The Golden Knight Battalion runners from Clarkson University's Army ROTC Battalion attended this year's Army Ten-Miler held in Washington, D.C. on October 24. This was the fourth consecutive year that the battalion sent a team to the event.

The Golden Knight Battalion was among 30,000 runners who registered for the race held in the nation's capital. The race started and ended in the parking lot of the Pentagon, with a route taking runners past many sites, including the Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, and Smithsonian museums.

Clarkson's top runner, Charles Rugg, finished with a time of 1:07:08, which placed him 665th overall. Jennifer Zanghi finished in 1:11:16, which placed her fourth in her age group. The team finished in 22nd place among 59 Army ROTC programs and 117th among 653 teams overall.

The trip was made special this year by the support received from a Clarkson Alumni family. The team was housed and fed by the Parker family -- Kevin '81, Anne, and daughter Kate, who provided a place to stay and some great meals for the team of eight runners and two cadre who made the trip. Kevin is also a University trustee.

The team was also sponsored by the Fort Drum Chapter of the Association of United States Army (AUSA), who provided funding for transportation and incidental costs.

"This year's trip was incredible, due to the support of the Parkers and the Fort Drum Chapter of AUSA," said Maj. Scott Toth. "The cadets are already talking about next year's trip. Staying with the Parkers was like visiting family, which goes to show the strength of the Clarkson Family. The trip also demonstrated to the cadets the camaraderie and esprit de corps of the Army."

The Clarkson team was made up of senior Charles Rugg, Information Systems & Business Processes, Penfield, N.Y.; senior Jayson Keys, Mechanical Engineering, Marion, N.Y.; senior Erin McTarnaghan, Biomolecular Science/Chemistry, Geneseo, N.Y.; junior Jennifer Zanghi, Mechanical Eng., Cassadaga, N.Y.; junior Russell Austin, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Canandaigua, N.Y.; junior Tim Nevin, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Canandaigua, N.Y; junior Cris Coveleski, Global Supply Chain Management, Utica, N.Y.; and sophomore David Voorhees, Environmental Engineering, Buffalo, N.Y. The cadre runners were Maj. Scott Toth, and 2nd Lt. James Onley, Clarkson class of 2009.

For more information about Army ROTC in the North Country, contact Scott Toth at 265-2180 or armyrotc@clarkson.edu .