Ewert added as a guest to U.S. lineup for event in Philadelphia, creating an opportunity to challenge her 5-kilometer American U-20 road record set at last year’s competition in Toronto

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The 31st annual USA vs. Canada Junior Racewalk match is scheduled for Saturday at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, Penn., with a special guest competitor recently added to the 5-kilometer women’s event.

Although Beavercreek OH senior Taylor Ewert won’t factor into the scoring for the U.S. lineup in the team competition, she has been given the opportunity to race in an attempt to challenge her own American U-20 road 5-kilometer record of 23 minutes, 7.07 seconds from last year’s event at Hanlan’s Point on Toronto Island in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Ewert initially decided not to compete in the 9:30 a.m. EDT race, since she focused in June on securing a qualifying mark at the 20-kilometer distance for next year’s U.S. Olympic Trials, followed by competing in the 10,000-meter event July 21 at the Pan American U-20 Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica.

But after a questionable disqualification – the first of her racewalking career – denied Ewert a medal in Costa Rica, she desired one final opportunity to compete in the racewalk this summer, before shifting focus to the season-opening cross country race Aug. 24 in Ohio, which kicks off her final year at Beavercreek.

Despite Ewert’s victory and record last year, Canada prevailed in the women’s team competition by a 12-10 margin, with each country scoring three athletes based on a 7-5-4-3-2-1 format.

Ewert also prevailed in the event in 2017 in Georgia, clocking 24:32 to lead the American women to a 16-6 victory.

Representing the U.S. women in the team competition this year will be recent New York high school graduates Natalie Ehlers of Westhampton Beach and Chloe Engin of Pittsford Mendon, Westfield NJ junior Grace Endy – who competed with Ewert at the Pan American U-20 Championships, placing 10th – and James Logan CA senior Rithika Vatturi.

Competing for the American men in the 10-kilometer team showdown at 8:15 a.m. EDT will be Kingsway Regional NJ senior Samuel Allen and Missouri Baptist sophomore Jordan Crawford – the ninth- and 10th-place finishers at the Pan American U-20 Championships – along with Greenon OH senior Sean Glaze and Downington East PA junior Jacob Lawson.

Added as a guest to the U.S. lineup, but not factoring into the team competition, will be Wakefield VA senior Paine Gronemeyer.

Canada prevailed 16-6 in last year’s men’s 10-kilometer competition, after winning 12-10 in Georgia in 2017. The last victory for the American men in the annual series came in 2016 in Saskatchewan.

The combined 28-16 overall victory last year marked only the seventh time in meet history that Canada triumphed in the team competition.