The Best Distance Medley Relay Squad In The NCAA?

And they are on the coaching staff!

That's Alex Shisler, Owen Dawson, Casimir Loxsom and Robbie Creese. Many NCAA teams will be hard pressed to compete with these guys.

I would use Robbie on the 1200M leg, Alex on the 400M leg, Casimir on the 800M leg and Owen on the 1600M leg.  But I would love arguments from everyone on that! (including them!)

Phabulous Phriday in Philly

And our Interns were there!

There were many highlights at the Carnival's second day.  Until the decision to withdrawal from the Sprint Medley Relay late in the day, Penn State was on track to be represented in ALL Championship of America Relays. The 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 teams all qualified for the finals in action on Phriday!

But of course, the highlight for us was the victory in the Distance Medley Relay by the Nittany Lion quartet of Robby Creese (1200M), Alex Shisler (400M), Isaiah Harris (800M) and Brannon Kidder (1600M) in the time of 9:35.51 !  All photos from unpaid intern Phil Passen except the last one!

Brannon Kidder leading the tall Ahmed Bile of Georgetown.

Wheels Up!

A happy bunch.

Robby Creese in lane 2 eyes the competition.

Intrepid (unpaid) Intern Phil Passen.

Alex Shisler with the lead!

Victory! (Photo by W&M Alum Tim O'Dowd via Brian Mount.)

And with Robby, Brannon and Alex graduating, PSU certainly needs to reload some talent.  But never fear, WE SEEM TO HAVE THAT COVERED!


Nittany Lion recruit Michael Slagowski of Rocky Mountain High School (ID) became the ninth prep runner to dip below the four-minute mark in the mile today. He ran 3:59.53 at the Nike Jesuit Relays in Portland, Oregon.

Slagowski, who ran a solo 1:48.70 800m earlier this year, formerly owned a 4:05.71 personal best for the mile. His performance today marked the fourth sub-four-minute mile run by a prep in the past calendar year.

Future Nittany Lion.

The NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships Aren't Easy

With only the top 16 making any of the events, there isn't any lee-way in performance. It wasn't the best of days for PSU, but Brannon Kidder is well placed to medal in the 800M finals today, and Rachel Fatherly and Danielle Gibson have their events today also.

Isaiah Harris was in the same heat of the 800M as Brannon, and never seemed to find his stride.  He finished in eleventh overall with a 1:49.08.  And that's Second Team All-American in his true Freshman year.  Congrats Isaiah!

Also never seeming to find their stride were Tessa Barrett and Tori Gerlach in the Women's 5000M. The relentless pace of Notre Dame's Molly Seidel made many in the field fade.  Tessa Barrett finished in eleventh place with a time of 16:25.94.  Another Freshman Second Team All-American!  Senior Tori Gerlach also made second team with her 13th place time of 16:45.56.

Neither Brannon or Isaiah doubled back in the Distance Medley Relay.  The team of Jordan Makins, Robert Rhodes, Alex Shisler and Colin Abert finished in 9:50.64 for ninth place.

The final day of the Championships can be streamed live starting at 4:55PM (Eastern) on ESPN3.

End of Season Accolades and Rankings

It was a great Indoor Season for the Nittany Lions, and eight athletes are moving on to the very exclusive NCAA Indoor Championships in 5 events (only top 16 make it nationwide)!

 9  Tessa Barrett     FR 5000M         15:46.08D

14  Tori Gerlach      SR 5000M         15:50.49D

15  Dannielle Gibson  JR Triple Jump     13.14mD

 8  Rachel Fatherly   SR Shot Put        17.27mD

                                                                                                                

4  Isaiah Harris      FR 800M           1:46.24D

8  Brannon Kidder     SR 800M           1:47.01D

3  Distance Medley Relay                9:27.20D

 1200M)  Jordan Makins SR   400M) 426 Alex Shisler SR            

 800M)  Isaiah Harris FR 1600M) 424 Brannon Kidder SR  

Isaiah Harris to Brannon Kidder!

And two athletes and one coach earned Regional  honors!
 

