800U Gains Speed, But Don't Forget The Others!

Isaiah Harris and Rachel Gearing made appearances in the 800M Semis at the USATF Championships in Eugene yesterday.  Rachel was there following her School Record 2:01.24 in the Prelim Round.  And this continues Isaiah's streak of never failing to make the Finals in the 800M since his Freshman season at PSU.

But there are plenty of others in the mix at Tracktown:

• Danae Rivers, former 800M School Record Holder ran 2:03.90
• Terrance Laird in the 100M  8th in 10.18, upcoming in 200M
  
• Evan Dorenkamp in the 1500M  26th in 3:44.31
  
• Tyler Merkley in the Hammer
• Morgan Shigo in the Hammer
• Michael Shuey in the Javelin
• Rachel Fatherly in the Shot Put
• Mallory Kauffman in the Shot Put
• Darrell Hill in the Shot Put
• Joe Kovacs in the Shot Put
  

A One And A Two...

 

PSU Track Alumni (Golfers) snagged one National Championship and a runner-up spot at the recent Indoor Championships out west.

Joe Kovacs won the Shot Put with a toss of 21.55M (70' 8.5")

Isaiah Harris placed second in the 800M with  1:46.42.

Rachel Fatherly placed 5th in the Shot Put with 17.47M (57' 3.75")

Morgan Shigo placed 8th in the Weight Throw with 22.30M (73' 2")

 

More Alumni Action Post World Championships

There are alums in action even following the World Championships. 

Joe Kovacs will continue his season in Europe, joined by Darrell Hill.  They placed first and third at the recent American Track League meet.

 

Brannon Kidder (4th) and Isaiah Harris (8th) also mixed it up at the same meet in the 800M.  The Womens 800M had Danae Rivers placing 8th.

And Doreen McCoubrie was the 5000M USATF (60-64yo) National Champion at the Masters Nationals in Kentucky.

Mark "Beef" Heckel Knows Everybody!

 Another Silver Medal performance for Joe Kovacs at the World Championships.  Not bad if you consider that his competition is simply by far the best shot putter in world history.

The USA sweep in the shot put with Ryan Crouser and Josh Awotunde taking Gold and Bronze.

Mark even ran into 1977 teammate of our's Gary Williky.

Lions At The Top Of The Worlds

Larry Mangan, Phil Monastra and Joe Kovacs join Mark Heckel in Eugene! Joe is in the SP final tomorrow. 

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

 

Alums are winning things all over the world!  Here's three recent first placers...

• Tyler McCandless won the Colfax Marathon in a new course record. He finished the race at elevation in Colorado in 2:21:07.
  
  
  
  
• Ron Moore won the Three Sisters Ultra in Tennessee, despite not knowing the runner he blew by at the finish was on the same lap as he was!  11 5K laps in 6:03:09.
• Joe Kovacs rebounded from a second place finish in Eugene to win the prestigious shot put title in the Czech Republic after a 36 hour travel nightmare.  He threw 72' 11"
  
  
  
  

Nittany Lions In The Top Ten For 2021 According To TFN

 The Bible of the sport...

American Top Ten Performers:

• 200M        Terrance Laird     #6
• 800M        Isaiah Harris        #4
• 800M        Brannon Kidder   #5
• Shot Put    Joe Kovacs          #2
• Shot Put    Darrell Hill          #3
• Hammer    Morgan Shigo     #6
• Javelin       Michael Shuey    #2
• 400H          Kiah Seymour    #10
• Shot Put     Rachel Fatherly  #9

World  Top Ten Performers:

• 200M         Terrance Laird    #9
• Shot Put     Joe Kovacs         #2
• Shot Put     Darrell Hill         #7

Athlete Of The Year:

•  Joe Kovacs         #7
  

2021 Performance of the Year

There weren't very many nominations from our members this year, but it did include some quality performances.  The Interns decided not to poll members of the group for the winner this year and decided to take their meager paychecks and devote it all to an extravagant New Year's Eve Party last night. Now they want money from me to clean it up.

I had asked them to give me the listing yesterday, but they refused. I knew something was up, but was tired of dealing with the rowdy bunch and went to bed.

Alas, we finally got word from the email listserv which serves as the Premier Home of Penn State Track Alumni, that Ken Cooper had done the miraculous at the last minute.  His 35th straight calendar year of running a sub-5:00 mile came on New Year's Eve.  I will let Ken tell his story told via the email listing...

