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 One And A Two...

 

PSU Track Alumni (Golfers) snagged one National Championship and a runner-up spot at the recent Indoor Championships out west.

Joe Kovacs won the Shot Put with a toss of 21.55M (70' 8.5")

Isaiah Harris placed second in the 800M with  1:46.42.

Rachel Fatherly placed 5th in the Shot Put with 17.47M (57' 3.75")

Morgan Shigo placed 8th in the Weight Throw with 22.30M (73' 2")

 

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
  

Our Brave And Talented Interns Are Off Duty, So I Will Post The Next To Last Olympic Trials Update Of Nittany Lion Finishes

 Women's Shot Put:

14.  Rachel Fatherly      17.12M

15.  Payden Montana (transfer)  17.05M

Mens Discus:

15.  David Lucas        58.99M

Womens 3000M Steeplechase:

31.  Tori Gerlach      10:25.39

Womens Javelin:

21.  Madison Smith      45.93M 

Mens Long Jump:

23.  Malik Moffett     7.25M

Womens 400M Hurdle:

9.  Kiah Seymour (transfer)   55.84

TwoThree Lions in competition on the last day...

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)

 

 

 

 

 

Nittany Lions At The 2020 USATF Indoor Championships

Long Jump:
     2nd     Malik Moffett        26' 0.25"  (7.93m)

800M:
     2nd     Isaiah Harris           1:47.16

1500M:
     4th      Brannon Kidder     3:44.69

Weight Throw:
     5th      Morgan Shigo        74' 4.5"    (22.67m)

Shot Put:
     DNS   Rachel Fatherly

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

Indoor USATF Lion Notables

No one could have ever predicted that the Indoor Championships of the entire country would happen in Staten Island.  But it really just happened.

And some Lions were there to perform well.

• Rachel Fatherly was 5th in the Shot Put with 58' 10 3/4"
• Brannon Kidder placed 3rd in the 1000M with 2:21.23
• Malik Moffett jumped 25' 2 3/4" to place 2nd
• Joe Kovacs returned to the indoor stage to place 2nd with 70' 2 1/2"

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.

"Nits At Nats"

There were 6 Nittany Lions in action at the USATF Championships in Albuquerque this past weekend.  Each were vying for a chance at a trip to Birmingham England for the IAAF World Indoor Championships.

•  Evonne Britton   60M Hurdles   12th Place   8.16
•  Rachel Fatherly   Shot Put            7th Place   55' 8.25"  
•  Brannon Kidder   1500M            6th Place     3:43.78
•  Casimir Loxsom     800M               DNF        (51.41 400M)

It has been a rough year for Casimir, but he did get his degree in December!

Men’s Heat 2  From LetsRun summary:
Cas Loxsom took things out really hard so hard that he tied up on third lap and dropped out before 600. to act as a pacer to give other runners a better shot at advancing.
24.74 Loxsom has gapped field with Brazier 5 meters back.
400 – Loxsom – 51.43 with Brazier close behind.
On back stretch of third lap, both Russell Dinkins and Brazier went by Loxsom

Video:  Cas Loxsom on his 2018 Indoor Season

• Ryan Whiting   (former Assistant Coach)  Shot Put    1st Place   67' 9"
• Darrell Hill      Shot Put        2nd Place      65' 8.25" 

That means Darrell and Ryan are headed to Birmingham!

Sooooooo Close!

800U and Shot Put U were well represented at the USATF Indoor Championships in New Mexico over the weekend.

Rachel Fatherly placed 11th in the Shot Put, and Olympian Darrell Hill placed 4th in the Mens version of the event.

On the track, World Record Holder Casimir Loxsom was the favorite in the 600M, but couldn't quite catch his frequent competitor Erik Sowinski. It is a good sign that Cas had a better last 200M time than Erik. His strength training is starting to show results!  It is notable that Shaquille Walker and Donavan Brazier placed 3rd and 6th behind him.

A little disappointed.

Casimir Loxsom Brooks

1:15.18

24.02 - Pl: 5

48.84 24.82 Pl: 5

1:15.18 26.35 Pl: 2

In the 1000M, Brannon Kidder ran a very strong second place but couldn't close on the winner, Clayton Murphy.  Again, it is notable that Olympian Robby Andrews was well back in the field

Brannon Kidder

Brooks

2:19.10

27.85 - Pl: 7

56.33 28.49 Pl: 7

1:25.25 28.92 Pl: 7

1:53.29 28.05 Pl: 3

2:19.10 25.82 Pl: 2

Creese Advances: Five Lions In Action In Eugene

There were Nittany Lions on the track and in the field yesterday at the USATF Olympic Trials.

• Rachel Fatherly - 22nd in the Shot Put  (50' 8")
• Brian Leap - 15th in the Triple Jump  (52' 6 1/2")
• Bridget Franek - 6th in the 3000M Steeplechase  (9:33.51)
• Robby Creese - advanced to 1500M Semi-finals  (3:42.89) (7:12PM ET) 
• Evonne Britton - 22nd in the 100M Hurdles (13.13)

Ebel Is Able And His Throwers Are Too!

