Ebel Is Able And His Throwers Are Too!

Coach Ebel has every right to be strutting and crowing, but he has just nonchalantly directed all congratulations to his throwers.  And his throwers won or excelled in just about every event they could at Penn Relays, both College Division and Championship Division!

Women's Discus:   Obeng Marfo   2nd   161' 2"
Men's Shot Put:  Jon Yohman   1st    60' 10.5"
Men's Discus:   David Lucas   1st   180' 6"
Women's Javelin:  Sarah Stanley   1st   147' 3"
Men's Javelin:   Ryan Kerr     1st    228' 8"
Women's Shot Put:  Alyssa Robinson   3rd  52' 5.5"
Women's Hammer Throw:  Rachel Fatherly   6th   178' 10"
Women's Javelin:  Lauren Kenney   6th  144' 5"
Men's Hammer Throw:  Morgan Shigo   1st  206' 0"

Coach Ebel and John Lucas.

Javelin Army

If we were living in antiquity and about to go to battle. These are the men and women I would want on my side. Throwing spears, not at me, but at the enemy.

From the Sun Angel Classic at Arizona State.

          Women's Javelin

          1 Laura Loht SR 170' 3"

          2 Lauren Kenney JR 164' 3"

          6 Megan Boyer SR 140' 2"

          9 Kianna Weinzheimer SO 133' 7"

          11 Olivia Mangan JR 131' 7"

          Men's Javelin

          2 Cole Proffitt FR 217' 9"

          3 Michael Shuey SO 213' 9"

          5 Robert Cardina FR 200' 4"

          11 Russell Hedrick SR 184' 6"

Full Results from TFRRS. Another scored meet (hooray!) with the men taking fourth place and the women in second. Not bad considering it wasn't a full squad as the distance runners competed at Bucknell. This weekend it is the Mt. Sac Relays for some and the Bucknell Team Challenge for others. Penn Relays in two weeks!

I add this photo for artistic purposes only.  I hope Matt doesn't feel I am stepping on his blog toes! -skwilli

Achilles Learns the Javelin by Giovanni Battista Cipriani.

It's Raining Updates!

1. Congrats to Laura Loht, the Number 5 best Javelin Thrower in America!  With a PR toss of 177' 8" at the USATF Championships yesterday.  Lauren Kenney came in 13th.
2. From our Morale Officer, PSU Track Alumni Golfer and William and Mary Coach Stephen Walsh's Freshman 5000 M runner won the Junior Championship to make the team for the World Championships.  Emily Stites ran 16:13.77.
3. From Javelin standout and PSU Track Alumni Golfer Todd Leggett, retired PSU Professor and 93 year-old runner George Etzwiler conquered the Mt. Washington "One Hill"  7.6 mile race. I have made him an honorary member of our group with unanimous consent of all the Idiot Officers.
4. Casimir Loxsom (1:49.17) and Brannon Kidder (1:46.87) both qualified for the semi-finals of the 800 M at the USATF Championships.  Robbie Creese found himself in a jog and sprint preliminary of the 1500 M and failed to advance. 
5. Mike Pfaff will be filming a starring role in a film set in Beantown soon.  He will play a hitman with a change of heart who finds himself on the other end of a contract.  Costars will be Lenny Clarke, Adoni Maropis and Robert Wahlberg.  Hit his IMDb link to boost his Hollywood Rating!

Mike Pfaff's IMDb Link

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!

Both Men's and Women's Premier Events Excel On First Day

The Finals of the Women's Javelin were held on the first day of the NCAA Championships.  Laura Loht used 2 consecutive PR's to place 4th and Lauren Kenney placed 5th, giving the Lady Lions 9 points in the standings.

The Men's 800 M Prelims also gave the Lions quite a fine showing as Cas Loxsom and Brannon Kidder both "coasted" to automatic slots in Friday's finals.  Ricky West ended his career with a Second-Team All-American 13th place.  He's first in my heart for wearing his "PSU is 800 U" bracelet in competition though!

Brannon Kidder leading Oregon's quixotic Elijah Greer (in fourth) with 100M to go.

Top Ten Ranked Lions at the NCAA Championships

Brannon Kidder, photo by Tim O'Dowd.

The Final Seeds are out and there are quite a few Lions on the Top Ten list:

1. Mahogany Jones  100 M  6th.
2. Mahogany Jones  200 M  9th.
3. Lauren Kenney  Javelin  1st.
4. Laura Loht  Javelin  5th.
5. Casimir Loxsom  800 M  3rd.
6. Brannon Kidder  800 M  5th.
7. Robbie Creese  1500 M  4th.
8. Sam Masters  5000 M  10th

And here's a nice article about Coach Sullivan in the RunBlogRun site.

And a Top Ten List of things that make me crabby:

1. Kim Kardashian
2. Diet Crazes
3. Exercise Crazes
4. Kim Kardashian's baby
5. ObamaCare
6. Organic anything
7. Kim Kardashian's Family
8. 3D Movies
9. Democrats, Republicans and Independents...
10. And did I mention Kim Kardashian?

A Total of 20 to NCAA Finals

Due to a rather good last day of the Prelims, PSU has 20 athletes in 14 events heading to Eugene, Oregon this week for the Finals of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

1. Sam Masters, soon to be a contributor to the blog, ran a 57 second closing 400 M to place third in the 5000 M and move on to the Finals.
2. Lauren Kenney and Laura Loht placed first and third in the Javelin, keeping very much alive PSU's incredible streak in the event.
3. Sean Reilly placed 12th in the High Jump (defeating Jon Hendershot, among others) in the count-back on fewer misses.
4. Natalie Bower keeps the tradition alive in the Steeplechase.
5. Both Men's and Women's teams 4 x 400 M Relay squads move on.  The Women's team placed third in their heat and the Men were first.

PSU is Javelin U

Our motto of "PSU is 800 U" happens to really tick off a significant population of those who DESERVE to be perpetually ticked off.  But it is really a celebration and an incentive to excellence in the future.  It can't help but improve EVERYBODY involved with Track and Field, whether Nittany Lions or not.  And so it should be noted as well that...

PSU is Javelin U

Lauren Kenney, Laura Loht, Melanie Leszcynski, and Megan Boyer garner 23 Points at the B1G Championships!

1. Lauren Kenney         173' 10"

2. Laura Loht                168'  9"

5. Melanie Leszcynski  143' 11"

8. Megan Boyer            136'  4"

Third First-Team All-American of the NCAA Championship Weekend

That's Brady Gehret on the Awards Stand for the 2012 NCAA 400 M Finals at Des Moines, Iowa.  He placed 6th in 45.44!  He'll be back in action today in the 4 X 400 M Relay.

The other All-Americans:

• Laura Loht - First Team - Javelin
• Lauren Kenney - First Team - Javelin
• Casimir Loxsom - Second Team - 800 M
• Melissa Kurzdorfer - SecondTeam - Hammer
• Rebekka Simko - Second Team - 800 M
• Women's 4 x 400 M Relay - Second Team - (Doris Anyanwu, Dynasty McGee, Ijeoma Iheoma, Kirsten Niewendam)
  

Eugene Orowitz Could Throw the Javelin Also

It was a good day in Des Moines for Penn State Javelin throwers yesterday at the NCAA Championships.  Freshman Lauren Kenney placed fourth in the event with a throw of 167' 10".  And Sophomore Laura Loht topped that with her third place throw of 169' 4".  PSU is Javelin U.

In high school back in the 50's, Eugene Orowitz didn't really enjoy the academic side of things despite having an IQ higher than almost all of us in The Group.  But he did discover a knack for throwing the Javelin and won the New Jersey High School State Meet with a National Record 193' 4" in 1954.  That landed him a scholarship to USC despite coming in next to last in his high school class at Collingswood High School in Oaklyn NJ. (Also the Alma Mater of "The Great Bile")

When he blew his shoulder out after the first track meet of his Freshman campaign, academics couldn't keep him in school, so he drifted into Hollywood and became Michael Landon.*

*Garth Brooks was also a champion Javelin Thrower.  And don't forget how Coach Groves tried to recruit Al Cantello, the world record holder in the Javelin.  Coach Cantello has been coaching the distance runners at the Naval Academy since 1963, I think.

Nittany Lions Start NCAA Championships Today

There will be 6 Nittany Lions competing today at the NCAA Championships in Des Moines.

1. Will Barr - Discus
2. Lauren Kenney - Javelin
3. Laura Loht - Javelin
4. Casimir Loxsom - 800 M
5. Brady Gehret - 400 M
6. Rebekka Simko - 800 M

PSU is 800 U  and  PSU is Javelin U!

NCAA Bound

It was a fine Regional Qualifying Meet for PSU Athletes on both the track and the field.

1. Joe Kovacs - Shot Put                                                                                                            
2. Lauren Kenney - Javelin
3. Laura Loht - Javelin
4. Will Barr - Discus
5. Brady Gehret - 400 M
6. Casimir Loxsom - 800 M
7. Rebecca Simko - 800 M
8. Melissa Kurzdorfer - Hammer
9. Aaron Nodolsky, Brandon Bennett-Green, Casimir Loxsom, Brady Gehret - 1600 M Relay (3:03.57 School Record)
10. Doris Anyanwu, Dynasty McGee, Ijeoma Iheoma, Kristin Nieuwemdam - 1600 M Relay

Javelin Domination and Applied Physics

Laura Loht and Lauren Kenney placed 1 and 2 in the Womens Javelin for another 18 points to end the second day of the B1G Championships.  Laura's throw of 160' 11" on her final attempt surpassed Lauren's 159' 04".



And somehow it took Physicists to figure out the proper way to walk with a cup of coffee and not spill it. ( Hint: walk slower and don't fill it to the rim. )
Not quite Nobel quality stuff, I know.

"A Very Good First Day"

Here's some updates on the Watch List of PSU entries in the Penn Relays:

1. Mens Championship of America Sprint Medley Relay - Returning Champions!
2. Mens Championship of America 4 x 800 - My favorite event  (Longest standing Event Record at Penn)
3. Mens Championship of America 4 x 400 - The Quintessential Track Event.
4. Womens Championship of America Distance Medley Relay - A School Record Coming? Update:  3rd Place and a School Record! 

   11:08.41

   Rebekka Simko (3:23.0), Ijeoma Iheoma (52.8), Marta Klebe (2:09.8), Kara Millhouse (4:42.8)

5. Womens Championship Javelin - PSU is Javelin U. Update: Lauren Kenney First Place

   48.99m (160-8)  And a Watch!  Laura Loht  3rd 46.09m (151-2)

6. Women's Championship Hammer - Leading Thrower in the Big Ten!  Update:  Melissa Kurzdorfer  for the Win! And a Watch!
   

   62.53m (205-1)

7. Mens Champiopnship Shot Put - A strong duo.

And in addition there were plenty of PR's on the track at distance night!

• Womens 3000M SC  -   Emily Giannotti 2nd Place College Division 10:28.82,   Abbie Benson 5th Place College Division 10:35.5,  Natalie Bower 2nd in Championship Heat 10:14.27, Lindsey Graybill 7th in Championship Division 10:29.97.
• Mens 5000M  -  Kyle Dawson 6th in Championship Division 14:04.36, Vince McNally 8th in Championship Division 14:06.94, Chris Cipro 19th in Championship Division 14:30.43, Matt Fischer 24th in Champuionship Division 14:38.42,  Alums: Dennis Pollow Jr 6th in Olympic Development Division 14.26.68.
• Mens 10000M  -  Tom Luff 18th in Championship Division 30:36.77 Alums: Tyler McCandless 10th in Olympic Development Division 30:33.64.

PSU is Javelin U

Penn State has had a strong tradition in the Women's Javelin and this early season has seen some good performances to keep the tradition alive. Last week at the LSU Invitational, Penn State again dominated the event:

1 Laura Loht                SO Penn State              49.91mM    163-09 
      44.91m  49.91m  49.48m  49.06m  46.08m  49.53m
  2 Lauren Kenney             FR Penn State              47.47m     155-09 
      FOUL  47.33m  45.39m  43.94m  46.71m  47.47m

8 Megan Boyer               SO Penn State              40.59m     133-02 
      40.59m  38.86m  FOUL  34.70m  39.57m  38.36m

10 Melanie Leszcynski        FR Penn State              35.49m     116-05 
      35.49m  34.40m  34.35m            
 11 Olivia Mangan             FR Penn State              33.81m     110-11 
      31.59m  31.45m  33.81m 

Speaking of the javelin, here's a neat article about  Dana Zatopkova, Emil Zatopek's widow.  She was once the World Record Holder in the Javelin and the Olympic Gold Medalist in the event.  She made 4 straight Olympic teams starting in 1948.  She still has her wooden javelin used to win the Gold, now the handle of a broom.

And for you javelin aficionados out there, I have a question for you.  What is the optimal release angle for the javelin?  While I'm at it, what is the optimal release angle for the shot put, discuss and hammer too?   And would your answer be the same as what a Physicist would answer?

PSU is Throws U

It was a great weekend for the Throwers at LSU.  It may not be as catchy as "800 U" but even washed-up distance runners like me take notice of some fine Field performances.

1. Javelin - Laura Loht won the event with a toss of 163' 9" and Lauren Kenney was 2nd with a fine 155' 9".
2. Shot Put - Joe Kovacs for the victory with a PR 62' 11.25" with Logan Caldwell with 2nd place at 58' 9.5".

There were many other great performances, including a School Record in the Mens 4x400 (again!).  Check them all out here. And here's Laura's discussion of her performance: