Top Nittany Lion Finishers At American Track League

 

Thanks to Matt Groves for alerting me to this meet.

2

Evonne Britton USA

12.72 +3.6 m/s

1       100MH

1

Brannon Kidder USA

1:45.26

1     800M

1

Darrell Hill USA

21.35m 70' 0½"

1       Shot Put

Comparison Of Top 12 Nittany Lion Performances At The Olympic Trials

 *This is using the 2017 revision of the IAAF Scoring Tables.

1.   Joe Kovacs               Mens Shot Put             22.34M             1261 pts.

2.   Darrell Hill               Mens Shot Put             21.89M             1234 pts.

3.   Terrance Laird          Mens 200M                 20.15                 1196 pts.

4.   Isaiah Harris             Mens 800M                 1:44.58              1187 pts.

5.   Brannon Kidder        Mens 800M                 1:45.08              1171 pts.

6.   Evonne Britton         Womens 100H             12.95                 1156 pts.

7.   Kiah Seymour          Womens 400H             55.84                  1147 pts.

8.   Morgan Shigo           Mens Hammer            74.39M               1107 pts.

9.   Michael Shuey          Mens Javelin               79.24M              1091 pts.

10.  Joe White                 Mens 800M                 1:48.57               1067 pts.

11.  Maddie Holmberg    Womens Heptathlon    5895 pts.            1054 pts.

12.  David Lucas             Mens Discus               58.99M               1042 pts.

Olympic Team Qualified

Half-way Update: The Interns Again Bring Us The Nittany Lion Finishes At The USATF Olympic Trials

 

Remember, this is only the finishes of athletes that have completed their competitions on Sunday and Monday.  See here for earlier results.

Mens Hammer: 

(12)  Morgan Shigo       3 x Foul in Finals    (74.39M, 244'0" in Prelims.)

Womens 100H:

17)  Evonne Britton        12.95 in Semi-Finals

Womens 3000M Steeplechase:

31)  Tori Gerlach      10:25.39 

Mens Javelin:

           2)     Michael Shuey     79.24M  260'0"   Olympian

Mens 800M:

           4)     Isaiah Harris       1:44.58

           5)     Brannon Kidder     1:45.08

Mark "Beef" Heckel with newest Nittany Lion Olympian Michael Shuey.

 

Despite not getting everything perfectly correct, as some of the Administrators here might (present company excluded), I have rewarded the Interns with 2 days off and a $10 Applebee's gift card.  I will hose out their basement when they are gone.

The Ultimate Interns Guide To Nittany Lions At The 2021 USATF Olympic Trials

 Friday June 18:

3:00PM ET

Mens Shot Put Qualifying:

2.  Joe Kovacs 

3.  Darrell Hill

3:05PM ET

Mens Hammer Throw Qualifying:

 7.  Morgan Shigo

22. Tyler Merkley

5:26PM ET

Mens 800M First Round:

7.  Brannon Kidder

9.  Isaiah Harris

14.   Joe White (Volunteer Assistant from Georgetown)

9:30PM ET

Mens Shot Put Final:

Pending Qualification  (Joe Kovacs, Darrell Hill)

Saturday June 19:

5:15PM ET

Mens Javelin Throw Qualification

2. Michael Shuey

19. Mark Porter

8:04PM ET

Womens 100M Hurdle First Round:

 16. Evonne Britton 

10:04PM ET

Mens 800M Semi-Finals

Pending Qualification (Brannon Kidder, Isaiah Harris)

Sunday June 20:

7:25PM ET

Mens Hammer Throw Final

Pending Qualification (Morgan Shigo, Tyler Merkley)

9:03PM ET

Womens 100M Hurdle Semi-Final

Pending Qualification (Evonne Britton)

9:35PM ET

Womens 3000M Steeplechase First Round

26. Tori Gerlach

10:43PM ET

Womens 100M Hurdle Final

Pending Qualification (Evonne Britton)

Monday June 21:

7:15PM ET

Mens Javelin Finals

Pending Qualification (Michael Shuey, Mark Porter)

8:25PM ET

Mens 800M Finals

Pending Qualification (Brannon Kidder, Isaiah Harris)

Thursday June 24:

