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 Real Alumni Singlet Spotted In New York

 A few Penn State Track and Field Alumni (Golfers) were featured at the USATF NY Grand Prix.

• Morgan Shigo was 7th in the Hammer   231' 7"
• Michael Shuey was 6th in the Javelin  236' 6"
• Darrell Hill was 3rd in the Shot Put   70' 2.25"
• Isaiah Harris was 2nd in the 800M   1:45.11

And Darrell came through with his real Alumni Singlet in the action!!! Thanks, Darrell.

 

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
   

Big Winning Throw For Michael Shuey At Javelin Fest: On To The Olympics

 

Event 9  Men Javelin Throw Elite
=============================================================================
    National:   299-06  6/21/2007   Breaux Greer, adidas                       
        Meet:   281-01  7/16/2021   Michael Shuey, Chula Vista, CA             
    Name                    Year Team                    Finals            H#
=============================================================================
  1 #   99 Shuey, Michael        Chula Vista, CA        
      77.96m 79.55m FOUL FOUL FOUL 85.67m(281'1")
  2 #  110 Thompson, Curtis      Florence, NJ           
      77.44m 76.98m 76.35m 78.79m 81.04m 77.60m
  3 #  118 Williamson, Caper     Greer, SC               
      71.93m FOUL 73.33m 73.82m 75.92m 80.49m

Michael Shuey Headlines Javelin Festival

 

After a one-year hiatus, American JavFest is returning to East Stroudsburg. This year it's bringing three Olympians with it.

The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation's sixth annual javelin festival will take place at East Stroudsburg High School South on July 16-17. The event gathers javelin competitors of different skill levels from across the country to compete and learn from one another. 

Olympians Maggie Malone, Curtis Thompson and Michael Shuey will be in attendance this year, giving those at JavFest the opportunity to watch the country's greatest compete.

 

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

Half-way Update: The Interns Again Bring Us The Nittany Lion Finishes At The USATF Olympic Trials

 

Remember, this is only the finishes of athletes that have completed their competitions on Sunday and Monday.  See here for earlier results.

Mens Hammer: 

(12)  Morgan Shigo       3 x Foul in Finals    (74.39M, 244'0" in Prelims.)

Womens 100H:

17)  Evonne Britton        12.95 in Semi-Finals

Womens 3000M Steeplechase:

31)  Tori Gerlach      10:25.39 

Mens Javelin:

           2)     Michael Shuey     79.24M  260'0"   Olympian

Mens 800M:

           4)     Isaiah Harris       1:44.58

           5)     Brannon Kidder     1:45.08

Mark "Beef" Heckel with newest Nittany Lion Olympian Michael Shuey.

 

Despite not getting everything perfectly correct, as some of the Administrators here might (present company excluded), I have rewarded the Interns with 2 days off and a $10 Applebee's gift card.  I will hose out their basement when they are gone.

The Ultimate Interns Guide To Nittany Lions At The 2021 USATF Olympic Trials

 Friday June 18:

3:00PM ET

Mens Shot Put Qualifying:

2.  Joe Kovacs 

3.  Darrell Hill

3:05PM ET

Mens Hammer Throw Qualifying:

 7.  Morgan Shigo

22. Tyler Merkley

5:26PM ET

Mens 800M First Round:

7.  Brannon Kidder

9.  Isaiah Harris

14.   Joe White (Volunteer Assistant from Georgetown)

9:30PM ET

Mens Shot Put Final:

Pending Qualification  (Joe Kovacs, Darrell Hill)

Saturday June 19:

5:15PM ET

Mens Javelin Throw Qualification

2. Michael Shuey

19. Mark Porter

8:04PM ET

Womens 100M Hurdle First Round:

 16. Evonne Britton 

10:04PM ET

Mens 800M Semi-Finals

Pending Qualification (Brannon Kidder, Isaiah Harris)

Sunday June 20:

7:25PM ET

Mens Hammer Throw Final

Pending Qualification (Morgan Shigo, Tyler Merkley)

9:03PM ET

Womens 100M Hurdle Semi-Final

Pending Qualification (Evonne Britton)

