01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, February 8, 2005

WOMEN -- Road racing in Rhode Island has already gotten under way and some familiar names keep appearing at the front of the pack.

The racing season kicked off with the 20th annual Hangover Classic 5-Mile Road Race, held on New Year's Day in Bristol, and Portsmouth's Jon Lawson (27:47) and Trish Hillery of Greenville (28:50) were victorious.

That same day, in Narragansett, Glen Guillemette (19:04) and South Kingstown's Claire Gadrow (21:53) took top honors at the Pier Plunge 5K.

A couple of weeks later, Gadrow won the women's title at the Chiller Classic 5K in Wakefield, finishing fifth overall in 19:48. One of Gadrow's running partners, Michael Tammaro , of Narragansett, was the first male in 17:40.

And last weekend, Hillery took top honors among the women at the inaugural Super 5K, hosted by the newly-formed Narragansett Running Association, with an 11th-place overall finish in 18:06. Providence's Joe McAlister won the 3.1-miler held in Narragansett with a time of 15:14.

SUPER 5K 3.1 miles at Narragansett

TOP OVERALL FINISHERS

1, Joe McAlister, 15:14; 2, Vince Augelli, 16:22 (first 30-39 male); 3, Derek Phillips, 16:31; 4, Zachary Kudlak, 16:32; 5, Brendan Cashman, 16:36; 6, Robert Jackman, 16:58; 7, David Principe, 17:04; 8, Michael Tammaro, 17:36; 9, Brian McNeiece, 17:45; 10, Dave Schaad, 17:56 (first 40-49 male); also, 17, Greg Behie, 18:58 (first 50-59 male); 26, Nicholas Lemoix, 19:43 (first 18-and-under male); 39, Harry Carter, 20:34 (first 60-69 male); 53, Richard Silva, 21:44 (first 70-and-over male).

1, Trish Hillery, 18:06; 2, Rosie Sosnowski, 19:39; 3, Kimberly Chula-Maguire, 19:47; 4, Claire Gadrow, 20:17; 5, Jackie Gorski, 20:41; 6, Barbara Snow-Martone, 21:05; 7, Janine Parkins, 21:53; 8, Kim Kornacki, 22:01; 9, Lisa Ryan, 22:07; 10, Marilyn Woodford, 22:22; also, 24, Rosie Sosnowski, 19:39 (first 19-29 female); 66, Bridget McPhillips, 22:29 (first 40-49 female); 93, Penny Catalano, 24:04 (first 50-59 female); 125, Linda Dewing, 26:23 (first 60-69 female); 134, Caitlin Murphy, 26:53 (first 18-and-under female).

pRIx winners Hillery and Brendan Doyle were crowned winners of both the overall and 39-and-under divisions of the 2004 pRIx race series last week at Patrick's Pub in Providence.

Doyle, 22, who runs for Running Heritage, was the top point-getter in five of the series' 10 events, which allowed him to edge 2003 champion and Tuesday Night Turtle Glenn Jones .

Hillery, 37, also a member of the Running Heritage team, was the first pRIx female at seven of the events, overtaking Gadrow for the top spot.

Rhode Island Road Runner Milt Schumacher was the only repeat winner, successfully defending his title in the men's 50-59 division. (It should be noted that Schumacher held off the competition despite competing in his last year with the under-60 crowd.)

Dave Schaad (40-49) and Charles Giannotti (60-and-over) were the other men's winners, while Ann-Marie Soares (40-49), Jessica Wheeler (50-59) and Linda Dewing (60-and-over) won their respective age-group divisions.

Youngsters shine The Youth Relay at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games turned into a local affair, with the Providence Cobras beating the Attleboro YMCA Jaguars in the Mixed 4 x 200-meter event with a time of 1:52.80. The Jags were second in 1:56.85.

Congratulations to Erin Lagasse , who was the top New England finisher at the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships, in Schaumberg, Ill. The Cranston West junior placed third in the Intermediate (15-16 year-olds) girls race with a personal best of 18:24, leading the Sentinel Striders Track Club to a ninth-place team finish.

Lagasse earned All-America honors, along with teammates Kayla Fleming (17th in 19:39) and Amanda Joyal (19th in 19:44), who both paced the Striders' Young Women's (17-18) team to a bronze medal.

Carolyn Thornton can be reached by e-mail at: cthorn [at] projo.com