4:30PM ET

Womens Shot Put Qualifying

5.  Rachel Fatherly

21. Payden Montana  (transfer)

9:04PM ET

Mens 1500M First Round

8.  Brannon Kidder

10:05PM ET

Mens Discus Qualifying

19. David Lucas

11:00PM ET

Womens Shot Put Final

Pending Qualification (Rachel Fatherly)

11:47PM ET

Womens 3000M Steeplechase Final

Pending Qualification (Tori Gerlach)

Friday June 25:

4:00PM ET

Womens Javelin Qualification

21.  Madison Smith 

4:30PM ET

Mens Long Jump Qualification

22. Malik Moffett

6:30PM ET

Mens Discus Final

Pending Qualification (David Lucas)

6:35PM ET

Womens 400M Hurdle First Round 

8.  Kiah Seymour (Transfer)

7:05PM ET

Mens 1500M Semi-Final

Pending Qualification (Brannon Kidder)

8:04PM ET

Mens 200M First Round

          3  Terrance Laird (transfer now with Adidas)

Saturday June 26:

Womens Heptatlon Day 1

17. Madeline Holmberg

Sunday June 27:

Womens Heptathlon Day 2 

Madeline Holmberg

7:00PM ET

Mens Long Jump Finals

Pending Qualification (Malik Moffett)

7:20PM ET

Womens 400M Hurdles Final

Pending Qualification (Kiah Seymour, Transfer)

 8:10PM ET

Mens 1500M Finals

Pending Qualification (Brannon Kidder)

 

 

 

 

 

B1G Homie Slays Another Goliath NATIONAL CHAMPION!

It was a darn good day at the USATF Championships on Saturday.  There were numerous Nits in action, with some fine results all over...

• First year graduate Michael Shuey placed 4th in the Javelin with a toss of 239' 9".
• PSU student athlete Michael Biddle placed 8th in the Javelin with 230' 5". (Javelin U?)
• Evonne Britton finished in 10th in the 100M Hurdles with 13.09.
• Tori Gerlach also finished 10th in the 3000M Steeplechase with 10:03.12
• Joe Kovacs heaved the big metal ball 68' 0.25" for a 5th place finish.

But in the event with that big metal ball, the overwhelming favorite to those without the knowledge that our group has, was upset in a big way.

One of these days, performances by Darrell Hill won't be called upsets anymore.  When he made the Olympic team, it was called an upset.  When he won the Diamond League it was called an upset.  And now, when "favorite" Ryan Crouser was discombobulated  and out of step in the ring all afternoon with 5!!!! fouls, they are trying to call it an upset when Darrell beats him by nearly 2 feet with a 70' 9.25" toss.

It isn't an upset anymore.  Congrats B1G Homie.

Kudos Are Appropriate

There was a time several years ago when I wasted much time away from my day job to compile a listing of the times of competitions of Nittany Lions and ex-Nittany Lions at the USATF Championships.  And of course I was criticized when I messed up a little bit...   

But now, the PSU T&F Program itself has provided us with a complete listing!  I commend them thusly! And I will steal it to spread the word further.  Go Lions.

EVENT SCHEDULE

Thursday
Time (CDT)	Event	Competitor	Entry Mark	Seed
1:50 PM	W 3,000M Steeple (1st Round)	Tori Gerlach	9:55.52	14th
2:20 PM	W 800M (1st Round)	Danae Rivers	2:03.13	24th
2:40 PM	M 800M (1st Round)	Isaiah Harris	1:44.53	2nd
Friday
Time (CDT)	Event	Competitor
3:20 PM	M Hammer Throw	Morgan Shigo	72.47m	6th
3:50 PM	W 100M Hurdles (1st Round)	Evonne Britton	12.87	10th
6:50 PM	W 800M (Semis)	Danae Rivers
7:05 PM	M 800M (Semis)	Isaiah Harris
Saturday
Time (CDT)	Event	Competitor
10 AM	100M Hurdles - Hep	Maddie Holmberg
11 AM	High Jump - Hep	Maddie Holmberg
1:05 PM	Shot Put - Hep	Maddie Holmberg
2 PM	200M - Hep	Maddie Holmberg
2:10 PM	M Javelin Throw	Michael Biddle	73.02m	11th
		Michael Shuey	78.52m	2nd
2:20 PM	W 100M Hurdles (Semis)	Evonne Britton
2:45 PM	M Shot Put	Darrell Hill	22.44m	2nd
		Joe Kovacs	22.35m	3rd
3:20 PM	W 3,000M Steeple (Finals)	Tori Gerlach
4:52 PM	W 100M Hurdles (Finals)	Evonne Britton
Sunday
Time (CDT)	Event	Competitor
11:30 AM	Long Jump - Hep	Maddie Holmberg
12:50 PM	Javelin Throw - Hep	Maddie Holmberg
2:10 PM	W Shot Put	Rachel Fatherly	17.89m	12th
2:50 PM	800M - Hep	Maddie Holmberg
3:04 PM	W 800M (Finals)	Danae Rivers
3:13 PM	M 800M (Finals)	Isaiah Harris
Maddie Holmberg enters the heptathlon as the No. 5 seed (5,976 points). Italic events require qualification.

