Robby Creese Extends His Remarkable Range And Answers Our Dreaded 10 Questions!

 Robby Creese won the recent Baltimore Marathon after deciding to enter it just one day before!

5 mile	00:28:03 05:36 min/mi
10 mile	00:56:06 05:36 min/mi
15 mile	01:22:37 05:30 min/mi
20 mile	01:49:54 05:29 min/mi
Elapsed	02:26:45
Pace	05:36 min/mile

1.What were the circumstances that brought you to PSU? .

     I liked PSU and felt that it was a good fit after my visit with the team.

2. Outside of XC/Track, what was your favorite part of the State College experience?

     I liked my classes and the academic challenge in both under grad and grad school.

3. Did you have any favorite or least favorite workouts?

     My least favorite workout was the uphill, mountain tempo at Whipple's dam.  My favorite workout     was 300 repeats.

4. Outside of your major, what was your favorite class?

    Inart 110 was probably my favorite class outside of my major because we watched a lot of TV.

5. What was your post-graduate time like in State College?

     It was nice but really busy with classes, research, teaching, running, and volunteering with the team.

6. What performance are you most proud of?

     I'm most proud of the DMR at indoor nationals during my sophomore year.

7. What were your favorite training sites or running routes?

     I definitely liked tracks, Scotia, and workouts on the track.

8. Which, if any, class would you like another crack at?

    I took another crack at numerical analysis during grad school, but none now.

9. Are you self-coached now? And how do you juggle work and running? Yes,

    I'm self coached now. I stay pretty busy but make sure to run immediately after work during the week.

10. Will we see you at one of our Reunions or Golf-Tournaments soon? (Hint, hint )

     Probably and I hope to make it to a few indoor meets too.

The Good Doctor Has Excellent Range

 

Robby Creese continues to win races wearing his Alumni Singlet.   This time it was the Charm City 20-Miler.  Last we checked it was the Frederick Mile.  That's excellent range.

Creese Lightning Still Delivering The Thunder

Representing our glorious Alumni Singlets with distinction, Robby Creese won yesterday's Market Street Mile in Frederick, Maryland.  Or I should say, Dr. Creese. Excuse me.  Nice job, Robby!

Last Chance to Order An Alumni Singlet or Alumni T-Shirt

Kickoff of the Pitt/Penn State football game on Saturday will conclude this year's Alumni Singlet and T-Shirt sale expertly managed by Mark Hawkins.

You know you need one.  You know you want one.  So, get off the couch and order one....

HERE

Read all about them and then order one to join the 300 or so of us sporting them around the globe!

Robby Creese dons his Singlet and runs with the lead pack at the Dolan Duals!

Bob Hudson sports a fine look for the Buffalo game.

Isaiah Harris NCAA Champion!

I can’t wait to talk to the alumni as they’ve been so supportive of us over the years.”

Isaiah Harris. 

The retro Singlet is always appreciated!

Another B1G Win!

Isaiah Harris runs a Personal Best of 1:44.76 to take down the collegiate record holder in the 800m! pic.twitter.com/dzuLbN8pwN

— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) June 9, 2018

There has been a long line of excellent Penn State "2-lappers" who have paved the road that we affectionately call 800U.  And never mind that there are hundreds of others that weren't 800M runners among our group that have also helped cement that moniker even into the national Press.

The 800M is my favorite race to watch and I really enjoyed running it in high school. I just didn't have the talent to pull it off on a bigger stage.  But I consider myself fairly knowledgable on the event.  Watching Penn State half-milers over the last 20 years has been really fun.

Some notable PSU 800M runners I have had the pleasure to watch in the last 18 years

• Brannon Kidder
• Casimir Loxsom
• Domenic Perretta
• Matt Lincoln
• Owen Dawson
• Robby Creese
• Ryan Foster
• Sam Borchers

Add these guys to the other generations of middle distance specialists in the preceding generations all the way back to Alan Helffrich (1922-1923 800M NCAA Champion!) and you have 800U!

But all we were missing was another NCAA Champion in modern times.  And it hasn't been easy.  In the last several years there have been overwhelming dominant winners from domestic and afar.  Were we again to be satisfied with an incredible performance only to be celebrating another second place NCAA finish? (Brannon Kidder 2015, Casimir Loxsom 2013, Isaiah Harris 2017)

Very few had Isaiah Harris being able to slay the returning winner and NCAA record-holder Michael Saruni.  Very few except Isaiah and his coach, John Gondak.  They had a plan, and they had a program.  Us lucky Alumni who visited them a few weeks ago got to see that up close and personal.  And many of us started to believe.

