What Other Penn State Track Alumni Golfers Are Up To This Summer

Brian Fuller (and probably all 30 or so Fullers in our Group!) is preparing for the 1,000 Mile Relay to benefit the Kevin Dare Back On Track Scholarship.  Let's get behind all 10 of them.  And Teddy Quinn makes 11!



Blake Eaton continues training in Happy Valley despite the lack of a PSU Track Alumni Singlet!  Efforts are underway to get him one.  I should also let him know that we have hats available at our very own Store too.  But I'm afraid he'll pound me to a pulp if I tell him that anyone buying that hat he's wearing gets a free bowl of soup.

Jon Hendershot traveled to Chicago for some studio work on his new album.  What is it with these PSU high-jumpers and musical talent?  And that's Megan Anderson showing him around Chicago.

PSU is Shot Put U

Blake Eaton, Ryan Whiting and Joe Kovacs following the Finals of the Shot Put at the USATF Championships and Olympic Trials.

The Happy Valley trio did some extraordinary work over the two-day competition.  Blake ended up in 11th place3 (61' 8 1/2").  Joe set the new PSU record with a 4th place finish (69' 2") and Ryan made the Olympic team with his second place toss (71' 1/4").

And don't let me forget that Altoona's own PSU Sophomore Brady Gehret made the finals in the 400 M, where he ran the fastest 300 M of his life.  As he said after, "Too bad the race is 400 M!" .  I cannot wait to see what the next two years will bring him!


Watch more video of 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Track & Field on flotrack.org




Next up for PSU is Bridget Franek in the Steeplechase Prelims.

Four With Nittany Lion Ties In Finals Today

Brady Gehret will be smack dab in the middle of today's 400 M Finals at the Olympic Trials after he again tied his PR with a 45.22 tin the semi-finals.  Good Luck Brady!

And all 3 Shot Putters from Happy Valley will appear in today's Finals!  Assistant Coach Ryan Whiting is currently in third place while Blake Eaton and Joe Kovacs are in 5th and 10th place with the final 3 throws to come. Even I have caught Shot Put Fever lately with Blake and Joe checking out my form at the Alumni "Run" in May.

Thanks to Larry Mangan for the article and my daughter Anne for the photo!

Beauty and The Beasts

In addition to Brady Gehret and Casimir Loxsom, Rebekka Simko will also be on the track Friday at the Olympic Trials.  Her recent 2:03 School Record places her into the top echelon of American "half milers".

The photo shows Nittany Lions Joe Kovacs and Blake Eaton checking out the facilities at Hayward Field.  And don't forget Assistant Coach Ryan Whiting will join them to give the Shot Put a distinctive Blue hue.

Here's a better view of Hayward Field for Joe and Blake to peruse, with the addition of some great golf tips thrown in.

Sixth Place Leads the Second Half!

6)     Brian Fuller, Kevin Fuller, Blake Eaton, Ryan Foster (+4)

There's nothing better than trailing a colorful foursome in a best ball format tournament.  Occasionally meeting up with them on a tee when play slows ahead of them is usually a treat.  Also hearing from afar the joy of a good shot or the agony of defeat after a bad one brings a smile to my lips.  Especially when the exclamations of foul language are delivered in the "Queen's English" as Ryan Foster so aptly puts it.

The Fullers, part of the group who introduced the Alumni Singlets showed up in force, Brian Fuller and Kevin Fuller and were joined by a big-hitter in Blake Eaton.

Let's not forget, Brian and Ryan are in training for the 1,000 Mile Relay to honor Kevin Dare. 

PSU Alums at Penn Relays

There were many Alums competing at the Penn Relays, and also in the stands.  Soon we will outnumber the Jamaicans!

Blake Eaton won the Olympic Development Shot Put, Allen Pettner won the Olympic Development Javelin, Matt Lincoln was fourth for Canada in the USA vs. the World Distance Medlay and Shana Cox was fourth in the USA vs. the World 4 x 400 for Great Britain.

