Distance Night Performances

Here's all the PSU related distance results from the 2016 Penn Relays by place (just to mess with your mind).

• Tessa Barrett                  2nd place   5000M        16:08.11
• Jillian Hunsberger          4th place  5000M    16:27.39
• Brian Fuller (Alumni)    7th place  5000M    14:38.25
• Colin Abert                     9th place   5000M         14:10.66
• Ean Disilvio                    9th place   3000M SC    9:06.25
• Timothy McGowan       11th place   5000M      14:10.94
• John Dugan                    13th place  3000M SC    9:13.90
• Kyle Dawson (Alumni) 14th place   5000M  14:46.33
• John McGowan             20th place   5000M     14:23.09
• Wade Endress                24th place   5000M     14:28.83

And a special note for Don Skerpon's daughter Elyse Skerpon, who was 2nd in her heat of the 400M H!

• Elyse Skerpon                32nd place  400M H     1:03.53
• Rachel DeCecco             44th place   400M H     1:04.89

Darrell Hill Steals The Show Again

I traveled up to State College to see some friends and escape my mundane existence in South-Central PA.  I was hoping to capture some footage for my fledgling Reality Show.  When I arrived I took a quick tour around the Ashenfelter Facility and saw no one I knew.  Nothing special considering my 20 years of so of a hermit-like existence following graduation.  I got to watch warm ups for the upcoming Mens Shot Put.  It's actually an event I fully enjoy despite my 11 foot PR in the event. The season-by-season, year-by-year discipline and step-wise progression with these guys is really something to watch and admire.

As I saw Darrell Hill warming up I thought "He looks like he's ready for a big throw."  But what does a former college 118 pound second-string distance runner know about the throws?  I paid no more attention and didn't watch the actual event as I finally ran into pole-vaulter Don Skerpon, 800 U great Steve Shisler and the ever younthful Nick K.  When the results were posted on the big board, I was confused, as was Don.  Darrel set the all-time PSU record several weeks ago, bypassing the NCAA Champion C. J. Hunter with his toss of over 66 feet.  The board today said 67 feet 3.5 inches! There had to be a mistake.  But there wasn't!  Congrats to Darrell on the leading throw in the NCAA so far this year and the new School Record.

I'm busy trying to write a big man into my Reality Show scripts.

There was some action on the 800 U: Winner Take All front.  Following the photo-finish and apparently extra-exciting Distance Medley Relay on Friday night, I was psyched to watch the 800 M Invitational. And it didn't disappoint either...

Brannon Kidder was coming back from his stellar  2:51 1200M in the relay the day before. It didn't seem to affect him as he took the lead off the final turn to win the event in 1:47.86, the third ranked time in the NCAA.  I even got a photo of the pivotal moment of the race with my Droid Maxx!  Five PSU underclassmen were under 1:52 in the event! Game On in the Reality Series as Georgetown superstar Amos Bartlesmeyer pulled out of the race trying to double from his 1600M leg of the relay the night before.

  1 Kidder, Brannon    JR Penn State  1:47.86
  2 Windle, Drew       SR Ashland     1:48.41
  3 Murphy, Clayton    SO Akron       1:48.47
  4 Manahan, Ryan      SO Georgetown  1:48.63
  5 Muhammad, Ishmael  FR Villanova   1:50.82
  6 Watkins, Za'Von    JR Penn State  1:50.92
  7 Rhodes, Robert     JR Penn State  1:51.03
  8 Logue, Joey        FR Penn State  1:51.49
  9 Makins, Jordan     FR Penn State  1:51.88

The Mile gave me my first glimpse of Georgetown's Ahmed Bile, with PSU's Wade Endress and Alumni Golfer Owen Dawson mixing it up in the inevitable sub-4 race (8 years in a row!)  Owen seems to be in great shape early in his training season with his 4:03 and Wade set his PR with a 4:02 effort.  A personal shout-out to both from me on great runs!

Early in the race with Ahmed Bile in third, Owen Dawson in 4th and Wade Endress in 5th.