For those that like a story - The guy who paced me to my 5:00.53 on 12/20 told me on Wed that he would not be able to pace me again as he contracted COVID.  Fortunately I had reached out to my high school coach (who is still the coach at Mounds View) earlier in the week and asked for a couple of more pacers.  I thought being tucked behind multiple guys would be helpful.  I got a guy who is a former walk on at Purdue and is still fit and a guy who runs for U of North Dakota.  It was 9F so we warmed-up inside.   I am usually a guy who sticks to my plan, but I made a last second change and put spikes on for the first time since September.  If Lukas (Pacer #1) was going to wear them, then so shall I.  Calves be damned.

 

It was pretty cool as my dad and high school coach timed and gave splits.  There were 4 other MV coaches/alums there to see it and the many from the Bethel team (local D3 school coached by Andrew Rock) basically stopped practice to watch.  Some of them were former Mounds View state champs and knew the coaches so they learned what I was doing. 

 

We started with Lukas as rabbit then me then 2 recent alums behind me.  We went out hot.  The beauty of have so many people there that are coaches is that I got a 100m split for the fist time in my career.  Went through in 16 secs.  But it felt really comfortable.  That said, we slowed down and came through in 35 secs for the first 200, which was still hot.  I remember Coach saying 4:40 pace be smart.  We slowed and came through the 400 in 74 secs.  Really comfortable.  Feeling good.  The two guys behind me dropped off at 400 so it was me and Lukas.  I just sat on him.  We came through the 800 in 2:28, so another 74.  It felt like we stepped it up on lap 5, which I as fine with as it helped me avoid getting soft.  I cant remember what we came through in lap 5, but we came through 1200 in 3:41/3:42, at which time Lukas dropped off (which was not a surprise), but the other guy was not there, which was.  Not a big deal as there were enough folks around the track to keep me engaged, particularly on the far corner where the Bethel team was.  I came through lap 7 in 4:20/4:21 and knew I had it.  I mustered as much of a kick as I could.  A blistering 36/37 last 200.     

 

The hammy held up well.  I have been doing several eccentric strength building exercises since I tweaked it the 20^th and that seemed to do the trick.  Interestingly, I did one last PT session on Wed.  The PT was convinced my hammy issue is caused from somewhere else.  She is probably right.  She actually honed in on my lymph nodes as preventing proper circulation as a result of COVID back in April.  She did some massage of 6 area of lymph nodes.  It did actually help the hammy feel better so will do those for awhile.

 

I appreciate you all taking such a vested interest in the streak.  This past week, I was wondering how many sub 5’s I/we have done over our careers.  I can recall some 5 x mile on the track and all were done well under 5 with 3 mins rest.  Splits in races.  There were times we did them in our sleep.  Yesterday,  I just wanted one more.  You guys helped inspire me to do this over the past month when on paper, at age 50 with no intense training in the preceding 4-6 months, I really had no business getting there.

 

I have zero plans to wait this long again.  I fully expect to check the box some time this indoor season.

 

Then I will look to drop a 55 at Penn with R.B., Kletter, Che and Jake.  Anyone else want in?

 Happy New Year Fellas.

 

So, the final standings of the 2021 Performance of the Year:

1. Ken Cooper's 4:57.61 mile to complete his 35th straight calendar year with a sub-5 mark.
2. Joe Kovac Silver Medal at Olympics in Tokyo.  His second.
3. Michael Shuey makes Olympic team with second place finish.
4. Isaiah Harris wins a Diamond League 800M race
   

Some Thoughts On The Olympic Performance of Joe Kovacs From a 12 Foot Shot Putter.

 

Physics rules everything. But there are ways of using it to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  Joe Kovacs understands and uses this to his advantage better than anyone on the Athletics World stage.

 

Joe was given great genetic attributes at birth, but among elite shot-putters, he is on the short side.  This immediately puts him at a disadvantage to taller and longer-armed competitors.  Of course, being tall with long arms doesn't guarantee you anything, but with other things being equal, it gives a distinct advantage.

In order to use that advantage, tall competitors need to perfect their technique and attain the best strength to handle the lever-arm bonus.  Ryan Crouser has done this.  His technique has become better and better and he is stronger than he has ever been.  Game over, World Record!

But Joe is remarkable for being consistently right there each and every time he competes in the big meets.  He is the beast, and his technique is practically perfection.  We have also seen that he is the strongest among these beasts.  Up and coming shot putters need to study Joe's regimen to become the best they can be.

Congrats, Joe.  That was marvelous to watch.