9:35PM ET

Womens 3000M Steeplechase First Round

26. Tori Gerlach

10:43PM ET

Womens 100M Hurdle Final

Pending Qualification (Evonne Britton)

Monday June 21:

7:15PM ET

Mens Javelin Finals

Pending Qualification (Michael Shuey, Mark Porter)

8:25PM ET

Mens 800M Finals

Pending Qualification (Brannon Kidder, Isaiah Harris)

Thursday June 24:

4:30PM ET

Womens Shot Put Qualifying

5.  Rachel Fatherly

21. Payden Montana  (transfer)

9:04PM ET

Mens 1500M First Round

8.  Brannon Kidder

10:05PM ET

Mens Discus Qualifying

19. David Lucas

11:00PM ET

Womens Shot Put Final

Pending Qualification (Rachel Fatherly)

11:47PM ET

Womens 3000M Steeplechase Final

Pending Qualification (Tori Gerlach)

Friday June 25:

4:00PM ET

Womens Javelin Qualification

21.  Madison Smith 

4:30PM ET

Mens Long Jump Qualification

22. Malik Moffett

6:30PM ET

Mens Discus Final

Pending Qualification (David Lucas)

6:35PM ET

Womens 400M Hurdle First Round 

8.  Kiah Seymour (Transfer)

7:05PM ET

Mens 1500M Semi-Final

Pending Qualification (Brannon Kidder)

8:04PM ET

Mens 200M First Round

          3  Terrance Laird (transfer now with Adidas)

Saturday June 26:

Womens Heptatlon Day 1

17. Madeline Holmberg

Sunday June 27:

Womens Heptathlon Day 2 

Madeline Holmberg

7:00PM ET

Mens Long Jump Finals

Pending Qualification (Malik Moffett)

7:20PM ET

Womens 400M Hurdles Final

Pending Qualification (Kiah Seymour, Transfer)

 8:10PM ET

Mens 1500M Finals

Pending Qualification (Brannon Kidder)

 

 

 

 

 

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)

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!

It's Mid-Season For XC, And There Still Is Track!!!

The early cross country season is over.  The tune-up meets and time trials are long gone.  We move on to the meat of the season getting ready for the championship season.

And yet there is still one more Track Meet to go.  The biggest in the world for 2019.   Schedule HERE

And the Nittany Lions have 4 Men representing us in Doha, Qatar starting on Friday:

• Joe Kovacs                Shot Put     Starting Thursday, October 3
• Darrell Hill                Shot Put                       "
• Brannon Kidder        800M        Starting  Saturday, September 28
• Michael Shuey           Javelin      Starting  Saturday, October 5

XC Season/Track Season, Duck Season/Rabbit Season:

 

Another Intern Has Been Sacked: The Updated Penn State Track and Field Alumni Outdoor Records For Each Event Rated By The IAAF Scoring Tables

Yeah, it was an honest mistake.  The IAAF Scoring Tables are confusing and the Intern forgot that there were both Male and Female Charts.  So when he looked up the 10000M record of James Carney, he somehow used the Female table, giving him many more points.  The time still ranks 4th in the updated standings.  Not too shabby.

The Intern involved has been sacked according to tradition.  But don't fear, he easily found a paid-for gig with the current Administration in Washington.  I think he's in charge of entitlements or something.  No harm, no foul.

That means my suspicion all along was correct.  The shot put mark of Joe Kovacs back in 2017 is the top mark.  At the time, it was the longest throw in many years.  And has been topped only once since then.  We'll see what he can do at the World Championships.  And Darrell Hill's recent throw to win The Match against Europe is only a little behind!  Michael Shuey also moved up with his recnt javelin toss at The Match.