  1 Denault, Robert         JR Villanova   3:58.25
  2 Bile, Ahmed             SO Georgetown  3:59.04
  3 Knight, Justyn          FR Unattached  3:59.51
  4 Hehir, Martin           SR Syracuse    3:59.81
  5 Garcia-Garrison, Andrew SR Bucknell    4:02.35
  6 Endress, Wade           JR Penn State  4:02.69
  7 Leibold, Collin         JR Georgetown  4:03.29
  8 Dawson, Owen            AG Bryn Mawr   4:03.83

And let's not let fellow Alumni Golfer Kyle Dawson out of the mix as I caught a blurry view of him in the 3000M as he checked out his early season fitness on the banked turns of his home track.  We had a good conversation at the end of the meet discussing our experiences of running in the  tunnels under the 322 Bypass.  Not for the faint of heart.

A Prophetic Dream of the Penn State National

The only thing more boring than hearing someone tell you about their dream is hearing someone tell you about a dream that you weren't in.  That's why this post is mostly for Aaron Nadolsky, Connor Manley, Wade Endress, and Coach Sullivan.  On the off chance you are still interested in reading, well then, enjoy...

January 30, 2015.  The Penn State National.
Glen Mills High School Indoor Track Facility. Glen Mills, PA.

Tonight's DMR team is in the midst of an attempt at a national-leading mark. Connor Manley has just finished the 800 meter leg and hands off the baton to 400m leg Aaron Nadolsky in 1:51 (in this particular race someone arbitrarily decides to run the 800 before the 400.  Just go with it.)

Penn State holds a commanding lead.  Nadolsky now carries the baton, pumps his arms relentlessly, and cycles his legs through strong and steady like pistons, but he's not going anywhere.  Instead he runs in place on the start line for 47 seconds. Having covered no ground whatsoever but clearly giving it all he's got judging by the look of Greg Jennings-esque determination on his face, his leg is now apparently over as he lunges forward to hand me the baton.

At this point I'm confused.  It's not unusual at all to me that Aaron just ran in place for 47 seconds, but I do find it strange that he did it facing in the wrong direction. Nevertheless, now the baton is in my grasp and I hesitantly start jogging clockwise headed toward the turn on the backstretch.  Not really sure about what I'm doing or if I am running in the right direction, I stop dead in my tracks and look to the sideline, and calmly ask Penn State senior Wade Endress.

"Which way?"

Wade is biting his lip, with a big grin trying not to laugh, he shakes his head, and points me in the other direction.  I laugh at myself too.

No big deal. I retrace my lost 50 meters and head off for the first of (apparently) four laps.  Four minutes and four seconds later I cross the finish line feeling no fatigue, no strain. I ran most of the race in lane six, as my tremendous speed and momentum forced me to the outside lanes.

I've only run four, 200-meter laps but Coach Sullivan says I'm done. I try in vain to convince her that I am pretty sure I still have another four laps to go, but everyone on the team seems to disagree with me.  I shrug my shoulders, smile, and look up at the scoreboard to see our official, winning time:  9:33.12 - it's an NCAA leader!  The Glen Mills crowd roars its approval! Coach Sullivan informs me I closed the last 400 meters of the race in a blistering 89 seconds to secure the victory.  Everyone is impressed.  I am confused by the math, but happy nonetheless.

It was the strangest, most glorious race of our lives.  And I now issue a challenge to Penn State's season opening DMR to top Connor Manley's, Aaron Nadolsky's, and my NCAA-leading performance.  Should we expect it on January 30?  Should Glen Mills host in 2016?  Does the team need me to fly back to State College and count laps?

If you can dream it, you can achieve it.

Some Real Photos For Once! From The Wings Of A Gator (or something)

Mark Hawkins made it to the NCAA Regional Meet at PSU last week and brings us many, many photos to peruse on his Facebook site.  I've selected a few to highlight on the blog with it all.

