The "Other" Reunion Was Also A Success

The Womens teams from the 70s have been getting together for longer than our group started by Clark Haley in 2002.  They have a triennial get-together and just staged their 9th one on this past weekend in Happy Valley.  I promised no math on the blog, so I won't try to figure out when that started! I am acquainted with many of them.  Some of them have also attended our events, and all of them should know how much we would like to see them at our future events.  Remember, the golf is optional, but highly recommended!  The only requirement is mirth!

Front row L to R
Liz Berry Larsen, Janet Norem, Mary Rawe Rapp, Peggy Cleary McKay
 
Back row
Sandy Miller, Sue Hawkins DeHart, Maria Lonnett Burgess, Tina Leatherman Jones, Sandy Alexander, Penny Fales Kramer, Carolyn Ihrig, Magda Kubasiewicz, Kris Bankes Jacoby, Donna Gardner Rowland
(Missing from photo- Liz Cunningham Kisenwether) 

Meeting with Coach Gondak.

A Berkey Creamery stop.

Painful Memories!

Greg Fredericks sent me this listing from the days of yore.  I have talked about it several times before but didn't have the entire listing before.  Remember, this was an "extra" race/training run including many milers.  Nothing like this ever happens today. There are numerous things to note:

• I "coached" the 5th, 6th and 7th runners to their first ever run over 15 miles.  I coached them so well that they all beat me when I hit the wall at 20 miles. I made them start slowly and pick it up at each 5 mile mark.  We were in third place behind Alan Sharsu when I dropped like a rock.  Larry Mangan, Mike Wyatt and Tom Rapp all had incredible range from 800M to marathon.
• I managed to stagger home ahead of Liz Berry, hearing the cheers behind me as she set the team record.
• This is the only race where I ever defeated Gary Black.
• Seeing Marc Dunmire defeat Coach Groves with curses in the air was great! (RIP Marc.)
• Psychology Prof Hersh Leibowitz ran 3:25:01 at age 53! (RIP Hersh.)
• The weather is listed as 50 degrees with no wind.  That is a lie.  There was snow on the roads and we all had windburn!
• Greg Fredericks did not run! Just for the record...
• The high number of non-finishers may be due to the 800M guys running only 15 miles???
• The combo of Jim Clelland and Kelly O'Brien gave Alan Scharsu a run for his money!
• Bruce Baden was an animal!

The Final Listing Of The Greatest Penn State Womens Cross Country Runners Of All Time, Just In Time For Christmas Unwrapping

With the combination of the AIAW results from 1975-1980 and the NCAA results from 1981 to the present, we finally have complete results of the Womens Collegiate Championships.  Those who finished in the top 50 of any of those Championships are included in the rankings.  A complex, flawed and arbitrary method was used to rank them according to my whim and mood.  I was persistent to find all these results so that I could include some friends I have actually run some miles with.  Merry Christmas to Patty, Mary, Kathy, Liz, Kris and Heather.

1. Kathy Mills Parker - 3rd 1976, 1st 1977, 3rd 1978, 4th 1979 for 179.6 points.
2. Liz Berry Larsen - - 15th 1975, 11th 1976 and 16th 1977 for 97.3 points. 
3. Kris Bankes - 3rd 1975, 43rd 1976, 15th 1977 for 79.6 points. 
4. Heather Carmichael - 8th 1979, 24th 1980, 31st 1981, 43rd 1983 for 77.6 points. 
5. Bridget Franek - 23rd 2008, 26th 2009 for 52.8 points.
6. Susanne Heyer - 14th 2000 for 36.7 points.
7. Caitlin Lane - 16th 2011 for 35.0 points.
8. Liz Cunningham Kisenwether - 12th 1975 for 33.5 points.
9. Stacia Prey - 23rd 1985, 41st 1987, 31st 1988 for 30.1 points. 
10. Kimberly Kelly Segiel - 27th 1992, 35th 1994 for 28.4 points.
11. Patty Murnane Nosack - 24th 1979 for 26.4 points.
12. Mary Rawe Rapp - 26th 1980 for 20.1 points.
13. Kimberly McGreevy - 28th in 1996 for 19.4 points. 
14. Donna Gardner - 34th 1976 for 13.1 points.
15. Tessa Barrett - 38th 2015 for 13.0 points. 
16. Doreen Startare McCoubrie - 28th in 1982 for 12.0 points.
17. Kelli Hunt - 42nd 1992, 44th 1993 for 11.4 points. 
18. Colleen Glyde - 41st 1992 for 7.1 points. 
19. Wendy Nelson - 43rd 1990 for 5.6 points.
20. Eileen Meenan - 45th 1975 for 5.2 points.
21. Torri Perri - 47th 2012 for 4.0 points. 
22. Erin St. John - 46th 1994 for 3.6 points. 
23. Jennifer Weaver - 46th 1993 for 3.6 points. 
24. Meredith White - 45th 1984 for 2.6 points. 