The race was run to precision by Isaiah.  He demonstrated his intellect and wisdom at every stage. The fast opening lap of 51.x or so (rough guess) putting him in 5th place right near Saruni. It wasn't anything he hasn't done many times before.  He didn't panic, and held steady until the middle of the backstretch of the second lap.  Anticipating the surge of Saruni, Isaiah gently eased into the lead monentarily before Saruni rushed past, gaining a two-stride lead at the finish of the last turn.  He didn't panic, as Isaiah said he "saw blood" at that point, and knew that Saruni had used too much getting to where he was.

The last 100 meters was what all of us Alumni (Golfers) have been waiting for for "a few" years now. As Isaiah slipped by the defending champion, you could sense that the drought was finally over!

Isaiah eased a tad at the finish, possibly giving up another School Record, but nobody, including him, seems to care. Penn State was on the top of the podium!

Just last week I complimented Isaiah by noting that he has excelled in the classroom also, making all of us proud.  He also demonstrated his humility in post race interviews by including the Alumni in his thoughts.  I think he realizes how much we support the program's success in every aspect.  Any future 800 specialists out there have a role model and a college destination being represented with the highest recommendation posssible.

 

Did you miss the final of the men's 800-meter run from Friday? Well, we won't spoil who wins. 😏 #WeAre #PSUTF pic.twitter.com/vWbT7O6CP9

— Penn State Track & Field/Cross Country (@PennStateTFXC) June 9, 2018

The Interns Reshuffled The PSU Sub-4 Listing Chronologically!

Now I owe them time and a half and all my leftover Kung Pao Chicken...  But it was worth it!  The effort is always appreciated.

Greg Fredericks          Reading AA                3:59.7      State College            8/05/78

Larry Mangan             Penn State                   3:58.4      University Park        5/16/80

Mike Wyatt                 Philly Pioneers            3:58.0      Philadelphia             5/18/80

Matt Lincoln               PSU Alum                   3:59.39i    University Park          1/27/07

Ryan Foster                 Penn State                   3:58.49i    University Park        1/29/11

Robby Creese              Penn State                   3:59.52i    Seattle                      2/11/12

Brannon Kidder          Penn State                   3:59.48i   University Park        1/26/13

Owen Dawson             PSU Alum                   3:59.74     Philadelphia             4/27/13

Colin Abert                 Penn State                   3:59.51i    University Park        2/03/18

* Someone chime in and let us know the location of Matt's sub-4!  Matt himself and Ryan Foster have chimed in via our Facebook site and corrected this "corrected" version again.  My interns are the greatest!

And Now There Are Nine!

Colin Abert won the Mile at yesterday's Sykes and Sabock Challenge Cup at the Ashenfelter Track.  With his 3:59.51 time, he has become the ninth Nittany Lion and Alums to break the 4-Minute barrier for the imperial distance.  Congrats Colin!

Colin Abert.

He joins 6 other Americans and 2 Alums from foreign lands.  I include Matt Lincoln and Ryan Foster as honorary Americans for several reasons:

• Matt is from Canada.  The English speaking part!  I have always said that Canada is like America's Attic.  We rarely go up there, but when we do we discover that it is filled with wondrous things and we can't wait to come back again.  He also coaches American high school students well enough for National Honors!
• Ryan comes from Australia, which also is predominantly English-speaking.  With a cool accent. Even bettrer, he is from Tasmania.  He has also never had a single Foster's Lager, which he says is only sent to America! He has also golfed in our Tournament and performed a "Happy Gilmore" drive.  He has rejuvinated the XC/Track program at Division II Edinboro University.
• Both have married Americans. And any of us male reprobates who are married realize that all of us "marry up".

Penn State Athletes and Alumni Breaking the 4-Minute Mile:

Greg Fredericks (Reading AA)

3:59.7 (2)

University Park

August 05, 1978

Larry Mangan (Penn St)

3:58.4

University Park

May 16, 1980

Mike Wyatt (Philly Pioneers)

3:58.0

Philadelphia

May 18, 1980

Robby Creese (Penn St)

3:59.52(i)

Seattle

February 11, 2012

Brannon Kidder (Penn State)

3:59.48(i)

University Park

January 26, 2013

Owen Dawson* (unattached)

3:59.74

Philadelphia

April 27, 2013

Colin Abert (Penn State)  3:59.51   University Park  February 3, 2018

Canada      Matt Lincoln 3:59.39(i)  2007
Australia   Ryan Foster (Penn State)  3:58.49(i)   University Park  January, 2011

* Owen Dawson became the first ever to run a sub-4 minute mile wearing a Penn State Track Alumni Singlet.  He will forever be enshrined as a barrier-breaker of the first order.