 

1		USA CROUSER Ryan		23.30	OR
Attempts Result Best Rank 1 22.83 23.30 1 2 22.93 3 22.86 4 22.74 5 22.54 6 23.30
2		USA KOVACS Joe		22.65
Attempts Result Best Rank 1 22.19 22.65 2 2 20.95 3 21.95 4 22.65 5 22.29 6 22.60

Penn State Track And Field Alumni (Golfers) Olympic Schedule

*All Times are Eastern Standard Time (EDT)

Men’s Shot Put Qualifying Round 8/3/21 6:15 AM  Joe Kovacs

PEACOCK

4 a.m. – 11 a.m.

 https://stream.nbcolympics.com/track-and-field-session-11-mens-shot-put-qualifying 

Men’s Shot Put Final 8/4/21 10:05 PM NBC 8 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

NBC	8 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

 https://stream.nbcolympics.com/track-and-field-session-14-mens-shot-put-final

Men's Javelin Throw Qualifying Round   8/3/21 8:05 PM   Michael Shuey

https://stream.nbcolympics.com/track-and-field-session-12-mens-javelin-qualifying

 Men’s Javelin Throw Final   8/7/21 7:00 AM  

 https://stream.nbcolympics.com/track-and-field-session-19-mens-javelin-final

PEACOCK

6 a.m. – 11 a.m.

n's Javelin Throw Qualund 8/3/21 8:05 PM

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

An Update on Nittany Lions' Final Placing At The USATF Olympic Trials

 These are only the placings of those that have completed their competition as of Sunday morning.

Mens Hammer Throw:

14)  Tyler Merkley         68.56M   224'11"

Mens Shot Put:

2)  Joe Kovacs         22.34M   73'3.5"   Olympic Team

4)  Darrell Hill         21.89M   71'10"  (3cm short of 3rd)

Mens 800M:

19)  Joe White        1:48.57

Mens Javelin Throw:

16)  Mark Porter      66.96M   219'8"

Joe Kovacs is the "little fella" on the left.

Joe Kovacs and Darrell Hill Won't Be Able To Attend Our Golf Outing And Reunion In August

 

Something as trivial as the first Olympics in 5 years may keep them away from Happy Valley around then!  Thanks to Ken Brinker for alerting us to this.

When your second best ever "throw" is 74 feet, 6 1/2 inches or so, that is saying a lot for Joe Kovacs. And at more than 73 feet, things are looking good for Darrell Hill, too.  We wish them both luck on making the team.

Joe's Monster Series

 

Championship Season Is Here

Kevin Kelly O'Brien has a lot of time on his hands following his complete body transplant. (I suppose it only feels like that, Kelly?)  So he did the work of all 5 Basement Interns and came up with the complete list of PSU qualifiers for the upcoming USATF Olympic Trials in the refurbished Hayward Field. 

That is, of course, subject to change.  Please chime in with any updates or changes!

First, Morgan Shigo (6) in the Hammer. Then, 2 in the 800M, Isaiah Harris (5) and Brannon Kidder (7). Third, 2 more in the Javelin, Mark Porter (7) and returning Champion Michael Shuey (1).  Finally, two more in the Shot Put, Diamond League Champion Darrell Hill (4)and World Champion Joe Kovacs (2).

And last week, the USATF Road Mile Championships were held, with Colin Abert finishing in 6th place with 4:00.7. 

2021 Results - USATF 1 Mile Road Championships presented by Toyota

• Eric Avila. 3:59.0.
• Craig Engels. 3:59.2.
• Clayton Murphy. 3:59.5.
• Abe Alvarado. 4:00.4.
• Daniel Herrera. 4:00.5.
• Colin Abert. 4:00.7.
• Brett Meyer. 4:01.1.
• Clayton Young. 4:02.8.

The final 600 M were on the track!
 And he backed it up today at the Drake Relays with a Mile PR in 4:00.65 after a warm-up 1500M yesterday 3:41.73 to pace the college division.

Additional Entries via Flotrack:

 Rachel Fatherly has qualified in the Shot Put!

SP

9

18.44

Rachel Fatherly

AUTO (17.70)

Evonne Britton in the 100H!

100H

18

12.81

Evonne Britton

AUTO (12.84)

(Transfer) Kiah Seymour in the 400H!

400H

8

55.41

Kiah Seymour

AUTO (56.50)

(Transfer) Byron Robinson in the 400IH

400H

10

49.09

Byron Robinson

AUTO (49.50)

Brannon Kidder in the 1500M!

1500

6

3:35.27

Brannon Kidder

AUTO (3:37.50)

Tori Gerlach in the 3000SC!

3K SC

22

9:51.31

Tori Gerlach

FILL THE FIELD (24)

Track and Field: It's All Physics!

 Two of my passions are PSU Track and field and trying to learn more about Physics.  Both are intimately entwined in the world of 2-time World Champion and Olympic Silver Medalist, Joe Kovac's life.  Stop by and check it out at his Facebook page!

Interviews With A Big Man : Nobody Beats The Toad, Even Track And Field News!

