Almost a Bicycle!

I missed the Penn Relays 4 X 800 this year as I was scheduled for a Jazz Band Festival.  My daughter played in the youngest group among the entire Festival, and their group held their own quite well.  The all-volunteer and no audition group is quite talented and well trained.

Apparently, I missed one heck of a race this year.  The foursome of Lionel Williams, Sam Borchers, Ryan Foster and Cas Loxsom, came ever so close to getting another PSU Wheel, enabling them to have a bicycle, I suppose.  PSU will have to settle for a unicycle this year.  But momentum is building, recruits are starting to realize that PSU is the place to come, and that PSU Track Alumni (Golfers) have their back. (The golf is always optional!)  The Coaches are systematically creating an atmosphere fostering both high athletic and high academic achievement. As little by little, this momentum builds, the coaches will be able to point to our group as an example of enthusiasm unparalleled in Division I Track and Field.  A tradition worthy of all the hard work each of us contributed to PSU will grow and be envied by all the other programs.

A hat tip to the quartet of Virginia and a "good run" to each of the four Lions.  7:12.90
Lionel Williams (1:50.69), Samuel Borchers (1:47.56), Ryan Foster (1:47.95), Casimir Loxsom (1:46.70)

Outdoor Season Begins With a Record; And Raffle Item Announced!

This is a horrible cell phone picture of a blanket I had made from the great Lion Shrine Photo on the left sidebar I titled "First Light".  The blanket turned out beautifully and should be a nice addition to anyone's home.  My wife has inexplicably donated it to the cause to be auctioned off on Friday night at the Reunion Evening before the 10th Annual Coach Harry Groves Golf Tourney.

And the Outdoor Track Season has begun!  With a bang, may I add?  On the top of the list was the School Record in the 4 X 400 M Relay from the quartet of Aaron Nodolsky, Casimir Loxsom, Brady Gehret and Lionel Williams.  Their 3:07.19 bettered the old mark by more than a second.  Hanif Johnson also bettered his PR in style, winning the triple jump with a combined leap of 51 feet 8 and 1/2 inches!  Wow!

"Last Chance" and the Holy Grail!

There were several great performances this weekend at the "Last Chance" meet in Notre Dame.  PSU Men's 4 x 400 Relay squad won the race with a splendid 3:07.27.  Aaron Nodolsky, Lionel Williams, Brady Gehret and Casimir Loxsom set the PSU School Record with the effort.  Both Gehret and Loxsom had sub-46 second splits!  (Casimir also had a sub-1:46 effort in the 800 M the night before in the Distance Medley Relay.)

Caitlin Lane also lit the track on fire on Friday night with her come-from-behind victory in the mile with a 4:38.47 time over the distance.  This places her second all-time at PSU, behind only Bridget Franek, now running for Nike.

But the Big News is I have finally found my Holy Grail!  This is all thanks to our Official Photograph Supplier and Friend of the Group Walt Chadwick.  For two years we have scoured the digital and film archives all over the world.  (Actually I just kept pestering everyone I knew to find them.)  But we have finally come up with museum-quality prints of the 1985 4 X 800  PSU victory at Penn Relays (7:11.17!).  These will be unveiled at the next Harry Groves Golf Outing and Reunion Friday Night Reception.  We will also have an extensive catalog of vintage PSU prints to peruse of both Men and Women PSU Tracksters. This is just a hint of the black and white goodness that was that epic run...

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.

Back in the Saddle Again

Following the third place finish in the 4 X 800 at Penn Relays, the 800 U boys jumped right back up on the horse and thrilled spectators at the Payton Jordan Invitational on Saturday.  Cas Loxsom excelled and posted the top NCAA 800 M time so far this year with a 1:46.74 effort!  Ryan Foster also did not disappoint with a 1:47.78.  Lionel Williams rounded out the PSU performances with a 1:49.33 in the event.


