Something We May Have Never Seen Before!

For what may be the first time ever, Penn State has had its recruiting class rated as the Number 1 team in the nation.  The Track and Field News is the source:

And here's our rating of the year's top women's recruiting classes. The First 5: 1. @PennStateTFXC 2. @USC_Track_Field 3. @UGATrack 4. @OregonTF 5. @KentuckyTrack

There may be some exciting things ahead for all of us.

1. Penn State

It’s a rare haul for John Gondak as the Nittany Lions score a rare quadrifecta—including 2 No. 1s—of All-America talent: No. 1 quartermiler Alexis Holmes (51.21 HSL for No. 7 on the all-time list, plus 23.46), No. 1 putter Payden Montana (51-0 HSL, plus 164-11), No. 3 hammerer Gianna Rao (189-1) & No. 4 long jumper Breana Gambrell (20-4½/20-8½w). And for good measure, top 20 discus thrower Piper Klinger (160-0) as the Penn Staters make only their second First 5 appearance ever (they were previously No. 4 in ’03).

America's #1 400M runner, Alexis Holmes.

NCAA Div I XC: Another Top 20 Finish

That makes 4 top-20 finishes in a row for the Nittany Lion Women.  And that makes us one of only 8 teams that can claim that statistic!

87  Danae RIVERS

21:00.2

94  Alison WILLINGMYRE

21:03.4

125  Julia PATERNAIN

21:17.4

140  Moria O'SHEA

21:23.6

166  Kathryn MUNKS

21:34.3

182  Jordan WILLIAMS

21:41.6

250  Noemie NOULLET

23:11.7

Some More Pics From The NCAA Regionals

Greg Fredericks sent me some exclusive photos from his vantage point at the Meet.

Alison Willingmyre

The PSU 1, 2 Place Finishers.

Turns out that Danae Rivers did not beat Alison Willingmyre at the Regionals, as Alison outleaned Danae at the finish.

I can't wait to talk about the many races that Greg had with my newest friend on the Interwebby thingie.  More to come...

A Personal Tribute

Figuring that this is my blog, as well as OUR website, this is a tribute to one of the best dogs to have ever lived.

Peke Pom (aka Cinnamon) was a 5-pound Pekinese Pomeranian mix that has delighted everyone she has met over the last 15 years.

Peke Pom (Cinnamon)

Despite her size, she bacame the Alpha Dog following the death of her long-time companion Pookie seven years ago. She also somehow ran the separate Universe of 5 cats that inhabit my home (Camp Snoopy, as it is known).  I'm not sure how any of that worked, but she ran the show with incredible precision and uncanny abilities.

She was a true Princess, and knew it.  But she treated everyone with kindness and good cheer all of her days.  She delighted in frequent sleepovers at neighbor's houses even when we were around.  There were tears in many people's eyes with her demise.

Her beauty was enhanced by a double coat of fur, combining the best of a Pomeranian and the silky long hair of a Pekinese.  She even had natural crimping of her ear fur, a look that was much sought after in the 1980s.

Artist's conception of Peke Pom as a human.

Luckily, we were able to have her cancerous mouth tumor excised and lased, which gave us 3 months to stage a goodbye tour of all of her favorite places.  She was treated with any food she wanted, and sat at a large window every day to rule over her expanded domain.  She never suffered as the tumor slowly grew back.  We can tell she appreciated all we gave to her, which was just a smidgen of what she has given our entire family.

Can't wait to be reunited with her to learn how running an even bigger show has been for her!

Peke Pom and Daughter the Elder.

1978 NCAA XC Championships

This is a repost of Larry Mangan's post to our Facebook page.  This way even the non-FB readers will get to enjoy the goodness!

On a cold (18 degrees), windy, day back in 1978, on the Yahara Hills Golf Course in Madison, Wisconsin, seven intrepid Penn State harriers jumped off the line to begin the start of a fine, three-year period in PSU cross country history. We finished 4th that day in Madison, and would take bronze in each of the next two years. Each Nittany Lion was of regular college age and from NY, PA and OH. Bordering our corral at the start were the very over-aged Cougars and Miners from Washington State and UTEP. Coach Groves was quite delighted when one of his charges, who will go unnamed, in a fit of anxiety and hypothermia, "politely" asked the folks on either side of us to "speak f***ing english". How did 40 years pass so quickly?