 

First up, we must note the results of our previous poll/survey into which abbreviation is preferred by our Universe of Incredible Track and Field Members.

PR (Personal Record)	32	94%
PB (Personal Best)	2	6%

As I suspected, PR (Personal Record) is overwhelmingly preferred by everyone.  Now we must ask ourselves why the governing bodies and Magazine of Record always use PB (Personal Best).  It couldn't be because of Puerto Rico, could it?  Does anyone know?  Does anyone care?

Now to the meat of our Post... 

The Toad is a rabbit.

 

Anyone paying attention knows how much I admire our Undersecretary of Fun, Billy Francis Cvecko. His infectious enthusiasm, optimism and wholesomeness makes me happy amidst the worst this world has to offer.  He makes surviving through 2020 worthwhile!

While the recent Track and Field News article on Joe Kovacs was great to see, The Toad's in-depth "run" (and throw) with Joe takes precedence over The Bible of the Sport.  Now realizing Joe takes golf seriously, let's all work on getting him to one of our Reunions/Golf Tourney in the future. 

2X World Champ Joe Kovacs Is A Human Cannon

And even more good stuff is coming from The Toad soon!  Love ya, Billy.

 

Nittany Lions In The Top Athletes Of The Decade

Well, it turns out that Penn State has 3 athletes that have made the Track and Field News Athlete of the Decade lists.  Two are former student-athletes and one is a former volunteer Assistant Coach.  And all 3 are Shot Putters!

• Number 4    Joe Kovacs
• Number 6    Ryan Whiting   (Assistant Coach)
• Number 10  Darrell Hill

Penn State Track Alumni (Golfers) In The Top Ten USA Rankings 2019

It was a very good year for PSU, with some very good rankings in the 2019 year-end review by Track and Field News (The Bible of the Sport).

1.   Javelin        Michael Shuey

2.   SP                Joe Kovacs

3.   SP                Darrell Hill

5.   800 M          Isaiah Harris

6.   800 M          Brannon Kidder

7.   HT              Morgan Shigo

7.   400 H          (Byron Robinson, transfer)

8.   SP               Rachel Fatherly

9.   1500 M       Brannon Kidder

Top Performances by Events 2019:

1.   Shot Put                Joe Kovacs                    22.91 M    75' 2"
1.   Javelin                  Michael Shuey              83.21 M    273' 0"
3.   Shot Put                Darrell Hill                    22.35 M    73' 4"
3.   SMR Women        PSU                               3:45.25
4.   4 X 800 M Men     PSU                               7:19.50
7.   Shot Put                Rachel Fatherly             18.48 M     60' 7.75"
8.   Hammer               Morgan Shigo               72.64 M    238' 4"
12. Mile                      Danae Rivers                 4:29.47
20. Long Jump           Malik Moffett               7.92 M      26' 0"
20. 400 M                  (Alexis Holmes, transfer)  51.52

Joe Kovacs Won More Than Our Performance Of The Year!

It was a very strong year for PSU Alumni.  We had incredible performances that ended up not receiving any votes in our poll.  I find it hard to believe that Brannon Kidder's appearance in the 2019 World Championship 800M Semi-Finals failed to garner even a single vote!  Even Michael Shuey didn't get a single vote for his 4th place finish at the Pan Am Javelin toss.

To be honest, both of those performances were overshadowed by other performances from the same Lions.  Brannon posted a vote for his 3:35.27 1500M and Michael came in a strong 4th place for his National Championship in the USATF Javelin.

There was a tie for 2nd place between Danae River's NCAA Championship in the Indoor 800M and Doug Walter's donation of part of his liver to his nephew.  (Wow, tough crowd!)
But again on the top of the podium was Joe Kovacs, this time for his incredible last throw victory by 1cm with a Shot Put toss over 75 feet in distance by two other competitors.

Track and Field News called this the best ever Shot Put competition and has named it as their Performance of the Year also.  I'm sure Joe will value our honor as more special!

I'm Not Going To Tell Him It's Not OK To Cavort With Buckeyes, Are You?

We took Ryan Whiting into the Nittany Lion fold when he decided to train in State College and become a volunteer coach for PSU.  That led to some wonderful things with a multitude of throwers at Grand Ole State.  And although Ryan never did grace our Golf Tourney with his 350-yard drives he promised me, we didn't hold it against him when he moved away.

Now, of all things, Joe Kovacs has settled into Buckeye territory and even married a local.  And she became his coach AND elevated him back into the stratosphere of shot putters!  My bet is that his blood still has a blue hue no matter how many buckeyes fall into his yard.

Joe Kovacs In Buckeye Land