"Nits At Nats"

There were 6 Nittany Lions in action at the USATF Championships in Albuquerque this past weekend.  Each were vying for a chance at a trip to Birmingham England for the IAAF World Indoor Championships.

•  Evonne Britton   60M Hurdles   12th Place   8.16
•  Rachel Fatherly   Shot Put            7th Place   55' 8.25"  
•  Brannon Kidder   1500M            6th Place     3:43.78
•  Casimir Loxsom     800M               DNF        (51.41 400M)

It has been a rough year for Casimir, but he did get his degree in December!

Men’s Heat 2  From LetsRun summary:
Cas Loxsom took things out really hard so hard that he tied up on third lap and dropped out before 600. to act as a pacer to give other runners a better shot at advancing.
24.74 Loxsom has gapped field with Brazier 5 meters back.
400 – Loxsom – 51.43 with Brazier close behind.
On back stretch of third lap, both Russell Dinkins and Brazier went by Loxsom

Video:  Cas Loxsom on his 2018 Indoor Season

• Ryan Whiting   (former Assistant Coach)  Shot Put    1st Place   67' 9"
• Darrell Hill      Shot Put        2nd Place      65' 8.25" 

That means Darrell and Ryan are headed to Birmingham!

The Newest Professional Nearly Topped The Rest Of The Nittany Lions!

The last Meet in the Tracktown Summer Series was last night in NYC.  Turns out that Tori Gerlach, the newest professional Nittamny Lion Alumnus, was second in the 5K Road Race!  Congrats Tori.

She was topped by Darrell Hill in the Shot Put, who placed first ahead of former Assistant Coach Ryan Whiting.  Evonne Britton placed fourth in the 100M Hurdles, while Cas Loxsom placed eighth in the 800M.

4

Evonne BRITTON

New York Empire

12.97

1 Darrell HILL San Francisco Surge 20.87m (68-5¾ ) 2 Ryan WHITING Philadelphia Force 20.73m (68-¼ )

8 Casimir LOXSOM New York Empire 1:47.34

2

Tori GERLACH

Portland Pulse

16:11.60

We Need A Coorespondent For The Tracktown Finale!

Only 1 week left to get your PSU Track Alumni Jacket, t-shirts and Rain Pants at the group store!  Use the code PSUTFAL.

My brief vacation to West Virginia is already over and I'm headed back to the salt mine.  The Tracktown Summer Series' West Coast events are over and they are headed east to NYC for the Final event at Icahn Stadium.  I'm looking for anyone going to be our Official Corespondent?


 Nittany Lions competed in both the San Francisco and the Portland Meet:

4

Evonne BRITTON

100M Hurdles  New York Empire

13.05

8 Casimir LOXSOM 800M New York Empire 1:47.42 1 Ryan WHITING Shot Put Philadelphia Force 21.14m (69-4¼ ) 3 Darrell HILL Shot Put San Francisco Surge 20.83m (68-4¼ )

West Virginia Campsite.

800U On To The Finals!

I only picked this pic because it clearly shows the PSU Is 800U Wrist Band on his wrist. This was last year before he lost it in his voluminous travels. I have another one for him!

Isaiah Harris qualified for the Finals in the USATF 800M last night with a 1:45.77. He will join Joe Kovacs and Darrell Hill, who are in the Shot Put, competing for a spot on the World Championships team on Sunday.

