A Tour Of Beaver Stadium Replaces The Climb Of Mount Nittany This Year

For years, we have had a Climb of Mount Nittany as an activity for those not golfing in the Coach  Groves Golf Tourney during the Penn State Track and Field Alumni Reunion.  Last year's event saw a certain red-headed ex-PSU Quarterback at the top!

But this year's event has some rain in the forecast!  Our Golden Putter Attendant has pestered Head Coach John Gondak enough to cause him to task Owen Dawson into arranging a full tour of Beaver Stadium as a substitute!*  This will be held at 12:00 Noon on Saturday, just as the golfing commences at the Mountain View Country Club.

This maybe your only opportunity to see the luxury boxes that the big-wigs inhabit for the low, low price of $15.  That certainly beats the $250,000 some of them cost for real.

*This may not be the actual sequence of events that led to the Tour option!

Look Who Runs The Company Trying To Run A Sub-2 Hour Marathon!

Mark Parker

Predictions anyone?  Addendum:  So Close!

Another Cool Penn Relays Story Or Two!

From our great friends and authors of the Once Upon A Time In The Vest track and field blog, here is a great Penn Relays story of olden times involving Charley Paddock of Chariots of Fire fame and a first time steeplechaser from Oklahoma who won the race he never knew he was going to run!  Check out the blog link above for the whole story!

Charley Paddock.

PSU is Javelin U

Let's not forget about the field events at Penn Relays.  There were many fine performances, including the only watch win by Danielle Gibson in the Triple Jump.  But the event that stands out in my mind was the 2-3-4 finish by Penn State Men in the Javelin.  Which included a school record for Michael Shuey!

1		Chris Mirabelli	Rutgers	76.67m (251-6)
2		Michael Shuey	Penn State	76.25m (250-1)
3		Michael Biddle	Penn State	70.82m (232-4)
4		Ryan Kerr	Penn State	69.22m (227-1)

What If All The Championship Of America Relays Were Scored At Penn Relays?

In keeping up with the relays this weekend at Penn, I noticed that the PSU Men had good finishes in just about every event.  What if we scored all the Championships of America Relays as a separate meet with the classic 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 system?

Penn State scored in 6 of the 8 events, (with another close 10th place in the DMR).  And virtually no one entered the Shuttle Hurdle Relays, with East Stroudsburg edging out Navy for the title.

So when we add them all up you come up with this:  (ties were arbitrarily assigned...)

1. Penn State                   35
2. Oregon                        28
3. GC Foster (Jamaica)   28  
4. Houston                      18
5. Auburn                       16
6. Indiana                       16
7. Clemson                     16
8. Virginia Tech             15
9. South Carolina           13
10. Middle Tenn. St.         12
11. East Stroudsburg         10
12. Villanova                       9
13. Boston U.                      8
14. Navy                             8
15. U Tech   (Jamaica)        7
16. MICO (Jamaica)           6
17. Michigan                      6
18. Penn                             6
19. Manhattan                    6
20. Pittsburgh                     5
21. Buffalo                         5
22. Hampton                      5
23. Georgia Tech               4
24. Columbia                     4
25. North Carolina St.       4
26. Iona                             3
27. Monroe                        2
28. Coppin State                2
29. Oklahoma                    1
30. UConn                         1
31. Rutgers                         1
32. Georgetown                  1
33. St. Joseph                    1

Some Very Fast Men

Ken Brinker sent this pic along recently from the IAAF World Relay Championships in Nassau, Bahamas.  And when you think Track and Field and the Bahamas, you think Mike Sands!  And if you think that, you would be right.  But also included in the pic is former world record holder Maurice Greene!

Come Join Olympians As Well As Walk-Ons!

Every single one of us at Penn State Track and Field Alumni (Golf) are equal in status.  This is the one example where socialism has been a resounding success.  It doesn't matter if you were on the team for just one term or semester, never lettered, or came in last in every one of the races, jumps or throws you participated in.  You are still a bonafide Platinum Member of our Group, with all the bells and whistles that come with it.  Heck, even those of you who were never on the team but have a love for PSU T&F/XC are equal to every other one of us.

So now it is time to come join us for the biggest Reunion and Golf Tourney yet!  And it is even held during the Outdoor Big Ten Championships so you can show your support to the past and present team during the same weekend.

(MAY 12 – 13) BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND AT HAPPY VALLEY
In case you have not been following the Blog or the Penn State Track and Field Alumni Golf Facebook site, here’s  the agenda for the Weekend:
FRIDAY’S (MAY 12th) EVENTS:                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
Big Ten Meet begins – Tailgate on the hill of the backstretch (need volunteers to park some cars up there on Thursday Night or early Friday to secure the sight!) – Rain pretty moves that to another setting
Meet and greet at the Ramada (1450 South Atherton Street) from 7:00pm – 11:00pm (814) 238-3001
Picking of the foursomes, 50-50, Putting contest (prepping for the next day), Texas Hold ‘em Tourney (will start at 9:00 and limited to the first 20 players registering - $25 entry, 50/50 pot between winner and fund)
Will be a bar crawl afterwards – destinations TBD… 

SATURDAY (MAY 13th) EVENTS:
The Alumni run will start at the LION by Rec hall at 9:oo am (because of the Big Ten track meet) for anyone interested in a short jog or a loop around campus. 