Owen Dawson Sub-4 Penn Relays 2013. Photo by Matt Groves.

Here's a great map showing where athlete's first ever sub-4 were run. The dot at State College just got a little larger!

Penn State Track And Field Alumni (Golfers) In The Indoor Record Books

It is Indoor Season and all of us are looking forward to another great season from the Nittany Lions. There will be veterans hungry for top-flight performances and also some newcomers to challenge for attention.

But if we were to look back, we would find that there are plenty of Lions on the All-Time Indoor Record Books in many categories:

• World Records:  Casimir Loxsom  600M   1:14.91   2017.  (The 600M is not recognized as a sanctioned event by the IAAF, so this is a World Best.  The 600M is one of the most competed non-recognized events worldwide.)
• US Men:  Casimir Loxsom 600M on 2 different sized tracks  1:15.33 2105 and 1:14.91  2017.
• US Women  Shana Cox   500M   1:08.70   2010.
• Collegiate Men:   Isaiah Harris  600M  1:14.96   2017.
• Collegiate Men:  Brannon Kidder    1000M   2:18.26   2016.
• Collegiate Men:  Ryan Whiting   SP  71' 3.5"  2008. (Ryan was an Assistant Coach)
• Collegiate Women:  Penn State 4x200M   1:35.65  2014.
• US Junior Men:  Robby Creese    1000M  2:19.53  2012.

A Call To Arms

I am sending the word out that we need some volunteers to lend their Alumni Singlets to 2 alums without them for competition this Indoor Season.

Robby Creese and Darrell Hill have both expressed their desire for an Alumni Singlet and we can't possibly get them made in time. Robbie wears a size Large, while Darrell will certainly need a larger size than that. (There are a few out there, I know.)

Please help spread the word and email me if you can help. (dfbaskwill at cs dot com)

My Choices Of Performance Of The Meet Nittany Lion Challenge

I watched a fair amount of the meet via Flo Track Pro, but of course I missed these two performances.  I would relish any arguments on this.

• Bryce Williams, 51' 8.25" in the Triple Jump, a year after an ACL injury.
• Danae Rivers, 1:29.06 School Record in the 600M.

The eagerly anticipated 1000M race was a very good one, but Isaiah Harris just couldn't get past the eventual winner Joseph White of Georgetown in 2:22.14 (to 2:21.96).  A note of impending goodness for PSU was Dom Perretta in third with 2:23.06!  PSU is 800U

Former Lion Robby Creese won the Mile in 4:06.29 and doubled back to place 5th in the 1000M in 2:25.08!  Robby probably already knows that he needs an Alumni Singlet for races like these, but if not, someone get him one!

Danae Rivers.

Dom Perretta, a generically shirted Robby Creese and Jordan Makins.

The 1K Seems To Be The Event To Watch Today

The Nittany Lion Challenge is today and figures to highlight the loaded middle distance corps of the Lions.  Despite the absence of Michael Slagowski today (he will debut at the Penn State National), there are enough others to watch with earnest.

At the top of the list is the 1000M, where Isaiah Harris seems to be eager to attack the Collegiate Record of Brannon Kidder.  If he performs well, PSU could have 4 of the top 5 runners ever in the event!

• Brannon Kidder
• Robby Creese
• Ryan Foster

 Event Preview from From Flo Track Pro:

Men's 1000m

When: ​2:50 PM ET
Who: Isaiah Harris (Penn State), Joe White (Georgetown), Robby Creese (unattached)
Why: This is the race of the meet. According to ​Track & Field News​, three of the top five collegians ever in the 1000m are Penn State men--Kidder, Creese, and Ryan Foster​. Harris's 1:45.76 800m PR is faster than Creese or Foster ever ran outdoors, and right there with Kidder's 1:45.58. White has run 1:46 for the 800m and 2:23 in the 1000m, so he's a contender, though maybe not for the collegiate record.