Here's the aforementioned Gator.  Notice all the smiling blokes (are Aussies blokes too?).  They are smiling because they will alll be inside the Gator's warm cocoon while Mark sits in the back working his shutter!

Here's a smattering of Nittany Lions captured by the CMOS (or is it CCD?) of Mark's behemoth.

Ean Disilvio.

Matt Fischer.

Wade Endress.

Austin Pondel and Tony Russel.

Glen Burkhardt.

All photos by Mark Hawkins.

Best Ever B1G Finish For Men (Tied with 2000 finish)

"If you're better than the Big Ten, then you're a professional," ·

 "The competition is so awesome, you'll crap in your pants." 

"There are no gifts in the Big Ten. You have to earn every point and every place."

-Coach Harry R. Groves, on the competition in the Big Ten

The Penn State Men placed third in the Big Ten XC Championships in Iowa City, Iowa today.  The duo of Matt Fischer and Glen Burkhardt provided the important team lead with their 8th and 11th place finishes.  Wade Endress (19), Tony Russel (25) and Robby Creese (29) rounded out the scoring.  They also had the best spread of all teams with 27.5 seconds!

Ean Disilvio (49), Brannon Kidder (78), Bobby Hill (88), and Austin Pondel (93) also ran well.

Our congrats to Coach John Gondak and the entire team. (I include those who didn't make the trip as well. The importance of everyone involved is a big part of our Alumni efforts.  We really understand the commitment, dedication and hard work that all of this entails.) With 8 of the 9 runners able to compete next year, things are looking up for the Nittany Lions.

   Mens 8k

Another Diamond League Update

The DN Galan Grand Prix in Stockholm, Sweden gave shot putters Joe Kovacs and Ryan Whiting a chance to earn more Diamond League Points. Results below as Joe and Ryan are currently in 3rd and 6th place for the circuit respectively.

Full Results

Rank	Athlete	Nation	Result Wind		Diamond Points	Diamond Ranking
1	HOFFA Reese	USA	21.06		15	1
2	WALSH Tom	NZL	20.79		3	5
3	STORL David	GER	20.77		9	2
4	KOVACS Joe	USA	20.67		8	3
5	RICHARDS O'Dayne	JAM	20.46
6	WHITING Ryan	USA	20.39		1	6
7	CANTWELL Christian	USA	20.38		5	4
8	VIVAS JIMÉNEZ Borja	ESP	20.02
9	MAJEWSKI Tomasz	POL	19.79
10	ARRHENIUS Leif	SWE	19.01

In other news, the men's and women's cross country team completed their first week of training with an 11 miler at the Lower Trail down in Williamsburg, PA. Watch the video below to hear Wade Endress talk about what the men's team wants to accomplish this year. After what looks to be a solid week of training it's time for both teams to settle into the old routine as classes have begun.

Fifteen Hundred Mania

It seems everybody was placed into the 1500M this week for

the Nittany Lions.With some pretty good results at the 

Bucknell Invitational. 

1 Brannon Kidder SO    3:42.99*

2 Owen Dawson(Alumni)  3:43.61

5 Wade Endress   JR    3:45.33

6 Za'Von Watkins SO    3:45.79

9 Matt Fischer   JR    3:46.95 

22  Nick Scarpello  SR  3:51.79 

And I have received word that Owen Dawson and his brother  

Kyle Dawson will be lining up with the rest of the Alumni 

rabble at the Coach Groves Golf Tourney in May.  Be sure 

to join us for the worm burning and all the other 

festivities!

*4:00.54 Mile by the Reigel method  t2 = t1 * (d2 / d1)1.06

All-American Honors

Congratulations are in order for the All-American honors earned this past weekend at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

          First Team All-American:
          Will Barr                35 lb weight throw 
          Mahagony Jones   200 meter dash       
          Brittney Howell     pentathlon, 4x400 meter relay             
          Steve Waithe          triple jump            
          Kiah Seymour       400 meter dash, 4x400 meter relay  
          Za'von Watkins     800 meter run
          Dynasty McGee     4x400 meter relay
          Tichina Rhodes     4x400 meter relay    

          Second Team All-American:
          Evonne Britton      60 meter hurdles
          Jon Hendershot     high jump
          Wade Endress       distance medley relay
          Za'von Watkins    distance medley relay
          Brannon Kidder   800 meter run, distance medley relay
          Robby Creese        distance medley relay

        

Penn State National Recap

More quality coverage from GoPSUSports and Flotrack. Full results here.