MID-ATLANTIC - Track Athlete of the Year – Brannon Kidder, Penn State
Kidder, a senior from Lancaster, Ohio, broke the collegiate 1000 meters record in 2:18.26, ranks No. 8 at 800 meters in 1:47.01 and anchored the No. 3 DMR with a 3:55 1600-meter split. He won the mile at the Big Ten Championships and anchored the winning DMR. He’ll put his individual undefeated record on the line over 800 meters at the NCAA Championships, and will also run the DMR.
MID-ATLANTIC - Field Athlete of the Year – Rachel Fatherly, Penn State
Fatherly, a senior from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, broke the Penn State record in the shot put at 17.27m (56-8) for the No. 8 rank in the country. She finished runner-up in the event at the Big Ten Championships to go along with a fourth-place weight throw finish. She will contest the shot put at the NCAA Championships.
MID-ATLANTIC – Womens Assistant Coach of the Year – Patrick Ebel, Penn State
Ebel, in his fourth season guiding the Penn State throwers, coached his shot putters to three of the top four individual finishes at the Big Ten Championships. National No. 8 Rachel Fatherly finished runner-up as one of three Nittany Lions to surpass 50 feet, and he also had two finalists in the Big Ten weight throw. Fatherly, the school record holder in the shot put, will compete at the NCAA Championships.



And Penn State is ranked 2nd overall in the 800M as a team, just 0.3 seconds behind Texas A&M and Freshman sensation Donavan Brazier.  The top 4 runners from each team count in the standings.

A Very Good Day At The Penn State National

I had the pleasure to spend a long amount of time with some of my favorite people yesterday at the Penn State National Indoor Meet.  Having to be dropped off nearly an hour early for the meet so the girls could attend the PSU Student Housing  Expo at the HUB, I was pleased to see that Greg Fredericks brought Coach Groves early too!

I had the pleasure to speak with Coach and Greg for an extended time.  It is wonderful to see that Coach is happy in his new residence, relates the food as "good" and only occasionally gets into trouble.  About exactly as any of us would figure.

Greg also delivered the raw materials that will become the ultimate PSU Track Alum Annual Award at our Reunion and Coach Groves Golf Tourney weekend.  Coach Bill Whittaker is commended for donating the item for our cause.  You all will enjoy the item's unveiling at the next Awards Dinner.

I also got to talk to Steve Shisler. whose son Alex Shisler finished 3rd in the 400M Invitational!  Beth Shisler could not be there, as she had traveled "for work".  That same excuse becomes mine next week when I miss the Sykes and Sabock Challenge and Coaches Reception.  I will be at the meeting of the Association of Miserable Curmudgeons while the rest of you enjoy yourselves.

Tim Backenstose made a surprise appearance and got to see a very fine 800M with Brannon Kidder and 3 other top NCAA finalists duke it out on the Ashenfelter Oval.  Brannon topped them all with a 1:47.01 time, near the top of this year's qualifying marks.  We both also witnessed a school record 1-Mile by Tori Gerlach with a 4:37.83, eclipsing Bridget Franek's previous record.

But my favorite part of the day was convincing the energetic dynamo Billy Francis Cvecko to become a contributor to the blog!  With his criss-crossing of the Continent and his millions of friends, he can't help but be a boon to our efforts. He isn't our Undersecretary of Fun for nothing!

I always thought there was a chance that Billy WAS the Lion until I finally saw them both in the same room.

 

It's Going To Be A Super Stupendous Year!

The Track Season has really gotten off to a tremendous start for the Penn State Family.  And it promises to be even better in the coming months.

Here's just some of the evidence:

• Robby Creese bettered his PR and American Collegiate Record (2012-2014)  in the 1000M at the Nittany Lion Challenge and placed second to Brannon Kidder!  Brannon's new PR is 2:18.26 (his first ever dabble in the event!) and is the overall Collegiate (NCAA) Record.  Robby, running unattached this Indoor Season, ran 2:21.89.

Incidentally, there are now 6 active NCAA athletes, including Brannon, with 800M times under 1:46.00!  Donavan Brazier, Texas A&M Freshman, ran 1:45.93 in his first ever collegiate 800M.  "Watson, the 800 game is afoot."