1	Erik Sowinski Nike	1:45.48 Q	52.29 - Pl: 1	1:45.48 53.20 Pl: 1
2	Abraham Alvarado BYU	1:46.62 Q	52.58 - Pl: 3	1:46.62 54.04 Pl: 1
3	Clayton Murphy Nike	1:45.70 Q	52.58 - Pl: 3	1:45.70 53.12 Pl: 2
4	Drew Windle Brooks	1:46.69 Q	53.28 - Pl: 8	1:46.69 53.42 Pl: 2
5	Isaiah Harris Penn St.	1:45.77 Q	53.01 - Pl: 7	1:45.77 52.76 Pl: 3
6	Donavan Brazier Nike	1:46.88 Q	52.36 - Pl: 1	1:46.88 54.53 Pl: 3
7	Drew Piazza Virginia Tech	1:45.83 Q	52.90 - Pl: 6	1:45.83 52.94 Pl: 4
8	Charles Jock Nike / NIKE OTCE	1:46.92 Q	52.79 - Pl: 5	1:46.92 54.13 Pl: 4

And Evonne Britton moved on to the Semi-Finals of the 100M Hurdles.

Creese Advances: Five Lions In Action In Eugene

There were Nittany Lions on the track and in the field yesterday at the USATF Olympic Trials.

• Rachel Fatherly - 22nd in the Shot Put  (50' 8")
• Brian Leap - 15th in the Triple Jump  (52' 6 1/2")
• Bridget Franek - 6th in the 3000M Steeplechase  (9:33.51)
• Robby Creese - advanced to 1500M Semi-finals  (3:42.89) (7:12PM ET) 
• Evonne Britton - 22nd in the 100M Hurdles (13.13)

Penn State So Far At The USATF Championships, With A Big Day Today

So far, the top finish for PSU has been Karlee McQuillen's 6th in the Javelin.Here's the list, so far.  Today, top seed Casimir Loxsom and Joe Kovacs join Darrell Hill and Ryan Whiting in trying to do even better!

6        Karlee McQuillen        Javelin         56.76m (186-3)

8        Bridget Franek             300M SC     9:47.81
14       Brannon Kidder           800M         1:48.26

15       Evonne Britton            100M H      13.18

17       Robby Creese              1500M        3:47.12

17       Rachel Fatherly           Shot Put      16.49 (54-1 1/4)

17       Tori Gerlach                3000M SC   10:12.8

18       Kiah Seymour             400M H      58.66

Penn State At The 2014 USATF Championships

A bunch of PSU Track Alumni* have qualified (or nearly qualified) for the National Championships  on June 26-29 in Sacramento, CA. Here's a complete** rundown:

                                Event               Mark        Status

Casimir Loxsom 800M 01:46.8 qualified Brannon Kidder 800M 01:46.9 qualified Brannon Kidder 1500M 03:38.8 qualified Joseph Kovacs Shot Put 21.52m qualified Darrell Hill Shot Put 20.57 qualified Ryan Whiting Shot Put 22.11 qualified Michael Shuey Javelin 72.69 accepted Rob Cardina Decathlon 7,508 not qualified Mahagony Jones 100M 11.29 accepted Mahagony Jones 200M 22.97 qualified Kara Foster 10000M 32:37.2 qualified Evonne Britton 100M H 13.09 qualified Evonne Britton 400M H 57.41 not qualified Kiah Seymour 400M H 55.88 qualified Tori Gerlach 3000M SC 10:03.5 not qualified Bridget Franek 3000M SC 09:41.2 qualified Brittney Howell Long Jump 6.37 not qualified Laura Loht Javelin 54.41 qualified Karlee McQuillen Javelin 53.59 qualified Brittney Howell Heptathlon 5,625 not qualified *Utilizing the all-inclusive definition of anyone having matriculated at a particular school, not just male graduates!       **Go ahead, be a jerk and point out the ones I've missed! I won't mind. Those in red have scratched or just missed qualifying.

All-American Honors

Congratulations are in order for the All-American honors earned this past weekend at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

          First Team All-American:
          Will Barr                35 lb weight throw 
          Mahagony Jones   200 meter dash       
          Brittney Howell     pentathlon, 4x400 meter relay             
          Steve Waithe          triple jump            
          Kiah Seymour       400 meter dash, 4x400 meter relay  
          Za'von Watkins     800 meter run
          Dynasty McGee     4x400 meter relay
          Tichina Rhodes     4x400 meter relay    

          Second Team All-American:
          Evonne Britton      60 meter hurdles
          Jon Hendershot     high jump
          Wade Endress       distance medley relay
          Za'von Watkins    distance medley relay
          Brannon Kidder   800 meter run, distance medley relay
          Robby Creese        distance medley relay

        

National Championships Arrive With Plenty of Nittany Lions

Photo by Mark "Beef" Heckel, Premier Field Official in America.