Movies Were Still Better Than The Songs In 1978: AIAW Results Keep Coming!

There was a lot of opposition to having the 1978 Championships at altitude when Colorado submitted its bid at the 1977 AIAW race.  But somehow, they got the bid anyway (sound familiar!?).  It paid off for Colorado only with the individual win by Mary Decker.  The race turned out to be a good one anyway, with the Penn State Women ending up in third place overall.

Notice the fine finish by honorary Alum Martha White Collins for Virginia! And our first mention of Sue Hollick (Crowe) on these pages.  Did you know that I was responsible for Sue joining the team.  Just as I was instrumental in getting the Wolfe twins to join us!  (Scout's Honor)

Patty Murnane Nosack just misses out on being included in the pantheon of "Greatest" PSU XC runners.  But never fear, there is 2 years of results to come!

 Top Songs 1978:

1. Shadow Dancing - Andy Gibb
2. Night Fever - The Bee Gees
3. You Light Up My Life - Debbie Boone

 With Apologies to all!!!!



Top Movies 1978:

1. Grease   "Grease is the word."
2. Superman    "You'll believe a man can fly."
3. Animal House   "Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

1976 Was Also A Wonderful Year: Movies, Songs and, of course, AIAW XC Championship Results!

It was like it was yesterday.  I was almost paying attention to what was going on around me. Gerald Ford was President and Chevy Chase was injuring his back making fun of him.  Woodstock was a distant memory, overtaken by Disco of all things.  I even owned a pair of platform shoes to go with my Leisure Suit.




Top Songs:

1. Silly Love Songs    Wings 
2. Don't Go Breaking My Heart    Elton John and Kiki Dee
3. Disco Lady    Johnny Taylor

Top Movies:

1. Rocky     "You're gonna eat lightning, and crap thunder!"
2.  Taxi Driver    "You looking at me?"
3.  Carrie    "Sorry is the Kool Aid of human emotions."

AIAW XC Championship Results 1976


 Penn State finished 5th in the College Womens Cross Country Championships' second year.  Kathy Mills paced the Lady Lions with her 3rd place effort in Madison, Wisconsin.

Team Finish:

1. Iowa State
2. Cal State Northridge
3. Wisconsin Madison
4. Michigan State 
5. Penn State

Overall Top 5:

1. Julie Brown   Cal State Northridge   16:29.8
2. Carol Cook    Iowa State                    16:39.2
3. Kathy Mills   Penn State                     16:42.1
4. Kim Merritt   Wisconsin- Parkside     16:43.4 
5. Ann Mulrooney Wisconsin-Madison  16:45.3 Kim Merritt, 2000.

Julie Brown.

Penn State AIAW Finishers 1976:

1. Kathy Mills - 3rd             16:42.1
2. Liz Berry - 11th               16:56.8 
3. Donna Gardner - 34th   17:41.2
4. Kris Bankes - 43rd           17:51.5 
5. Lisa Turner - 97th            18:38.4
6. Eileen Meenan - 163rd    19:38.4 
7. Hillary Noden - 222nd     22:54.0

That adds Donna Gardner to the all-time greats and bolsters Kris Bankes' already lofty status!  Coming Soon.

