Winners, Winners. Chicken Dinners.

Not only was there a big meeting of over 100 Penn State Track and Field Alumni, but there was action all over the Country from those who could not attend.  And what a fine collection of wins there was!

• Tyler McCandless won the Pensacola Double Bridge Run.

The PSU haeadband is still in place!

•  Mahogany Jones (53.59 400M) helped the Brooks New Balance (I was trying to make a funny but was called on it after just a few seconds after posting it!) team set the World Record 10:42.57 in the Distance Medley Relay in Boston!  
  
• Our own Robby Creese now leads the NCAA Indoor Rankings in the Mile standing for unconverted times with his solo 600 M finish in the Sykes-Sabock Challenge.

Photo by Jim McClelland.

"Almost Heaven..." And an Open Note for PSU "Higher Ups" (Pass it along!)

I'm here in glorious West Virginia again reading about all the great vacations others are taking.  Oh well, West Virginia has many things to offer too!

Did I tell you about the first time I was here, buying batteries for my camping lantern at Wal Mart?  As I was reaching for my wallet, and I'm not masking this up, in the door walked a man covered from the top of his head to the bottom of his boots in coal dust.  Did I tell you I'm not making this up, or embellishing it in any way?  Straight from whatever mine was closest to Wal Mart, without even thinking of changing clothes or taking a shower.  The funny part was that I was the only person in the store that reacted as if something was amiss. I didn't have a cell phone for photos at the time but my wife will vouch for my complete and honest portrayal of events.  Imagine a photo of some big guy and then insert a silhouette instead.  And did I tell you I'm not making it up?

West Virginia Jokes (With apologies to Jeff Adkins, WV's Mr. Football in 1977.)

How do you know tooth brushes were invented in WV?  (They would be called teeth brushes if they were invented anywhere else.)

Why do so many get away with murder in WV? (The DNA always matches everyone and there are no dental records.)

Did you hear that the governor's mansion in West Virginia burned down?  (It almost took the entire trailer park with it!)

Why do Marshall grads keep their diplomas on their dashboards? (So they can park in handicap parking spaces.)

What's the difference between a Marshall University sorority sister and a scarecrow? (One lives in a field and is stuffed with hay.  The other frightens birds and small animals.)

Did you hear about the fire in University of West Virginia's football dorm that destroyed 20 books? (The real tragedy is 15 of them hadn't been colored yet.)

And I must reiterate how great it is to see that Casimir Loxsom finished 2nd in the 800M at the USATF National Championships.  And Mohogany Jones taking 5th at the 200M also.  It was another glorious PSU Track and field season.

And in near unanimous fashion PSU Track and Field Alumni Golf Officers are all-in for Coach John Gondak becoming the new Head Coach (or Director, or whatever they are calling them today...) of the Penn State Nittany Lions.  He has demonstrated superb coaching ability, logistical planning, wonderful rapport with family and alums, dedication and work ethic, as well as unbelievable recruiting abilities during his last 8 years.  I have seen him sustain a small cut and he bleeds blue and white.  He has earned more than a chance to head up one of the finest T&F teams in the nation.  I have no doubt that he would bring honor and acclaim to everyone affiliated with PSU.  Remember what Coach Groves said about Athletics in college:

"Athletics is for education and recreation, nothing else. Winning is important only in that you learn more." -Coach Groves.

And in that regard, Coach Gondak shines even brighter.  If you look at the young men and women who have graduated from PSU in the past 8 years, you will see some of the finest America has to offer.

Four Award Winners in Eugene!

Mid-Atlantic Coaches and Athletes of the Year!

