 to 46-year-old Enrique Trevino’s 1:14.48. Oates, 39, finished in 1:06.43, McDowell, 43, in 1:07.26 and Lonergan, 39, in 1:07.47. Waverly, 21, also finished in less than hour (58:24) for 108th, pacing Garcia’s 1:00.57, Akers’ 1:01.29 and Eaton’s 1:01.41. For full results of Fort Bliss’ participation in the Army Ten Miler, please see the accompanying chart. Running Blade streak to Halloween hoop title Master Sgt. Steve Miller Public Affairs Chief Tournament Director Nate LaCour, left, congratulates players Sunday from the El Paso Running Blade, background, and New Mexico All-Stars for a successful Halloween Classic basketball tournament. Seven teams began Fort Bliss’ Halloween Basketball Classic at Logan Heights Gym Friday night, but by Sunday afternoon only the Running Blade of El Paso could lay claim to the championship, played at Biggs Gym. The venue change for the double-elimination tournament was necessitated Saturday night when a dunk by Kevin Hardy of the 230th Finance Detachment shattered the backboard at Logan Heights with 2:09 left in the first half and tore the rim off to boot. Hardy’s team was eliminated in an 85-64 loss to Wilson Optical. Location didn’t matter for the Running Blade, as they romped to a 99-54 triumph over the New Mexico All-Stars in the championship game Sunday at Biggs Gymand weren’t seriously threatened Friday in a 102-77 win over USASMA, nor Saturday in victories over Wilson Optical (100-76) and the Fort Bliss men’s post basketball team (103-84). “We wanted to match up in our zone defense to make them work hard on offense to tire them out,” said Eddie Avila, one of several stars for the Running Blade, of the title game. “My teammates were pushing the ball in transition – they made it easy for me to get open looks.” Avila had enough open shots to score 15 points in the championship game – all on 3-pointers – and 36 points on 12 treys – six in each half – in Saturday night’s semifinals. Former UTEP Miner Eugene Costello had 36 in the title game Sunday, center Toraino Johnson scored 18 and Waydren Wallace added 12. Charles Booker led the New Mexico All-Stars with 16, Bharat Ram notched 13 and Anthony West scored 10. “Our guys were tired, and they had a fresh team coming out,” said Jamila Davis, coach for the New Mexico All-Stars, who made the trip from Albuquerque. “We only had six players (Sunday), so it may not have changed the outcome, but I would have liked to see both teams starting fresh.” Indeed, the New Mexico squad had to survive a loser’s bracket semifinal earlier Sunday, as they came from behind to eliminate the Fort Bliss post team 100-97 in a thrilling battle. Team Bliss led 94-89 late in the game after Marcus Reed kissed a jumper off the glass for two points. But Booker drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing to cut the Bliss lead to 94-92, and another trey from the right wing – this time by David Mazzarella – gave the New Mexico All-Stars the lead with 1:21 left. From there, a free-throw battle ensued, during which Blake McCallon missed a key 1-and-1 opportunity for Team Bliss with 17 seconds left and his team trailing 98-94. Malik Waters broke free for a layup to seal the deal for the visitors before Bliss’ Klay Gardiner nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to account for the 100-97 final. Sports briefs Stout Gym closure The gym floor at Stout Physical Fitness Center is closed for sanding and rescreening. It will reopen Monday. Other facilities at Stout – such as the cardio loft, racquetball courts, weight room and locker room – remain open. The gym floor is also scheduled to close at noon Nov. 4 to accommodate the NCO Wives Club’s annual bazaar, which is scheduled for Nov. 6 and 7. The remainder of the facility closes at 1 p.m. Nov. 5 and reopens at 5:30 a.m. Nov. 8. Patrons wanting to use gym floor space are encouraged to use Biggs, Logan Heights or Milam Physical Fitness Centers. For information, call 568-4508. Flag football playoffs The single-elimination post flag football championships will take place Monday through Friday next week at Finney Field and Stout Field. The Echelons Above Corps League crowned defending post champion E Battery, 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, as its playoff champion last week, with the Independent League and Corps League holding their league tournaments this week. For information call Scott Carr at 568-5995. Post 10K run The post 10-kilometer run is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. Nov. 5 at Biggs Physical Fitness Center. Sign-up for runners begins on site at 5:30 that morning. For information, call 568-4508 or 5995. Boxing championships The brigade box-offs have been rescheduled for Dec. 10 and 11 at Stout Gym. Bouts will begin at 6 p.m. each night. The first night features a doubleheader card, with 11th ADA Brigade taking on 31st ADA Bde, followed by 6th ADA Bde versus 108th ADA Bde. The two teams winning Friday night will meet Saturday night for the post boxing championship. For information, call 568-4508 or 5995.