Eighteen-year-old Eric Soriero of Bayville closed out the Long Island cross country season in style, leading his Chaminade team to victory in Rob's Run, a 5 Kilometer Cross Country race held at the Town of Oyster Bay's Stillwell Woods Park in Syosset on Nov. 28.

Soriero finished Rob's Run in 16 minutes, 56 seconds, good for 8th place overall in the field of 564 finishers. He was the first high school athlete to cross the finish line. His score, combined with those of Chaminade teammates Brendan Brown, Branden Basso and Collin Martin, left the Chaminade team comfortable in front of the second place team from Farmingdale High School.

This was the 7th annual edition of Rob's Run, which is sponsored by Long Island Blood Services and conducted under the auspices of the Greater Long Island Running Club, with a big boost from the Town of Oyster Bay and its department of recreation and parks. GLIRC's Ed Melnik and Steve Klemes served as the co-race directors. The entire net proceeds of Rob's run are turned over to ASPIRE, the Long Island-based program that provides prosthetic devices, physical therapy, and intensive rehabilitation through exercise to young amputees, victims of bone cancer and traumatic amputations.

Rob's Run is staged by the running club in memory of Rob Lauterborn, an outstanding athlete and good friend who was taken from us at the untimely age of 28. "It is altogether fitting that we should perpetuate Rob's memory in an event that helps young amputees through athletics at the same time as it promotes and fosters cross country running here on Long Island," observed co-Race Director Ed Melnik. "Our congratulations and thanks to Eric Soriero and all the other great folks who joined us on this special day."

Rob's Run was the final event of the KeySpan/Long Island Track & Field Grand Prix of Long Island Road Races, and KeySpan's Phil Maroney was on hand to present a $1,000 check to ASPIRE, as it did for the charities that benefit from each of the other 20 races in the 1999 Grand Prix Series.