   9 Snyder, Robert 29:48
 54 Ziegler, John 30:36
 61 Mangan, Larry 30:41
 73 Baden, Bruce 30:50
113 Rapp, Thomas 31:11
120 Scharsu, Alan 31:19
129 Wyatt, Michael 31:27

Bob Snyder, running with the Big Dogs!

NCAA XC Regionals Weekend

There was consistently cold and windy conditions across the East.  The weather added an extra challenge for the Nittany Lion Women.  But they came through and attained their 9th out of 10 years moving on to the Finals.

And Danae Rivers has added to her already great resume by placing first for the Women despite falling in the early race.  With her newly aquired range, she is becoming one of the greats of PSU Middle and Long Distance running.

Photo by John McGraw.

Oh, the carnage I! John McGraw photo

Oh, the carnage II! John McGraw photo

Brave and dedicated Alums! John McGraw photo

 In other news of the weekend...

• Mary Cate Curran's St. Lawrence team advanced to the Division III Finals at Dream Park in Southern Jersey.  I saw her at one point, but was unable to say hello.
• Daughter the Younger ran in her first XC NCAA race and learned the valuable lesson about going out too fast!  Hartwick improved on last year's performance.
• Rob Whiteside's daughter Phoebe placed highly in the Mid-Atlantic Regional in Bethlehem,  PA for her Swarthmore team.
• Martha White Collin's daughter Valerie also placed highly in the same race with her Carnegie Mellon team moving on to the Finals.
• John Ziegler and I suffered mightily through a long weekend of Podiatry CME lectures.  John's rewards were many, however.  I took him to lunch at Wegman's for Kung Pao Chicken and got him 50% off on a new pair of shoes at the King of Prussia Roadrunner Sports store! 

Daughter the Younger before the start.

Spouse the Better and John Ziegler.

A Wintry Mix

We all have been there. Snow, sleet and freezing rain. AND 10K to go if you're running. Maybe worse when you aren't!

Bob Radzwich and Jake Bartholomy braved the conditions to watch the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional at Penn State. Looks like the Women will move on...

70 Years Ago!

Horace Ashenfelter III placed 2nd in the NCAA IC4A Cross Country Championships in Michigan NY the highest ever finish by a Nittany Lion. (Curt Stone also 2nd in 1946 NCAA XC Champs.)

Photo from Mike Fanelli, T&F museum.

A Tri Umph!

Our Erwin Shroedinger Endowed Chair for Advanced Physic's daughter finished second in the NCAA Division III Triathlon Championships.  Elizabeth Moore also was named Freshman of the Year.  Congrats to the entire crazy family!!!

E(lizabeth) was 2nd place Div 3. Tough day - puked 4 times in first km of run and had to serve a 10 sec penalty. “Sh*t happens.” Way to grind .

20K bike loop.

2nd Place overall.

Freshaman of the Year.

Another Mish Mash of Submissions

My posting has been erratic at best, and quite pitiful at worst.  I have received submissions that I couldn't get to in a timely fashion.  And I'm lazy besides...

But,

First up, a submission from KKOB which brought to mind the yearly realization of small game hunting season only as we heard gunshots very near to us while running in THE GAME LANDS in early October!

These guys actually saved a lost hunter while out on a run!  (Thanks, Kelly)

Salute to the Cuba High School XC team. 

Next, another a submission about a high school team coached by from Friend of the Group Martha White Collins in Wellesley MA, the halfway point of the Boston Marathon. Martha coaches the girls team. The boys are actually coached by former Olympian Tim Broe! And Here. These students don't do the old-fashioned blogging like this curmudgeon.  They put together videos about their exploits on a You Tube Channel, The CoolDown!  Good job, Jason Norris.

The CoolDown

In this epidode, they torture a sprinter while trying to get him to run a 7-Minute Mile. Hee hee hee 

Last but not least, Greg Fredericks sent along word of another member of our group retiring.  This time it is from his job, not the track.   Congrats to Joe DeStefano on retirement from the Penn State Justice and Safety Institute.  Joe was a highly recruited discus thrower from Waltham, MA who graduated in 1971.

Joe DeStefano.