Eddy, Matthews run away with Acushnet win
 
ACUSHNET -- After two years of domination by the Boston running clubs, area runners struck back in the 22nd running of the Acushnet Road Race yesterday.
Former Old Rochester Regional three-sport standout Jason Eddy won the men's race, while mountain biker JoAnn Matthews of Dartmouth captured the women's race.
Both won by comfortable margins. Eddy ran the 4.1 mile course in 21:36, 36 seconds ahead of defending champion Dennis Floyd of Lynn and the Greater Boston Track Club, while Matthews was a 20-second winner over Kristen Brennand of Cambridge and the GBTC with a time of 24:58.
Matthews also teamed with third place finisher Madalena Boudreau of Fall River and seventh place finisher Jennifer Bogan of Swansea under the banner of the Moose Milers and Marathoners to win the women's team competition.
The GBTC salvaged a victory in the men's team competition, while Eddy led the Moose Milers and Marathoners to a second place finish. The other two members of the MMM team were Peter Lopriore of Somerset. who finished fourth, and Gary Thomson of Westport, who finished eighth.
Two years ago the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) dominated the race, winning the men's and women's team competition and the men's individual title. Last year the GBTC won everything, with Jessica Blake of North Attleboro setting a course record of 23:33. Blake did not enter this year's race.
The course was a 10th of a mile longer this year because of construction going on at the Ford Middle School.
The race was also run in a steady rain, which may have bothered spectators, but had little or no effect on the runners.
"Basically, although it was raining, the racing conditions were ideal," said Eddy. "No wind and nice and cool."
"I'd rather have rain than 90-degree heat," said Matthews.
It was a very satisfying win for Eddy, who finished fourth in the Fairhaven Father's Day Road Race and fifth in the Mattapoisett race.
"I thought I had a chance, but I knew the competition would be tough because the Greater Boston Track Club has a good team," said Eddy, a May graduate of Bryant College, where he set school records in the 1500, 3,000 and 5,000 meters.
Eddy and Bill Newsham of the GBTC broke out in front of the pack and ran together for the first mile (4:58), but Eddy took the lead for good at the start of the second mile.
"I made a little move at the mile mark and tried to keep a constant pace from there," said Eddy.
Floyd overtook Newsham in the second mile, but couldn't catch Eddy, who had opened about a 60-yard lead by the second mile.
Floyd did cut into Eddy's lead a little, but Eddy was able to reestablish his 60-yard lead by the end of the third mile and cruised the rest of the way.
Floyd finished in 22:00, followed by James Pawlicki of the GBTC in 22:11. Newsham faded to sixth place (22:35).
"I was figuring on around 21 minutes," said Eddy, "but with the extra 10th of a mile and the fact I wasn't pushed, I was happy with my time.
Eddy played basketball and baseball at Old Rochester Regional in addition to track and cross country, but concentrated on track in college.
"I really liked basketball and baseball, but when I got to college I discovered that running was my best sport," he said.
The 37-year-old Matthews ran the 400 and the hurdles at Dartmouth High, but didn't start running road races until this year.
"I used to do mountain biking racing, which I did for about five years, but I took a break from that this year," she said. "I used to run in the winter to stay in shape for mountain biking.
"But this year I continued running and stopped the biking. I like the competition, whether it's running or biking."
Yesterday's victory was her second straight as she won the women's race in the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust's Save The Land 5k last weekend in 18:20. She finished fifth in the Fairhaven Father's Day race last June.
"I try to improve," she said. "It's easy to improve when you first start."
She ran the first two miles yesterday with Brennand and Boudreau, before taking a lead she would never relinquish at the start of the third mile.
Boudreau, who also placed third last year, finished eight seconds behind Brennand in 25:26.
The Greater New Bedford Track Club women's team finished third in the team competition, while the GNBTC men entered two teams, finishing fourth and fifth.
The women's team consisted of Mary Cass, Terry Frenette, and Kathy Lopes, while the men's fourth place team was made up of Peter Schmidt, Brian Grant Jr., and Jose Gomes.
Finishing fifth were Jack Daniels, Vincent Murphy and Jim Frenette.
This story appeared on Page C1 of The Standard-Times on September 3, 2002.
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