• Rachel Fatherly continues PSU's Shot Put tradition by winning the event by more than 3 feet with a heave of 56' 0.50".
• PSU Men have a very good sprinter in Xavier Smith, 6.69 School Record for 60M!
• The Pole Vault is well represented by both the Men and Women.
• Tori Gerlach warmed the crowd up for Brannon's effort with her own School Record in the 1000M in 2:43.15.
• Transfer Timothy McGowan (welcome BTW!) won the 3000M in 8:08.24 with Alum Owen Dawson placing second in 8:16.39 and FR Colin Abert in third, 8:19.00.
• Down Under's Jordan Makins won the Mile in 4:06.86 after rabbiting Brannon to his historic 1000M.
• Alex Shisler, progeny of PSU Greats Beth and Steve Shisler, continues his incredible career, dropping down from his usual 400M to place second in the 200M with 21:45.

Remember, there are plenty of opportunities to meet and interact with the PSU Team this year. Show your support for the program and help us make Oregon jealous!  There will be a Dinner at Rotelli's this Winter with the coaches (highly recommended!), an Alumni Reception at the Penn Relays, and our Alumni Reunion and Coach Groves Golf Tourney in May (20-21).  Be sure to stay tuned for all of these great events.  Our Alumni Efforts really do make a difference.  If you can't participate, there are numerous ways to give financial help to the Program, even by donating right here on the Right Sidebar.

Also, don't forget to click on the ads on our site occasionally (or often!) to help defray the increasing costs of blogging in this dangerous world. Some costs for photo storage, form security and procurement of Awards are becoming higher and higher. This lowly blogger is finding it harder and harder to afford the quality of Interns you are used to.  "Sharing" and reposting all of our content really helps also. My blog adheres to the International Creative Commons Non-commercial 4.0 Standard. That makes it really easy to repost, share and even add to my content to spread the word far-and-wide. 

Watches And Wheels! Good Start To Penn Relays Carnival

Elizabeth Chikotas, 5000M Champion. 16:05.46

Darrel Hill, repeat Shot Put Champion, third longest mark ever. 68' 2.5"

Sprint Medley Relay Championship of America, Alex Shisler, Xavier Smith, Sancho Barrett and Brannon Kidder.

2 Generations of Wheel Winners, Stephen Shisler, Alex Shisler and Beth Shisler. (Photo from Larry Mangan and Mark Hawkins.)

 

Michael Gross, Wheel and watch from 1997 Corporate DMR!

Stephen Shisler brings us the video of the Sprint Medley!

Updates On Recent Events

 

First up, co-blogger Nick Scarpello helped organize and ran in the Encinitas Mile.  He placed 7th overall in 4:27.  No word on the use of the Alumni Singlet.

Nick Scarpello 2nd from right.

Next, Beth Shisler and son Alex Shisler helped celebrate his All-American status with Beth's coach during her All-American past.  Coach Gary Schwartz retired to the Arkansas area following his great career.

Beth (Stever) Shisler in the lead.

Coach Schwartz with his wife and the Shislers.

And Kara (Millhouse) Foster placed 9th at the USATF 15 K Championships Gate River Run.

Kara Foster at the finish.

The top ten women.

Second Generation All-American Resplendent In (Near) Alumni Singlet!

It was a heck of a race last night in the Indoor Facility named after a chicken magnate.  The Penn State Distance Medley team unveiled their old-school singlets, which actually use the same template as our very own Alumni Singlets, minus the word "Alumni" in the bottom bar.

Brannon Kidder, Robby Creese, Za'Von Watkins and Alex Shisler.

Brannon Kidder led off with the 1200M leg and dawdled near the back of the pack throughout the race.  That's because he had narrowly made it into the Mile Final a few hours earlier with the coolest Mile time ever!   4:00.00

When you can answer both of these questions with honesty "No", you are in a special and select group.

"Did you run under 4 minutes for that mile?"

NO

"Did you run over 4 minutes for that mile?"