Harris finishing fourth in the NCAA and sixth at the Olympic Trials in the 800m was one of the most underrated stories of 2016. In 2017, with Clayton Murphy, Donavan Brazier, Brandon McBride, and Shaq Walker all having turned pro, Harris can be one of the biggest mid-d stars in the collegiate system. A collegiate record would be a great way to remind everyone. Kidder's 2:18.26 is the standard to beat.

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)

Another Lion Joins The Party

Robby Creese is headed to Eugene and Hayward Field for the 1500M Prelims!  He has been added to the field, bringing the total to 40 or so.  Prelims are Thursday at 7:21PM (PT) or 10:21PM (ET)

Now, the question is, will he wear the blue or the Throwback Singlet?  Good luck Robby.

Phabulous Phriday in Philly

And our Interns were there!

There were many highlights at the Carnival's second day.  Until the decision to withdrawal from the Sprint Medley Relay late in the day, Penn State was on track to be represented in ALL Championship of America Relays. The 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 teams all qualified for the finals in action on Phriday!

But of course, the highlight for us was the victory in the Distance Medley Relay by the Nittany Lion quartet of Robby Creese (1200M), Alex Shisler (400M), Isaiah Harris (800M) and Brannon Kidder (1600M) in the time of 9:35.51 !  All photos from unpaid intern Phil Passen except the last one!

Brannon Kidder leading the tall Ahmed Bile of Georgetown.

Wheels Up!

A happy bunch.

Robby Creese in lane 2 eyes the competition.

Intrepid (unpaid) Intern Phil Passen.

Alex Shisler with the lead!

Victory! (Photo by W&M Alum Tim O'Dowd via Brian Mount.)

And with Robby, Brannon and Alex graduating, PSU certainly needs to reload some talent.  But never fear, WE SEEM TO HAVE THAT COVERED!


Nittany Lion recruit Michael Slagowski of Rocky Mountain High School (ID) became the ninth prep runner to dip below the four-minute mark in the mile today. He ran 3:59.53 at the Nike Jesuit Relays in Portland, Oregon.

Slagowski, who ran a solo 1:48.70 800m earlier this year, formerly owned a 4:05.71 personal best for the mile. His performance today marked the fourth sub-four-minute mile run by a prep in the past calendar year.

Future Nittany Lion.

The Nittany Lions Are Invading Penn Relays This Week: You Should Be There Too!

 Things are looking good for the PSU Middle Distance Corps heading into the meat of the season.  With the Penn Relays next in store for them, the entire group seems to be rounding into terrific shape.  There were fine performances in Stanford by all of them, with Robby Creese's 1500M time of 3:43 being the "least best" of them!  Wow!

The Lions are entered in all the Championships of America Relays in events with middle distance influence.  (Sprint Medley, Distance Medley, 4 x800 and 4 xMile).  Which will be featured and which will be emphasized may only be in the head of Coach Gondak right now?  (Pick the 4 x800, please!)

The Nittany Lions would like your help heading into Saturday's events.  You can give your support and be a part of the magic by attending the Friday Night Reception.  Official Physicist Brian Boyer will be there all the way from Vienna, so your excuse is weak! (As is mine. Sigh!)

Get your RSVP in to Owen Dawson Now!

Men's 1500m, Heat 1 - Brannon Kidder with a blazing last 300m!: Watch Penn State's Brannon Kidder take down a loaded men's 1500m field with an extra gear at 300m to go. Kidder closed for a winning time of 3:40.11, followed by Joshua Thompson in 3:41.88 and Sean McGorty in 3:42.22.

Let's Return To Our Usual 800M Meme. Sorry Sprinters!

It was the opening meet for some of Penn State's fine middle distance corps.  And it didn't disappoint!

Four of the crew traveled to the real Vacation-land Florida even though one of them originally comes from that State that claims to be Vacation-land (Maine).  Many top 800M and 1500M runners were there to greet them.

Gainesville resident and Florida Gator Andres Arroyo placed second to Nike's Wesley Vazquez. Both dipped under 1:46.  They were followed by the Nittany Lion duo of Isaiah Harris (1:46.02) and Brannon Kidder (1:46.42).  In his first race in quite a while, Robby Creese ran 1:50.73.  One-time Penn State Commit Myles Marshall, (Harvard) placed 9th in 1:48.2.  Isaiah and Brannon now have the 2nd and third fastest 800s in the nation in the early season.

Jordan Makins ran a personal best in the 1500M with his 3:48.96.  Director of Operations Laura Loht placed 6th in the Javelin.

6      Laura Loht      49.23m      (161' 06")

The Boys