1975 Was A Wonderful Year. (Well, for the movies anyway. Maybe not the songs!) AIAW Results

Top Movies of 1975:

1.  Jaws    "We're going to need a bigger boat."
2.  Monty Python and the Holy Grail " Come and see the violence inherent in the system."
3.  One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest  "I must be crazy to be in a loony bin like this"

Top Songs of 1975:

1.  Love Will Keep Us Together - Captain and Tennille. 
2.  Rhinestone Cowboy - Glen Campbell.



3.  Philadelphia Freedom - Elton John

 

But it was also the dawn of big-time Womens College Cross Country.  And Penn State was there (Ames, Iowa) in a big way.  Like a second place finish to the foreign-heavy Iowa State Cyclones!

Penn State:

1.  Kristen Bankes                    3rd   17:12

2.  Elizabeth Cunningham       12th   17:36

3.  Elizabeth Berry                  15th   18:02

4.  Eileen Meenan*                   45th  18:59

5.  Karen Johnson                   62nd  19:26

   
The Top 20:

 *This will add Eileen Meenan to the final listing of the Greatest PSU XC Runners of All-Time - Coming Soon!

The Search For Complete AIAW Championship Results Continues: Here's Some "Complete" Results of The 1977 2nd Place Team

The AIAW XC Championships started in 1975, but the first All-American Team wasn't chosen until the 1977 race.  That happens to be the year that our very own Kathy Mills Parker dominated the field.  Our 2nd and 3rd team members were very high in the field with Kris Bankes garnering the final of 15 AA positions.  But that left out Liz Berry Larsen, the 16th finisher that day!  Other scorers that day were Hillary Noden and Mary Rawe (Camp Hill's phenom and future wife of our own Coach extraordinaire Tom Rapp).  The sixth and seventh runners were Donna Gardner and Penny Fales.

Tom Rapp, Mary Rawe Rapp with Tom's ex-roommate Larry Mangan.

Here's some bits from the Eastern Kentucky University Special Collections Archive:

Another Change To The Greatest Womens XC Runners Of All-Time (Need 1979 and 1980!) The Intern Is Demanding A Pay Raise!

Thanks to a very observant and conscientious, faithful reader who is working this Thanksgiving, we have the 1975 AIAW XC Championship results to add to the list of Greatest PSU Womens XC Runners of All-Time!  Keep them coming.  We only need 1979 and 1980 now, which could boost Doreen Startare McCoubrie and Heather Carmichael and others in the mix!  I don't want to leave anyone out, but I need confirmation of the results before posting.


The criteria and formula used by the overworked math intern are the same as before and similar to the Mens version. (Top 50 women instead of top 20 men being the only difference to make about the same number of people represented.)

Greatest Penn State Womens Cross Country Runners (AIAW and NCAA) Of All-Time

(Red indicates changes from the last version.)

1. Kathy Mills Parker - 3rd 1976, 1st 1977 and 3rd 1978 for 133.8 points.
2. Liz Berry Larsen - - 15th 1975, 11th 1976 and 16th 1977 for 97.3 points.
3. Kris Bankes - 3rd 1975, 15th 1977 for 74.4 points.
4. Bridget Franek - 23rd 2008, 26th 2009 for 52.8 points.
5. Susanne Heyer - 14th 2000 for 36.7 points.
6. Caitlin Lane - 16th 2011 for 35.0 points.
7. Liz Cunningham Kisenwether - 12th 1975 for 33.5 points.
8. Stacia Prey* - 23rd 1985, 41st 1987, 31st 1988 for 30.1 points.
9. Kimberly Kelly - 27th 1992, 35th 1994 for 28.4 points.
10. Kimberly McGreevy - 28th in 1996 for 19.4 points.
11. Heather Carmichael - 31st 1981, 43rd 1983 for 13.1 points.
12. Tessa Barrett - 38th 2015 for 13.0 points.
13. Doreen Startare McCoubrie - 28th in 1982 for 12.0 points.
14. Kelli Hunt - 42nd 1992, 44th 1993 for 11.4 points.
15. Colleen Glyde - 41st 1992 for 7.1 points.
16. Wendy Nelson - 43rd 1990 for 5.6 points.
17. Torri Perri - 47th 2012 for 4.0 points.
18. Erin St. John - 46th 1994 for 3.6 points.
19. Jennifer Weaver - 46th 1993 for 3.6 points.
20. Meredith White - 45th 1984 for 2.6 points.    