Bridgit Franek again threatened the record book with her 15:46.8 in the 5000 M,  off the record of Kathy Mills from 1978 by 13 seconds. Sam Borchers is also rounding into shape,  posting a 3:46.67 in the 1500 M. 

The sprinters traveled to Ohio State where Fawn Dorr and Shavon Greaves both won 2 events apiece.  Dorr demolished the field in the 400 M and the 400 M hurdles while Greaves bested all in the 100 M and 200 M. Additionally, Karlee McQuillen won the javelin for the second week in a row.

The Nittany Lions have a home meet next week in preparation for the Big Ten Championships the following week.

Sometimes it takes more than one attempt to get it right.  This guy had to get back on the horse twice after failing to do a back-flip on a mega-ramp with a Big Wheel! Keep up the hard work and good things will happen.

PSU is 800 U: The Sequel

In the warm-up to "The Race", Penn State won the Florida Relays 4 X 800 M Relay in 7:18.72.  The quartet of Casimir Loxsom, Lionel Williams, Owen Dawson and Ryan Foster ran the No. 7 best time in PSU history in the first outing of the Outdoor Campaign.

PSU is 800 U (Again)

Finalists for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships were announced yesterday.  Here's the list of entrants qualified for the mens 800 M:

1  Andrew Wheating         SR Oregon              1:46.36D
  2 Ryan Foster JR Penn State  1:47.32                    1:47.32D
  3  Elijah Greer          FR Oregon              1:47.33D
  4  Zach Mellon           FR Wisconsin           1:47.45D
  5 Owen Dawson JR Penn State  1:47.77                    1:47.77D
  6  Richard Jones         JR LSU                 1:47.78D
  7  Sharif Webb            JR Kentucky            1:47.86D
  8 Casimir Loxsom FR Penn State 1:47.98                    1:47.98D
  9  James Gilreath         JR Baylor              1:48.00D
 10  Robby Andrews          FR Virginia            1:48.02D
 11  Mason McHenry          SO Arizona Stat        1:48.04D
 12  Chris Gowell           SR Baylor              1:48.23D
 13  Dan White              JR Ohio State          1:48.26D
 14 Lionel Williams JR Penn State 1:48.73                     1:48.53D
 15  Jack Howard            SR Notre Dame          1:48.60D
 16  Jamaal James           SR LSU                 1:48.73D
 

25th Anniversary of "The Race"

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the 4 X 800 masterpiece of 7:11.18! This still stands as the college standard and the No. 2 All-Time mark. The quartet of Vance Watson, Steve Shisler, Chris Mills and Randy Moore stand to hold the oldest record at the Penn Relays soon. Older posts detailing the race, remembrances of the race and a video celebrating the race have already appeared on the blog.

PSU is mounting an attack on the record, or so it seems to this lowly blogger. At the Penn State National Invitational, 4 Penn Staters placed highly in the 800 M race. Led by Ryan Foster's School Record 1:47.48, all 4 added up to a combined 7:14.58 indoors. (Casimir Loxsom 1:47.98, Owen Dawson 1:48.97, and Lionel Williams 1:50.15).

PSU is 800 U: PSU Women Reign Again!

Fawn Dorr anchored the 4 X 400 M Relay to a 3rd place finish at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday, one position ahead of Michigan to gain one point in the final standings. As they were less than a point behind Michigan for the lead before the last event, that gave them the victory by less than one point. Congrats on a team victory girls, (am I allowed to call them that?).

Ryan Foster again triumphed in the competitive 800 M, with Owen Dawson and Lionel Williams placing 3rd and 4th. That makes PSU, 800 U for sure! The Men (or boys to keep it consistent!) finished in 5th place.

Addendum: Brian Laird has finally succumbed and will increase our proper golf attire ratio substantially. Chris Snyder also signed up bringing our total number of Yanomamo to 8! The Fierce People are not known for golf, however. Read the earlier post on the Yanomamo Here.