Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The "Official" PSU Track Alumni Records List: Middle Distance Section

Working with Track Records creates only slightly less statistical and categorical conundrums than working with MLB statistics.  There's always another category or variable that can be added, making it a full-time job for the most compulsive and obsessive among us.

Should we include only graduates?  Should we considers those without degrees from PSU who are still enrolled in Graduate School?  Do Indoor records count, or do they deserve a second listing?  How about conversions from yards to meters?  How about PEDs affecting any marks?

My answer to all of these is, "I don't know." (Hint: any doctor who allows themselves to utter that phrase in your presence is worthy of being your doctor.)

I have been aided and abetted in starting the list by, in order of appearance: Matt Groves (whose father kept a list that was published every year until his retirement), Artie Gilkes, Larry Mangan and some anonymous character lurking around the site.  I have expressed to each of them some thoughts and expressed my thanks for helping. Please give me input and corrections at any time.  Other Idiot Officers can attest to my occasional difficulty with facts.

We will start with the simple MENS OUTDOOR MIDDLE DISTANCE ALUMNI RECORDS (because it's what I'm used to and the simplest so far).

800 M:   Casimir Loxsom1:45.98  2013 (and this will probably go down in the next few weeks by Cas himself!)  I told Matt that I'm sure Randy Moore was close, and I was right! 1:46.04 1987.
Addendum: Now 1:45.75! by Cas Loxsom with more to come.

1500 M Larry Mangan:  3:38.44 1982. I don't think anyone has beaten this one in the years since.
Addendum from Tim Johnson: A Tie!  Matt Lincoln 3:38.44 2009.  This internet sourcing works!

Larry Mangan in Holland, 1984.


Mile:  Larry Mangan:  3:56.9  1984.  My hope is that Larry will expound upon these races via the comments.  I'd like to know more since I had already entered my hermit-phase by then!

3 comments:

  1. I think matt lincoln might aporoach mangan's 1500 time, for what it's worth.

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  2. The 1500 was in 1984 in Helsinki and I got 5th. Pierre Deleze was the winner I think.

    The mile was in 1983 in Toronto, the winner was Sosthenes Bitok. Bitok, who ran his first sub-4 at PSU in 1980 to finish 2nd to me, got his revenge by setting his all-time PR of 3:55.9 to win the 1983 race. Kevin Ryan, a fellow AW teammate, ran 3:56.1 for 2nd.

    LTM

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