The Golf outing will be held at the Mountain View Country Club (old Elks Club) again this year with the putting contest taking place at 11:15 followed shortly thereafter with the golf outing beginning at 12pm.  Those not golfing, we usually have a group gathering to hike Mt. Nittany or take a campus tour.  Meeting spot and tour guide to be announced, usually meet at high noon in the hotel lobby.

Social gathering with current team members at the Pegula Club Level 7:00-8:00 we need to be out around 7:50 so they can have their team dinner.
6:30 – 11pm Dinner and awards ceremony for golf outing – dinner at 8:00 for those returning from Pegula 
We have a block of rooms reserved (under the Harry Groves Golf outing or the Penn State Track and Field alumni) at the Ramada for $75 / night (1450 South Atherton Street (814) 238-3001)  which will only be held until May 5th. 

The fees this year will be - $175 for those attending the outing and the receptions – the “loan strapped graduate rate” (anyone graduating from 2011-16) will be $125.  If you choose to attend the Friday night function alone, the fee will be $35 – Saturday alone, $55.  Costs for those with children (under 18) attending the reception(s) - $10 on Friday night and $20 on Saturday.  Family members / Significant others / Friends with benefits (!), joining you on the course will be charged $100 (includes golf and receptions).  If you’re planning only to golf, the fee will be $100.  If you’re planning to golf and only attend Saturday’s function, your fee will be $150.  Any scenario I’ve missed, pay whatever (as I’m sure I’ve probably missed 13 other scenarios)…

This event is open to men, women, and friends of PSU alumni - the more the merrier!  This is all about the laughs, not scores, and you have three other hackers to laugh at so don’t worry about how bad your game may be!

The membership committee of Dave Baskwill, Harry Smith, Brian Fuller, Artie Gilkes and Ken Brinker have all graciously agreed to accept your ideas / complaints for the upcoming event – so feel free to yell at them for whatever reason you’d like!    Contributions for the Harry Groves Endowment fund, the track and cross country program, or the golf outing are gladly accepted!
Please send checks or money orders to:
            Harry Smith
            508 Washington Avenue
            Elyria, OH  44035
If you should have any other questions or comments, please let me know – Hope to see you this year!     
Clark Haley ‘85

It's Not A Birthday Without A Cake

And thanks to our Golden Putter Attendant, Coach Groves got his 87th cake yesterday.  Greg Fredericks and Gary Gittings celebrated the day with Coach Groves at his residence in State College.

Coach Groves with Gary Gittings.

Happy Birthday Coach Groves!

And that means Penn Relays this week too!

Happy 87th Coach Groves.

PSU Is 800U, Again

When Charles Jock landed in the Bahamas and found out he was the alternate on the IAAFWorld Relay 4 x 800M Relay squad, he immediately left, leaving the quartet with 2 Penn State Track Alumni Golfers to conquer the world!  And they did, with the brash newcomer actually running the best split of the 4!

Congrats to the 50% of the 4 x 800M Relay squad with roots in Happy Valley. (Still more math for the blog with it all!)

All four of the team members thrilled the crowd by singing the National Anthem on the podium.

The 2 Nittany Lions on the squad with their college coach in earlier times.

Clayton Murphy, Brannon Kidder, Eric Sowinski and Casimir Loxsom.

Flo Track says the IAAF splits are wrong and supplied these:

Unofficial US splits
Kidder 1:48.2
Sowinski 1:48.1
Loxsom 1:48.5
Murphy 1:48.3

Can PSU Be 100U Too!

The quartet of Malik Moffett, Xavier Smith, Dan Chisena and Karson Kowalchuk ran a school record of 39.49 and eclipsed the 42 year old record of Jack Davis, Steve Hackman, Mike Shine and Mike Sands at the Virginia Challenge on Friday!

Xavier Smith backed that up with a 10.38 in the individual 100M with Malik Moffett finishing right behind in 10.42! Both are PRs and the #2 and #3 times in school history.

PSU Is 800U: Double School Record Day

Even Flo Track refers to "800U" or sometimes "Middle Distance U" which shortchanges the many other events which Nittany Lions are excelling in.  Like Shot Put, Javelin, and now Sprinting!  But yesterday's 800M races in Virginia again brings another post about the "half mile".

Danae Rivers demolished the school record in the women’s 800-meters with her time of 2:02.53, erasing the old mark of 2:03.09 set by Rebekka Simko back in 2012, finishing second in the event trailing only Virginia Tech’s Hanna Green (2:02.17). Rivers now owns both the indoor and outdoor 800-meter records in only her freshman campaign and has now been involved in five school records combined.

Isaiah Harris asserted himself as the best half-miler in school history as the sophomore All-American crossed the line in 1:45.12 to win the race and set the school record. The three-time reigning Big Ten Champion in the event spilt 52.57 on the opening lap and followed it up with an almost even 52.56 to close over the final 400-meters outlasting Florida’s Andres Arroyo who ran 1:45.75 for second. Harris erased the old school record of 1:45.28 set by Casimir Loxsom in 2011.

Harris was followed by teammate Domenic Perretta who ran a personal best of 1:47.29 that is the No. 10 time in program history.