The Fullers were there (they seem to be everywhere!) both in the stands and on the track.  Also spotted on the track was Sam Borchers.  Our Chief Morale Officer (and doing a fine job BTW!) Larry Mangan was hanging out in the Jamaican section for the Saturday events, as was past winner of The Best Shot Kelley O'Brien.  Both sent me reports of the thrilling events via today's internetty thingie.  Thanks.

Here's a few of the alums out on the town in my beloved Philadelphia.  I used to own those streets myself.  I know, kinda hard to believe!

That's Christian Eck, Will Nowicki, Scott Sherwood, Dennis Pollow, Brian Fuller, John Maloney, Ryan Foster, Chris Ferry and Tim Johnson burning the town down.

PSU Track Student/Athletes Excel

We always try to accentuate off-the-field excellence here at The Blog, and there is no better chance than with the past academic year.  Jess Riden brings us the news of the current crop of student/athlete's achievements.

• 51 Track athletes had GPA's higher than 3.0
• Both the Men's and Women's Teams had overall GPA's above 3.0
• 6 athletes had GPA's of 4.0  ( Megan Boyer, Candace Carson, Markea Dickinson, Kalin Fisher, Chris Cipro, Blake Eaton)

*Photos not representative of any current PSU student/athlete.  Glasses optional. Pocket protector required.

Big Day For PSU at National Championships!

There were Penn State athletes all over the track (and in the field!) today at the USATF Championships.  Previously, Karlee McQuillen placed 8th in the Javelin with her 170' 1" effort.  Laura Loht placed fourth in the Junior Javelin with a toss of 150' 8".

Three separate events had two PSU athletes in the finals today, plus Ryan Whiting adding a third "honorary" PSU competitor in the Shot Put.  Ryan, despite his Arizona State pedigree, has been training at PSU full-time.  He ended up in fourth place, making the World Championship team because Adam Nelson is returning as World Champion.  Congrats Ryan.  Joe Kovacs placed 14th with a toss of 62' 10".  Just behind him was Blake Eaton at 62' 8 1/4".

My favorite event, the 800 M, also had two PSU tracksters toeing the line.  Having negotiated the grueling plelims and semi-finals in spectacular fashion, both Casimir Loxsom and Sam Borchers placed 6th and 7th in their biggest race this year.  Nemesis Rob "Dr. Moriarty" Andrews trailed behind both in 8th.  The long college season seemed to take an obvious toll on them all in the final, but Cas especially gave it his all, running in 2nd place for the first 1 1/2 laps behind the only other college runner, Charles Jock.  Charles held on for 3rd place and a world Championship berth. Time is running out to get your "PSU is 800 U" t-shirts".

But again, PSU alum Bridget Franek out-shined them all.  Bridget's 2nd place 9:44.9 puts her on her 2nd World Championship team.  Former PSU star Stephanie Pezzullo placed 11th also.

I know I've missed a bunch.  Drop a line in the comments to set me straight!

There's Those Orange Spikes Again!

The Nittany Lion squads split up into three parts and traveled all over the country two weeks prior to the Big Ten Championships.  Some decided that State College didn't have enough snow, so they headed to the Tyson Invitational in Arkansas!  Others wanted rain instead of snow and split for Washington and the Husky Classic.  Still others longed to get away from the hustle and bustle that is PSU, so they headed to Akron, Ohio and the Akron Invitational!

Caitlin Lane apparently saw PSU Track Alum Mark Hawkins' beautiful spikes and garnered her own set in order to achieve a PR in the 3000 M at the Husky Classic.*  Her 9:18.74 time puts her in the upper echelon of Lady Lions all-time.

The Men's Distance Medley Relay squad placed second at the same meet with a time of 9:35.68, second place all-time in PSU Indoor history. Owen Dawson, Aaron Nodolsky, Lionel Williams and Ryan Foster had a wonderful tune-up for the Big Tens in 2 weeks.