1. Casimir Loxsom  Loxsom, a senior from New Haven, Conn., is an NCAA finals qualifier at 800 meters for the fourth-straight year after posting the East Prelims’ fastest time at 1:47.12 and in the 4×400 relay. He finished runner-up  in the Big Ten 800 meters, and has run a season’s best  1:46.77 in the 800 — the third fastest performance in Division I in 2013. Loxsom was named Penn Relays Track Athlete of the Meet as a member of Penn Relays winning 4×800 and DMR in 9:24.68, the 2013 NCAA leader and 6th fastest program in NCAA history. 
2. Mahagony Jones  A junior from Cleveland, Ohio, Jones is a three-event NCAA Finals qualifier at 100 and 200 meters, and the 4×400. She is ranked No. 8 in the NCAA at 100 meters in 11.33 (+2.0m/s), and has also run 23.15w (+3.0m/s) at 200. She scored a total of 21 points towards the Nittany Lions’ team title run at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships with an individual 100 meters title, runner-up honors at 200, and a third-place 4×400 showing.
3. Beth Alford-Sullivan  Sullivan, in her 14th year coaching the Nittany Lion women, moved the team to a Big Ten title as was named the league’s coach of the year. Three athletes won individual event titles at the conference meet and Penn State advanced nine women in eight events to the NCAA Final Rounds. Penn State had 24 entries into the NCAA preliminaries – fifth most among all teams. Penn State enters the NCAA Finals ranked No. 24 in the nation.
4. John Gondak  In his seventh season as the Penn State middle-distance coach, he guided four NCAA Finals qualifiers including Mid-Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year Casimir Loxsom among three qualifiers at 800 meters and another at 1500. Coached two winning relays at Penn in the 4×800 and the DMR, which ran the sixth-fastest time in collegiate history, earning Loxsom Track Athlete of the Meet honors.

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?

Eugene Bound! And More 800 M Silliness

So far, eight Nittany Lions are into next week's NCAA Championships.  There is even one day left to go in the Prelims, including the Mens 1500 M and the Women's Javelin. As I had hoped, three of the qualifiers will travel to Oregon for the 800 M!

1. Melissa Kurzdorfer in the Discus.
2. Melissa Kurzdorfer in the Hammer!
3. Michael Shuey in the Javelin.
4. Mahogany Jones in the 100 M.
5. Mahogany Jones in the 200 M!
6. Kiah Seymour in the 400 M Hurdles.
7. Natalie Bower in the 3000 M SC.
8. Casimir Loxsom in the 800 M.
9. Brannon Kidder in the 800 M.
10. Ricky West in the 800 M.

And speaking of 800 M, here's former 2-lapper Steve Black's latest episode in his Web Series, The Grave Diggers! 

April Means Penn Relays, And Other Notes From Early Season Track

Steve Shisler to Chris Mills, 1985

1. I still haven't been to a track meet with the temperature above freezing.  I missed the one where my daughter Anne placed in the 200 M.  Yeah, the 200 M!
2. This is the 28th Anniversary of "The Race" (7:11.17 4 x 800 at Penn).  Read some memories of those times Here, Here, Here and Here.
3. The current 800 M men stepped up in distance en masse at the Bison Invitational.  The results were rather good!  
   

     1 Creese, Robby       3:41.32 (3:58.8)*
     2 Kidder, Brannon     3:42.07 (3:59.6)*
     3 Corkedale, Tyler    3:45.93 (4:03.7)*
     4 West, Ricky         3:46.33 (4:04.2)*
     5 Dawson, Owen        3:47.20 (4:05.2)*

    11 Fischer, Matt       3:49.36 (4:07.5)*
    12 Masters, Sam        3:49.40 (4:07.6)*

    17 Watkins, Za'Von     3:50.05 (4:08.2)*

   *Mile equivalent according to 2012 IAAF Scoring Tables 

4. PSU was 2nd in both the Men's and Women's competition at LSU's Battle of the Bayou.  Brian Leap won the College long jump (23' 8.75") and triple jump (50' 2.5") competitions.  Leap, jump, get it?  I'm sure he's never heard that before!    Mahogany Jones won the 100 M (11.55) in a very good field.
5. I have sent the entry in for my Alumni Weekend and Coach Groves Golf Tournament.  Have you?
6. I will have the complete set of 1985 4 x 800 M Penn Relays (the longest running record at Penn!) photos for all to see.  They belong to Steve Shisler and I have failed to deliver them several times already.  I'm an idiot, I know.