Coach Ebel has every right to be strutting and crowing, but he has just nonchalantly directed all congratulations to his throwers.  And his throwers won or excelled in just about every event they could at Penn Relays, both College Division and Championship Division!

Women's Discus:   Obeng Marfo   2nd   161' 2"
Men's Shot Put:  Jon Yohman   1st    60' 10.5"
Men's Discus:   David Lucas   1st   180' 6"
Women's Javelin:  Sarah Stanley   1st   147' 3"
Men's Javelin:   Ryan Kerr     1st    228' 8"
Women's Shot Put:  Alyssa Robinson   3rd  52' 5.5"
Women's Hammer Throw:  Rachel Fatherly   6th   178' 10"
Women's Javelin:  Lauren Kenney   6th  144' 5"
Men's Hammer Throw:  Morgan Shigo   1st  206' 0"

Coach Ebel and John Lucas.

Two More All-Americans

The final day of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships saw two more Nitany Lions added to the ranks of All-Americans.

Brannon Kidder placed seventh in the 800M (1:50.29) in the midst of one of the finest fields ever assembled for the event.  Rachel Fatherly topped off her steady progress as a thrower by placing eighth in the Shot Put (56' 6").  Dannielle Gibson finished 10th in the Triple Jump with a leap (or is it 3?) of 42' 3.25".

Rachel Fatherly and Mid-Atlantic Assistant Coach of the Year Patrick Ebel.

In other action, Casimir Loxsom placed 3rd in the USATF Indoor Championships 800M in 1:47.89.

End of Season Accolades and Rankings

It was a great Indoor Season for the Nittany Lions, and eight athletes are moving on to the very exclusive NCAA Indoor Championships in 5 events (only top 16 make it nationwide)!

 9  Tessa Barrett     FR 5000M         15:46.08D

14  Tori Gerlach      SR 5000M         15:50.49D

15  Dannielle Gibson  JR Triple Jump     13.14mD

 8  Rachel Fatherly   SR Shot Put        17.27mD

                                                                                                                

4  Isaiah Harris      FR 800M           1:46.24D

8  Brannon Kidder     SR 800M           1:47.01D

3  Distance Medley Relay                9:27.20D

 1200M)  Jordan Makins SR   400M) 426 Alex Shisler SR            

 800M)  Isaiah Harris FR 1600M) 424 Brannon Kidder SR  

Isaiah Harris to Brannon Kidder!

And two athletes and one coach earned Regional  honors!
 

MID-ATLANTIC - Track Athlete of the Year – Brannon Kidder, Penn State
Kidder, a senior from Lancaster, Ohio, broke the collegiate 1000 meters record in 2:18.26, ranks No. 8 at 800 meters in 1:47.01 and anchored the No. 3 DMR with a 3:55 1600-meter split. He won the mile at the Big Ten Championships and anchored the winning DMR. He’ll put his individual undefeated record on the line over 800 meters at the NCAA Championships, and will also run the DMR.
MID-ATLANTIC - Field Athlete of the Year – Rachel Fatherly, Penn State
Fatherly, a senior from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, broke the Penn State record in the shot put at 17.27m (56-8) for the No. 8 rank in the country. She finished runner-up in the event at the Big Ten Championships to go along with a fourth-place weight throw finish. She will contest the shot put at the NCAA Championships.
MID-ATLANTIC – Womens Assistant Coach of the Year – Patrick Ebel, Penn State
Ebel, in his fourth season guiding the Penn State throwers, coached his shot putters to three of the top four individual finishes at the Big Ten Championships. National No. 8 Rachel Fatherly finished runner-up as one of three Nittany Lions to surpass 50 feet, and he also had two finalists in the Big Ten weight throw. Fatherly, the school record holder in the shot put, will compete at the NCAA Championships.



And Penn State is ranked 2nd overall in the 800M as a team, just 0.3 seconds behind Texas A&M and Freshman sensation Donavan Brazier.  The top 4 runners from each team count in the standings.

It's Going To Be A Super Stupendous Year!

The Track Season has really gotten off to a tremendous start for the Penn State Family.  And it promises to be even better in the coming months.

Here's just some of the evidence:

• Robby Creese bettered his PR and American Collegiate Record (2012-2014)  in the 1000M at the Nittany Lion Challenge and placed second to Brannon Kidder!  Brannon's new PR is 2:18.26 (his first ever dabble in the event!) and is the overall Collegiate (NCAA) Record.  Robby, running unattached this Indoor Season, ran 2:21.89.

Incidentally, there are now 6 active NCAA athletes, including Brannon, with 800M times under 1:46.00!  Donavan Brazier, Texas A&M Freshman, ran 1:45.93 in his first ever collegiate 800M.  "Watson, the 800 game is afoot."