With places on the World Championship team at stake, the USATF Championships have finally arrived.  There are several Lions with great chances of making the team who won't be named by me in order to avoid any jinxes.

Fresh off the NCAA's, the Mens Middle Distance contingent of Brannon Kidder, Robbie Creese and Casimir Loxsom (now representing the Brooks Racing Team) find themselves in the thick of some loaded events.

Joe Kovacs and honorary member Ryan Whiting will put the shot.  Or shot the put?  I'm always so confused! (just kidding.)

Kara (Millhouse) Foster faces 25 laps of fun for the Women Distance corps along with honorary member Rebecca Donaghue in the same 10 K and Bridget Franek in the 3000 M Steeplechase.

Evonne Britton will hurdle 100 M for a shot at the team.

Lauren Kenney and Laura Loht will toss the Javelin for glory.

 And don't forget Matt Lincoln and Fawn Dorr in the Canadian Championships.

I'll bet I missed a few, so berate me in the comments to add them!

Nittany Lions in the "Post-Season"

NCAA Indoor Championships, Boise, Idaho.

1. Robbie Creese -  Mile
2. Casimir Loxsom - 800 M
3. Mens 4 x 400 M  (Aaron Nodolsky, Brannon Bennett-Green, Casimir Loxsom, Brady Gehret)*
4. Evonne Britton - 60 M Hurdles

IAAF World Indoor Championships, Istanbul, Turkey.

1. Ryan Whiting** - Shot Put
2. Ryan Foster (Australia) - 1500 M
3. Dominique Blake (Jamaica)  - 400 M (?)
4. Aleesha Barber (Trinidad-Tobago) - 60 M Hurdles
5. Shana Cox (Great Britain) - 400 M

* The four who set the qualifying mark.
** Honorary PSU Track Alumni Golfer and Volunteer Assistant Coach

Here's Joe Kovacs at the USATF Indoor Championships with a PR and almost qualifying for IAAF.

Silver and Bronze!

Casimir Loxsom defeated Robbie Andrews (again!) at the IAFF Junior World Championships in Canada today.  The Penn State sophomore also bettered his Personal Record with a blazing 1:46.57, just slipping behind David Mutua of Kenya in the closing meters.  PSU is 800U

And Evonne Britton bettered her 6th place in the 100 M Hurdles with a 3rd place in the 400 M Hurdles with a Personal Record 57.32.

That closes out an extremely good PSU Track Season in style!

Bonus footage of Robby and Casimir's "Lap of Honor"!

Evonne Britton to the 100 M Hurdle Finals!

Evonne Britton cruised to the finals of the 100 M Hurdles at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Canada yesterday.  She out-leaned everyone in her heat with the second best time of the semifinals.  Today she begins the prelims of the 400 M Hurdles also, possibly her better event.  Go Evonne.

Casimir Loxsom waits for his 800 M prelims on Friday.  Go Cas.

Evonne Britton: National Junior Champion 400 M Hurdles

Evonne Britton one-upped her second place finish in the 100 M Hurdles at the USATF Junior Championships with a winning effort in the 400 M Hurdles.  She has qualified for the USA for the World Junior Championships upcoming in glorious Canada!  (You know, Canada, the country that's sort of like our attic.  You forget its up there, but when you finally remember, you find all kinds of great stuff up there.)

Karlee McQuillen also finished eighth in the Javelin. Megan Duncan finished 20th in the 400 M Hurdles, while Fawn Dorr, now representing Brooks, qualified for the finals of the 400 M Hurdles with the second fastest time.  Also qualifying was Shana Cox, former Lady Lion, giving Dear Old State two lanes in the finals.  Honorary PSU Track alumni Golfer Rebecca Donaghue placed 7th in the 5000M.  Brooklynne Ridder placed third in the  Jr.5000 M, just missing a place on the US Squad for Canada.

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.