1.  Joe Kovacs            2017 2019       Shot Put       74' 0.25" 75' 2"(22.91M)   1275 1335
2.  Knut Hjeltnes       1985                Discus          228' 5"  (69.62M)      1238
3.  Casimir Loxsom   2015                800M            1:44.92                     1176
4.  James Carney         2007              10000M         27:34.62                   1172
5.  Brannon Kidder    2019                1500M          3:35.27                     1171
6.  Barney Ewell        1948                100M            10.1 (ht)                   1170
7.  Mike Shine           1976                400M IH      49.30                         1159
7.  George Malley     1978                 3000M SC   8:21.72                      1159
8.  Lennart Hedmark  1973                Decathlon     8,188 pts.                 1155
9.  Casimir Loxsom  2013                600M            1:14.84                    1154
10. Mike Shuey         2019                 Javelin          273' 0"  (83.21M)    1147
11.  Mike Sands         1975                200M             20.5                         1141
12.  George Adu        1999                 Long Jump    25' 10.75" (7.89M) 1114
13.  Larry Mangan     1983                Mile               3:56.90                    1113
13.  Alan Scharsu       1985                3000M           7:50.40                    1113
14.  Mike Sands         1976                 400M             46.01                       1111
15.  Mike Shine          1979                110M HH       13.80                      1103
16.  James Carney      2008                5000M           13:31.61                  1097
17.  Casimir Loxsom  2014                1000M           2:19.16                   1092
18.  Ricardo Hall        1995                Triple Jump    53' 7.75" (16.22M) 1082
19.  Dave Kriz            1996                High Jump      7' 0.75" (2.15M)    1046
20.  Dave Masgay       1987                Pole Vault      16' 8.75"                 1021
21.  Alvin Jackson      1979                Hammer         211' 11" (64.60M)   957    

Ranking of All-Time Best Outdoor Performances of Penn State Track Alumni*

* Performances after PSU eligibility has expired.

The IAAF, or whatever they call themselves now, has a ranking system that can be used to gauge performances across Track and Field times and distances.  This system is very useful, but is only one way to interpret Athletic performances across all the disciplines.

While these tables can never be a definitive measurement of the level of performance
considering the differing opinions among sports statisticians concerning their basis and
method of construction, they do allow us to consistently measure and compare athletes and their performances across the rich variety of event disciplines.

So, I combined our previous compilation of the Event Record Holders in each discipline with the IAAF Scoring Tables.  The results are sometimes surprising.

1.  James Carney       2007                10000M       27:34.64                    1386
2.  Joe Kovacs           2017                Shot Put       74' 0.25"  (22.57M)   1275
3.  Knut Hjeltnes       1985                Discus          228' 5"  (69.62M)      1238
4.  Casimir Loxsom   2015                800M            1:44.92                     1176
5.  Brannon Kidder    2019                1500M          3:35.27                     1171
6.  Barney Ewell        1948                100M            10.1 (ht)                   1170
7.  Mike Shine           1976                400M IH      49.30                         1159
7.  George Malley     1978                 3000M SC   8:21.72                      1159
9.  Lennart Hedmark  1973                Decathlon     8,188 pts.                 1155
10.  Casimir Loxsom  2013                600M            1:14.84                    1154
11.  Mike Sands          1975                200M            20.5                         1143
12.  Mike Shuey         2019                 Javelin          271' 10"  (82.85M) 1141
13.  George Adu        1999                 Long Jump    25' 10.75" (7.89M) 1114
14.  Larry Mangan     1983                Mile               3:56.90                    1113
14.  Alan Scharsu       1985                3000M           7:50.40                    1113
16.  Mike Sands         1976                 400M             46.01                       1111
17.  Mike Shine          1979                110M HH       13.80                      1103
18.  James Carney      2008                5000M           13:31.61                  1097
19.  Casimir Loxsom  2014                1000M           2:19.16                   1092
20.  Ricardo Hall        1995                Triple Jump    53' 7.75" (16.22M) 1082
21.  Dave Kriz            1996                High Jump      7' 0.75" (2.15M)    1046
22.  Dave Masgay       1987                Pole Vault      16' 8.75"                 1021
23.  Alvin Jackson      1979                Hammer         211' 11" (64.60M)   957       

Comments appreciated!                       

Recent Additions To Our Ranks Around The World!

Michael Shuey added to his National title in the javelin with a 4th place finish in the Pan-Am Games in Lima Peru.  I know I would instantly have food poisoning if I went there, so it's a notable achievement!

And our most recent member, Isaiah Harris, just ran a season best 800M prior to heading to Europe for some fast 2-lappers!

