Penn State's Earliest Women's Athletics Champions

 From our Golden Putter Attendant, these photos represent the earliest female cross-country and track athletes.

Women harriers at the Pennsylvania State College covered the 2 1/2 mile course in 31:40 with Miss Ida Turner of Port Matilda, Centre County, leading the field to the tape. 1919

Over a part of the cross-country course the Penn State women slowed down to a brisk walking gait. They traveled over country roads, corn fields and grass land in their efforts to win the race. 1918

1922

 

Get Your Entries In For The 20th Annual Reunion (And Golf Tourney)

 The time is running out to confirm a room at the Graduate Hotel for the weekend of May 13-14.

20th Annual Reunion and Golf Tourney

Let's make this a Reunion and Golf Tourney to remember.  Come end my string of victories on the links at Nittany Mountain Country Club.  Or just come for the reception and dinner.  Maybe climb Mount Nittany with an Olympian.  Just come!

Here's some more views of past receptions:

Finale of the Alumni Triathlon

National Indoor Masters Championship For Phil Caraher

 A well-earned dominant performance in the over-50 division at the NY Armory.  This guy works hard and carries the mirth of our group with him always.

Phil Caraher

Unattached

15.59m

That's 51 feet 1 3/4 inches for those of us that made it through the gas wars of 1975-1977.  We were hardy souls (soles?) who systematically rejected the world's efforts at converting to the metric system despite the efforts of President Jimmy Carter.  Even his brother Billy drank 12 oz. cans of beers to thwart his famous kin.

Nice job Phil!

 

 

 

Old Skool

 Our Golden Putter Attendant supplied me with a photo of the first Track and Field (Athletics) team photos in Rec Hall.  They date back as far as 1891. And the men appear eerily similar to modern day student athletes.  There is even one guy who looks like a talent less hack from York!

 

 

It is rather surprising to me how stable Athletics has been from the very first world-wide event at the 1896 Olympics.  There were some Ivy League boys there, but no one from PSU.  Especially the dork from York.  But the events contested at that event are all still contested today.

Event	Gold		Silver		Bronze
100 metres details	Thomas Burke  United States	12.0	Fritz Hofmann  Germany	12.2	Francis Lane  United States	12.6
					Alajos Szokolyi  Hungary
400 metres details	Thomas Burke  United States	54.2	Herbert Jamison  United States	55.2	Charles Gmelin  Great Britain	56.7
800 metres details	Edwin Flack  Australia	2:11.0	Nándor Dáni  Hungary	2:11.8	Dimitrios Golemis  Greece	2:28.0
1500 metres details	Edwin Flack  Australia	4:33.2	Arthur Blake  United States	4:33.6	Albin Lermusiaux  France	4:36.0
110 metre hurdles details	Thomas Curtis  United States	17.6	Grantley Goulding  Great Britain	17.6	none awarded
Marathon details	Spiridon Louis  Greece	2:58:50	Charilaos Vasilakos  Greece	3:06:03	Gyula Kellner  Hungary	3:06:35
High jump details	Ellery Clark  United States	1.81 m	James Connolly  United States	1.65 m	none awarded
			Robert Garrett  United States
Pole vault details	William Hoyt  United States	3.30 m	Albert Tyler  United States	3.20 m	Evangelos Damaskos  Greece	2.60 m
					Ioannis Theodoropoulos  Greece
Long jump details	Ellery Clark  United States	6.35 m	Robert Garrett  United States	6.00 m	James Connolly  United States	5.84 m
Triple jump details	James Connolly  United States	13.71 m	Alexandre Tuffère  France	12.70 m	Ioannis Persakis  Greece	12.52 m
Shot put details	Robert Garrett  United States	11.22 m	Miltiadis Gouskos  Greece	11.03 m	Georgios Papasideris  Greece	10.36 m
Discus throw details	Robert Garrett  United States	29.15 m	Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos  Greece	28.95 m	Sotirios Versis  Greece	27.78 m

A Look Back To The First Track Alumni Reunion Reception

 

The year is 2002.  Clark Haley rounds up a few of his friends and enemies for a round of golf at the Campus links.  I am forced to attend because Gary Black didn't want to go alone.  

The rest is history.  Join us at this year's event!

Here's a peek at the first Reunion Reception.  Nearly everyone nowadays wears pants.  Hope you can attend this year's 20th Anniversary Reunion and Golf Tourney!