• Rachel Fatherly continues PSU's Shot Put tradition by winning the event by more than 3 feet with a heave of 56' 0.50".
• PSU Men have a very good sprinter in Xavier Smith, 6.69 School Record for 60M!
• The Pole Vault is well represented by both the Men and Women.
• Tori Gerlach warmed the crowd up for Brannon's effort with her own School Record in the 1000M in 2:43.15.
• Transfer Timothy McGowan (welcome BTW!) won the 3000M in 8:08.24 with Alum Owen Dawson placing second in 8:16.39 and FR Colin Abert in third, 8:19.00.
• Down Under's Jordan Makins won the Mile in 4:06.86 after rabbiting Brannon to his historic 1000M.
• Alex Shisler, progeny of PSU Greats Beth and Steve Shisler, continues his incredible career, dropping down from his usual 400M to place second in the 200M with 21:45.

Remember, there are plenty of opportunities to meet and interact with the PSU Team this year. Show your support for the program and help us make Oregon jealous!  There will be a Dinner at Rotelli's this Winter with the coaches (highly recommended!), an Alumni Reception at the Penn Relays, and our Alumni Reunion and Coach Groves Golf Tourney in May (20-21).  Be sure to stay tuned for all of these great events.  Our Alumni Efforts really do make a difference.  If you can't participate, there are numerous ways to give financial help to the Program, even by donating right here on the Right Sidebar.

Also, don't forget to click on the ads on our site occasionally (or often!) to help defray the increasing costs of blogging in this dangerous world. Some costs for photo storage, form security and procurement of Awards are becoming higher and higher. This lowly blogger is finding it harder and harder to afford the quality of Interns you are used to.  "Sharing" and reposting all of our content really helps also. My blog adheres to the International Creative Commons Non-commercial 4.0 Standard. That makes it really easy to repost, share and even add to my content to spread the word far-and-wide. 

Penn State So Far At The USATF Championships, With A Big Day Today

So far, the top finish for PSU has been Karlee McQuillen's 6th in the Javelin.Here's the list, so far.  Today, top seed Casimir Loxsom and Joe Kovacs join Darrell Hill and Ryan Whiting in trying to do even better!

6        Karlee McQuillen        Javelin         56.76m (186-3)

8        Bridget Franek             300M SC     9:47.81
14       Brannon Kidder           800M         1:48.26

15       Evonne Britton            100M H      13.18

17       Robby Creese              1500M        3:47.12

17       Rachel Fatherly           Shot Put      16.49 (54-1 1/4)

17       Tori Gerlach                3000M SC   10:12.8

18       Kiah Seymour             400M H      58.66

It's Still Indoor Season Really: Awards And Coveted Entries At Nationals

Coach John Gondak, who I have been fortunate enough to call a friend since his arrival at PSU, was just named the Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year for Mens Indoor Track.  In his first season, John has brought some needed energy into the program, and not just in his natural coaching position of Middle
Distance tutelage.  I spoke with some athletes at the recent Sykes and Sabock Challenge, and across all disciplines of the sport, he was praised by everyone.  There are some exciting times ahead for all of us invested in PSU Track and Field.

And let's not forget about Darrell Hill's Field Athlete of the Year also.  We've kept up with his progress quite well on this blog.  For some reason, I really enjoy his Shot Put event despite it being the farthest from my limited wheel house. Can I call what I did a wheel house?

Entries to the Indoor NCAA Nationals (this year in Fayetteville, Arkansas) are always limited to the top 16 times or distances or performances.  PSU has quite a few entries, however.  The 3rd ranked Shot Put of Darrel Hill, the 2nd place Distance Medley team and the 3rd ranked Mile of Brannon Kidder lead the pack.

• Darrel Hill,   Shot Put    -3rd seed      67' 3.50"  School Record
• Robby Creese,  3000M     -8th seed    7:50.36    School Record
• Brannon Kidder,  Mile     -3rd seed     3:57.13  School Record (3 readers pointed out that Robby Creese's 3:57.11 is the school record.  Thanks to all! You guys are the best.
• Brian Leap,  Triple Jump   -13th sed   52' 6.75"
• Mens Distance Medley Relay -  Brannon Kidder, Robert Rhodes, Za'Von Watkins and Robby Creese   9:28.36   2nd seed
• Rachel Fatherly   Shot Put  -13th seed   55' 5.75"
• Rachel Fatherly   Weight Throw   -14th seed   69' 2"
• Womens 4 x 400M Relay  Megan Osborne, Dynasty McGee, Tichina Rhodes, Kiah Seymour 11th seed   3:34.90
• Kiah Seymour, 400M  14th seed   52.72

And it just doesn't seem like Outdoor Track Season yet.  My high school Freshman daughter has only had 2 practices so far, one of them indoors and the other one on the road doing hills. Here are my Nike snow boots I originally purchased in the early 90's.  I had to dig them out for some shoveling this week.  I hate them a lot.  But I love the throwback Nike Internationalists in the background!