And the Big Men again nabbed first and second place with excellent throws in Akron Ohio.  Blake Eaton edged Joe Kovacs, 62' 10.5" to 62' 1.25".  Both also placed well in the discus, an event not commonly  seen indoors.

Sam Borchers emerged from the early heats in the mile with a season best of 4:03.91, a race that saw 4 PSU runners under 4:10.  (Nick Scarpello, 4:09.62; Tyler Corkedale, 4:09.23; and Owen Dawson 4:07.47)

* Liberties may have been taken with the reported timing of the spikes purchase for dramatic effect.

Some Love For the Throwers

The Sykes-Sabock Challenge had an exciting finish in the Men's Shot Put this past weekend.  The first and third finishes for PSU's Blake Eaton and Joe Kovacs put Penn State high among the Big Ten performances so far this year.  Their events can play a big part of the fight for a Big Ten Title.  They seem up to the challenge.

Blake's final throw in The Ashenfelter Complex gave him the victory and a Personal Best of 62 feet, 1 1/4 inches!  Joe heaved the spherical implement 60 feet 8 3/4 inches.

Field events are rarely featured on this site because I was a skinny distance runner.  My PR in the Shot Put is between 11 and 12 feet, I believe.  That was with the college shot though! Only once was I embraced by the "Big Guys" while on a trip to Syracuse.  Come to think of it, I think I was used as a mascot or something by the brutes.  (Seriously, any of you guys have any stories, photos or videos to spread, just let me know.  We're all about the love.)

Consuella Moore: National Champion and A Few (More) Good Men (and Women)

In no particular order:

• Ryan Fritz, 6th High Jump, 7' 2 1/2"
• Fawn Dorr, 3rd 400 M Hurdles,  55.99
• Blake Eaton, 16th Shot Put, 51' 11 1/4"
• Bridget Franek, 5th 3000 M SC, 10:07.49

And former PSU star Consuella Moore, National Champion, 200 M, 22.40.  She came back after a two-year hiatus!


It was a very good year for PSU Track and Field.  Get involved and help make the future even more exciting.  Operators are standing by. And remember, the golf part is entirely optional!

Addendum:  Kate Curran '06, current Head Coach of St. Lawrence University, has alerted me that I missed Shakeema Welsch's ('99) second place finish in the Triple Jump.  Blog fact checkers responsible for the slight have been sacked. 

On to the NCAA Championships

Bridget Franek winning the Steeplechase. (Photo from Michael Scott.)

Fifteen individuals and 2 Relays qualified for the NCAA Championships in two weeks.  Some of the usual suspects and a couple of great surprises.  Nine women and six men will make the trek to Oregon's fabled Hayward Field.

Because of Bridget Franek's win in the steeplechase, she will toe the line in the event as the favorite.  Three also qualified in the 400 Hurdles with Fawn Dorr, Megan Duncan and Evonne Britton moving on.  The Sprints are also well represented with Aleesha Barber, Shavon Greaves.  Bianca Fung also qualified in the long jump and Karlee McQuillen tossed the javelin to third place booking her ticket to Oregon.

The Men also impressed, placing six individuals into the Championships.  800 U qualified two in the event, with Casimir Loxsom and Ryan Foster two-lapping into the next round. In the distances, Tyler McCandless ran a strong 10000 M to move on.

My emphasis on the track aspects of PSU Track and Field led a few Field Eventers to mildly protest at the Reunion, so here is another headline just for you!

Penn State Field and Track Team Impresses Crowd

In the Shot Put, Joe Kovacs and Blake Eaton both qualified for a trip to the West Coast.  Ryan Fritz also jumped at his chance of moving on and tied for first in the High Jump.

Sending the Throwers Some Love

Blake Eaton was named Athlete of the Week in the Big Ten for his winning throw of 60'-10.5" at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge this past week. This throw puts him in second place behind teammate Joe Kovacs in the Big Ten Performance lists this indoor season!