While I Was Away

Some of you may note by the relative lack of posting lately that I have been away for my annual vacation to West Virginia, the land of no internet.  Well, bad internet anyway.  I barely tried this year.  Here is some pics of my 2 dogs who went on the trip and got to hike the Appalachian Trail and the C&O Canal Trail.

Pooky checks out the cool Shenandoah River after a hike.

Harpers Ferry From Virginia.

Pooky and Spott after hiking 10 miles.

But others were even more active:

• Fawn Dorr placed 2nd in the Canadian Track Championships in the 400M Hurdles in 56.52
• Penn State was well represented in the Brentwood Firecracker 5K (Pittsburgh) (Thanks to our Chief Laundry and Morale Officer)

1. Mark Fuller  was 9th in 16:31
2. Scott Munro was 10th in 16:40
3. Natalie Bower was 37th in 18:12
4. Mark Hawkins was 65th in 19:22 (2nd in age group)
5. Don Ziter was there too, but I can't find his results.

An Inside View of NCAA's

Thanks to Jake Bartholomy, we have somewhat of an inside view of the goings-on in Eugene last week.  It was a week that saw the Women get a top 30 (tie 29th) finish and the Men get a 14th Place finish.  It's been a wonderful year of watching it all, and there is still the USATF and Junior Championships to come.

I have a special thank you for two One-Year Nittany Lions, Ricky West and Sam Masters.  It may have been only one year of eligibility, but its a lifetime of Alumni Status.  Lions are as loyal of a beast as there ever could be.  You'll see what I mean in the years to come.  Remember, the golf may be optional, but its highly recommended!

Here's Jake's comments on the Championships:

The meet was fantastic. There is no better place to watch track in the U.S. The stands were full every day and the crowd stays to watch the 10k's at the end of the day and clap rhythmically as runners pass in front of them. Of course, the crowd is extra loud for Oregon athletes, but that's fair and at least the crowd is into it, cheering, and knowledgeable.
As a PSU alum, I was extremely proud. On Thursday, I ran into Coach Sullivan and some other coaches and athletes right away on Thursday. They all ended up sitting with me and I had a great talk with Sam Masters about his career and future plans. I doubt I would have been that mature to engage an old alum 2 days before my biggest race ever.
I was able to meet most of the other PSU athletes who were all gracious and professional. I was bummed I didn't get a chance to meet our 800 crew of Casimir, Brannon, or Ricky. Rightfully, they were being quite careful to avoid the sun and rest their legs.
I didn't hear any criticism of the two uniforms. I could see the tv commentators talking about it though, I guess. The back story is the distance runners love the "old school" white jerseys and had them made for cross country. In track, if a distance runner makes a final, they get to wear that special jersey as an incentive/reward. Casimir asked Coach Sullivan if he could wear it in the final and since she was pleased with the effort he did put into XC last fall, she said he could wear it. In hindsight, sure it might have been nice if they looked more like a team than individuals and displayed Penn State's middle distance prowess, especially with their outstanding 2-3 finish, but the events just evolved as I mentioned. They weren't purposefully trying to be different or 'not a team.'
Again, I was so glad I could make the trip as I enjoy watching track in Eugene even if it's an all-comers meet and I don't know 1 person competing. NCAA's is special and to see our PSU coaches, staff, and athletes representing the Bue & White with fierce competitiveness and class, ie, Success with Honor, made me so proud to be a Nittany Lion.

Melissa Kurzdorfer. Photo by Jake Bartholomy.

Natalie Bower. Photo by Jake Bartholomy.

Michael Shuey. Photo by Jake Bartholomy

Sean Reilly. Photo by Jake Bartholomy.

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.

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! 

Nearly an Elite 8!

Matt Fischer (just left of center) toes the line.  Photo by Nick Scarpello.

I notice things.  Sometimes I pick up on a meme before others.  Sometimes, it's even significant when I do.  I picked up on this meme several years ago and have trumpeted it before.

Penn State Track and Field Athletes continue to improve during their careers as well as any athletes in any College in the Nation.

Sometimes there are athletes like me who start out with humble talent, and sometimes there are athletes with unbelievable talent.  But invariably,  PSU Track athletes attain their ultimate potential under the current coaching staff as well as anywhere in the US.  Hats off to everyone.

Yesterday, the distance corps demonstrated this on a grand scale at the Stanford Invitational.  All seven (one short of eight, get it?) attained a PR on their first performance of the outdoor season. My congrats to everyone.

1. Matt Fischer   14:01.23  5000 M
2. Tyler Corkedale  14:20.06  5000 M
3. Nick Scarpello  14:23.08  5000 M
4. Natalie Bower  16:12.88  5000 M
5. Tori Gerlach  16:28.51  5000 M
6. Emily Giannotti  34:54.26  10000 M
7. Abbie Benson  10:33.30  3000 M SC

And the real Elite 8 has decimated Montgomery Baskwill's early round prognostication performance.  He's now just an also-ran.  I notice only a couple of Track Alumni Golfers in the top echelon with Zeb Stewart garnering a current 6th place in Ken Cooper's annual pool. Group friend Ron "Bile" Ferguson also seems to be in a drivers seat of sorts, still having his winner in the final eight.

1	12	Rupe, Mark	65
2	(1)	Riter, Christie	64
3	0	Sailer, Aaron	63
4	26	McCarthy, Dennis	63
5	4	Ferguson, Ron	62
6	44	Stewart, Zeb	62
7	3	Angelo, Peter	62
8	4	Radzwich, Claudia	61
9	5	Cardenas, Milton	61
10	5	Dubya, G	61
11	5	Oppenheimer, Hank	61
12	6	Tate, Andy	61
13	49	Cooper, Kevin (2)	60
14	(12)	Cooper, Kyle	60
15	10	Golic, Mike	60
16	54	Wintersteen, Kyle	59
17	10	Sailer, Jackson	59
18	59	Morse, Willie	59
19	(15)	Cooper, Kyle 2	59
20	16	Obama, Barack	59
21	16	Cooper, Kathleen	58
22	20	Smith, Holden	58
23	(17)	Roth, Andy	58
24	62	Jones, Darryl	58

"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.

Some Fine First Day Performances

Rebekka Simko stepped up from her usual distance and impressed with a victory in the 1500 M at the Bison Outdoor Classic at Bucknell on Saturday.  Her 4:20.11 is in the top 10 PSU performances all-time.
Robbie Creese continued his impressive Freshman exploits with  his 1500 M in a facility record 3:43.79.

The Lady Lions took the top 4 positions in the 3000 M Steeplechase with Natalie Bower leading them with a 10:25.46.  In the 10,000 M run, Chris Cipro PR'ed with a fine 29:53.07.

The Throwers continued their fine early season with Joe Kovacs and Will Barr going 1-2 in the Discus with throws of 176' 9" and 174' 8".

Events continue today in Lewisburg, PA.

Distance Runners Open Outdoor Season in Style!

Led by Kara Millhouse's School Record 10,000 M Run, the PSU Quintet all had good starts to their Outdoor 2011 seasons.  Kara shattered the 10 K mark by more than 30 seconds with her 33:31.93 to place 10th in a loaded field.

Caitlin Lane PR'ed (old school abbreviation there!) with a 16:18.14 in the 5,000 M. She was followed by Brooklynne Ridder  16:45.08.  Natalie Bower hurdled and water-jumped to a 10:21.87 for the eighth best Steeplechase in School history.

The lone PSU Mens Team member making the long trip was Tasmanian Ryan Foster, who placed fifth in the 1500 M with a 3:45.56.

I'm looking forward to some great performances from both ranked PSU Teams this season!