Davis, Rookard and Rodriguez shine in Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wis.-Gold-medal Olympian and 1000m World Record Holder Shani Davis (Chicago, IL) tore up the ice at the Pettit National Ice Center during the Men's 1000m at the U.S. World Cup/Olympic Qualifier for long track speedskating, finishing just short of his own track record of 1:08.33 with a time of 1:08.85. 2002 Olympian Nick Pearson (West Allis, WI) was paired with Davis, coming in second with 1:10.01 during the exciting heat. Trevor Marsicano (Ballston Spa, NY), the 1000m gold-medalist at the 2009 Single Distance Championships, followed in third, posting a time of 1:10.61.

For the ladies, Olympic medalist Jen Rodriguez (Miami, FL) walked off the ice in first place after the first Ladies'1000m. She was followed by 2009 U.S. Sprint Champion Heather Richardson (High Point, NC) in second and last night's winner of the Ladies 500m, Olympian Elli Ochowicz (Palo Alto, CA). The overall winner of the 1000m event is determined from the best time of two 1000m races. Following the second 1000m event on Sunday, five Ladies and five Men will be named to the World Cup team.

During the Ladies 3000m, 2009 U.S. Allround Champion Nancy Swider-Peltz, Jr. (Wheaton, IL) faced three-time Olympian Catherine Raney (Elm Grove, WI) in a tough seven-and-a-half laps. But it was Jilleanne Rookard (West Allis, WI) who topped them both with a time of 4:13.32, taking first place. Olympian Maria Lamb (River Falls, WI) took second finishing with 4:13.62 followed by Swider-Peltz, Jr. and Raney.

Rookard is coached by two-time Olympian Kip Carpenter (Brookfield, WI) at the Pettit in Milwaukee. "I'm not really surprised," Carpenter said. "She's been skating so strong the last few weeks. It was a great race but I definitely think there's more in her." The 3K/5K World Cup team consists of a combined ranking for both events. The top four women will be selected to the team on Sunday.

The Men's 5000m was the last event of the night and featured defending Olympic 5000m champion Chad Hedrick (Spring, TX). Competition was fierce as skaters in the last four pairs battled for the best time.

In the sixth heat, Jonathan Kuck (Champaign, IL) set the time to beat at 6:33.56 and that time held until the second-to-last heat when Hedrick paired up with Brian Hansen (Glenview, IL). Hedrick put down a time of 6:30.92 to take over first place and watched as Davis skated the last pair with Marsicano.

Davis started out strong-and stayed strong, beating Hedrick's time by just .02 seconds finishing with 6:30.90. Hedrick finished with second place and Kuck ended up in third. The 5K/10K World Cup team consists of a combined ranking for both events. The top five men will be selected to the team on Sunday.

There is no skating tomorrow but racing resumes on Saturday, October 24 at 1 p.m. (CDT) with the Ladies' and Men's 1500m. For results, visit www.usspeedskating.org or follow USS on Twitter @usspeedskating.

About US Speedskating

US Speedskating is a non-profit organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union as the governing body for the sport of speedskating in the United States. Its mission is to be one of the premier speedskating organizations in the world through excellence in leadership, development and performance. To date, US Speedskating has won 75 Olympic medals, making it the most successful winter sport in the U.S.  In addition to its elite programs, US Speedskating is responsible for the grassroots development of speedskating. For additional information about US Speedskating please visit www.usspeedskating.org.