Another Penn State National in the books. Plenty of alums were back in town for the meet. This weekend has become an unofficial reunion of sorts. It was great seeing similar faces returning to the scenes of their youthful glory days.

The performance of the meet goes to what else but the men's DMR on Friday night. The quartet of Brannon Kidder, Brandon Bennett-Green, Za'Von Watkins, and Robby Creese threw down the second fastest time ever in the world by any team on an indoor track. Their 9:26.59 is just .62 seconds shy of the world record held by the 2008 Texas Longhorns 9:25.97. My completely unofficial splits were 2:52.9 for Kidder, 46. 8 for BBG, 1:48.7 for Watkins, and 3:58.0 for Creese. They were running with the lead from the get go but Stanford did kept it interesting and provided the necessary competition for a fast time. Congrats to them as well. Best part is they are just getting started, there will be few more chances for fast DMR's.

Watch more videos on Flotrack

For those who couldn't be there or if you just want verify my splits.

Photos courtesy of Steve Shisler

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday was just as exciting. Besides the podcasting which went extremely well. We all seemed to know what we were talking about (a first for me). I am going give an honorable mention performance of the meet to Wade Endress. The Altoona native won the "slower" heat of the invitational mile in 4:04.51 (a big breakthrough and PR). Brannon Kidder continued the sub 4 tradition in the "fast" heat with 3:59.55. Owen Dawson 4:01.36 for third.

 

The fast times wouldn't have been possible with out the ace rabbiting done by Kevin Fuller, Brian Fuller, and Kyle Dawson. Kevin took the hot heat of the 800 meters through a 52 second 400, Brian the first half of mile in 1:58-1:59, and Kyle paced the 3000 through one mile in a saucy 4:15. No real surprises as they always get the job done when it comes to pacing.

 

P.S. co honorable mention performance of the meet to Ryan Foster. He is filling the big shoes left behind by Jess Riden perfectly. The job of running a big time track meet can be thankless job and Ryan certainly deserves a lot of credit for directing a good show. If you saw him at the meet he was indeed a busy busy man.



 



Fischer Fourth at Mid-Atlantic Pre-Nats: Lady Lions Also Third

Matt Fischer again led the race for a significant portion and finished fourth for the Nittany Lions.  The Men finished fifth overall with 3 Freshman chipping in.

The ladies (am I allowed to say that?) finished third and are projected to make the Nationals, although the official announcement won't come until 3:00PM today.

All-Region Finishers and Coach Gondak and Coach Sullivan.

PSU Lady Lions in the lead early.

The race was also the last XC race for Senior Nick Scarpello, who was third for the Men. He sums it up quite well.

Thanks everyone, to my mom and dad, and to Steve and bill and Ian for coming to my last race, and all my other friends and family and teammates who helped me through these last six cross country seasons. It went by way too fast and I will miss it a ton- I'll especially miss the nerves of the start line and that fire in the legs with 1000 meters to go. XC is the best season- a sport that made me feel overwhelmingly weak and yet immensely powerful all in the same moment, battling through the grass, dirt and mud with teammates. Feel so blessed to have ended it on a high note. Kicked it home with all I had. Thanks to those who supported me through it. Best of luck to Fischer, Leigha, and Marta (and the rest of the ladies if they qualify) at nationals. Kick a**, State!

I hated to tell him that things actually start to accelerate after college!  But I think he can handle it.

Connor Quinn and Nick Scarpello. Photo by Sally Smith Pondel.

Wade Endress, Nick Scarpello, Austin Pondel and Connor Quinn. Photo from Sally Smith Pondel.