Elizabeth (Liz) Cunningham Kisenwether.

Updated (But Still Incomplete) Top Penn State Womens Cross Country Runners Of All-Time

Through extensive searches requiring Herculean efforts (Google and even email!) and the actual transfer of legal tender, I obtained AIAW XC Championship Results of 1976 (partial), 1977 (total) and 1978 (partial).

These efforts were facilitated by Sarah Adams and the wonderful people at Eastern Kentucky University Special Collections and Archive.  She has been granted an honorary membership in our group and joins Jeri Elder and Kay Warfel as a Digital Archive Goddess on the right sidebar.  She will probably be somewhat confused by how much I paid for the few specific items I needed, but I am very thankful for them.  It gives me a little street cred when I say I am trying to run all of this stuff down, and come through with at least some of it.  Still looking for the results of 1975, 1979 and 1980! Only a troll under a bridge seems to have them.

So we can add a few names to the listing of the Greatest PSU Womens Cross Country Runners of All-Time!   I had the math intern retire to the basement with a calculator and figure out the results using the same arbitrary, self-serving and non-meticulous method I used before.  There are many ways to answer the question, but this method pleases my friends and infuriates some others.  You are welcome to promote your own listing as you please.  And Pete Rose is still the greatest baseball player of all-time, just in case you wanted to know!

 The Top Penn State Women Cross Country Runners Of All-Time (Including AIAW results 1976, 1977 1nd 1978 and all NCAA results 1981 to present):

New members in red

1. Kathy Mills Parker - 3rd 1976, 1st 1977 and 3rd 1978 for 133.8 points.
2. Liz Berry Larsen - - 11th 1976 and 16th 1977 for 66.4 points.
3. Bridget Franek - 23rd 2008, 26th 2009 for 52.8 points.
4. Susanne Heyer - 14th 2000 for 36.7 points.
5. Caitlin Lane - 16th 2011 for 35.0 points.
6. Kris Bankes - 15th 1977 for 33.0 points.
7. Stacia Prey* - 23rd 1985, 41st 1987, 31st 1988 for 30.1 points.
8. Kimberly Kelly - 27th 1992, 35th 1994 for 28.4 points.
9. Kimberly McGreevy - 28th in 1996 for 19.4 points.
10. Heather Carmichael - 31st 1981, 43rd 1983 for 13.1 points.
11. Tessa Barrett - 38th 2015 for 13.0 points.
12. Doreen Startare McCoubrie - 28th in 1982 for 12.0 points.
13. Kelli Hunt - 42nd 1992, 44th 1993 for 11.4 points.
14. Colleen Glyde - 41st 1992 for 7.1 points.
15. Wendy Nelson - 43rd 1990 for 5.6 points.
16. Torri Perri - 47th 2012 for 4.0 points.
17. Erin St. John - 46th 1994 for 3.6 points.
18. Jennifer Weaver - 46th 1993 for 3.6 points.
19. Meredith White - 45th 1984 for 2.6 points.   

Liz Berry Larsen, 2nd from left.

Kris Bankes.

*Thanks to Hugh Hamill for the correction of Stacia Prey's name, (not Perry as in the "official" results. The intern has been sacked.

Another 2 Promises Kept! The 1980 Olympic Trials Video Is For Sale!