NO

He ran a spirited last "quarter" to ease into 4th place or so with his split of 2:58.18 and handed off to Alex Shisler for the 400M leg.

Alex made the long trip for his parents worth it and PRed with his split in 46.86!  The hand off was to Za'Von Watkins who has been mired in a season-long rut of 1:50 second 800M races.  But Za'Von broke through with his PR with a 1:47.61 handing it off to Robby Creese in fourth place.

Robby was passed immediately by the eventual winner, Edward Cheserek of Oregon, but then gradually eased himself to the lead pack after the first 1000 meters.  Then "Boom"!  Robby took off, gathering in everyone in the race except Edward. His 3:59.57 gave the PSU quartet second place in the time of 9:32.21 .

Two generation of PSU All-Americans. Alex and Beth (Stever) Shisler!

Women Third, Men Fourth At Big Tens

There were some great performances Saturday at the Big Ten Indoor Track Championships at the Spire Institute in Nowhere, Ohio.  And Jim McClelland, father of PSU high jumper Michael McClelland (10th in the high jump) was there apparently clicking his camera every second of the competition.  I haven't met him yet, but he is on record as golfing with us this year at the 14th Annual Coach Harry Golf Tournament and Track Alumni Reunion in May.  Come join us! Maybe we'll get some actual good pictures this year, instead of my blurry unframed ones. Can't wait.

Robby Creese and Brannon Kidder, 1,2 in the Mile. Photo by Jim McClelland.

Darrell Hill, tops in the Shot Put. Photo by Jim McClelland.

Steve Waithe, Brian Leap, #2,#3 in the Triple Jump. Photo by Jim McClelland.

Distance Medley Relay Squad, #1 with Brannon Kidder, Za'Von Walkins, Jordan Makins and Alex Shisler. Photo from Steve Shisler.

Tori Gerlach, #1 in the 5000M. Photo by Jim McClelland.

And there's Alumni action at the USATF Indoor Championships today, as Casimir Loxsom runs the finals of the 600M.  There is no 800M this year!

And last, but not least, Original Alumni Golfer Bill Malchano broke out his Alumni Singlet for a hearty run in The Cardinal 10K in North Carolina.

Bill Malchano unleashes his Alumni Singlet.

Distance Runners Get PSU Off To Good Start At Big Ten Championships

That's a headline I have not been able to use in the 7 or so years of the blog with it all.  I enjoyed writing it today.

The 3000M was a good start for both the Men and Women at the first day of the Big Ten meet at the Spire Institute in Ohio.  With wins in both the Shot Put and the Distance Medley, the Men are in second place entering the penultimate Saturday finish. The Women are tied for fourth.

W 3000 M:      3  Tori Gerlach             9:17.39
                        4  Elizabeth Chikotas   9:21.62

M 3000M:       1  Robby Creese           8:10.75
                        6  Matt Fischer             8:14.13

M Shot Put:     1  Darrell Hill               66'  6"

M Distance Medley: (Jordan Makins, Alex Shisler, Za'Von Watkins, Brannon Kidder) 1  9:40.62

Brannon Kidder, Photo by Jim McClelland.

                         

I'm Still Working On the Photos and Stories From the Reunion

I actually have the day off and will eventually get to the photos from this weekend.  That is, after I pay all my late bills, feed the animals, water the plants and take a nap!

So until then, let's put up a list of people that couldn't make it and had a good reason:

1. Steve Shisler and Beth Shisler were at the Big Ten Championships watching their son Alex Shisler score points for the Nittany Lions.  Excuse Accepted.
2. Brian Boyer had business requiring knowledge of Physics in New Mexico.  Excuse Accepted.
3. Steve Balkey had a son graduating from College.  Excuse Accepted.
4. Paul Mundy had a daughter being married. Excuse Accepted.
5. Bill Kvashay and Mark Haywood were coaching at Districts.  Excuses Accepted.
6. Gary Black had business requiring extensive travel. Excuse (reluctantly) Accepted.
7. Darryl Jones had Graduation duties at Gettysburg College. Excuse Accepted.
8. And last, but certainly not least, Phil Passen was in Israel and even supplied proof with a Wrist Band pic at the Dead Sea Scroll Museum! Excuse Accepted.

