Merry Christmas To Everyone

 Let's make 2022 our biggest year ever!

Mark Heckel Still At The Top Of His Game

 Mark Heckel has been voted as the recipient of the Horace Crow Award as the Outstanding Field Event Official for 2021 from the USATF National Officials Committee.

As a teammate and dorm mate of "Beef", as we knew him, for 2 years at North Halls at PSU, I can say that he is among those I visualize first when I say that PSU Track Alums are the most interesting, intelligent and accomplished people I have ever known.  With Mark, I will add driven.

Congratulations Mark, although I still don't know if you can golf!

 

RIP CJ Hunter

Former PSU shot putter and school indoor record holder C J Hunter has passed away in North Carolina. He was the 1999 World Champion and finished 7th in the Olympics in 1996.

Coach Groves asked us to invite him to our Reunion several times, but we were unable to contact him. 

 

 

Updates From All Over And A "Save The Date"

First up:

Our Chief Laundry and Morale Officer facilitated reception of the news of another Ohio Big School XC title for Coach Tom Rapp's team.

That's 3 titles for teammate and classmate Tom, 2008. 2014, 2021!

And I can deduce that each and every "kid" who Tom coaches is much better off for his tutelage. From the initial meeting and run we had together, it was obvious he had great things ahead of him. Despite having a personality not completely in line with Coach Groves, the no-nonsense old school methods molded Tom and the rest of us into people able to handle most every situation ahead of us.  

This year's high school team probably garnered extra rewards of wisdom from Tom, as he describes them as a unit of good, solid runners, no superstars.  The top two finished 19th and 20th. But they had by far the best 4th and 5th men. They had a 1-5 spread of 28 seconds, with the 6th man 2 seconds behind that.

All in all,  it was a great lesson for the kids on how to win as a team. Society will see dividends in the years ahead!

 https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/high-school/high-school-sports/2021/11/11/ohsaa-cross-country-healthy-mason-boys-team-wins-state-2021/6382136001/

Second:

Colin Abert toed the line at the Road US Championship 5k in NYC the day before the NYC Marathon. He came in 22nd overall with a time of 14:18.

And SAVE THE DATE! 

The Executive Committee meeting of the Officers of the Group convened and chose the dates for the 2022 Reunion and Coach Groves Golf Tournament.  This will be the 20th anniversary of the formulation of this whole shebang, and you better SAVE THE DATE!!

So set aside May 13th and 14th, 2022. (Each year will alternate between May and August)

We will be going all out for this event and you won't want to miss it.  Adult beverages, camaraderie with old and new friends, mediocre golf, AND LIVE MUSIC FROM PROFESSIONALS!  Stay tuned... 

Penn State Open Precedes The B1G Championships On The Golf Course

 Evan Dorenkamp took the Mens victory as the Men placed second and the Women placed fourth with Freshmen Sophia Toti and Madeline Ullom leading them in 16th and 17th place.

Penn State Open Results

More Beauty On The Trail

Rob "Large" Whiteside and his daughter Phoebe "White Rabbit" continue their travel through Vermont on the Long Trail.  Check out all their pics of their reprise of their Appalachian Through-hike in at Whiteside AT Hike 2016

 

A Hole-In-One For One Of Our Own

 From Officer and all-around great guy Harry Smith comes news of another superior sporting activity from one of our own.  Pole vaulter Ron Campbell attained a hole-in-one.  Please get in touch with him and urge him to join us at the May 2022 20th Annual Coach Groves Tourney!

 

Back In The Woods

Rob Whiteside and his daughter, Phoebe are back on the Trail!  This time it's the Vermont Long Trail. Previously, they through-hiked the Appalachian Trail.  Rob has asked me to hike with him some time, but I have steadfastly opined that I have already completed my own travels of the entire width of the Appalachian Trail numerous times. Enough is enough, I say.

 "Goodbye to all that. (Politics) I am turning into Jeremiah Johnson, a shunner."
-Rob Whiteside, walking the Appalachian Trail.

Coach Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational Returns

 It may have been the longest duration between home cross country meets in PSU history, but The Coach Harry Groves Spiked-Shoe Invitational finally returned.  Only World War II could have had a similar dearth of events. 

*Photos from Greg Fredericks.

And from Dan Curran comes this great quote from Coach Groves...

 "If you win, I’ll love you, but if you don’t  [he hesitates for a few seconds to let the tension build] . . . I’ll still love you, so get in there and have a good time – it’s only a race."  

Diamonds Are A Guys Best Friend

 Via our West Coast Promoter Mike Fanelli, via Founder and Keeper of the Beer Clark Haley comes this picture from the 1980 Run for the Diamonds in Berwick, PA.  I think both Greg Fredericks and Larry Mangan won diamonds that year.   Not bad for a couple of milers...

The Dolan Duals Are Special

 As the opening tune-up for the XC season, it has been around for a number of years.  Jim Dolan was Greg Fredericks' Freshman season Coach when Coach Groves first came to Penn State from William and Mary in 1968.  He became the head coach of Division II Lock Haven the following year.  There has been a special relationship between the schools ever since.

 

 

WOMENS RESULTS: 

1	Johnson, Allison	FR-1	Penn State	5:43.6	14:14.0	1
2	Ullom, Madaline	SO-2	Penn State	5:45.3	14:18.4	2
3	Toti, Sophia	SO-2	Penn State	5:46.4	14:21.1	3
4	McCormick, Cori	FR-1	Penn State	5:48.7	14:26.8	4
5	Krebs, Makenna	SO-2	Penn State	5:50.4	14:30.9	5
6	Fedko, Katherine	SO-2	Penn State	5:52.6	14:36.5	6
7	Mazza, Sera	SO-2	Penn State	5:52.8	14:36.9	7
8	McCullough, Kaylee	SO-2	Penn State	6:11.8	15:24.3
9	Hayes, Samantha		Unattached	6:12.1	15:25.0
10	Kiser, Cadie	SR-4	Lock Haven	6:17.0	15:37.1	8

MENS RESULTS:      1	Hamel, Eric	SR-4	Penn State	4:49.9	18:01.0	1
2	Dorenkamp, Evan	SO-2	Penn State	4:52.6	18:11.0	2
3	Tomasko, Alex	SR-4	Penn State	4:53.3	18:13.7	3
4	Davis, Isaac	SR-4	Penn State	4:57.8	18:30.4	4
5	Waters, Colin	SO-2	Penn State	4:58.0	18:31.0	5
6	Lyon, Henry J		Unattached	4:58.7	18:33.7
7	Delisle, Hudson	JR-3	Penn State	5:00.6	18:40.8	6
8	DeSousa, Christopher		Unattached	5:01.8	18:45.2
9	Haas, Kevin	FR-1	Penn State	5:02.6	18:48.3	7
10	Bumgarner, Ben	SR-4	Penn State	5:02.8	18:48.8

Physics Phrom The Penn Stater

Dudley Do-Right lookalike  Doug Kent sends us this nice nugget honoring a teammate of both of us.

80, 85, 92!!! No one knows more Track alums than BB. 

Our very own Brian Boyer!