Rines selected as Mûsterds’ top runner

 PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Chris Rines of Houlton was named the 2014 Aroostook Mûsterds Runner of the Year, an award given annually to the club member exemplifying dedication to the sport through participation, coaching, race directing and giving back to their communities.
Rines, a Caribou High School and University of Maine at Presque Isle graduate, was chosen based in great part on his running the 2014 Boston Marathon, which he qualified for in running the Manchester Marathon in New Hampshire.
Rines also coaches cross country at Houlton High School, having directed two local runners to very strong finishes in this season’s state championship meet. Additionally, Rines continues to direct the Miracle Mile in Houlton, a fund-raising effort supporting targeted cancer research at the CureSearch for Children’s Cancer organization, specifically for efforts in beating Diamond-Blackfan anemia, a disease that results in low red blood cell counts.
At the 32nd annual ceremony, held at the Northeastland Hotel in Presque Isle Nov. 15, area runners were recognized for participation and race success in male and female age groups as well as overall racing categories. The 2014 Mûsterd Scholarship was also awarded to the 2013 high school graduate deemed worthy by officers of the $500 support.
In the participation category, completing the required four of the seven series races were Lucas Kinney, Paul Johnson, Larry Tonzi, Michael Saucier, Bradley Burlock, Trace Cyr, P.J. Gorneault, and Evan Graves.  Completing five were Curtis Wheeler, George Ferland, Ed Malone, Nicole Hanscom, Angela Ewings and Rines. Leo Kashian, Kimberley Wright and Trevor Levesque ran six of the seven races and the lone seven-race runner was Craig Dubay.
Age group winners were: 14 and under, Trace Cyr (33 points); 15-18, Levesque (41); 19-29, Rines (42), and Burlock (30); 30-39, Gorneault (44) and Graves (36); 40-49, Dubay (60) and Ferland (45); 50-59, Kashian (66); and 60-69, Malone (49) and Tonzi (44).
On the women’s side age group winners were 30-39, Hanscom (47) and Ewings (53).
The men’s division overall series winner was Wheeler, the outstanding former University of Southern Maine runner now residing in Caribou. Wheeler won the award despite passing up two of the seven series races, nipping Gorneault by one point (45-44). Graves was third with 32 points. On the women’s side, Wright repeated as champion, also by but one point over second-place finisher Hanscom (47-46). In third place with 28 points was Ewings, the owner of a record 13 overall series championship awards.
The 2014 Mûsterds Scholarship was awarded to Levesque, who has been a cross country and track runner since his sixth grade year at Presque Isle Middle School. He continued through Presque Isle High School and is now attending UMPI, where he recently completed his first collegiate season.
The Mûsterds have been in the planning phase for the 33rd annual County Challenge Series for 2015, which begins on Feb. 14 in Houlton.