24 October 2002 Gardner Named USATF Athlete of the Week USATF FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   INDIANAPOLIS -- Connie Gardner has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week for her dominating win Saturday in the women's competition at the USA 100K Championships at the Edmund Fitzgerald 100K in Duluth, Minnesota. Gardner, 38, of Medina, Ohio, ran eight hours, 30 minutes, 31 seconds for her first-ever national road title - roughly 8:10 pace per mile. Laura Nelson, 37, of Waynesboro, Maryland, was the runner-up in 8:47:49, and Ann Heaslett, 38, of Madison, Wisc., who sought to become ultrarunning's first three-time national champion in a single year, finished third in 8:53:03. The master's women's winner was Tania Pacev, the USA's top finisher at the 2002 World Challenge, who finished fourth overall in 9:04:08. Now in its second year, USATF's Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF Web site. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week. Tom Surber Media Information Manager USA Track & Field