I promised former Olympian Javelin Thrower Duncan Atwood I would promote his efforts to put his personal 1980 Olympic Trials Videos together on DVD.  I may have been his first customer for that!  He has a lot of stuff for you javelin people out there.  And PSU has quite a few great javelin tossers too.  So check out his site.  As a new Friend of the Group (and Honorary member), I have linked his site on the right sidebar.

Duncan Atwood, 2 time Olympian.

The Video of the running events garnered much interest from the attendees at our Reunion meet and greet last Friday at LettermanS.  Coach Groves liked it a lot, as he was there trackside with many Nittany Lions competing on those days in 1980.  The videos are an eclectic mix which will bring a smile to just about every track fan out there, regardless of era. The short shorts, high socks, and afros of the disco era will make you chuckle.  When you see the mustache on Greg Fredericks on the Awards stand, you'll be tempted to shoot Dr. Pete's Recovery Drink from your nose!  Anne Fredericks even had to hold back as the rest of us gently nudged Greg and bought another round!

In addition to a brief glimpse of Mariel Hemingway in the days of the making of the movie Personal Best, you see glimpses of Nittany Lions Greg Fredericks, Larry Mangan, Peggy Cleary, Kris Bankes and Liz Berry. The interviews of athletes, coaches and others at the end are great too.

Buy your copy of the 1980 Olympic Trials Here

Mariel Hemingway, Scott Glen in Personal Best.

More Charlie Maguire (With Coach Groves, Coach Lucas and Greg Fredericks) A Prize Contest Too!

Not sure what year this was, but Greg Fredericks sent me this great pic of 4 PSU Greats, (including him in the 4, which he would be too humble to do himself!)  Notice Coach Lucas and the tremendous shape he was in.  He probably represents PSU's longest duration in-shape Track and Field Field figure of all time.  Sort of the Al Oerter of PSU! Since Al apparently made it to the CDT Mile Track Meet and I somehow missed him along with Dick Buerkle. Coach Lucas told me he has run more than 160,000 miles in his day, starting in the early 1950's.  Coach Groves comes in a close second to that.  Just ask us distance runners how in-shape Coach Groves was in 1979, when he trounced many of us in the Nittany Valley Marathon. (All distance runners had to run the marathon that year, and the 800 men had to run 15 miles, an alien concept today I'm sure.) I had to hustle in to beat him and Liz Berry (2:44 or so!) that year but I had a plausible excuse, pneumonia 3 weeks prior.  I helped 3 milers run their first ever run over 15 miles that day and all three beat me at the marathon distance.  My advice to start slow and taper off was a big help to each of them. (Actually just the start slow part, we picked it up after each 5 mile segment until I crashed after the 20 mile mark.  The rest kept going!)  There is a prize from the Group Store for the first correct answer to the question "Who were the three Milers Dave Baskwill paced to their first Marathon experience in 1979?" Answers must be in the form of a comment at the end of this post.

Charlie Maguire is seen standing on the right, in front of Greg in the photo which was taken on the annual Whipple's Dam Run.  I've had a lot of feedback from people on the posts about Charlie.  We all wish he was still with us.  RIP

"Early" Women's Team Reunites and Christens Mondo Surface

When the Men's Team Alumni get together from the 70's and 80's, they call us "Old".  But when the Women's Team from the same era get together, it's called "Early"!  Either way, it's good to see them getting together.  It's also a chance to invite all of them to our Annual Harry Groves Golf Tournament and soon-to-be expanded Reunion Weekend!  Details will be upcoming shortly following our phone conference among the doers and shakers of our group and Coach Beth Alford-Sullivan.  There are big things coming for everyone involved in the past or present PSU Track (and Field) and Cross-Country Programs.  That means every era of both Mens and Womens Teams.  Stay tuned.

Chris Bankes, Liz (Berry) Larsen and Kathy (Mills) Parker were among the dozen or so lucky people to take a lap on the newly resurfaced indoor track.  I still have not jogged on the track, old surface or new.