If A National Champion Wants An Alumni Singlet, So Should You

Darrell Hill already has an Alumni Singlet and he is on the US team travelling to Qatar for the World Championships.  And now, National Champion Michael Shuey has invested in one.   You read that right!  Michael won the National Championship in the Javelin with his best ever toss of 82.85 meters (271' 10").  With that toss, Michael missed the World Championship Standard by 0.15M.  He still can make the US World team with a toss over the standard until early September or remaining in the top 32 ranking in the IAAF (Or whatever it is now...). 

Join the nearly 300 Alumni spreading the word of the greatest Track and Field Program in America by purchasing a Singlet or T-shirt like Darrell and Micheal.

Buy A Shirt Here!

B1G Homie Slays Another Goliath NATIONAL CHAMPION!

It was a darn good day at the USATF Championships on Saturday.  There were numerous Nits in action, with some fine results all over...

• First year graduate Michael Shuey placed 4th in the Javelin with a toss of 239' 9".
• PSU student athlete Michael Biddle placed 8th in the Javelin with 230' 5". (Javelin U?)
• Evonne Britton finished in 10th in the 100M Hurdles with 13.09.
• Tori Gerlach also finished 10th in the 3000M Steeplechase with 10:03.12
• Joe Kovacs heaved the big metal ball 68' 0.25" for a 5th place finish.

But in the event with that big metal ball, the overwhelming favorite to those without the knowledge that our group has, was upset in a big way.

One of these days, performances by Darrell Hill won't be called upsets anymore.  When he made the Olympic team, it was called an upset.  When he won the Diamond League it was called an upset.  And now, when "favorite" Ryan Crouser was discombobulated  and out of step in the ring all afternoon with 5!!!! fouls, they are trying to call it an upset when Darrell beats him by nearly 2 feet with a 70' 9.25" toss.

It isn't an upset anymore.  Congrats B1G Homie.

Kudos Are Appropriate

There was a time several years ago when I wasted much time away from my day job to compile a listing of the times of competitions of Nittany Lions and ex-Nittany Lions at the USATF Championships.  And of course I was criticized when I messed up a little bit...   

But now, the PSU T&F Program itself has provided us with a complete listing!  I commend them thusly! And I will steal it to spread the word further.  Go Lions.

EVENT SCHEDULE

Thursday
Time (CDT)	Event	Competitor	Entry Mark	Seed
1:50 PM	W 3,000M Steeple (1st Round)	Tori Gerlach	9:55.52	14th
2:20 PM	W 800M (1st Round)	Danae Rivers	2:03.13	24th
2:40 PM	M 800M (1st Round)	Isaiah Harris	1:44.53	2nd
Friday
Time (CDT)	Event	Competitor
3:20 PM	M Hammer Throw	Morgan Shigo	72.47m	6th
3:50 PM	W 100M Hurdles (1st Round)	Evonne Britton	12.87	10th
6:50 PM	W 800M (Semis)	Danae Rivers
7:05 PM	M 800M (Semis)	Isaiah Harris
Saturday
Time (CDT)	Event	Competitor
10 AM	100M Hurdles - Hep	Maddie Holmberg
11 AM	High Jump - Hep	Maddie Holmberg
1:05 PM	Shot Put - Hep	Maddie Holmberg
2 PM	200M - Hep	Maddie Holmberg
2:10 PM	M Javelin Throw	Michael Biddle	73.02m	11th
		Michael Shuey	78.52m	2nd
2:20 PM	W 100M Hurdles (Semis)	Evonne Britton
2:45 PM	M Shot Put	Darrell Hill	22.44m	2nd
		Joe Kovacs	22.35m	3rd
3:20 PM	W 3,000M Steeple (Finals)	Tori Gerlach
4:52 PM	W 100M Hurdles (Finals)	Evonne Britton
Sunday
Time (CDT)	Event	Competitor
11:30 AM	Long Jump - Hep	Maddie Holmberg
12:50 PM	Javelin Throw - Hep	Maddie Holmberg
2:10 PM	W Shot Put	Rachel Fatherly	17.89m	12th
2:50 PM	800M - Hep	Maddie Holmberg
3:04 PM	W 800M (Finals)	Danae Rivers
3:13 PM	M 800M (Finals)	Isaiah Harris
Maddie Holmberg enters the heptathlon as the No. 5 seed (5,976 points). Italic events require qualification.