Finishing Up With 3 More All-Americans

Danae Rivers again solidified her Freshman season as one for the ages in the first track event of the final day of competition at the NCAA Indoor Championships.  Having already run a heated prelim in the Mile and a leading 1200M leg in the Distance Medley Relay the night before, one would think she would be sluggish at the start of the Mile Saturday.

But you would be wrong, as Danae led the Mile in the early stages, obviously going for broke in the event with several favorites seeded ahead of her.  She held on and even had a very fine final 150M to place 3rd in the event!  That tops by one place for the best finish in the event in PSU history by a friend and great Nittany Lion Patty Murnane in 1982.  Time flies, Patty, but I remember those days like they were yesterday.

1.		Karisa NELSON	JR	Samford	4:31.24
2		Elinor PURRIER	JR	New Hampshire	4:31.88
3		Danae RIVERS	FR	Penn State	4:33.89

And another All-American finish was accomplished by Triple Jumper Danielle Gibson, who bettered her 12th seed in the event with an 8th place finish, scoring one point for the Lions.  That gave the Women's team a tie for 10th place nationally with Stanford (where emeritus Energizer Lion Jess Riden now abodes).

8.

Dannielle GIBSON

SR

Penn State

13.23m (43-5 )

Finally, Isaiah Harris raced against the current Freshman sensation Emmanuel Korir of UTEP. Previously, Isaiah had eclipsed the 600M Collegiate record from Korir at the Penn State National meet where Casimir Loxsom had set the World's Best indoor mark of all time.

This time out, Isaiah ran a fine race but didn't have enough to stay with Korir at the finish, letting 2 others nip him at the wire.  His fourth-place finish was the best at the Indoor Championships since Loxsom's runner-up finish in 2012.

1.		Emmanuel KORIR	FR	UTEP	1:47.48
2		Drew PIAZZA	SR	Virginia Tech	1:47.62
3		Joseph WHITE	JR	Georgetown	1:47.79
4		Isaiah HARRIS	SO	Penn State	1:47.94

Two other events saw close-but-no-cigar attempts at All-American status. Tessa Barrett doubled back from her 5th place finish in the 5000M to place 10th in the 3000M. And the Mens 4 x 400M Relay squad finished in 10th also. Notable among the stats was a 45.72 split by Xavier Smith, my current favorite meme of the blog.

10.

Tessa BARRETT

SO

Penn State

9:16.50

10.

PENN STATE

Penn State

3:07.43

A Final Post From Eugene!

"Once a Lion, always a Lion."

-one of the cornerstones of our Group.

Former Lion and transfer to Texas Byron Robinson punched his ticket to Rio with his second place finish in the 400M Hurdles in a blistering 48.79!

Byron Robinson and Undersecretary of Fun Billy Francis Cvecko.

And there was a Mini-Reunion in Eugene.  Attendees included Coach Gary Schwartz and his wife Myrna, Tom Rapp and his wife Mary Rawe Rapp, Patty Murnane Nosack and Janet Norem.  No word on who won the putting contest...

I Actually Never Met Eugene

I depend on others for a lot of my "reportage".  And when big things are occurring for PSU Track and Field waaaay over in Oregon, I need help to bring you pictures and news.

So it is with great delight that I present our newest Roaming Corespondent, Patty Murnane Nosack!  She happens to live very near Hayward Field, home of all track and field for the next millennium or so.  (Remember, our original Roaming Corespondent is on the Appalachian Trail somewhere in the Green Mountains!)

Patty had the wonderful chance to take her daughter to Eugene yesterday and hang out in the Nike section of Hayward Field with other Nittany Lions.  She generously sent me some exclusive pics for all of us to enjoy.  Thanks Patty!

Grace, Patty Murnane Nosack, Tina Leatherman Jones and Kathy Mills Parker.

Patty met Coach Gondak by chance when she was heading home!

"We must be in the front row!"

Mark Parker gives Grace advice on shoe design!

Tessa Barrett before the 5000M. (Heal up quickly!)

The whole gang.

If I had the chance to visit Eugene, I would briefly visit Hayward Field, but I would really want to make it to the Dexter Lake Club.  Here is Otis Day, still singing the Lake Club's favorite song in 2012!  He had to learn to sing after the movie.  He lip-synced the original!

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. 

1980 Marked The Virtual End Of The AIAW: (With Movie and Song!)

The Organization persisted for 2 years and some teams even ran in both Championships.  But for all intents the NCAA sucker punched the AIAW in a bitter street fight  (and Here) and stole everything. Title IX played a role in the demise of the female-only organization.

But Penn State was there on the line in Seattle, Washington at the 1980 AIAW Cross Country Championships, finishing in 4th place.

1. Heather Carmichael          24th    17:42
2. Mary Rawe                       26th    17:44
3. Peggy Cleary                    62nd    18:14
4. Patty Murnane                  66th     18:16
5. Natalie Updegrove           69th     18:18
6. Doreen Startare              155th     18:58
7. Magda Kubasiewicz       193rd    19:29 

This adds Mary Rawe to the ranks of the Greatest PSU Women Cross Country runners.  (One of the main reasons I was persistent in getting these complete results!)   The Final Rankings will be coming soon!
Top Movies 1980:

1. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back  (now Episode 5)    "Luke, I am your father."
2. Raging Bull     "You didn't get me down, Ray." (meaning Sugar Ray Robinson beat him to a pulp, but he never went down.)
3. Airplane     "Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?"

Top Songs 1980:

1. Call Me - Blondie 
2. Another Brick In The Wall - Pink Floyd 
3. Magic - Olivia Newton-John 

 

Another Third Place In The AIAW Championships: 1979

Top Movies 1979:

1. Apocalypse Now   " I love the smell of napalm in the morning."
2. Alien     " The pit is completely enclosed. And it's full of leathery objects, like eggs or something."
3. Mad Max     "I am the Nightrider. I'm a fuel injected suicide machine. I am the rocker, I am the roller, I am the out-of-controller!"

Top Songs 1979:

1. My Sharona - The Knack
2. Bad Girls - Donna Summer
3. Le Freak - Chic 

Two Nittany Lions placed in the top 10 of the 1979 AIAW Cross Country Championships.  Fourth place finisher Kathy Mills was joined by Heather Carmichael in 8th place.  The team finished in third behind first time winner North Carolina State and Oregon.

This cements Patty Murnane's name on the listing of Greatest PSU Womens XC Runners. Coming Soon.

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."

50 Years of Women's Sports at PSU

The celebration is on in Happy Valley this weekend.  It's been 50 years since Women's Sports blossomed at Penn State.  Congrats to everyone.  Send some pics our way if you are there!

To highlight the festivities, here's a pic from the intertubes I came across yesterday.*  I think I know 4 of the PSU runners, but I'm not going to risk the embarrassment of failure and the scorn of my detractor(s) by posting them.  Let's all chime in and fill in the names via the comments!

*These youngsters were not around at the beginning of PSU Women's sports. This is approximately 1979-80??? 1982 (Missed it by thaaaat much.)