Rockin the Band!

What A Weekend

Another superb Penn Relays in the books. It was great seeing old teammates again, this weekend has really evolved into a mini reunion for us. The first ever Reconnect at the Relays was a success as well, a great event for alumni attending the Relays to connect with one another. The perfect prequel for the big reunion in May.

On the track, we were represented by three alums competing in distance events. Brian Fuller DNFed in the men's Olympic Development 5000 meters. He was feeling under the weather but being the Penn Relays, you line up and give it a shot. Kara Foster got a new mile PR with her 14th place 4:43.97 in the women's Olympic Development Mile. Owen Dawson lined up for the men's Olympic Development Mile, last year he ran his first sub 4 here, and went for the win holding first place with 200 meters go. He ran 4:00.13 for 5th place.

Per usual the Nittany Lions had multiple event winners.

Congratulations to:

Leigha Anderson 10000 meters COA division

Laura Loht javelin COA division

Will Barr discus college division

Michael Shuey javelin COA division

Steve Waithe triple jump COA division

Bernard Bennett-Green, Brandon Bennett-Green, Alex Shisler, Byron Robinson 4x400 IC4A division

Of course part of what makes the Penn Relays great is the scene outside of Franklin Field. I will leave you with this video of the party.

Penn State Relays Observations

A great weekend for Penn State. James "Pope" Franklin* and a great number of quality performances at the Penn State Relays. Since I was participating I did not get any photos but I'll link to some when they become available. Results and a much more professional recap here.

A Nittany Lion took first place in a whopping 19 out of the 35 events contested including a 1-2-3-4 sweep in the men's 500 meter dash and a collegiate record in the women's 4x200 meter relay. We couldn't tell who won the 500 as twins Brandon and Bernard Bennett-Green were separated by 1/100th of a second (talk about identical genes). Third was freshmen Byron Robinson while Alex Shisler book-ended the sweep.

My performance of the meet goes to Mahagony Jones, Dynasty McGee, Megan Osborne, and Kiah Seymour for setting a new collegiate record in the 4x200 clocking 1:35.65.

Alumni singlets were worn with pride in the 1000 meter run and Distance Medley Relay. I used the age old strategy of just running away from everyone and winning the "B" heat of the 1000 in 2:33.98 while Brian Fuller, Kevin Fuller, Owen Dawson, and Kyle Dawson came third in 10:02.84 in the DMR. Kyle showed his trademark toughness on the anchor leg as he looked in extreme pain trying to make up ground and reclaim the DMR title for us graduates. The B team of Mark Fuller, Vince McNally, myself, and Chris Cipro were 7th in 10:41.41. Still beating two schools despite Vince coming down from the 10K to run a 400 leg; and he never was a sprinter to begin with. First place and current number 1 world ranking** went to the varsity team in 9:59.94.

Next week is the Nittany Lion Challenge at the Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track. I don't believe there will be any alumni participating but the big timers will certainly be putting on another fine display of athletic prowess.

*I believe it was signified with white smoke coming from Old Main
**Unofficial of course

An IC4A Victory in the 4 x 400 Relay Isn't Anything to Sneeze At

I think that PSU didn't qualify for the Championship of America 4 x 400 Relay at Penn because the leadoff man Aaron Nodolsky pulled a hamstring on the backstretch in the qualifier.*  He still gamely soldiered on and the team still manged to qualify for the IC4A Finals, which is for the fastest qualified teams not making the COA.  PSU then won the heat in going-away fashion with a good time.  Steve Shisler made a great video of the IC4A Finals where his son Alex Shisler ran another 46.0 split as the second leg.  Not bad for a Freshman on one of Track's greatest platforms.  This also enhances three generations of Shisler's at Franklin Field. Here's Alex's grandfather Earl Shisler at Penn...

*Blog fact checkers will be all over me if any of these facts are wrong!  I think that's the way qualifying works at Penn, anyway.

And here's the 2013 IC4A 4 x 400 Relay Video: