Villanova Running

Vicki Huber on Student-Athletes' "Free Rides"

2012-02-15T09:10:00.003-06:00

For Athletes on Scholarship, the Ride is Anything But 'Free'

Written by
VICKI HUBER RUDAWSKY
Special to The News Journal

Recently, student-athletes around the country, along with their parents and their high schools ,celebrated National Signing Day.

The News Journal featured several Delaware high school seniors, and I know that our daughter's high school held a special ceremony for their senior athletes who signed National Letters of Intent.

Many of you may be wondering what a National Letter of Intent is, and why it is such a big deal. By signing a Letter of Intent, a prospective student-athlete agrees to attend a college or university for at least one academic year. The college or university agrees to provide financial aid to the student, provided that the student is accepted into the academic institution and that the student is also NCAA eligible. Once the student-athlete signs the letter of intent, he or she is no longer able to be recruited by other institutions.

I still remember the day I signed my letter of intent to Villanova. My family gathered around our coffee table in our downstairs rec room, and I signed. We thought about opening some champagne even though my parents never drink, and I remember my dad saying, "What does this mean?" My mom and I burst out laughing and replied that it meant that he didn't have to pay for college.

Many people refer to an athletic scholarship as a "free ride" for a student-athlete. Nothing could be further from the truth. Of course, I only have my own experiences to relate to as a scholarship athlete, but from what I saw during my time at Villanova there was nothing easy ,or free, about the hard work, time and dedication that I put in as both a student and an athlete.

According to the NCAA, on average, college football players spend 44.8 hours a week practicing and playing; golfers average 40.8 hours a week on the golf course; softball players spend 37.1 hours on the field. As a track athlete, my day consisted of a morning run, shower and breakfast, class, off to practice, dinner, another shower and homework. Not only are athletes under pressure to perform athletically, but they also have to maintain academic standards in order to compete and keep their scholarships.

While I was at Villanova, I never skipped a class. This was not because I was such a dedicated student, it was because we traveled pretty much every weekend to track and cross country meets. I missed classes almost every Friday and sometimes on a Monday as well. Even though my missed classes were excused, it was still up to me to make up the work and track down the day's notes. In a time where laptops and email didn't exist, this was tough to do.

When we traveled, we not only packed our uniforms and spikes, but also textbooks and sometimes a take-home exam that somehow needed to get done between warmups and races, or on the plane ride home. I spent many Sunday nights typing early into the next morning due to a delayed layover in an airport.

There are also many benefits to being a student-athlete. Because an athlete's day must include practice time, sometimes there may be extra help in getting into a popular class that others would not be able to get into. There are mandatory study halls to make sure that the athletes are getting their work done and maintaining their GPAs. Tutoring is available. If an athlete is traveling to a competition during an exam period, he or she may get one or two days extra to complete the exam.

However, these benefits in no way create an easy ride for student-athletes. Receiving a scholarship to a college, whether athletic, academic, or both, means that you have worked extremely hard. They are recognizing you for that. The institution feels that you will be an asset to their university or college, and fully expects that you will continue to be disciplined and work even harder for them. Believe me, there is nothing easy about those expectations.

I feel very lucky that I received a full scholarship to Villanova, but I would never say that I got a "free" education. I worked extremely hard, and dedicated four years of my life to a program and a coach that believed in me. As hard as it was, I would do it all over again.

While I was at Villanova, I never skipped a class. This was not because I was such a dedicated student, it was because we traveled pretty much every weekend to track and cross country meets. I missed classes almost every Friday and sometimes on a Monday as well. Even though my missed classes were excused, it was still up to me to make up the work and track down the day's notes. In a time where laptops and email didn't exist, this was tough to do.

When we traveled, we not only packed our uniforms and spikes, but also textbooks and sometimes a take-home exam that somehow needed to get done between warmups and races, or on the plane ride home. I spent many Sunday nights typing early into the next morning due to a delayed layover in an airport.

There are also many benefits to being a student-athlete. Because an athlete's day must include practice time, sometimes there may be extra help in getting into a popular class that others would not be able to get into. There are mandatory study halls to make sure that the athletes are getting their work done and maintaining their GPAs. Tutoring is available. If an athlete is traveling to a competition during an exam period, he or she may get one or two days extra to complete the exam.
However, these benefits in no way create an easy ride for student-athletes. Receiving a scholarship to a college, whether athletic, academic, or both, means that you have worked extremely hard. They are recognizing you for that. The institution feels that you will be an asset to their university or college, and fully expects that you will continue to be disciplined and work even harder for them. Believe me, there is nothing easy about those expectations.

I feel very lucky that I received a full scholarship to Villanova, but I would never say that I got a "free" education. I worked extremely hard, and dedicated four years of my life to a program and a coach that believed in me. As hard as it was, I would do it all over again

Vicki Huber represented the USA in the 1988 (6th place, 3000 meters) and 1996 Olympic Games (1500 meters). While at Villanova, she won 8 individual NCAA titles (3 indoor and 3 outdoor titles at 3000 meters in 1987, 1988, and 1989, the 1988 indoor mile, and the 1989 cross country individual title). Huber was USATF national champion in the 1500 meters in 1988, set a USA 5K record, and was 4th at the 1992 World Cross Country championships.

Schappert's Busy Weekend Ends with Millrose DMR Anchor

2012-02-13T08:37:00.001-06:00

Nicole Schappert had a very productive weekend, shuttling between Boston and New York to collect two wins on the indoor circuit. On Friday night Schappert was in Boston at the Valentine Invitational. There she set a new mile PR, winning the race in 4:33.16 (the race video and post-race interview is available in a previous post). Nicole then travelled down to the Armory in New York to run the anchor leg for the New York Athletic Club's DMR in the first event of the Millrose Games. The NYAC squad blew away the competition and Schappert's final 1600 leg was essentially a solo effort. The DMR win (see results below) made it three-in-a-week for Schappert. The previous weekend in New York, Nicole went 2:06.29 to win the open women's 800 maters at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. All in all, a productive week for the former Villanova All-American.


2012 Millrose Games Results

Women's Club Championship Distance Medley Relay
Finals
  1 New York Athletic Club  'A'                        11:21.94  
     1) Higgins, Lesley                 2) Composti, Jeanna               
     3) Hitchcock-McManus, Katy         4) Schappert, Nicole              
  2 Riadha  'A'                                        11:32.17  
     1) Wentz, Jacqui                   2) Harvey, Alisa                  
     3) Anderson, Kristin               4) Hamric, Karly                  
  3 Maryland Eastern Shore  'A'                        11:41.46  
     1) Ducades, Emillie                2) Gilim-Firmizi, Lenora          
     3) Jones, Eunice                   4) Anois, Cythia                  
  4 C.P.T.C. New Balance  'A'                          11:50.05  
     1) Beck, Catherine                 2) Miller, Heather                
     3) Bradshaw, Andrea                4) Vongvorachoti, Jane            
  5 C.P.T.C. New Balance  'B'                          12:26.94  
     1) Peters, Bevin                   2) Clark, Deanna                  
     3) Mazzeo, Denise                  4) Falcaro, Nicole                
  6 Athena TC  'A'                                     13:23.29  
     1) Hankin, Julie                   2) Hayden, Julie                  
     3) Bellaire, Cheryl                4) Sutera Strange, Marisa         
 -- Westchester TC  'A'                                     DNS

McEntee Outduels Coghlan as Villanova Wins Millrose DMR

2012-02-12T09:54:00.007-06:00

Villanova's Sam McEntee and Ireland's John Coghlan battled each other in the 1600 meter anchor leg of last night's Millrose Games Byron Dyce College Men's Distance Medley Relay. McEntee and Coghlan had each recently entered the sub-4:00 mile club and their face-off in the DMR anchor position had been much anticipated -- even more so since Coghlan is the son of former Villanova legend Eamonn Coghlan (who was instrumental in bringing the Irish "dream team" together) and the Millrose Games was the venue that the elder Coghlan and Villanova coach Marcus O'Sullivan had for several years called their own in winning a combined 12 Wanamaker Miles. McEntee got the baton in third place, perhaps 10 meters behind Coghlan. Aftere closing the gap rather quickly, McEntee shadowed Coghlan through 400 meters splits of 56.5, 1:02.3, and 1:04.5, before McEntee kicked home in 56.5. McEntee sat on Coghlan until 200 meters to go and then went easily past to gap the Irishman by almost two seconds on the final lap. McEntee split 3:59.8, compared to Coghlan's approximate 4:01.7) to ensure a Villanova victory in the DMR, 9:38.02 to 9:39.68. The third place team from LaSalle was well back, some ten seconds in arrears.

The Villanova team was composed of Brian Tetreault in the 1200 (2:59.0), Sam Ellison in the 400 (47.0), Chris FitzSimons in the 800 (1:51.2) and Sam McEntee in the 1600 (3:59.8). They came up short on their goal of attaining the NCAA automatic qualifier (9:31.0), but are likely to compete at Notre Dame's Alex Wilson Invitational on March 2. Currently, Villanova owns the NCAA's #6 time in the DMR, pending complete results from around the country this weekend.

Byron Dyce College Men's Distance Medley Relay          
Finals
  1 Villanova University  'A'                           9:38.02  
  2 Dublin City University  'A'                         9:39.68  
  3 La Salle University  'A'                            9:48.52  
  4 University of Albany  'A'                           9:49.90  
  5 Duke University  'A'                                9:52.96         
  6 Manhattan College  'A'                             10:15.54

Does Eamonn Coghlan Harbor Political Ambitions?

2012-02-11T11:51:00.002-06:00

Coghlan Out of the Blocks for a Political Run
by Ian O'Riordan, Irish Times
Saturday, February 11, 2012

PROFILE: EAMONN COGHLAN: THERE WAS a slight, awkward pause. It was Tuesday’s Today with Pat Kenny , and the host had just asked Senator Eamonn Coghlan how he felt about losing the allowance he gets as an Independent as a result of his decision to join Fine Gael.

Kenny’s question only briefly knocked Coghlan off his stride before the former athlete replied confidently. “It’s not about money,” Coghlan told him. “It’s all about passion, belief, about trying to do something for the youth of Ireland, and if my joining the party helps me to implement what I believe in, then I’ll go ahead and do that.”

Coghlan has always prided himself on his athletic spirit rather than on his political toughness. His decision this week to join Fine Gael – it’s said he asked Taoiseach Enda Kenny, but it was more likely the other way around – was greeted with the sort of mild surprise that might follow a false start in the 100 metres. Coghlan compared the move to starting a marathon with little or no training and said it was one race he’d be running with caution.

Whatever about Coghlan’s long-term political ambitions – and they appear to be modest – Coghlan’s taking up the Fine Gael whip is not viewed by the political observers as a hugely significant move. It does help Kenny shore up the numbers in the Seanad (Fine Gael now has 21 of the 60 members), should that be required for any referendum purposes.

Indeed, since being nominated by Kenny as an Independent member of the Seanad, last May, Coghlan hasn’t caused much of a stir in the upper house – except for a bold demonstration last November of how to improve physical fitness for children, his Points for Life programme. If anything, he has stuck conservatively to the issues he knows: health, fitness and sport.

But if Coghlan’s political ambitions eventually mirror the ambition he showed on the running track, then he shouldn’t be underestimated. It took determination to go from youngster in the Dublin suburb of Drimnagh to the top of the world distance-running rankings, during perhaps the golden era of the sport.

He feared no one, an attitude that helped him win the World 5,000 metres in 1983, when he clenched his fists as he passed the Russian Dmitriy Dmitriyev on the final turn.

“There was no stopping me,” he has said of his world indoor mile record of 3:49.78, also from 1983. “I felt like I was running on a cushion of air.” Coghlan was unlucky to finish fourth in the Olympics twice, in 1976 and again in 1980. He was easily good enough to have won two gold medals.

Yet he never settled for second best, thanks in no small part to his three mentors: his father, Bill, and his coaches Gerry Farnan and, later, James “Jumbo” Elliott, at Villanova, in the US. His wife, Yvonne, helped him through some difficult periods, too, as far back as his teenage years, when he wanted to quit his scholarship at Villanova.

His talent flourished on the US indoor circuit, where between 1977 and 1987 he won seven Wanamaker Miles at the historic Millrose Games, earning him the nickname the Chairman of the Boards. He retired after the 1988 Olympics, resigned to the fact that he would never win that elusive Olympic medal, but immediately went about putting something back into the sport he loved – only to find himself burned by the politics of Irish athletics.

In 1989 Irish athletics was riding high on the international successes of Coghlan, John Treacy, Ray Flynn, Frank O’Mara and Marcus O’Sullivan, and against that backdrop Coghlan was persuaded to take on the new full-time role of chief executive of the old Bord Luthchleas na hÉireann (BLÉ), the former governing body of the sport.

He had just returned to Ireland after two decades living in the US, and accepted the job only after some deliberation. He moved into the old BLÉ office, on Prospect Road in Dublin, on January 1st, 1991. He lasted just six months in the job before resigning. “With all the political frustrations and back-stabbing I encountered,” he said, “I knew I hated this side of the sport that I loved so much.”

The only good thing for Coghlan was that he went back to running. Three years later, at the age of 41, he ran an indoor mile in 3:58.15, which remains the only sub-four-minute mile in history posted by a man over the age of 40. (It brought his sub-four total to 83.)

He later took up a position as full-time director of fundraising for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, in Crumlin, which proved a far better fit, and helped draw him back into athletics, through various fundraising efforts and through coaching work at his club, Metro St Brigid’s, and specifically with his youngest son, John. After retiring from Our Lady’s he joined the board of the Irish Sports Council, and at the age of 59 his enthusiasm for sport is perhaps stronger than ever.

Coghlan’s popularity and personality remain strong since his foray into politics. His affability has already won him admirers around Leinster House, even if it was his friendship with Kenny that brought him there in the first place. Coghlan also admits that in his younger years he quietly admired the then-Fine Gael leader, Garret FitzGerald, and the party’s policies.

One of his first major public appearances as a Fine Gael senator will be to host a fundraising dinner in New York next Wednesday, in support of the Children’s Memorial Research Foundation at Our Lady’s – Kenny will fly to New York for the second time in seven days to attend, as will the US Open golf champion Graeme McDowell.

Coghlan is already in New York for this evening’s 105th Millrose Games, partly to see John run in the college distance medley, with Dublin City University. Two weeks ago John ran in his father’s footsteps by achieving a 3:59.32 mile in Boston – creating the first Irish father-son combination to crack the four-minute barrier.

“When you enter a race,” Coghlan has said, “and there are 15 other guys on the line, you want to come out number one.”

Whether that’s as easily done in politics as on the track, only time will tell.

Curriculum vitae

Who is he? Former World 5,000m champion and indoor-mile record holder; finished fourth in the Olympics twice. Since last May, an Independent senator.

Why is he in the news? His decision to join Fine Gael, which delighted the Taoiseach.

Most appealing characteristic? Affable and enthusiastic, and still looks as if he could run a sub-four-minute mile.

Least appealing characteristic? Trying to please everyone.

Most likely to say? “There is no gain without pain.”

Least likely to say? “If I’d taken EPO, I’d have won two Olympic golds.”

Nicole Schappert Wins Boston Valentine Invitational Mile

2012-02-11T10:21:00.007-06:00

Friday night saw former Villanova All-American Nicole Schappert (sister of current Villanova freshman Stephanie Schappert) competing at the Valentine Invitational at Boston University's indoor facility. Nicole won the mile in a crisp 4:33.16, a new indoor PR. Here are the top-10 results from that race:

Women's Mile
1 Schappert, Nicole         NYAC           4:33.16
2 Grace, Kate               NJNYTF         4:40.11
3 Palacio, Jess             NAVY           4:40.27
4 McShine, Pilar            TRIN & TO      4:40.62
5 Salerno, Melissa          NEW BALANCE    4:42.30
6 King, Jillian             BOS. COLL.     4:44.62
7 Letourneau, Allison       UNH            4:45.82
8 Chambers, Madeline        GTWN           4:46.45
9 Carson, Lindsay           MCMA           4:47.05
10 Borduin, Lauren          GTWN           4:48.08

This victory comes on the heels of Schappert's 2:06.29 win over 800 meters at last weekend's New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the Armory in New York. Here are the results of that race:

=======================================================
Event 61  Women's 800 Meter Run
=========================================================
  1  2755 Nicole Schappert       N Y A C         2:06.29  
  2  2754 Lauren Bonds           Unattached      2:06.84  
  3  1223 Devotia Moore          Unattached      2:07.09  
  4   361 Stephanie Herrick      C P T C         2:07.59  
  5  1222 Kimarra McDonald       Unattached      2:07.62  
  6  2756 Katie Hitchcock        N Y A C         2:08.94  
  7   362 Gina Perno             C P T C         2:11.35  
  8  2757 Lauren Henkell         N Y A C         2:12.94  
  9  2753 Ashley Armand          Unattached      2:13.95  
 10  2765 Kim Standridge         Syr Chargers TC 2:18.77

Josh Lampron's 4:05.99 Mile at 2011 NB Nationals

2012-02-10T00:01:00.002-06:00

Here is the video of Josh Lampron's victory at the June 2011 New Balance Outdoor Nationals. Over the final 150 meters he storms from fourth place to win at the wire in 4:05.99 (capping a 58.36 last quarter) -- a gigantic 10-second PR and the #6 prep mile run in 2011. On February 4th, the Massachusetts product signed his letter of intent to attend Villanova in the fall.

Sheila Reid is 3-Time Winner of XC Scholar-Athlete of the Year

2012-02-09T12:58:00.004-06:00

Villanova’s Sheila Reid Wins Third Scholar-Athlete of the Year Honor

Courtesy: Tom Lewis, USTFCCCA
February 9, 2012

NEW ORLEANS – Sheila Reid of Villanova University was named the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Women’s Scholar Athlete of the Year for the 2011 cross country season on Thursday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Reid won a second-straight NCAA cross country individual national title this past fall. Overall, it is Reid’s third Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. Reid has twice won the cross country version of the award, and, for the 2011 track & field season, she was the USTFCCCA’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year for outdoor track.

Scholar Athletes are determined from among those who earned All-Academic status and placed highest individually at the most recent NCAA Championships.

USTFCCCA NCAA Division I
Cross Country Women’s Scholar Athlete of the Year – Sheila Reid, Villanova

Reid, an English major from Newmarket, Ontario, has a cumulative GPA of 3.39 through the fall 2011 semester.

At the NCAA Championships in the fall, Reid captured the second-straight title in leading the Wildcats to a third-place team finish. In one of the best finishes in recent memory, Reid had to compete with a lead pack of eight runners heading into the final 500-meter stretch. Reid and Oregon’s Jordan Hasay separated from the group and ran side-by-side until the final 100 meters where Reid outsprinted Hasay to take the crown in 19:41.2.

Reid became the fifth in NCAA history to win back-to-back individual crowns.

Reid also won the NCAA Mid-Atlantic title for the third-straight time in the fall with a 21:32.7, outdistancing Georgetown’s Emily Infield by just over a second. Reid won the Big East crown for the third-straight time in leading the Wildcats a fourth-straight league championship.

Past Winners
2011: Sheila Reid, Villanova
2010: Sheila Reid, Villanova
2009: Angela Bizzarri, Illinois
2008: Tasmin Fanning, Virginia Tech
2007: Jenny Barringer, Colorado
2006: Jenny Barringer, Colorado

Lipari's Last 100 Earns Her FloTrack's "Kick of the Week"

2012-02-09T00:01:00.002-06:00

Villanova's Emily Lipari went from 7th at the bell to winner, thanks to her notorious kick

2011 NB Nationals Mile Champ Josh Lampron Inks with Villanova

2012-02-08T19:29:00.011-06:00

Josh Lampron, who won the 2011 New Balance Outdoor Nationals mile championship last June as a junior, signed a letter of intent on February 4th to run for Marcus O'Sullivan's Villanova squad. At New Balance Nationals last year Lampron, who hails from Mansfield, Massachusetts, won gold by setting a new mile PR of 4:05.99 -- the 6th fastest mile run by a US prep in 2011. His 2011 indoor 1000 meter time of 2:29.77 was the 10th fastest in the country last year. Lampron is the reigning Massachusetts state champion in both the indoor mile and outdoor 800 meters. Lampron started off the 2011 cross country season as the #9 ranked harrier in the United States, according to Mile Split, before an injury derailed his season.

Lampron has the following 2011 PRs:


400 meters:     51.24
800 meters:   1:53.13i
1000 meters:  2:29.77i (USA #10)
1500 meters:  3:50.03
1 Mile:       4:05.99  (USA #6)
5K XC:       16:06.82

2012-02-08T09:48:00.006-06:00

O’Sullivan savors his return to Millrose
By Ray O'Hanlon
The Irish Echo, February 8th, 2012

The Irish will be out in force at the Millrose Games at the Armory in Manhattan this coming Saturday, Feb. 11, and none among the Irish contingent will have a greater right to be trackside than Cork’s Marcus O’Sullivan.

While Eamonn Coghlan is the name that jumps to the minds of many when the Millrose Wanamaker Mile is mentioned, O’Sullivan’s is right at the Dubliner’s shoulder, as it was more than once in their competing days.

O’Sullivan, a four time Olympian and three-time gold medalist in the World Indoor Championships at 1500 meters, has five Wanamaker Miles to his name and on top of this he is the third all-time leader in the sub-4 minute mile record book with 101 races under the famous mark to his credit.

In this, O’Sullivan heads Coghlan, and trails only Steve Scott and John Walker.

These days, O’Sullivan heads the track and field and cross country program at Villanova University, his alma mater, and a college that is famous for its list of Irish runners, Coghlan included, on its rolls down the years.

As reported last week, O’Sullivan, along with Coghlan, Frank O’Mara and Ray Flynn, who is leading the market effort for the Millrose meet, established the still standing world record in the 4 x mile relay back in August, 1985 and on behalf of GOAL, which has just benefited from the efforts of ultra marathoner Richard Donovan.

O’Sullivan will be arriving in New York with his Villanova milers for a Millrose inter-collegiate clash that will also feature Dublin City University with Eamonn Coghlan’s son, John as one of the quartet.

So how does it feel to be back at the Millrose with his old track comrades?

“The last time I recall us all together, including Frank, was the anniversary of the four by one mile. However, I am personally in touch with all three of them on a regular basis and I see them all separately on a regular basis,” O’Sullivan told the Echo.

“Millrose is still a great representation of the indoor season and track and field,” added O’Sullivan, who fondly remembers the great runs at Madison Square Garden in what he now dubs the “old days.”

“However, with the Armory as the new location you are going to find some great times and performances,” he said.

Villanova NCAA Performance List Report

2012-02-07T21:27:00.005-06:00

Here are the Villanova athletes currently among the top-50 performances in their respective events, as of February 7th. So far, only Sam McEntee has run an automatic qualifier for the NCAA indoor championships, although Bogdana Mimic's 9:11.95 3000 meters run at Haverford this past weekend is less than 2 seconds from the 9:10.00 standard.

M E N

800 meters:    Sam Ellison         1:49.35     NCAA #16
Mile:          Sam McEntee         3:57.86     NCAA #5  (Auto Qualifier)
3000 meters:   Mathew Mildenhall   8:06.23     NCAA #37
5000 meters:   Ryan Sheridan      13:56.43     NCAA #6
5000 meters:   Matt Kane          14:29.03     NCAA #36
DMR:           Chris O'Sullivan    9:48.64     NCAA #12
               Cory Serfoss
               Chris FitzSimons
               Brian Tetreault
Weight Throw:  Frank Anuszewski      61'4"     NCAA #49

W O M E N


200 meters:    Shericka Ward         23.93     NCAA #30
Mile:          Emily Lipari        4:39.78     NCAA #14
3000 meters:   Bogdana Mimic       9:11.95     NCAA #6
60m hurdles:   Shericka Ward          8.25     NCAA #10
DMR:           Nicky Akande       11:12.59     NCAA #10
               Christie Verdier   
               Ariann Neutts
               Emily Lipari 
High Jump:     Samantha Yeats        5'10"     NCAA #22

Piccirillo Wins 400 - 800 - Mile - 3000 at Edinboro

2012-02-06T19:50:00.003-06:00

Villanova signee Angel Piccirillo went 4-for-4 this weekend at Edinboro University, including a USA #10 2:14.77 over 800 meters and a USA #15 10:06.00 in the 3000 meters. Here is the report by Phil Grove from the Pennsylvania Mile Split website:

Angel Piccirillo made short work of things on the track, and a trio of Hickory seniors went to great lengths Saturday inside Edinboro University's year-round track bubble.

The Homer Center standout one-upped her performance from the first Tri-State meet of 2012 by winning the mile and 400-, 800- and 3,000-meter events in dominating fashion, with each of her winning efforts being faster than the previous week. Picking up where she left off on Edinboro's 236.621-meter oval, the Villanova University signee destroyed the mile field in a PA#3 4 minutes, 59.30 seconds before coming back in the next event for a PA#4 effort of 58.30 seconds in the 400 dash.

Piccirillo was back again in the next event and led wire to wire in the 800. Her 2:14.77 is PA#2 and US#10, while Peyton Hampson of Waynesburg hung on for a PA#6 clocking of 2:17.26. Saving her best for last (after taking a break during the 200), Piccirillo cut almost 20 seconds off her winning time from the previous Saturday, covering the 3,000 in a state-leading and US#15 10:06.00.

"After talking with my coach, the 3,000 was probably my best race," Piccirillo said, noting that her PR of 10:02.35 from 2011 came on Penn State's banked track. "I was really glad to pull off a decent time and being by myself, too.

"The 800 also is not a strength of mine and came at a weird time. It was hard to keep loose (in the 800 and 3,000)."

Lipari Hits New Mile PR in Win at New Balance Collegiate

2012-02-04T20:58:00.004-06:00

Villanova sophomore Emily Lipari broke the 4:40 barrier for the first time, coming from 7th place at the bell to win the women's mile at the Armory. Her time of 4:39.78 came up less than three seconds short of the NCAA automatic qualifying standard of 4:37.00, but her time placed her in the top 15 of the NCAA's indoor performance list this season. Her 4:39.78 was a 2.5 second improvement from her previous mile race (4:42.35) at the Armory two weeks ago.

Event 67  Women 1 Mile Run Championship
================================================================
Saturday 2/4/2012 - 5:20 PM
     Name                        Year School                                
================================================================
Finals
  1  1323 Emily Lipari           Villanova              4:39.78
  2  1120 Brittany Sheffey       Tennessee              4:40.28
  3   168 Jillian King           Boston College         4:40.70
  4   283 Alyssa Kulik           Clemson                4:40.97
  5   334 Lindsay Crevoisera     Connecticut            4:41.49
  6   319 Waverly Neer           Columbia               4:41.92
  7   581 Rebeka Stowe           Kansas                 4:43.11
  8   821 Ashley Verplank        North Carolina         4:44.42
  9   817 Lianne Farber          North Carolina         4:45.54
 10   954 Nicol Traynor          Richmond               4:46.57
 11   819 Kendra Schaaf          North Carolina         4:46.63
 12   349 Shauna McNiff          Connecticut            4:47.12
 13   559 Corinne Christense     Kansas                 4:52.26
 14   545 Morgan Casey           Iowa State             4:52.48
 15   391 Carolyn Baskir         Duke                   4:52.82
 16   164 Heather Garcia         Boston College         4:54.37
 17   536 Kirsten Stewart        Iona                   4:55.21
 18   309 Aryn Foland            Columbia               4:56.01
 19     7 Chloe Susset           Abilene Christian      4:57.17
 20    56 Kathryn Fanning        Albany                 5:00.40
 21   222 Makenna Smith          B Y U                  5:09.39

Sheridan Wins New Balance Collegiate 5000Edges Closer to NCAA Auto Qualifier

2012-02-03T09:01:00.006-06:00

Ryan Sheridan dipped below the 14:00 barrier for the first time in his career on Friday, winning the collegiate 5000 meter run at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the Armory. His time of 13:56.43 brought him both an 8-second win over Kevin Burnett of Texas A&M as well as a top-10 NCAA time this season. Sheridan, a 2009 All-American at 5000 meters outdoors, needs a 13:44.60 to qualify automatically for the NCAA indoor championship meet. His race Friday bettered his 5000 meter time from two weeks ago, when he ran 14:18.66 at the Great Dane Classic at this same venue. Matt Kane finished 6th in 14:29.03.

Ellison Takes 500 meter Dash in Quick 1:01.92

In other action, Sam Ellison turned back competitors from sprint-happy LSU and Baylor in winning the 500 meter dash. His 1:01.92 time, a PR, is a Big East qualifier, and Ellison is now qualified in the 500, 800, and 1000 meters at the Big East indoor championships.

Event 12 — Men 5000 Meter Run Championship
Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 (2:50 pm)

Records
Armory — 13:41.25, Richard Kiplagat, Iona, 2003
Armory College — 13:41.25, Richard Kiplagat, Iona, 2003
Meet — 13:41.25, Richard Kiplagat, Iona, 2003

    Name                        Year School                               
================================================================
Finals
 1  2698 Ryan Sheridan          Villanova             13:56.43 
 2  2517 Kevin Burnett          Texas A&M             14:04.27 
 3  1760 Brian Atkinson         Duke                  14:13.95 
 4  1763 Andrew Brodeur         Duke                  14:19.59 
 5  1511 Josh Olsen             American              14:27.64 
 6  1402 Matthew Kane           Villanova             14:29.03 
 7  1919 Craig Murphy           Iona                  14:29.90 
 8  2086 Cullen Doody           L S U                 14:30.25 
 9  1721 Leighton Spencer       Columbia              14:32.21 
10  1719 Jake Sienko            Columbia              14:35.48 
11  1556 Robbie Knorr           Baylor                14:37.89 
12  1720 Paul Snyder            Columbia              14:37.90 
13  1700 Pat DeSabato           Columbia              14:50.29 
14  2035 Evans Kosgei           Lehigh                14:57.03 
15  2523 James Hodges           Texas A&M             15:01.60 
--  2085 Richard Chautin        L S U                 DNF

Event 32 — Men 500 Meter Dash Championship
Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 (7:47 pm)

Records
Armory — 1:00.82, Lesiba Masheto, Illinois, 2008
Armory College — 1:00.82, Lesiba Masheto, Illinois, 2008
Meet — 1:00.82, Lesiba Masheto, Illinois, 2008

     Name                        Year School                                
================================================================
Finals
  1 Samuel Ellison               Villanova              1:01.92
  2 George Empty                 George Mason           1:02.25
  3 Drew Seale                   Baylor                 1:02.49
  4 Ade Alleyne Forte            L S U                  1:02.60
  5 Shaquille Walker             B Y U                  1:02.98
  6 Emanuel Mayers               Mississippi St.        1:03.26
  7 Michael Robertson            Univ of Ottawa         1:03.28
  8 Kenneth McCuin               Kansas                 1:03.37
  9 Harry McFann                 Columbia               1:03.76
 10 Michael Hester               Kansas                 1:04.01
 11 Andre Thomas                 Coppin State           1:05.33
 12 Dominque Manley              Kansas                 1:06.74
 ‑‑  Chris Carter                 B Y U                   DNF
 ‑‑  Keith Griffith               L S U                   DNF

COMPLETE VILLANOVA RESULTS -- FRIDAY SESSION

400 Meters (College)

PRELIMINARIES

Bryan Murphy           30th of 83           49.93          4th (Section 2)
Nicoy Hines            35th                 50.02          1st (Section 19)
Carlton Bowers         54th                 50.66          2nd (Section 14)
Cory Serfoss           71st                 51.70          2nd (Section 13)

500 Meters (Championship)

Samuel Ellison         1st of 14            1:01.92

1000 Meters (Championship)

Chris O'Sullivan       12th of 45           2:28.95
Chris Pietrocarlo      15th                 2:29.42
Joseph LoRusso         19th                 2:30.18
Richie Bohny           24th                 2:31.58

5000 Meters (Championship)

Ryan Sheridan          1st of 16            13:56.43
Matt Kane              6th                  14:29.03

Long Jump (College)

Elbert Maxwell         6th of 13            6.93m           Flight 4
Lazaro Tiant           4th of 13            6.59m           Flight 1

Shot Put (Championship)

Frank Anuszewski       53rd of 58           13.88m

Douma-Hussar 3rd in New Balance 1500

2012-02-03T07:44:00.001-06:00


Event 30  Women's 1500 Meter Run
=========================================================
Friday 2/3/2012 - 7:18 PM
     Name                             School                                   
=========================================================
Finals
  1  2761 Lauren Centrowitz      NBTC                   4:14.06  
  2  2754 Lauren Bonds           Unattached             4:14.66  
  3  2766 Carmen Hussar          Unattached             4:16.72  
  4  2762 Erin Koch              NBTC                   4:21.21  
  5  2759 Rolanda Bell           Unattached             4:22.44  
  6  2764 Amanda LoPiccolo       Unattached             4:24.44  
  7  2763 Kerri Gallagher        NBTC                   4:25.25  
  8   360 Catherine Beck         C P T C                4:29.49  
  9  2767 Leslie Higgins         N Y A C                4:30.21  
 --  2780 Melissa Salerno        Unattached                 DNF  
 --  2765 Kim Stanridge          Syr Chargers TC            DNS  
 --  2760 Dana Mecke             Unattached                 DNS

Bobby Curtis Up & Running: Will Rabbit Tasmanian 5000

2012-02-02T14:51:00.004-06:00

Bobby Curtis, on the mend from a foot injury, will get back on the track for the first time Saturday at the Briggs Athletic Classic in Hobart, Tasmania, Austalia. He'll be pacing the men's 5000, which features a fantastic battle between Craig Mottram, Ben St.Lawrence and Collis Birmingham. The foot injury scuttled Curtis' European race schedule at the start of the year, and he's since relocated to Australia for summertime training.

Piccirillo Makes it Official

2012-02-02T14:39:00.002-06:00

PA State Champion Indoor Mile 2010 -- All State First Team
AA State Champion Outdoor 1600m 2010 -- All State First Team
Penn Relays COA Girls Mile Champion 2010 and 2011
PA AA State Champion XC 2010 and 2011
Foot Locker Finalist 2010
PTFCA XC Athlete of the Year 2010 and 2011
Gatorade PA Girls XC runner of the Year 2010
Millrose Mile Finalist
PA State Champion Indoor Mile 2011 -- All State First Team
PA AA State Champion 1600m 2011 -- All State First Team
PTFCA Outdoor Women's Athlete of the Year 2011
Foot Locker XC Northeast Champion 2011
Foot Locker XC All American 2011

Muncan & Margey at New Balance Indoor Grand Prix

2012-02-02T13:52:00.007-06:00

This weekend's New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston provides a good opportunity for a former and future Villanovan to compete in ultra-competitive races. VU alum Marina Muncan in the loaded 3000 meters, while Villanova signee Kelsey Margey is in the prep mile. Margey has the 3rd fastest high school mile run this season. Here are the start lists:

New Balance Women's 3000  (7:50 p.m. Saturday)
Liz Maloy            USA
Jenny Simpson        USA
Sara Hall            USA
Shannon Rowbury      USA
Btissam Lakhouad     MAR
Marina Muncan        SRB
Megan Wright         CAN
Gotytom Gebreslase   ETH
Siham Hilali         MAR
Meseret Defar        ETH
Mardrea Hyman        JAM

Girls' Junior Mile  (5:25 p.m. Saturday)
Annika Gompers      (USA #48 mile)
Camille Blackman
Cayla Hatton
Haley Pierce        (USA #2 3000)
Kelsey Margey       (USA #3 mile)
Madison Granger     (USA #60 mile)
Marika Crowe
Megan Moye          (USA #5 mile)
Molly Keating       (USA #7 1500)
Reagan Anderson
Sarah Gillespie     (USA #14 mile)
Wesley Frazier      (USA #11 1600)

**** UPDATE ****

Here are the results of the junior girls' mile, in which Margey finished third:

 New Balance Grand Prix - 2/4/2012 6:14:49 PM                     
                                    , Boston, MA                                     

                       Varsity Girls One Mile Run                       
==========================================================================
    Name                      Yr Team                           Time   Pts
==========================================================================
  1 Cayla Hatton                                             4:51.37      
  2 Wesley Frazier                                           4:52.18      
  3 Kelsey Margey                                            4:52.83      
  4 Megan Moye                                               4:54.09      
  5 Reagan Anderson                                          4:57.79      
  6 Sarah Gillespie                                          4:58.02      
  7 Haley Pierce                                             4:58.59      
  8 Madison Granger                                          5:00.96      
  9 Molly Keating                                            5:01.20      
 10 Annika Gompers                                           5:04.93      
 11 Camille Blackman                                         5:07.64      
 12 Marika Crowe                                             5:09.09

2012-02-01T13:54:00.005-06:00

Irish Gather Anew for Millrose Meet
By Ray O'Hanlon
The Irish Echo
February 1st, 2012

The "chairman" returns to the Millrose Games.

As famous running foursomes go, this one ranks at the very top in the storied history of Irish track.

And three of the four will be on hand a few days from now at the famed Millrose Games, this year being staged in the cozy confines of the Armory in Upper Manhattan.

Back in the summer of 1985, and under a blue sky as opposed to a roof, the four, Eamonn Coghlan, Marcus O’Sullivan, Frank O’Mara and Ray Flynn flew around the Belfield track at University College Dublin chasing a world record.

The run, which was in support of the aid agency goal, was in pursuit of something rarely pursued: the world four by one mile relay record.

But the mid-1980s was something of a golden era for Irish middle distance running. Not only were the organizers able to assemble a world class quartet to go after the record, but they added three other top class quartets to push it to the new mark.

Put it this way, the “B” team on that day included Olympic silver-medalist John Treacy.

Still, there were no guarantees. A big crowd had turned up and it was excited and highly expectant. The pressure was on for sure.

Failure to nail the record would have been, no doubt about it, a major disappointment. But the “fab four” did not disappoint and duly laid claim to the record of 15.49.08. It stands to this day.

On Friday, Feb. 11, three of the record holding quartet will be together again at the 105th Millrose Games, though in non-running capacities this time around.

One of them, Longford native and now Tennessee resident Ray Flynn, is the meet director and the man who has been working overtime in recent months to assemble a top class array of athletes, one that will ensure a capacity crowd in a venue that is considerably more compact, thus easier to fill, than the longtime Millrose home, Madison Square Garden.

Flynn, a double Irish Olympian who set, and still holds, the outdoor Irish mile record of 3:49.77 (set in 1982 at the Bislett Games Dream Mile in Oslo) lives in Johnson City, Tennessee where he, well, runs Flynn Sports Management.

Flynn, now 54, also runs “most days,” though purely for recreation.

Flynn says he is excited at the prospect of the Millrose Games making their debut at the Armory, in large part because the track there is faster than the MSG boards.

“There is a new generation of athletes comfortable running on fast 200 meter tracks,” Flynn told the Echo in a phone interview.

“We have a whole array of great events lined up and everyone is very excited about the Armory. You really hear the noise from the crowd which brings out the best from the athletes. It’s a very intimate and exciting arena,” he said.

Flynn, like virtually all the great Irish middle distance runners of his generation, brought his running abilities to peak by attending a U.S. university, in his case East Tennessee State.

His fellow record breakers on that day in Belfield also ran track for American universities. The names of Coghlan and O’Sullivan are indelibly linked to Villanova, while Frank O’Mara ran for the University of Arkansas, and still lives in Little Rock.

While Flynn has overall responsibility for the Millrose meet, he is taking a particular interest in the reunion with Coghlan and O’Sullivan. One unique aspect of the Millrose tradition is that it combines events for world class professional track and field stars, along with competition for college and high school athletes.

And this year’s college component of the meet is sparking the reunion.

Eamonn Coghlan, seven-time champion in the Millrose marquis event, the Wanamker Mile, and the only one of the record-holding four currently living in Ireland, is flying the Atlantic in the company of a squad from Dublin City University which will compete in the Byron Dyce College Men’s Distance Medley Relay.

The DCU squad, coached by Enda Fitzpatrick, has been hailed as Ireland’s middle distance running dream team. It’s made up of Mark English Brian Gregan, Darren McBrearty and, no great surprise, Eamonn Coghlan’s son, John.

“I’ve known these kids since they were young teenagers. I’ve seen them grow up. The fact that they are all in school together, they can see what running in New York City is all about. It’s exciting for their team from Dublin University to go to the Millrose Games and have a chance to do exceptionally well,” said Coghlan in a Millrose advance release.

“The Irish used to come to the Millrose Games to support me, Marcus O’Sullivan (five Wanamaker titles) and Ron Delany (four). People are not aware of the talent coming out of Ireland. It might get them back on the scene again,” said Coghlan.

Last year, Coghlan suggested to Armory Foundation president, Dr. Norb Sander, the idea of bringing an Irish Team to this year’s Millrose event.

“I said we need a bit of the Irish influence back in the Millrose Games,” Coghlan explained.

Sander didn’t need much persuading. Indeed, the Irish presence on Feb. 11 will extend beyond the visitors from Dublin.

Marcus O’Sullivan, who is head track coach at Villanova, will be bringing a team, and there will be other college teams turning up from Virginia, Duke, Providence, Columbia and Albany. Providence is coached by Ray Treacy, John’s brother.

This week, as a warm-up for the Millrose meet, the Irish visitors will be participating individually in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational (Feb 3-4) at the Armory.

For Coghlan, now and for ever “the chairman of the boards,” the return to New York is a cause for celebration, and not a small degree of paternal pride given the participation of his son.

“My role is as a parent, coach and a nervous dad. I just want to be with Norb and help keep the Millrose Games going. Enda would like my influence to be with the kids the day before and calm them down, motivate them, and help them get ready,” he said.

“The Millrose Games are close to my heart for obvious reasons. My success in the Millrose Games has been the making of Eamonn Coghlan. Not a week goes by when someone doesn’t say something to me about winning the Wanamaker Mile.”

Ray Flynn is hoping that many people will remember Coghlan’s extraordinary feats when the Wanamaker was run at MSG and flock to the Armory, for old time’s sake, as well as to see close up an array of present day and future track and field heroes.

“Eamonn and DCU, Marcus and Villanova, Ray and Providence, as well as others, will be keeping alive the legacy of the Irish at the Millrose Games. It promises to be a great night,” Flynn said.

Tickets for the Millrose Games can be purchased online at www.armorytrack.com. More information on the meet can be found at www.millrose-games.org.

John Coghlan Joins Father Eamonn in the Sub 4:00 Miler Club

2012-01-31T11:47:00.007-06:00

John Coghlan, Eamonn Coghlan's son who was briefly on Villanova's recruiting radar a few years ago before deciding to stay in Ireland and run at Dublin City University, has run a sub-4:00 mile, running 3:59.32 at the Terrier Classic in Boston. As a result, the father-son Coghlans now join the Browns, Centrowitzes, Keinos and Bairs as the only father-son sub-four minute milers in history. Interestingly, John ran his first sub-4:00 mile at Boston University's track, less than two miles from the track at Harvard University where his father Eamonn recorded his final sub-4:00 mile (at the age of 41).

The father-son sub-4:00 miler duos (with their initial sub-4:00 mile time listed) are:



3:54.16     Kip Keino               08/30/65
3:58.73     Martin Keino            06/04/94


3:58.7      Sam Bair                06/23/67
3:59.72     Sam Bair, Jr.           02/13/10


3:58.8      Barry Brown             05/13/72
3:59.99     Darren Brown            04/05/03


3:59.2      Matt Centrowitz         05/24/75
3:57.92     Matt Centrowitz, Jr.    02/14/09


3:56.2      Eamonn Coghlan          5/10/75
3:59.32     John Coghlan            01/28/12

Sheila Reid Wins Philly Outstanding Amateur Athlete Award (Again!)

2012-01-31T10:01:00.002-06:00

Villanova’s Sheila Reid wins Outstanding Amateur Athlete at Philadelphia Sports Writers Banquet
By TERRY TOOHEY
ttoohey@journalregister.com

CHERRY HILL, N.J. — Neither a cold nor a late class could keep Villanova’s Sheila Reid from making it to the 108th annual Philadelphia Sports Writers banquet on time Monday night.

Reid and Villanova women’s coach Gina Procaccio arrived at the Crowne Plaza Hotel just in time for the start of the festivities. What else would you expect from an athlete who has become famous for her last-minute kick? Besides, being the first female to be named Outstand Amateur Athlete in back-to-back is a big deal to the 11-time All-American from Newmarket, Ont. She wasn’t about to miss the banquet for the world, even though she was in the infirmary at Villanova Sunday night and had a late Italian class Monday.

“I feel I’ve grown really close to the whole Philadelphia sports community,” said Reid, the first back-to-back winner of the award since golfer Jay Sigel in 1982-83. “While I won’t be able to represent Villanova after this year, it’s kind of nice to know that I can come back to Penn Relays and have some connection to Philadelphia.”

Reid will go down as one of the best runners in Villanova history and that’s saying something. She won her second straight NCAA individual cross country title last November. Five months earlier, Reid became the first woman to win the 1,500- and 5,000-meter titles in the same year at the NCAA Championships. Along the way, Reid has been named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Year twice, National Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a four-time Big East academic all-star.

Yet for all of her accomplishments and awards, one thing is missing from her resume. She has not won a Penn Relays title, either as an individual or as part of a relay team. She will get one last chance to break that drought when the 118th Penn Relays Carnival gets under way April 26 at Franklin Field.

“Oh man, it’s a monkey on my back,” Reid said. “It’s pretty crazy that with all the success that I’ve had an the team has had I still can’t seem to tie down a Penn Relay’s wheel, but we’re working on it this year and we’re going to get it together for sure this year.”

Reid has more than a Penn Relays wheel on her wish list. She’s also training for a spot on the Canadian Olympic team. She will get that opportunity at the Canadian Olympic team trials are June 27-30 in Alberta.

“I’ll be there,” she said. “I have to run really fast for them to want me on that team, but I’m looking forward to it. I think I’m setting myself up for a really good opportunity.”

McEntee & Ward Highlight Cats at Penn State National

2012-01-30T08:45:00.005-06:00

The big news from the weekend meet at Penn State was the NCAA automatic qualifier in the mile for sophomore Sam McEntee. McEntee broke the 4:00 barrier, running 3:57.86 in only his fourth ever competitive mile (see video of race in previous post below). He did so 6 days short of his 20th birthday, becoming Villanova's 29th sub-4:00 miler (fellow Aussie Matt Gibney was the 28th on Villanova's list when he went 3:58 in Seattle last February). Among Western Australians, only the legendary Herb Elliott (3:54.5) has run a faster mile. McEntee's time places him #25 on the all-time Australian mile list, one spot ahead of John Landy. He is currently ranked #5 on the 2012 NCAA performance list at that distance.

All-Time Mile Performance List, Australia

1.    3.48.98     Craig Mottram       Oslo, Norway        29 Jul 05
2.    3.49.91     Simon Doyle         Oslo, Norway         6 Jul 91
3.    3.51.25     Jeff Riseley        Oslo, Norway         3 Jul 09
4.    3.51.82     Mike Hillardt       Koblenz, Germany    28 Aug 85
5.    3.52.24     Ryan Gregson        London, GBR         13 Aug 10
6.    3.53.24     Mark Fountain       Sheffield, GBR      21 Aug 05
7.    3.53.58     Pat Scammell        Melbourne            7 Feb 91
8.    3.54.30     Collis Birmingham   London, GBR         25 Jul 09
9.    3.54.5      Herb Elliott        Dublin, Ireland      6 Aug 58
10.   3.55.05     Jeremy Roff         London, GBR         25 Jul 09
11.   3.55.2      Ken Hall            Goteborg, Sweden    12 Aug 75
12.   3.55.59     Graham Crouch       Stockholm, Sweden    1 Jul 74
13.   3.55.75     Scott Petersen      Melbourne           20 Feb 97
14.   3.55.9      Merv Lincoln        Dublin,Ireland       6 Aug 58
15.   3.56.23     Youcef Abdi         Eugene,USA          24 May 03
16.   3.56.27     Lachlan Chisholm    Brisbane             6 May 05
17.   3.56.52     Andrew Lloyd        London,GBR          27 May 90
18.   3.56.59     Steve Foley         Dublin, Ireland     10 Jul 79
19.   3.56.8      Peter Fuller        Melbourne            9 Jan 74
20.   3.57.12     Holt Hardy          Melbourne           25 Feb 98
21.   3.57.27     Mitch Kealey        London, GBR         25 Jul 08
22.   3.57.3      Chris Fisher        Eugene, USA         18 May 75
23.   3.57.53     Peter Bourke        London, GBR         11 Jul 86
24.   3.57.79     Steve Austin        Melbourne           14 Jan 82
25.   3:57.86     Sam McEntee         State College, USA  28 Jan 12

Also of note was senior Shericka Ward's PR in the 60 meter hurdles. Her time of 8.25 places her at #10 in the NCAA so far this season. The NCAA automatic qualifier in the 60H is 8.10 She is also currently ranked #27 in the NCAA at 200 meters.

Sam Ellison ran a 1:49.37 PR over 800 meters at Penn State, placing him at #16 on the NCAA performance list. In the same event, Chris FitzSimons continued his steady recovery of fitness after injury. His 1:51.06 (NCAA #42) over the weekend portends good things over the next two months.

Freshman Courtney Chapman and sophomore Emily Lipari both cracked the NCAA top 50 in the 3000 meters. Chapman ran 9:31.21 (NCAA #47), while Lipari's 9:32.05 sits at NCAA #50. Lipari's 4:42.35 mile from the January 20th Albany Great Dane meet at the Armory ranks her 21st in the NCAA at that distance.

The men's DMR team of Chris O'Sullivan (2:59), Cory Serfoss (50.5), Chris FitzSimons (1:52), and Brian Tetreault (4:06) was fourth at the Penn State meet, in 9:48.64 (almost 18 seconds slower than the NCAA auto qualifier). That time currently is the 9th fastest in the country. When push comes to shove, we expect Tetreault to replace O'Sullivan in the 1200 meter opening leg, and newly minted 3:57 miler Sam McEntee to be placed in the 1600 anchor.

Also on the men's side, four men competed over 3000 meters. Brian Long, running unattached, was the second fastest competitor of the day, running 8:11.12. Rob Denault (also unattached) went 8:23.51 to win his heat. Joe LoRusso ran 8:23.85 and Alex Tully came home in 8:26.92. The NCAA auto qualifier is 7:52.80.

Sam McEntee Goes Sub-4 with 3:57.86 at Penn State

2012-01-28T17:57:00.010-06:00

Sam McEntee celebrated his 20th birthday a few days early today at the Penn State National Invitational by crushing the 4:00 barrier in the mile. In only his fourth mile race ever, McEntee, a sophomore from Perth, Australia, finished third in the invitational mile, in 3:57.86. That is an NCAA nationals automatic qualifier for McEntee. He is Villanova's 29th sub-4:00 miler and -- along with Matt Gibney -- the second Villanova runner from Australia to break that magical 4:00 barrier in the last 11 months.

Event 25  Men 1 Mile Run Inv
================================================================
Facility Rec: F 3:57.97  2011        Cory Leslie, Ohio State    
 Meet Record: M 3:57.97  2011        Cory Leslie, Ohio State    
   NCAA Auto: A 3:57.90                                         
  PSU Record: * 3:58.49  2011        Ryan Foster                
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
Finals                                                          
  1 See, Jeff                    Saucony                3:56.51A
  2 Leslie, Cory              JR Ohio State             3:56.85A
  3 McEntee, Sam              SO Villanova              3:57.86A
  4 Springer, Andrew          SO Georgetown             4:01.17 
  5 Dawson, Owen                 Unattached             4:01.37 
  6 Mahoney, Travis           JR Temple                 4:02.40 
  7 Kostelac, Anthony         SO Virginia               4:05.12 
  8 Fallon, Chris             JR Ohio State             4:06.43 
  9 Gilland, Taylor           SO Virginia               4:06.45 
 10 Peavey, Bobby             SO Georgetown             4:07.12 
 11 Guarino, Nick                Unattached             4:09.93 
 12 Kaddurah, Omar            FR Georgetown             4:10.44 
 13 Guarino, Josh                Unattached             4:11.67 
 14 Furcht, Ben               SO Georgetown             4:11.76 
 15 Burnett, Clay                Unattached             4:12.70 
 16 Fuller, Brian                Unattached             4:14.33 
 17 Baker, Colin              SO Penn State             4:17.90 
 18 Cunningham, Michael       SR Penn                   4:20.85 
 -- Endress, Wade             FR Penn State                 DNF 
 -- Foster, Ryan                 P F G                      DNF

March 1980 Sports Illustrated Profile of Jumbo Elliott

2012-01-27T20:20:00.010-06:00

Nobody's Bigger Than Jumbo
Sports Illustrated, March 10, 1980
Rick Telander

For 45 years, James Francis Elliott has been coach of track at Villanova, bringing home more silverware than he knows what to do with. And it's only a part-time job

This raw, wintry day James Francis (Jumbo) Elliott, 64, the Philadelphia millionaire, drives rather than walks through the yard of Elliott and Frantz, Inc. heavy-equipment sales company. A light snow has turned the back lot into a quagmire. "We plan to have it repaved next summer," Jumbo says apologetically. Elliott's car creeps past the monsters that are his stock-in-trade: fluorescent-green, 35-ton Euclid trucks, cherry-red Drott cranes, taxicab-yellow Fiat-Allis loaders— dense, inert vehicles nesting in the ooze. "The really big ones come on semis and are assembled here," says Jumbo. "Some of the tires alone are 10 feet high."

Elliott walks into his office, sits down at the desk and hums as he rubber-stamps his name on $26,000 worth of payroll checks. He comes in for only a few hours a day now, and signing checks is one of his duties. Nowadays the business runs largely on its own momentum, but that wasn't always the case. "God, no," says Jumbo, a gentleman in all things, but one who uses a dash of blasphemy for effect. Fifty years ago he was a stock boy in a grocery store in Philadelphia's Shanty-town; 35 years ago he was a foreman of a small construction company; 25 years ago he was a salesman for the company; later he became a partner in it; and eight years ago he bought out his partner. Now there are Elliott and Frantz franchises in three states, with 140 employees and annual sales of $25 million. On the walls of Elliott's office are photographs of athletes running and a painting of a great, somber, bearded man—God, obviously—peering out of the clouds and obviously displeased as a golfer moves his ball from behind a bush. Golf is one of Jumbo's passions. In 1934 and '35 he was captain of Villanova University's golf team. He was undefeated in his intercollegiate career, and he was urged to join the pro tour after graduation. Now Elliott belongs to several country clubs around Philadelphia and owns a condominium near the 13th hole of the Seminole golf course in Juno Beach, Fla.

A lean, almost gaunt man with a fleshy face that seems meant for a heavier frame, Jumbo is reputed to have a mighty tee shot still. "A friend of mine always said he'd bet I could outdrive anybody else who had wrists as skinny as mine," he says. Jumbo holds out his wrists and they are indeed narrow, delicate, decidedly un-Jumbo-like. (The "Jumbo" handle was not acquired for anatomical reasons. It was picked up in the 1930s; a man named Jumbo Jim Elliott pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies then. "Since I was a "Jim Elliott" too, I got the name and it stuck," he says.)

Jumbo's eldest son, James Elliott Jr., 33, vice-president/general manager of Elliott and Frantz, enters the office and pulls a pitching wedge from the bag of clubs behind his father's desk. Another son, Tom, 29, also works at Elliott and Frantz, as a vice-president. As James Jr. practices his backswing, he and his father discuss the political problems in Afghanistan and Iran.

World affairs are of more than passing interest to the Elliotts these days—one of their sales agents in Iran disappeared for a while during the revolution there. Upon resurfacing, the agent informed the company that $50,000 worth of their tractor parts were in the hands of the new government.

"Are we going to get caught on that?" Jumbo asks now.

"I already wrote it off," says Jim Jr., "but I've heard we might eventually get paid by some West German bank. You don't mind if we get it in Deutschmarks, do you, Dad?"

Jumbo chuckles. Such relatively small amounts of money are not terribly important to him at this stage in his career.

It is nearly three o'clock now and Jumbo is finishing work for the day. He gets into his Cadillac to drive the short distance to Villanova University, the small (enrollment 6,075), private, Catholic Church-affiliated university from which he graduated 45 years ago. It is at Villanova University, on Philadelphia's fashionable Main Line, that Elliott engages in what has been his "hobby" for four and a half decades. Like a comic book hero emerging from a phone booth, Jumbo, the successful businessman, family man, amateur golfer and lifetime Philadelphian, steps out of his car in the school's parking lot and takes on a new identity—that of the most successful collegiate track coach in history.

Indeed, if coaching achievement were measured in business terms, Jumbo Elliott would be no mere millionaire, but a Rockefeller, a Howard Hughes. In the last 25 years his Villanova track and cross-country teams have won almost 50 major championships, indoors and out: eight NCAA, three AAUs, one USTFF and 38 IC4As (the 105-member Eastern track association). During his tenure 300 Villanova athletes have won individual or relay championships at IC4A meets, 74 have won them at the NCAAs, 63 at the AAUs. Last spring Villanova won its 71st relay title since 1955 at the prestigious Penn Relays, far outdistancing the host team, the University of Pennsylvania, as the all-time leader.

Jumbo has coached 25 Olympians, who have won six gold and three silver medals. Either while at Villanova or afterward, 18 of his athletes have set outdoor world records and 44 have set world indoor marks. Last season alone, junior Don Paige set a world indoor record for an 11-lap track at 1,000 yards (2:05.3); sophomore Anthony Tufariello established an NCAA indoor mark in the 600 (1:09.5); sophomore Sydney Maree, from South Africa, set a national collegiate record in the 1,500 meters (3:38.2) and an outdoor NCAA mark in the 5,000 (13:20.7); and alumnus Eamonn Coghlan shattered the world indoor mile record with a time of 3:52.6. The record Coghlan broke (3:54.9) was held by another former Villanova runner, Dick Buerkle.

Jumbo admits to having a fondness for middle-distance men. Indeed, he has coached 16 Villanova athletes who have broken four minutes in the mile, a feat roughly akin to having coached 16 All-America halfbacks. One of those, Ron Delany of Ireland, won the Olympic gold in the 1,500 in 1956. Others, such as Marty Liquori, Frank Murphy, Buerkle and Coghlan, have been in the forefront of world-class miling over the last decade. The 1980 Villanova squad has four runners—Paige, Maree, Dean Childs and Amos Korir of Kenya—who have clocked sub-four-minute miles. Two others, Kevin Dillon from Canada and Carey Pinkowski, should break four minutes soon.

This is not to say that Elliott ignores his sprinters and field men. Eight of the nine Olympic medals won by Villanovans have been taken by sprinters (Charley Jenkins, Paul Drayton, Larry James), a hurdler (Erv Hall) and a pole vaulter (Don Bragg).

And the juggernaut continues to roll. Last year's Villanova team won the IC4A Indoor Championships for the 16th time and the NCAA Indoor Championships for the third time. In May, Villanova finished second to the University of Texas at El Paso in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. All but four members of that team are back this year. "Jumbo's had the horses before, but he's got depth now. This may be his best team ever," says James, gold medalist in the 4 x 400-meter relay and a silver medalist in the 400 in the 1968 Olympics and now the track coach at Stockton ( N.J.) State College, where Bragg is the athletic director.

Just as important to the school as Elliott's stats, however, is his very presence on campus. Without a man who could afford to coach for the love of it, Villanova quite possibly would not have a track program at all, let alone the success it enjoys. Like all private colleges today, the school is beset with financial problems.

"We're marginal," says the Rev. John M. Driscoll, Villanova's president. "To be honest, no sport is financially viable here. But in a competitive business like ours it is important to keep your school's name in the forefront. And the most fantastic press we get, year in and year out, comes from Jumbo and his teams. If it weren't for him and his peculiar genius, things would be very much different here."

For the record, Elliott now receives $10,000 a year from Villanova. When he first started coaching, as an undergraduate scholarship quarter-miler in 1934, he, of course, did not receive a paycheck. (He also coached the golf team as an undergrad because "there was nobody to do that, either.") After graduation his salary was established at $200 for six months of coaching—indoor and outdoor track and golf. "You've got to remember that this was only something I was doing after work," Jumbo points out.

After World War II, in which Elliott became a lieutenant commander in the Navy, his fee leaped to $2,500. For this he coached track, golf and cross-country and served as the trainer for the Villanova football team. "I got by fine," he says. "I'd found that in the heavy-construction business a lot of managers were in their offices at 6:30, 7 in the morning. By starting early I could make four good calls before the average salesman even got on the road. My territory was the Main Line, with two or three accounts in the city—nothing farther than 25 miles from Villanova. I never had any trouble making it to school by three in the afternoon."

In the late '40s the young businessman's track teams began to be noticed. Jumbo's first stars were George Guida and Browning Ross, both of whom qualified for the 1948 Olympics—Guida in the 400, Ross in the steeplechase. In 1950 Elliott coached a witty, balding youth named Fred Dwyer, now the track coach at Manhattan College in New York, who ran a 4:00.8 mile. In 1954 Jumbo coached his first black runner, Jenkins—who would win two gold medals (4 x 400 relay and 400) at the 1956 Olympics while only a sophomore at Villanova.

A dynasty was beginning, and Elliott decided it was time to look for on-the-job help. He went to the university to see about hiring an assistant. Money, as always, stood in the way. Undaunted, Jumbo went out and hired an assistant coach at $5,000 a year, double his own salary. The assistant, Jim Tuppeny, later became track coach at Penn. "I was making big goddamn bucks selling, then," Jumbo explains. "So I just paid the assistant myself. It was a tax write-off, nothing."

Finally, in 1969, the university, perhaps out of embarrassment at having what was probably the lowest-paid major-power track coach in the nation, demanded that Elliott accept a salary of $10,000. The move was made largely to set a precedent. "In case," as Jumbo puts it, "they might have to hire another coach after I'm gone."

But Elliott did not need, or particularly want, the extra cash. As an officer of the Villanova Development Council he promptly gave all (much more than all, is the rumor) of the raise back to the school. "If I ever had to quit coaching it would tear my heart out," he says. "I like people. I love track men. Obviously, I didn't get into it for the money."

It is this generosity toward his alma mater that annoys some of the other coaches. "The man has a name like Lombardi in football," groans Frank Sevigne, the track coach at the University of Nebraska. "But what's really so irritating is that Jumbo is that successful, and it's only part time."

Jumbo walks down the hall of the aging Villanova field house, one of those drafty brick and tile structures that undoubtedly looked modern back when basketball players wore high-tops and the running one-hander was considered radical. Clad in a three-piece business suit, white shirt, dark tie and black wingtips, he is himself a throwback to another, less jivey era. Medallions, flowered disco shirts and leisure suits will remain the province of other, hipper coaches. Elliott, the old-school Irish Catholic, believes in dignity as he knows it. "Do you remember how John Wooden used to coach at UCLA?" he asks. "Every now and then he'd stand up, and once or twice he'd say something. I understand that. These new coaches—particularly in basketball—my God, they're madmen."

At times—such as when he is standing still, deep in thought—Jumbo looks older than he is, somewhat pale and fragile. But his speedy, long-limbed gait is an indication that youth still lurks within. Split high, like a good hurdler or quarter-miler (he ran a 47.4 in 1935 and probably would have made the 1936 Olympic team except for an injury), the 5'11", 160-pound Elliott claims it is "the working with the lads" that keeps him young. "I know men in their 60s who are so old I don't even want to be around them," he says. For the last decade or so recruiters from other colleges have warned high school athletes that if they went to Villanova they would end up running for a different coach, the implication being that Elliott was due for retirement. But Father Driscoll has said Jumbo can coach "as long as he wants."

"Those retirement stories," says Jumbo, shrugging. "I've heard them every spring for 20 years. All I can say is, retire to what—a hole in the ground?"

Even the crowded, dingy confines of the field house (it is not a field house in the true sense of the word since there is no indoor track or field area; Villanova's wooden "indoor" track is outside) seem to put life into Elliott's stride. "People jog all through this building," he says. "The other day I was coming out of the men's room and some great big guy hit me and knocked me flying. This has to be the best-used facility in the world."

He says this with amusement and pride. For years he has asked the university for a new track, perhaps even a real locker room (the dressing room is also a hallway), but it's not imperative that he get them. The contrast between Villanova's archaic athletic facilities and the success of his teams appeals to Jumbo's sense of humor and his up-by-the-bootstraps philosophy. Visitors usually ask what his teams do when snow blankets the "indoor" track. "We just give the boys shovels and put them to work," he replies. "It's good for them."

In his office, which he shares with two assistant coaches, Jack Pyrah and Elliott Baker, Jumbo stretches out and puts his feet up on his desk. Pyrah and Baker are also part-time coaches, having full-time jobs elsewhere—Pyrah with the university, Baker in the Philadelphia school system. Jumbo looks over his head to where a large brown stain has discolored the ceiling. He stares at it a while, pondering its significance.

"What's that?" he asks.

The room, which invariably gets crowded once Jumbo arrives, now includes all three coaches, student manager Ray Engler (dispensing the mint candy that Jumbo calls "vitamins"), a secretary, several Villanova runners and two at-large students who have wandered in to use the phone.

"It's a leak," says Baker. "Relax, Jumbo, we'll get it fixed." Behind his hand he adds, "Next year."

The talk is loud and lively. Jumbo thrives on talk, in pubs, restaurants, arenas, everywhere. " Mr. Elliott will not go to lunch by himself," says Paige, his latest star. "If he hasn't found anybody to go with him by noon, he'll come over to campus and grab an athlete and say, 'Come on, let's eat.' "

Freshman sprinter Carlton Young, who is nursing a muscle pull, enters the chaos and, finding all the chairs taken, lies down on Jumbo's desk to talk with the coach about schoolwork. Considered one of the best young runners in the nation—he had a 9.4 100 and a 20.9 220 as a Philadelphia high school junior—Young is also a top student, with a first-semester 3.9 average in pre-med courses. Though it might appear otherwise, there is nothing disrespectful about Young's posture. It reflects expediency, informality and friendship, all of which Jumbo understands and advocates.

The office is chockablock with trophies and plaques—on window ledges, on the walls, under papers, piled up, buried, forgotten. Jumbo is asked if these comprise all the Villanova track trophies. "God, no," he cries in mock chagrin. "They're all over campus. I don't know how many of them there are. Too many." One recent night Jumbo returned home and was greeted by his 85-year-old uncle, Lou, who lives with Jumbo's family in nearby Haverford. "Here, Jim, look what I found in the basement," Lou said, holding up a tarnished metal plaque proclaiming Ron Delany to be a member of eight winning Penn Relays teams.

"Where the hell did you find that!" cried Jumbo, pretending to back up, as if Villanova's victory hardware were pursuing him, even perhaps multiplying like seedpods gone wild somewhere in his cellar.

Not for a minute, however, should anyone believe that Jumbo Elliott doesn't like to win. He loves to clown around. "They fired that Arizona football coach for slapping a kid's helmet," he says one day in the office to Pyrah, who is busy on the phone, "but can they fire you for slugging an assistant coach? For beating on this fat S.O.B.?" And Jumbo pummels Pyrah's midsection while the beleaguered assistant, still talking on the phone, struggles for calm. But his concern for his runners and their victories is not so lighthearted.

He prides himself on doing what's best for his boys and, more often than not, that means getting them home in first place. He'll fight for those wins. In 1970 Villanova won the NCAA Cross-country Championships by one point over Oregon after an irate Elliott used film to prove that one of his runners finished 62nd, not 67th, as the officials had ruled. Near the end of the 1978 IC4A Outdoor Championships, Jumbo realized that Villanova could win the meet if his runners finished 1-2-3-4 in the 1,500 (an unprecedented feat), finished first in the 5,000, and then won the 4 x 400 relay, the final event. Jumbo made some lineup changes, explained the situation to his boys, and Villanova beat Maryland 99-98 for the title.

Believing that hard work followed by just reward builds character, Elliott worries now about his boys not being able to participate in the 1980 Olympics. He figures he has a dozen former or current athletes who could qualify for the Moscow Games. "But it hasn't changed anything for me, really," Jumbo adds. "I'll still try to get the boys in the best shape I can."

This approach is shared, as one would expect, by Elliott's athletes. "It's not going to kill me if the United States doesn't compete," says Paige. "There are a lot of meets in Europe after the Olympics and everybody will be at those. If you can beat an Olympic medalist then, well, that's not too bad."

One afternoon not long ago. Jumbo watched Maree run some stretch-out laps. Maree wouldn't be going to the Olympics regardless of a boycott—South Africa is banned because of its apartheid policy—nor is he allowed to compete in international meets or in any meets in which foreigners not enrolled in U.S. schools are involved. The tragic irony is that Maree is black.

Last season Maree ran several of the best middle-distance times in the world. He would like to become a U.S. citizen, but to be eligible he must reside in this country five years and he has been here only three. For an athlete whose skills could peak at any moment, two years is a long time to wait. Barring an Act of Congress or a change in South Africa's racial policies, that is what he must do. "It breaks me in a way," Maree has said. "But it builds me in a way. I'm able to take punishment."

Jumbo steps onto the splintering board track. A few hundred yards away is Goodreau Stadium, in which the school's quarter-mile outdoor track is situated. In a time when many high schools have expensive all-weather tracks, the one at Goodreau is still cinders.

Villanova doesn't belong to a conference in track and has no dual meets, so its inadequate facilities are not as great a liability as they might seem. Indeed, they are of virtually no concern to the middle-and long-distance men. "Facilities just aren't that important," says Liquori. "A miler can run anywhere. Kenyans get by without any tracks whatsoever."

It's harder on the field men, of course, which is why Villanova usually does poorly in those events. "When Don Bragg was here, we had a sawdust pole-vault pit that used to freeze solid in the winter," says Jumbo. " Bragg used to get a shovel and chop it up so he could jump. Of course, you don't get many kids like Bragg anymore."

Which probably is all right with Elliott. Some speculate that it was because of the excitable Bragg—who gave Tarzan yells before he charged down the runway and, according to Jumbo, could eat "fifteen barbecued chickens and out-arm-wrestle any football player at Villanova"—that Elliott began concentrating on runners. At any rate, Baker now handles the field men.

Jumbo watches as Maree circles the track. The troubled young man is a patterned, precise runner. If a glass of ice cubes were placed on his head there wouldn't be a clink as he glided down the straightaways. Still, Jumbo sees flaws.

"Hey, Syd, twist your arms just a little on the turns," he yells.

Maree circles the track again.

"Like this?" he yells, without moving his head or changing expression.

"Yeah! Good!" cries Jumbo as the dark figure runs on.

People in the track world are always asking for the secret of Elliott's coaching success. In fact, his training concepts are simple and mundane—too basic for those who desire an exotic formula. "Run, eat, sleep," says Jumbo. Liquori says, "At clinics, people can't believe he's being truthful. But he is."

Elliott doesn't care for fancy, "scientific" approaches to the sport. "I don't measure lung capacity or any of that stuff," he says. "What can I do about it? The only special technique I have is my own personal psychology. I stress the efficient operation of body movement, and I have my runners do a lot of repeat work—repeat quarters or 220s or halves. But each person is different. If you have a runner as naturally gifted as, say, that hurdler, Nehemiah, the way you coach him is to not foul him up. Mostly you try to keep the boys' frames of mind up."

Jumbo's vast experience—the fact that he has seen it all—comes into play here. He knows when to push a runner and when to lay off. This is the psych business, closing the sale. "A typical coach will say, 'Give me 15 repeat quarters in 60 seconds,' " says Liquori. "And of course nobody can do it, so afterward you feel down. Jumbo, on the other hand, will say, 'O.K., we're doing 10 quarters in 60 today.' Everybody does it and they say, 'Hey, let's do more.' Jumbo will say, 'No, go on in,' but maybe one day he'll say, 'O.K., give me two more,' and everybody will do those two and go in feeling great, like world-beaters. He'll do things like that, sacrifice a litle physical conditioning for mental conditioning."

One thing Elliott tries not to do is to get greedy, push runners into places where they don't belong. For two years he had Mark Belger, a 1978 graduate, and Paige on his team at the same time. Both were world-class half-milers, yet he never ran them head to head. "Why force the issue?" he says, knowing that a loss by either one might have been ruinous to that runner's development.

"It's like my business," says Jumbo. "Sometimes I'll talk to a manager who isn't being straight with me, who says yes, definitely, he wants to buy one of our tractors. Then I'll go back to finish the deal, and he says he went out and bought a Caterpillar instead. I don't force the issue. I keep myself from getting mad. I say, 'I hope it works out real well for you.' You have to think about the long run."

"The thing I remember most about Jumbo's practices is that they were a lot of fun," says Dwyer, who as a rival coach is still one of Elliott's good friends. "Jumbo used to stutter a little, and in practice I'd be on my way to a 60-second lap in the mile and he'd want me to slow down or sprint and he'd call out, 'Si-si-si....' I'd stop and say, 'Si-si-si what?' And then he'd chase me around the track. You need light moments like that, because running itself requires so much discipline."

Elliott has always understood the need for occasional levity, in life as well as running. One of his catch phrases is "stop and smell the roses." He once advised the intense Liquori to spend 20 minutes a day smiling into a mirror.

Of course, a major reason for Elliott's success is the sheer amount of rare talent he has brought to Villanova, getting the great ones and letting them help each other. "Practices were always like races," recalls James. Elliott admits that track recruiting is simple: "You just look for the best times." For a man of Jumbo's stature, getting the blue-chippers to enroll is a breeze, too. "Well, let me say that it's much easier than selling a quarter-million-dollar truck to a man who doesn't want one," he says.

In the last two decades, Elliott remembers only one Villanova track man flunking out, and none has transferred to another school. He doesn't try to recruit athletes from the South or the West because he knows they won't enjoy the Pennsylvania winters. "I want my runners to be happy," he says.

However, foreign students from a variety of climes have seemed happy enough at Villanova. Ever since Guida and Ross met quarter-miler Jim Reardon at the 1948 Olympics and persuaded him to attend the school, Villanova has had a link with the best Irish runners. The Africans go to Villanova because of the school's international reputation.

"You know, I didn't make a single phone call to South Africa to get Maree," says Jumbo. "He was in the U.S. the summer after high school and his sponsor suggested Villanova to him, and the next thing I knew, he was here."

Once at Villanova, regardless of race or nationality, no runner can fail to respond to Elliott's genius for perfect timing and shrewd motivation. Nobody gets athletes up for meets like Jumbo.

As a freshman James was a frustrated intermediate hurdler. His steps were inconsistent and his concentration was poor. When he was a sophomore, Elliott had him training for the 600 as well as the hurdles, which only compounded his dissatisfaction. Then, just before that year's NCAA Indoor Championships, Jumbo approached him and said, "Forget it, champ. You're running the 440."

"He made me so happy I could have kissed his feet," recalls James. "I exploded from those blocks." Even though running from the outside lane, James shattered Theron Lewis' national record by nearly a second. His NCAA-record 47 flat, set 12 years ago, still stands.

Elliott also stresses discipline. Not the boot-camp discipline of a Woody Hayes, but the conservative discipline of a businessman. "They need some," Jumbo says, "for the years after school, when they have to submit to the whims of a boss."

"He likes you to have that nice clean 'American' look," says senior Keith Brown, a black sprinter from the Baltimore ghetto. "I like a 'stache-and-'burns look, but when I came in as a freshman, he said, 'Shave!' And no long socks or anything like that, either. I said, 'What!' But now I understand. He knows employers come to our meets, too, and he wants us to be respected as athletes and students."

When Jumbo is in doubt, he pauses and ponders. As he watched Delany set a world mile record 25 minutes after eating a hot dog. Jumbo realized there was a limit to his knowledge. "The great thing is, he knows there are things he doesn't know," is the way Paige puts it. That coachly humility may contribute to the fact that so many of Elliott's athletes continue to perform well once they are out of school.

"A lot of coaches want to be the guru," says Liquori. "But by the end of your sophomore or junior year Jumbo expects you to be able to coach yourself. And you can. European and Communist coaches can't believe that people like Eamonn and I actually coach ourselves."

There is a certain uniformity, a sedate, genteel quality about virtually all of Elliott's athletes, past and present, as though the navy blue and white Villanova track uniforms are the pupal stages of Brooks Brothers suits. In exciting times one could almost call it a dullness. But that would imply that the athletes lack intelligence or enthusiasm, which isn't true, either. Villanova runners can be wild and crazy guys when the mood strikes them. Paige, who lists "girls" as his favorite hobby, recalls that when he was being recruited, Jumbo had to leave for a while to bail some of his track men out of jail, where they had been immured for some minor offense.

"Everybody has Mr. Elliott's phone number memorized or in his wallet," says Paige. "He always says, 'If you get thrown in jail, call me first.' "

Overall, though, Jumbo's athletes are quality people who do well. The track team's grades are always above the Villanova average, and Villanova is a strong school academically. The list of former runners who are now successful lawyers, doctors and businessmen is impressive. "That is something the mothers who send their kids to school think about," says Liquori, now the president of a large athletic-store chain.

In truth, Elliott has merely been molding men in his own image. His father, who read meters for a gas company, died when Jumbo was 3, leaving him to work his way up and out of Shantytown. "Nothing was given to me," he says. He still recalls the Depression days with dread. "Young people don't know what it was like," he says often. Even his track career started at the bottom. He ran his first quarter mile as a high school junior in 56 flat, and then was violently ill the rest of the day.

Elliott is conscious of money and material things, but primarily as markers, objects good to acquire and to have somewhere—like those damned trophies—but not to attach special meaning to. He'll show you his new white Continental Mark VI and his lovely three-fireplace, slate-roofed home and the blue Eldorado in the garage. But ask him how many rooms there are in the house and he says he has no idea.

Early in life Jumbo found his salvation—sales. "No matter what you do, life is selling," he says. "Selling yourself, selling a program, selling this, selling that." He brought the concept to track and it has paid off handsomely for him. Twice he was asked to coach at USC, a school with a lavish athletic budget, but he refused because he felt his salesmanship was better suited to Villanova. He has been there longer than any teacher, coach or dean. Three of his four children have graduated from Villanova. In 1977 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the school. He is Villanova track. Athletes perform for him.

Not that everything has always gone right for him. There were times in the turbulent late 1960s when his business approach did not go over well with some of the more activist athletes. But it seemed almost nobody over 30 was right then. There have been times when Jumbo hasn't completely understood some of his young men. One of those was Bragg, who set a world record in the pole vault and then went to Hollywood to try out for Tarzan. Bragg didn't get the part, and Elliott didn't understand his ambition, although he was well aware of it.

"When did I first realize Bragg was interested in Tarzan?" says Jumbo. "Well, the day we recruited him he was in his backyard in New Jersey with a lot of ropes up, swinging from tree to tree. I guess that was a good indication."

The only goal that has eluded Elliott is the post of head U.S. Olympic track and field coach. Several times he seemed likely to get it, but was passed by. "Politics," Jumbo says.

But for the most part, nary a cloud worth mentioning shadows the sweet, structured life of Jumbo Elliott. At track meets he usually sits up in the stands, sometimes with his wife and children, sometimes reading a golf magazine, mentally sharpening his swing. He knows everybody, and young coaches and runners continually stop by to chat. "Jumbo is more than a coach," says Father Driscoll. "He's an educator."

At the U.S. Olympic Invitational at Madison Square Garden in late January, Jumbo sat quietly in the first deck of seats with a group of friends. Like the other spectators, he became more animated as the time for the 1,000-meter run, featuring Paige and Belger, approached. The two had met only once before, in a 1,000-yard race in last year's Millrose Games. Paige won, setting his world record.

"They may be the two best indoor runners ever at this event," Jumbo said. "You have mixed emotions but, of course, you're for the kid you've got now."

As the race began, both Paige and Belger hung back; then they surged ahead with two laps to go. Belger kicked, but Paige kicked harder and came home first in 2:21.6, .4 second ahead of his former teammate. Jumbo smiled. It was a nice race. Jumbo likes nice races, particularly those with slam-bang, come-from-behind finishes—especially those that involve relays, groups of runners, the whole Villanova team. Such a feast occurred at last year's NCAA Indoor Championships in Detroit.

Twenty-fifth in the team standings with only two points after the first day of competition, Villanova began to make its move with six events to go on the second and final day. Tufariello won the 600, the Villanova distance medley team placed third, Paige won the 1,000. Then, in the mile, Maree and Korir finished second and third behind meet-leading UTEP's Suleiman Nyambui. But their combined 14 points were five more than UTEP got for Suleiman's first. With only the mile relay to go, it was apparent that if Villanova won that event, the Wildcats would win by a point.

Jumbo, sitting on a folding chair outside one of the turns, did not gather his mile-relay team together for a pep talk. There wasn't time and, besides, he seldom does that anyway. The last time he had called a team meeting it was for an entirely different reason. "He told some jokes, and then he got serious," recalls Paige. "First he said, 'Why don't you guys smile more?' Then he told us to please say 'yes' or 'yessir' instead of'yeah.' "

The relay team held a meeting of its own, at which there was a brief, silent prayer, and then won the race by half a second.

The four relay runners whooped and hollered, but in a subdued way. One by one they came over to Jumbo, shook his hand and said, "Congratulations, Mr. Elliott." Jumbo, perhaps wondering where to put yet another trophy, was outwardly subdued, too, but his eyes were damp.

Les Wallack, the Rutgers track coach, tells this story: "There was an incident last year during the indoor season, not long before that same NCAA meet. A quarter-miler—I won't mention his name or his school—beat Villanova in a relay, and as he crossed the finish line he made an Obscene gesture at Tim Dale, the Villanova anchor man. Tim said nothing, just walked away. Then at the IC4As it was reversed. Villanova beat the other team easily. After the race, the Villanova guys said nothing to the other kid. They hugged each other for a moment—you could see how happy they were—and then they just walked away. Wow, it gave me chills. What class."

Louie Quintana into Eagle Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame

2012-01-26T09:02:00.000-06:00

After winning the 1990 Kinney (now Foot Locker) high school cross country national championship, Louie Quintana was a 9-time All-American at Villanova from 1991-1995. He finished 4th (1992), 14th (1993), and 16th (1994) at the NCAA Cross Country Nationals. While at Villanova in 1993, Quintana ran 7:58.73 over 3000 meters (third fastest of any Villanovan at the time, bested only by Sydney Maree and Gerry O'Reilly). He ran 4:40.37 for 1500 meters, was the 1993 IC4A indoor mile champion (4:00.19), and won back-to-back IC4A 1500 meter titles outdoors in 1992 and 1993. He won two individual (1500 and 5000 meters) and three relay (two DMRs and a 4x800) Big East championships. At the Penn Relays, Quintana was part of the winning 1992 4 x 800 meter relay team, and anchored the 1993 4 x 1500 meter Championship of America relay squad. The latter performance earned Quintana the meet's Outstanding Meet Performer award and the cover of Track and Field News.

Here's a news story about Quintana's imminent induction into his high school athletic foundation's hall fo fame, and an August 2010 interview by the folks at Cross Country Express, available HERE as well.

Eagle Athletic Foundation set to host Hall of Fame Dinner
By TPR Staff

Four Arroyo Grande High School alumni will be honored when the Eagle Athletic Foundation holds its fourth annual Hall of Fame Dinner on Saturday at the South County Regional Center.

Inductees include Arroyo Grande High School graduates Jim Skaggs, Edmund Alarcio, Louie Quintana and Velma Harris.

Skaggs distinguished himself in football and wrestling at his alma mater and graduated in 1958.

Skaggs played football and wrestled at the University of Washington. He played in two Rose Bowls and was an All-American in 1961.

The NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles drafted Skaggs, and he became the first professional athlete from AGHS. He played 11 years for the Eagles before he retired in 1971.

Alarcio was referred to as “one of the greatest all-around athletes in school history” in a news release put out by Lucia Mar Unified School District.

He was a letterman in football, baseball and track.

Alarcio continued his athletic career at Cuesta College and Cal Poly, playing for the latter’s national championship football team in 1980.

As a coach, Alarcio later helped lead several Arroyo Grande teams to a variety of league and CIF Southern Section championships.

He earned the Lucia Mar Unified School District Teacher of the Year Award in 2009.

Quintana graduated from AGHS in 1991. He finished his high school career as “the most accomplished runner in school history,” according to the district’s news release.

He was undefeated his senior season and won the league, CIF Southern Section, state and national championships.

During his track career, Quintana set numerous records and won several individual championships.

He ran at Villanova, earned multiple All-American honors and is now the head cross country coach at Arizona State.

Harris graduated from AGHS in 1959 and has served with the school’s booster club and the Eagle Athletic Foundation.

She has been a fixture on campus during sporting events and has been active in fundraising for AGHS and the Five Cities communities.

Saturday’s event will begin with cocktails from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dinner will be served from 7:30 p.m. through 8:15 p.m., with the induction program beginning immediately after.

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Here's an August 2010 interview with Louie from crosscountryexpress.com

Today we chat with former high school phenom, college All-American and current Arizona St. coach, Louie Quintana

(1) Going back to the beginning of your running career, how did you get your start with cross country and track and field?

LQ: I got my start in running when I was in junior high school. I was in 7th grade and my PE class had a 6 week cross country unit. Every day we would run a 1.5 mile course and our times got recorded. My PE teacher kept a top ten list and it was posted on a huge board in the locker room…it was a very big deal to get on the board. I wanted to be on the top of the list and when I got to the top I wanted to run so fast that no one else could beat my time.

(2) When did you first realize your talents in the two sports? What were some of your successes during your first two years in high school?

LQ: I felt that early on I had the potential to be pretty good. Running was effortless in many ways for me growing up. I was always the fastest on my baseball and basketball teams and was always singled out for being the “fastest.” Naturally, I gravitated towards cross country as a freshman and experienced immediate success. 1987 was the first year of the California High School State Cross Country Meet and there was a lot of buzz around the sport that year…I finished 7th in 15:30 at Woodward Park and the rest was history.

(3) What are some of your proudest accomplishments in high school in both sports? Who were some of the more notable competitors?

LQ: I had a couple of moments that really stood out in high school. Ironically, both coming during my sophomore year of high school. First, our team won the 2A CIF Cross Country Title…it was one of the most exciting moments of my career. It was the first and is still the only title my high school ever won in Boys cross country. Second, a few weeks later I PR’d by 25 seconds and ran 15:02 at Woodward Park to finish 5th at the Kinney (Now Footlocker) West Regionals to make the national meet. I was stunned after the race…I can still remember how much that race hurt…it seemed like I was red-lining the whole way…I was determined not to break.

(4) Looking back at your high school training, what do you feel really worked for you and what do you think you could have done differently?

LQ: I think that my training was really sound. We were a moderate mileage team and I think physiologically we had a good plan. If I could have done anything different I would have been more disciplined with the little things. I ate like crap and was very inconsistent with my long run. Sometimes I would run on Sunday and sometimes I wouldn’t.

(5) How did you end up choosing Villanova and what were some of your accomplishments there?

LQ: I had a lot of options during my Senior year. Looking back on it, I was pretty naïve about the recruitment process and have a very narrow scope when looking at schools. That’s not to say that I was looking at bad programs, it’s just that I didn’t do a lot of research and was quick with saying no to some schools. I definitely liked my recruiting trip to Villanova and was hosted by Terrence Mahon (Team USA California Coach Now). He was a big influence on my decision to attend Villanova. He was a fellow Californian who was having success as a student-athlete and he was helpful with me making the transition across country. I had a moderately successful career at Villanova, but maybe not as successful as many would have projected. I was an All American 9 Times and finished 4th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships when I was just 19. I was banged up quite a bit during my career, but managed to string together some memorable performances.

(6) What was the biggest positive change for you in terms of your training?

LQ: The biggest positive change was the long run and that really didn’t come into play until my 2nd year at Nova. I ran 3:41 as a freshman for 1500m and I was really doing a lot of speed work. My coach, Marty Stern and I, starting to reflect on my disappointing freshman cross country season and we made some adjustments in the training. Mainly, adding a 15-18 mile long run on Sunday. I was real consistent in my training and my confidence just grew. I began to dream everyday that I would win the NCAA Title that fall. Every run I envisioned racing side by side with Bob Kennedy. I progressed fantastically that fall and finished 4th at the big dance.

(7) Who inspired you to get in coaching and when did you realize this was what you wanted to pursue?

LQ: I think that I secretly always wanted to get into coaching. My Dad was always a coach while I was growing up and I really respected his ability to reconstruct bad teams and get them to believe. I’ve always been that way I guess. I never wanted to be on the “IT” team, I always liked to play for the underdog. It was probably my biggest reason for choosing Villanova. They hadn’t made the NCAA in cross country for over 10 years and I was adamant to change that. I think that was my biggest attraction to Arizona State in the beginning. I wanted to work with Walt Drenth who was known for turning programs around…that really excited me about ASU.

(8) Who have been your coaching mentors?

LQ: Walt Drenth and Greg Kraft at ASU have really showed me the way. I spent many an afternoon and early morning just soaking everything in from Coach Drenth. He is one of the best college coaches in the country. I admire Coach Kraft’s ability to construct a well rounded track and field program. He has really been the most influential coach that I have come across in my career.

(9) How did you end up at Arizona St? How long have you been the head cross country coach? What are some of your proudest achievements for your teams?

LQ: I started at ASU in the Winter of 2002 and really was the product of fantastic timing. ASU is known for its mentoring of Graduate Assistants and I called Walt Drenth that fall to put my name into the hat to be the next GA. They currently had a GA (Corey Ihmels – now the Head Track Coach at Iowa State and Coach of Lisa Kohl). Corey got offered the Cross Country job at Iowa State that Fall and Walt called me immediately. I packed up and moved to Tempe with my wife who just happened to be from Phoenix. It really was just great timing. In 2004, I took over the duties of Coaching the Cross Country and Distance team. So I’m going into my 7th season as the Head Cross Country Coach. We have been fortunate to really have some great moments and achievements these past few years, but one of the achievements I’m most proud of was the 2007 Women’s Cross Country team that finished 4th at the NCAA Cross Country meet. That team defied expectation that day. They just believed they could do anything.

(10) Since your days of competing in high school, what do you feel have been the most important changes in how runners train today?

LQ: Biggest change is access to information. There is great info out there that is easily accessible that has really helped how young distance runners train. We are seeing our great distance runners develop a greater aerobic foundation that is beginning to pay off at the international level. I think we’ll see several more distance runners from the US run under 13 minutes for 5K over the next 5 years. It will be extremely difficult to make US National teams.

(11) What is your advice for high school coaches who want to have competitive teams year in, year out and have students who have a positive experience in cross country?

LQ: I think at the end of the day we want the students to really come to enjoy running. We want them to continue to pursue running as an integral part of their lives. It doesn’t matter if they continue competing in college, but if they enjoy running it will change their life.

Emily Lipari Garners Big East Athlete of the Week Award

2012-01-25T10:14:00.003-06:00

Cincinnati, DePaul, Syracuse and Villanova Win BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field Weekly Awards

Four schools have been represented in the BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field weekly awards. Cincinnati, DePaul, Syracuse and Villanova each had student-athletes cited by the conference office on Tuesday. Senior Tim Nedow of DePaul was named Men’s Field Athlete of the Week for the third time this season, while Cincinnati senior Jasmine Cotten was named Women’s Field Athlete of the Week. Syracuse senior Jarret Eaton was named BIG EAST Men’s Track Athlete of the Week, while Villanova sophomore Emily Lipari earned BIG EAST Women’s Track Athlete of the Week honors.

With his 20.01 meter shot put throw, Nedow broke his own DePaul record that he previously set last week. For the second time this season, Nedow was the only competitor at the meet to notch an NCAA automatic qualifying mark. The shortest of his five counted throws was measured at 19.28 meters. No other competitor in the event broke the 19 meter mark with the next closest competitor coming in at 18.77 meters.

Cotton won the high jump and was the top collegian in the long jump at the Gladstein Invitational in Bloomington, Ind. In her high jump win, she cleared 1.79 meters remaining the top jumper in the BIG EAST and ranked No. 7 in the NCAA. In the long jump, Cotton had a top leap of 5.84 meters, the fifth-best mark in the BIG EAST Conference this season.

Eaton broke the Syracuse school record, and had the fastest time in the nation this season, with a 7.61 performance in the 60-meter hurdles to earn a spot in the BIG EAST, IC4A an NCAA Championships later this season. Eaton won the event by 0.43 seconds, and also held the SU record in the same event, which he set in 2010 at the New Balance Invitational. Eaton also has the facility record at Barton Hall, which he set last year.

Lipari ran the fastest mile of any BIG EAST runner this season with a mark of 4:42.35 at the Great Dane Classic at the New York Armory. She finished first out of 33 runners, including 10 other BIG EAST athletes, and matched her personal best time in the event. She also ran the second leg of the 4x400 meter relay as Villanova won its heat.

The next BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field Weekly Awards will be released on Jan. 31, 2012.

Solis, McEntee & Denault Race Footage from Great Dane Classic

2012-01-24T23:15:00.005-06:00

Here's some footage from last Thursday's Albany Great Dane Classic at the Armory. First up is the latter stage of the 1000 meter heat won by Villanova's Dusty Solis in 2:32.69. It is followed by the final 1800 meters of the 3000 meter race, where Sam McEntee (8:13.93) and Rob Denault (8:15.72) finish 1-2. Denault is running unattached, in a yellow and black singlet.

Video Vault: Tom Parlapiano's 3:41.51 at Haverford

2012-01-23T14:53:00.001-06:00

Here's a video from May 14, 2004 at Haverford College. Jason Jabaut and Adrian Blincoe rabbit Tom Parlapiano to his metric equivalent of a sub 4:00 mile. El T went 4:41.51, dipping below the magic 3:42.2 equivalent.

Marcus O'Sullivan's April 1988 Interview in T&F News

2012-01-22T00:01:00.002-06:00

Track and Field News has just made its April 1988 interview with Marcus O'Sullivan available at its website. You can click HERE to go to that interview.

The interview took place when Marcus was 26 years old, and one year after he had won his first of three World Indoor Championships in the 1500 meters. Just prior to the interview, Marcus has gone 3:50.94 indoors -- at the time the second fastest indoor mile ever run (his 1500 split in that race was faster than the existing world record at that distance).

In the interview, O'Sullivan identifies his anchor leg in the 4 x 1500 meters at the 1984 Penn Relays as a major turning point in his career. The foursome of Sean O'Neill, Brian O'Keefe, John Keyworth, and Marcus O'Sullivan that day set an NCAA record (14:52.81) in the event. The photos below shows O'Sullivan hitting the finish line in that race and its aftermath. Click on each image for a much larger version.

Muncan & Schappert Run New Balance Games Mile

2012-01-21T21:53:00.005-06:00

Villanova alums Marina Muncan and Nicole Schappert competed today in the elite mile at the New Balance Games held at the Armory in New York City. Muncan, the Serbian national record holder at both the 1500 meters and the mile, finished 6th, while Nicole Schappert, running for the New Jersey-New York Track Club and NYAC was 9th in the 13-person race.

Women's Mile

Place   Athlete             Country    Mark    
 1.  Brenda Martinez        USA        4:39.37  
 2.  Hilary Stellingwerff   Canada     4:39.82  
 3.  Liz Maloy              USA        4:40.32  
 4.  Lauren Centrowitz      USA        4:40.60  
 5.  Maggie Infeld          USA        4:41.81  
 6.  Marina Muncan          Serbia     4:42.11  
 7.  Ashley Higginson       USA        4:43.01  
 8.  Stephanie Reilly       Ireland    4:43.83  
 9.  Nicole Schappert       USA        4:44.65  
10.  Cat Beck               USA        4:45.02  
11.  Melissa Salerno        USA        4:46.66  
12.  Dana Buchanan          Canada     4:46.88  
13.  Rachel Cliff           Canada     4:54.17  
DNS  Jesse Carlin           USA     DNS

Emily Lipari's NCAA #5 Mile Leads Nova Women at Armory

2012-01-21T20:49:00.004-06:00

Emily Lipari won the mile at yesterday's Albany Great Dane Classic at NYC's Armory. Her time of 4:42.35 is the NCAA's 5th fastest mile on the books so far this indoor season, and is 4.5 seconds faster than her 2011 indoor best. In the same race freshman Courtney Chapman ran a new PR of 4:49.08 (over 13 seconds faster than the mile she ran last weekend at this same venue); it was also good for a ticket to the Big East championships. Other noteworthy efforts came from Nicky Akande, who finished 2nd in the 1000 meters in 2:50.37 (two seconds off her 2011 season best) and a Big East qualifier. Frosh Stephanie Schappert came third in the 800 in 2:12.74. Eight other Villanova women attained Big East championship qualifying marks.

60 meters
 5.  Varonica Johnson     7.66   BE

200 meters
11.  Varonica Johnson    25.35   BE
27.  Qualitra Brown      25.68

400 meters
17.  Qualitra Brown      58.50
38.  Fafavie Lumax     1:00.44

500 meters
 5.  Leanne Tucker     1:17.17   BE
 6.  Erin Ryan         1:17.44
13.  Mary Bohi         1:18.32

800 meters
 3.  Stephanie Schappert   2:12.74   BE
12.  Amanda Borroughs      2:17.75

1000 meters
 2.  Nicky Akande      2:50.37   BE
13.  Shannon Browne    3:06.04

Mile
 1.  Emily Lipari       4:42.35   BE  NCAA #5
 5.  Courtney Chapman   4:49.08   BE
 7.  Ali Smith (alum)   4:54.79
 9.  Ariann Neutts      5:03.56

3000 meters
 8.  Meghan Venables     10:11.53
10.  Sydney Harris       10:12.61
24.  Meghan Smith        10:58.91

60 meter hurdles
 7.  Emerald Walden          8.78   BE
33.  Katherine Petruzzelis   9.42

4 x 400 meters
 7.  Akande, Bohi, Browne, Borroughs    3:57.41
12.  Schappert, Ryan, Neutts, Lipari    4:02.21

High Jump
 3.  Samantha Yeats     5'7"   BE

Pole Vault
 2.  Alex Wasik             12'3.5"   BE
 3.  Kathleen McPhillips    12'3.5"   BE
 6.  Melissa Meggiolaro     11'9.75"  BE
 9.  Erica Litvak           11'3.75"
16.  Kimberly Logoyda       10'10"

Long Jump
26.  Alexandria Reo      16'3.75"

Triple Jump
 6.  Samantha Francis    38'10.25"   BE
22.  Marie Minasi        36'0.75"
27.  Victoria Profit     35'5"

McEntee, Sheridan, and Denault Post Fast Times in Big Apple

2012-01-20T15:51:00.001-06:00

A large contingent of Marcus O'Sullivan's men's team competed tonight at the Albany Great Dane indoor meet at the Armory in New York. The most noteworthy result of the meet from the Villanova perspective was the NCAA #4 performance of Sam McEntee in the 3000 meters. McEntee, a sophomore from Perth in Western Australia, won the race and came home in 8:13.93. In the same race, Rob Denault, running unattached, finished 2nd in 8:15.72, a mark that currently is the 8th fastest time in the NCAA so far this season. Also providing a win for the Wildcats was graduate student Ryan Sheridan (pictured left battling former Nova teammate Hugo Beamish). He won the 5000 meters by a whopping 18 seconds in 14:18.66, #6 in the NCAA to date. Greg Morrin (14:37.33), Matt Kane (14:38.50, and Brian Basili (14:38.68) also ran well, gaining Big East championship qualifying times.

Big East qualifying times were hit by Alex Tully (4:12.88), Joe LoRusso (3:13.69) Richie Bohny (4:18.80), and Danny Harris (4:15.83) in the mile, by Sam McEntee (8:13.93) and Rob Denault (8:15.72) in the 3000 meters, Ryan Sheridan (14:18.66), Greg Morrin (14:37.33), Matt Kane (14:38.50), and Brian Basili (14:38.68), and Frank Anuszewski (54'1") in the weight throw.

Here are the complete Villanova results on the men's side:

400 meters
39.  Cory Serfoss     52.07

800 meters
21.  Phil O'Connell   1:57.56
34.  Juan Castillo    2:00.46

1000 meters
 8.  Dusty Solis       2:32.69
21.  Chris FitzSimons  2:40.92 (tripped & fell)

Mile
 6.  Alex Tully           4:12.88
 9.  Joe LoRusso          4:13.69
11.  Danny Harris         4:15.83
14.  Richie Bohny         4:18.80
19.  Chris Pietrocarlo    4:19.88
21.  Charles Bates        4:20.54
37.  Dan Norman           4:32.71

3000 meters
 1.  Sam McEntee          8:13.93  NCAA #4
 2.  Rob Denault          8:15.72  NCAA #8
 8.  Tom Trainer          8:26.51
16.  Brian Tetreault      8:39.61

5000 meters
 1.  Ryan Sheridan       14:18.66  NCAA #6
 3.  Greg Morrin         14:37.33
 4.  Matt Kane           14:38.50
 5.  Brian Basili        14:38.68
12.  John Pickhaver      15:16.33

High Jump
 8.  Matthew Sydney    6'5"
20.  Elbert Maxwell    6'3.25"

Pole Vault
 8.  Chris Dougherty   14'9"

Long Jump
17.  Elbert Maxwell    21'7.25"

Weight Throw
 6.  Frank Anuszewski  54'1"
17.  Chris McLeod      43'6"

Marina Muncan in Loaded Wanamaker Metric Mile Field

2012-01-19T12:15:00.002-06:00

An International Wanamaker Metric Mile
by Brett Hoover, Millrose Games
1/18/2012

Reigning 1,500m World Champion Jenny Simpson and 2008 Olympic finalist Shannon Rowbury headline an international field in the Women's Wanamaker Metric Mile — sponsored by the New York Road Runners — at the Millrose Games on Feb. 11.

Simpson, the only woman in the field to run sub-four in the metric mile, and Rowbury, a two-time U.S. champion, will face emerging Ethiopian star Kalkidan Gezahegne, Canadian Nicole Edwards Sifuentes and Spain's Isabel Macias, all of whom have run personal bests in the last two years.

Also in the field is Serbian record holder Marina Muncan, who ran at Villanova, and New Zealander Lucy Van Dalen, who still runs at Stony Brook and has the fastest indoor time among all collegians so far this winter.

The remainder of the field is a 'who's who' of former college All-Americans, including Gabriele Anderson (Minnesota), Katie Follett (Washington), Liz Maloy and Maggie Infeld (Georgetown) and Lauren Centrowitz (Stanford).

Centrowitz visited The Armory for a workout just after the New Year with her brother Matthew and father Matt. While she is ready to run in the Wanamaker Metric Mile, Matthew will be competing in the Wanamaker Mile at Millrose as well.

The 1,500 field:

Jenny Simpson
The 2011 World Champion in the 1,500-meter run in South Korea, Simpson closed her breakout season with a victory in the NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile. Last year she had opened her year with victory in the women's mile at the New Balance Games at The Armory.

1,500m Best: 3:59.90, Eugene, Ore., 2009

Shannon Rowbury
A two-time U.S. champion and 2008 Olympic finalist, Rowbury is familiar with the track at The Armory as she ran here while competing for Duke University. Over the summer Rowbury made the U.S. World Championships team with a third-place finish at Nationals.

1,500m Best: 4:00.33, Paris, 2008

Kalkidan Gezahegne
The fifth-place 1,500m finisher at the 2011 World Championships, Gezahegne is the reigning indoor world champion in the event. The Ethiopian was second at the 2009 African Juniors to Caster Semenya. Her indoor 4:03.28 from Stockholm, Sweden, in 2010 is the fastest indoor mark of all the entrants.

1,500m Best: 4:00.97, Hengelo, Netherlands, 2011

Nicole (Edwards) Sifuentes
A standout at the University of Michigan, the native of Canada has run a sub-4:30 mile at The Armory.

1,500m Best: 4:06.34, Los Angeles, Calif., 2010

Isabel Macias
Macias had a breakout year in 2011, lowering her 800m personal best by more than 2.5 seconds (to 2:03.49) and her 1500m best by 6.5 seconds (to 4:06.50). She also competed in her first World Championships.

1,500m Best: 4:06.50, Barcelona, Spain, 2011

Gabriele Anderson
A 2010 NCAA runner-up in the 1,500m run, Anderson is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. Third in the U.S. Mile Road Championships in 2011, she now runs for Brooks. She is a cancer survivor.

1,500m Best: 4:06.77, London, 2011

Katie Follett
An All-American at the University of Washington, Follett lowered her 1,500m personal best twice in 2011.

1,500m Best: 4:07.44, Los Angeles, Calif., 2011

Marina Muncan
A multiple All-American and Big East champion at Villanova, Muncan is the Serbian record holder in both the 1,500m and mile runs.

1,500m Best: 4:08.02, Osaka, Japan, 2007

Liz Maloy
A New York native from Loudonville's Academy of Holy Names, Maloy was a four-time All-American at Georgetown University. Now representing New Balance, she has lowered her 1,500m PR to under 4:10.

1,500m Best: 4:09.24, Brasschaat, Belgium, 2010

Lauren Centrowitz
A five-time All-American at Stanford, Centrowitz comes from a running family. Her brother Matthew is a headliner in the Wanamaker Mile at Millrose this year while her father Matt was an Olympian. Lauren was also a member of the American record holding 4x1500m relay at Stanford.

1,500m Best: 4:10.23, Brasschaat, Belgium, 2009

Maggie Infeld
A Georgetown University All-American, Infeld registered personal bests in both the 800 (2:03.47) and the 1,500 (4:10.57) in 2010.

1,500m Best: 4:10.57, Lapinlahti, Finland, 2010

Lucy Van Dalen
The native of New Zealand remains a student-athlete at Long Island's Stony Brook University. She is actually the NCAA's current national leader in the mile for this indoor season (4:36.90) — by 15 seconds!

1,500m Best: 4:11.59, Padua, Italy, 2011

How the Results of the USA Marathon Trials Hurt Bobby Curtis

2012-01-18T11:08:00.000-06:00

Ritzenhein, Bauhs, and Curtis: last three on the right at 2010 USA XC Nationals

Bobby Curtis' odds of making the USA Olympic team just took a bit of a hit as a result of the Olympic Marathon Trials last weekend. One prominent competitor at those Trials -- Dathan Ritzenhein -- finished 4th and off the Olympic team. Ritzenhein will now enter the fray at the 10,000 meters at this summer's track and field Trials, thereby adding another formidable competitor standing in the way of Bobby Curtis' quest to make the team. Indeed, Ritzenhein seems to have now drawn the conclusion that the marathon is not his optimal distance and that he's really best suited for the 10,000 meter distance. Curtis need not have worried very much about Meb Keflezighi or Abdi Abdirahman at the 10,000 meter distance (both made the marathon team), and Ryan Hall was as sure a bet to make the team as anyone in recent years. It was precisely Dathan Ritzenhein (married, by the way, to former Villanova distance runner Kalin Toedebusch) who posed a 10,000 meter threat to Curtis' bid, and it was therefore best for Curtis's own chances for Ritzenhein to make the marathon team, keeping hinm out of the mix at 10,000 meters.

As it stands now, Curtis will have to finish in the top three at the Trials in a field that is composed of such figures as AR holder Galen Rupp, form AR holder Chris Solinsky, Dathan Ritzenhein, Matt Tegenkamp, Scotty Bauhs, and others. Rupp, Tegenkamp, and Bauhs all beat Curtis at the 2011 USATF championships, knocking him off of the USA World Championships team, and that race did not include either Solinsky or Ritzenhein.

Adding more worries is the fact that Curtis is rehabing a foot injury which forced him to scratch out of two high-profile races over the past month (in Italy and Scotland) and to put his European training and racing plans on hold. Curtis had the second-fastest 10,000 meter time among Americans in 2011, but was 4th at Nationals. He needs to run his perfect 2012 race at the Trails (and not at an early season meet such as Stanford or Mt Sac) if he wants to make the 2012 Olympic team. Ritzenhein's 10,000 meter PR is 27:22.28, two seconds faster than Curtis' 27:24.67. Adding him to the 10,00 meter mix means that there is one more top competitor who must be beaten.

Here's a nice article by Kevin Liao at Spiked Up Psyched Up on Ritzenhein's situation after the marathon trials:

10k The Best Distance For Dathan Ritzenhein

I’ve got a confession to make.

Prior to Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, I was secretly rooting for Dathan Ritzenhein not to finish in the top three and not qualify for his third Olympic team.

Why? Not for any sort of malicious reason but because I felt he would be better off in the 10,000 meters rather than in the marathon.

Ironically, the race in Houston showed exactly why the 10k distance fits Ritzenhein the best and why the marathon may not be his strongest event.

Ritzenhein has struggled to master the marathon despite five previous attempts at the distance. Earlier on, it had to do with leg cramps and other fueling challenges that hampered him at his debut in New York City in 2006 and at the Beijing Olympics.

Despite difficulties with the marathon, Ritzenhein has continually stuck with the event, perhaps due to outside pressure to succeed in the event.

Americans have always been entrenched with the marathon going back to Olympic gold medals claimed by Frank Shorter in 1972 and Joan Benoit in 1984. Despite a lull throughout the late 1980′s and 1990′s, the thirst for success at the 26.2 mile distance was reborn when Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor each won medals at the 2004 Athens Games.

It’s clear that the U.S. obsession with the marathon had something to do with Ritzenhein’s decision to stick with the event.

On Saturday, different problems arose – hamstring spasms that forced him to drop from the lead pack. A series of slower miles in the 5:10′s that followed put Ritzenhein out of contention for the coveted top three spots.

The vent up frustration finally caused Ritzenhein to admit the 26.2 mile distance may not be for him.

“Maybe I’m forcing it. Everybody wants me to be a marathoner and I want to be a marathoner but maybe it’s not in the cards [right now],” Ritzenhein told reporters shortly after finishing in Houston.

I agree. A forced return to the shorter distances is a good thing for Ritzenhein.

After all, this is a man who showed prodigal talent on the track at a young age, running 13:44.70 for 5k shortly after graduating high school and setting the NCAA record of 27:38.50 in the 10k while at the University of Colorado.

Ritzenhein experienced a bit of a lull in his career with the marathon as his focus from 2006 to 2009 but used the endurance gained in those years to have a spectacular summer and fall of 2009 when he set the American record at 5000 meters and claimed a medal at the World Half Marathon Championships.

In the end, the 10k is the event that best complements Ritzenhein’s strengths at the moment and gives him the best chance at reaching the Olympic podium in London.

Barring injury, Ritzenhein will have much more time to prepare for the Olympic Trials in late June than he did for the marathon due to three surgeries in early 2011 that forced him into a limited training cycle.

Ritzenhein will also have the added benefit to pairing with his training partners leading up to the Trials.

Prior to Houston, his marathon preparations did not coincide much with the training of fellow Nike Oregon Project members Mo Farah and Galen Rupp who were coming off their break from the track season. This spring, Ritzenhein will have the advantage of doing full training with his teammates under the watchful eye of coach Alberto Salazar.

Plus, Ritzenhein in the 10k provides more drama for fans. Imagine the last mile in the 10,000 meters at the Olympic Trials with Ritzenhein, Rupp and Chris Solinsky duking it out for the national title before heading off to London and taking on the world’s best on the biggest stage in track and field.

Post-Olympic Trials Race Comments from Jen Rhines

2012-01-15T13:18:00.002-06:00

Jen finished 64th at the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, running 2:43.35. She will attempt to make her fourth USA Olympic team later this year in the 10,000 meters. In these short comments, Jen suggests that since the 10,000 race at the Trials come before the 5000, if she fails to make the 10,000 meters squad at the Trials, she'll double down and try to make the team at 5000 meters. Jen was one of six former Olympic marathoners not to make the 2012 women's team (the others were Colleen de Reuck, Deena Kastor, Blake Russell, Linda Somers Smith, and Magdalena Lewy-Boulet).

NYC Gotham Cup Meet Report

2012-01-14T17:30:00.007-06:00

There were plenty of Villanova athletes participating in Friday's NYC Gotham Cup at the Armory. Eighteen Big East championship meet qualifiers were achieved. The video of the men's DMR (O'Sullivan, Serfoss, FitzSimons, and Tully) is shown above. Here are the Villanova results:

MEN

400 meters
33.  Nicoy Hines      51.29
36.  Cory Serfoss     51.43
51.  Carlton Bowers   52.20
66.  Matthew Whalen   52.94
71.  David Stillings  53.46

1000 meters
 8.  Sam Ellison       2:27.47   BE
15.  Dusty Solis       2:31.86
21.  Phil O'Connell    2:33.73

Mile
 2.  Chris O'Sullivan     4:15.02   BE
 4.  Danny Harris         4:21.03
 7.  Richie Bohny         4:22.56
12.  Charles Bates        4:23.77
13.  Chris Pietrocarlo    4:23.84

DMR
1.  O'Sullivan, Serfoss, FitzSimons, Tully     10:13.58

High Jump
 6.  Matthew Sidney   6'7"   BE

Pole Vault
 5.  Chris Dougherty  14'9"   BE

Long Jump
 8.  Elbert Maxwell   22'3"   BE

Triple Jump
 6.  George Bodziock  43'5.75"

Shot Put
 8.  Frank Anuszewski   46'4.75"

Weight Throw
 3.  Frank Anuszewski   54'8.75"   BE
12.  Chris McLeod       45'10"

WOMEN

60 meters
 5.  Varonica Johnson   7.72  (7.70)   BE
13.  Qualitra Brown     8.06  (7.94)   
 5.  Shericka Ward      ----  (7.70)   BE

400 meters
 5.  Qualitra Brown           58.11   BE
13.  Fafavie Lumax            59.90
26.  Katherine Petruzellis  1:02.05

800 meters
 3.  Faith Dismuke    2:15.04   BE
 6.  Leanne Tucker    2:16.61   BE
 7.  Mary Bohi        2:17.35

1000 meters
 1.  Marina Muncan        2:45.06  (VU alum)
 5.  Ariann Neutts        2:48.32   BE
 6.  Emily Lipari         2:49.67   BE
 7.  Stephanie Schappert  2:51.59   BE
13.  Amanda Borroughs     3:03.28

Mile
 2.  Courtney Chapman     5:02.64
 4.  Shannon Browne       5:10.12

3000 meters
 3.  Meghan Venables     10:17.79
 7.  Meghan Smith        10:37.56

60 meter hurdles
 1.  Shericka Ward          8.50 (8:43)   BE
 8.  Emerald Walden         8.86 (8.82)   BE
27.  Katherine Petruzellis  ---- (9.49)

4 x 400 meters
13.  Bohi, Dismuke, Lumax, Brown    4:03.70

4 x 800 meters
 1.  Bohi, Borroughs, Chapman, Ryan    8:57.52

Pole Vault
 1.  Alex Wasik             12'3.5"    BE
 2.  Kathleen McPhillips    11'9.75"   BE
 4.  Kimberly Logodya       11'3.75"
 5.  Melissa Meggiolaro     11'3.75"
 7.  Erica Litvak           10'10"

Long Jump
 4.  Samantha Yeats     17'5.25"
 5.  Alexandria Reo     17'3.5"

Triple Jump
 2.  Samantha Francis    39'4"    BE
 9.  Marie Minasi        36'4.75"
 6.  Vicotria Profit     35'2"

Shot Put
13.  Katherine Petruzellis   31'1.25"

Marino 51st and Rhines 64th at Olympic Marathon Trials

2012-01-14T13:16:00.002-06:00

Amanda Marino made her marathon debut this morning in Houston at the USA Olympic Marathon Trials. The youngest competitor in the race, she came home 51st of 152 total finishers, running 2:41:22 (15:44 behind the race winner Shalane Flanagan). Jen Rhines came back off her DNF at the New York City Marathon to finish 64th, 2:13 behind Marino, in 2:43:35 (+17:57). The top four finishers in the race (Shalane Flanagan, Desi Davila, Kara Goucher & Amy Hastings) all broke the USA Olympic Trials record.

1 Shalane Flanagan 30 Oregon TC Elite 2:25:38
2 Desiree Davila 28 Hansons-Brooks Distance Project 2:25:55 +0:17
3 Kara Goucher 33 Oregon TC Elite 2:26:06 +0:28
4 Amy Hastings 27 unattached 2:27:17 +1:39
5 Janet Cherobon-Bawcom 33 Atlanta Track Club 2:29:45 +4:07
6 Deena Kastor 38 unattached 2:30:40 +5:02
7 Clara Grandt 24 RIADHA 2:30:46 +5:08
8 Alissa McKaig 25 ZAP Fitness Reebok 2:31:56 +6:18
9 Dot McMahan 35 Hansons-Brooks Distance Project 2:32:16 +6:38
10 Magdalena Lewy Boulet 38 unattached 2:33:42 +8:04
11 Katie McGregor 34 Team USA Minnesota 2:34:01 +8:23
12 Wendy Thomas 32 Boulder Running Company/adidas 2:34:25 +8:47
13 Melissa White 30 Hansons-Brooks Distance Project 2:34:33 +8:55
14 Alisha Williams 29 Boulder Running Company/adidas 2:35:09 +9:31
15 Heidi Westover 30 unattached 2:35:45 +10:07
16 Clara Peterson 27 unattached 2:35:50 +10:12
17 Rebecca Donaghue 35 New Balance Boston 2:35:57 +10:19
18 Katherine Newberry 33 New York Athletic Club (NYAC) 2:36:21 +10:43
19 Brooke Wells 26 Impala Racing Team 2:36:24 +10:46
20 Loretta Kilmer 28 RIADHA 2:36:41 +11:03
21 Jeannette Faber 29 Boston Athletic Association 2:36:50 +11:12
22 Michelle Frey 29 unattached 2:37:03 +11:25
23 Erin Nehus 30 unattached 2:37:06 +11:28
24 Sheri Piers 40 Dirigo R.C. 2:37:09 +11:31
25 Kelly Calway 27 U.S. Army 2:37:10 +11:32
26 Camille Herron 30 unattached 2:37:14 +11:36
27 Esther Erb 25 ZAP Fitness Reebok 2:37:21 +11:43
28 Linda Somers Smith 50 Asics Aggie Running Club 2:37:36 +11:58
29 Ariana Hilborn 31 unattached 2:37:37 +11:59
30 Emily Harrison 25 McMillan Elite 2:37:45 +12:07
31 Rachel Booth 31 New Balance Silicon Valley 2:37:59 +12:21
32 Caroline LeFrak 28 New York Athletic Club (NYAC) 2:38:14 +12:36
33 Zoila Gomez 32 unattached 2:38:37 +12:59
34 Caroline White 26 U.S. Air Force 2:38:43 +13:05
35 Colleen De Reuck 47 unattached 2:38:52 +13:14
36 Devon Crosby-Helms 29 unattached 2:38:55 +13:17
37 Nicole Camp 26 Second Sole 2:39:10 +13:32
38 Kathleen Castles 40 unattached 2:39:19 +13:41
39 Lauren Philbrook 24 unattached 2:39:47 +14:09
40 Emily Potter 32 U.S. Army 2:39:55 +14:17
41 Kara Storage 30 RUNOHIO Racing Team 2:39:59 +14:21
42 Tara Storage 30 RUNOHIO Racing Team 2:40:00 +14:22
43 Michele Suszek 29 unattached 2:40:33 +14:55
44 Alexandra Blake 28 unattached 2:40:36 +14:58
45 Allison Macsas 27 Adidas/TeamRogue Elite 2:40:47 +15:09
46 Laurie Knowles 34 Atlanta Track Club 2:40:49 +15:11
47 Jennifer Houck 27 unattached 2:40:51 +15:13
48 Laura Farley 27 unattached 2:41:05 +15:27
49 Meagan Nedlo 29 unattached 2:41:06 +15:28
50 Amanda Rice 27 U.S. Navy 2:41:06 +15:28
51 Amanda Marino 22 unattached 2:41:22 +15:44
52 Sopagna Eap 30 unattached 2:41:24 +15:46
53 Kasie Enman 32 Boston Athletic Association 2:41:25 +15:47
54 Heather Cappello 31 Boston Athletic Association 2:42:07 +16:29
55 Leah Thorvilson 33 unattached 2:42:09 +16:31
56 Alvina Begay 31 unattached 2:42:20 +16:42
57 Jodie Robertson 27 ARE Racing Team 2:42:31 +16:53
58 Nicole Cueno 32 Foley & Mansfield Racing Team 2:42:33 +16:55
59 Megan Skeels 37 unattached 2:42:40 +17:02
60 Natasha LaBeaud 24 unattached 2:42:55 +17:17
61 Brianne Nelson 31 unattached 2:42:58 +17:20
62 Catherine Mullen 26 New Balance Silicon Valley 2:43:02 +17:24
63 Jenna Boren 34 TC Running Company 2:43:04 +17:26
64 Jennifer Rhines 37 unattached 2:43:35 +17:57
65 Tyler Stewart 33 unattached 2:44:04 +18:26
66 Caitlin Chrisman 26 Charlotte Running Club 2:44:04 +18:26
67 Adrian Chouinard 28 Boulder Running Company/adidas 2:44:06 +18:28
68 Julia Stamps 33 New York Athletic Club (NYAC) 2:44:07 +18:29
69 Nichole Porath 28 Run N Fun 2:44:12 +18:34
70 Jackie Pirtle-Hall 29 unattached 2:44:22 +18:44
71 Deanna Ardrey 29 unattached 2:44:27 +18:49
72 Ashley Carroll 28 Impala Racing Team 2:44:29 +18:51
73 Christa Iammarino 37 unattached 2:44:35 +18:57
74 Jackie Rzepecki 33 unattached 2:44:36 +18:58
75 Megan Lund-Lizotte 28 unattached 2:44:45 +19:07
76 Kristen Fryburg-Zaitz 31 unattached 2:44:49 +19:11
77 Erin Richard 26 Hansons-Brooks Distance Project 2:44:53 +19:15
78 Claudia Becque 35 New Balance Silicon Valley 2:45:00 +19:22
79 Madeline Kramer 24 Impala Racing Team 2:45:11 +19:33
80 Katherine Koski 38 Northwoods Minnesota-Wisconsin 2:45:27 +19:49
81 Shannon McHale 40 Pequof/Hitek Racing Team 2:45:36 +19:58
82 Danna Kelly 25 Runablaze Iowa 2:45:42 +20:04
83 Kristin Barry 38 Dirigo R.C. 2:45:43 +20:05
84 Michelle Meyer 24 Impala Racing Team 2:45:52 +20:14
85 Ann Marie Chappell 33 unattached 2:46:05 +20:27
86 Cheryl Smith 31 Nike Team Run LA 2:46:07 +20:29
87 Sara Petrick 25 The Running Center Running Club 2:46:10 +20:32
88 Erica Jesseman 22 unattached 2:46:11 +20:33
89 Jennifer Santa Maria 33 adidas/Movin Shoes 2:46:14 +20:36
90 Mary Coordt 42 Impala Racing Team 2:46:18 +20:40
91 Lisbet Sunshine 47 Impala Racing Team 2:46:20 +20:42
92 Heather McNiff 25 unattached 2:46:23 +20:45
93 Victoria Russell 39 unattached 2:46:28 +20:50
94 Lisa Thomas 36 Pacers/New Balance 2:46:42 +21:04
95 Laura Portis 24 unattached 2:46:47 +21:09
96 Lavenna Mullenbach 24 Hansons-Brooks Distance Project 2:46:49 +21:11
97 Rebecca Angeles 34 unattached 2:47:03 +21:25
98 Katie Blackett 34 unattached 2:47:09 +21:31
99 Midori Sperandeo 45 Impala Racing Team 2:47:14 +21:36
100 Danielle Quatrochi 35 unattached 2:47:21 +21:43
101 Anna Beck 27 unattached 2:47:26 +21:48
102 Megan Grindall 31 unattached 2:47:37 +21:59
103 Serena Kessler 39 unattached 2:47:44 +22:06
104 Jodie Conway 35 unattached 2:48:02 +22:24
105 Kaci Lickteig 25 unattached 2:48:05 +22:27
106 Rachel Niehuus 26 Impala Racing Team 2:48:13 +22:35
107 Sharon Thompson 32 unattached 2:48:15 +22:37
108 Christina Overbeck 25 Run Portland 2:48:25 +22:47
109 Jackie Dikos 32 unattached 2:48:29 +22:51
110 Lucinda Smith 30 adidas Raleigh Track Club 2:48:39 +23:01
111 Jennifer Modliszewski 31 unattached 2:48:51 +23:13
112 Kristen Carter 24 unattached 2:48:53 +23:15
113 Carol Jefferson 26 unattached 2:48:59 +23:21
114 Louise Knudson 26 Ragged Mountain Racing 2:49:00 +23:22
115 Jeanne Cooper 34 unattached 2:49:16 +23:38
116 Tamara Karrh 42 unattached 2:49:18 +23:40
117 Emily Shertzer 32 U.S. Air Force 2:49:24 +23:46
118 Jill Horst 33 Atlanta Track Club 2:49:33 +23:55
119 Samantha Howard 25 Downingtown Running Club 2:49:38 +24:00
120 Melissa Rittenhouse 35 unattached 2:49:40 +24:02
121 Rebecca Michael 28 unattached 2:50:10 +24:32
122 Sarah Graves 34 unattached 2:50:16 +24:38
123 Mattie Suver 24 unattached 2:50:23 +24:45
124 Kim Pawelek 37 unattached 2:50:39 +25:01
125 Raquel Stucky 36 unattached 2:51:08 +25:30
126 Wendy Terris 42 Team Red Lizard 2:51:56 +26:18
127 Megan Daly 33 Impala Racing Team 2:52:09 +26:31
128 Amanda Scott 24 unattached 2:52:17 +26:39
129 Bridget Easley 31 Team Nebraska Brooks 2:52:28 +26:50
130 Lindsay Nelson 26 Asics Aggie Running Club 2:52:55 +27:17
131 Hallie Janssen 36 Run Portland 2:53:10 +27:32
132 Erin O Mara 27 unattached 2:53:16 +27:38
133 Sarah Bashinski-Flament 36 RUNOHIO Racing Team 2:53:26 +27:48
134 Kate DeProsperis 32 Jenny Spangler Racing 2:53:29 +27:51
135 Kelly Brinkman 30 unattached 2:53:46 +28:08
136 Rachel Jaten 36 Spokane Swifts 2:53:46 +28:08
137 Robyn Friedman 38 Runablaze Iowa 2:54:54 +29:16
138 Lisa Baumert 24 unattached 2:55:00 +29:22
139 Gina Slaby 30 U.S. Navy 2:55:34 +29:56
140 Kim Dobson 27 unattached 2:56:37 +30:59
141 Donna Palisca 34 Greater Philadelphia TC 2:56:48 +31:10
142 Amy Hauswirth 42 unattached 2:58:26 +32:48
143 Meghan Arbogast 50 Corvallis Running Project 2:58:53 +33:15
144 Shannon Cody 42 West Valley Track Club 2:58:54 +33:16
145 Nicole Hagobian 36 Asics Aggie Running Club 2:59:17 +33:39
146 Sarah Lee 30 Impala Racing Team 3:00:08 +34:30
147 Liana Bernard 30 unattached 3:01:05 +35:27
148 Jessica Minty 27 New Balance Boston 3:02:14 +36:36
149 Mandy Yates 33 unattached 3:04:45 +39:07
150 Susan Loken 48 unattached 3:05:11 +39:33
151 Kelly Chin 31 unattached 3:05:45 +40:07
152 Jaymee Marty 44 Impala Racing Team 3:07:32 +41:54

Deja Vu: It's Coghlan versus O'Sullivan at the Millrose Games

2012-01-13T09:02:00.009-06:00

Millrose Games director Ray Flynn, Villanova's Marcus O'Sullivan and Eamonn Coghlan

Eamonn Coghlan and Marcus O'Sullivan, among the legends of Villanova (and Irish) track, had some epic battles in the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games. They'll be competitors again next month in a different way: each is bringing in a top-notch distance medley relay (DMR) quartet to the Games. Coghlan has his Dublin City University (DCU) "dream team" and O'Sullivan will counter with his Villanova squad, hoping to repeat the success of last year's version of the DMR that won the Penn Relays Championship of America. Adding another layer to the Coghlan-O'Sullivan competition at Millrose is the fact that Coghlan's DCU squad has among its charges one Mark English -- the 800 meter phenom from Letterkenny AC. If the rumblings on the message boards are to be believed, while Marcus O'Sullivan was recruiting English mightily to come stateside to Villanova, Coghlan was urging the opposite: to stay in Ireland and join up with Coghlan's son John at DCU. At least for now, English has chosen to stay in Ireland and enroll at UCD. It's likely that English will be matched up against Villanova's Chris FitzSimons in the 800 meter third leg of the DMR. FitzSimons had an unlucky first year at Villanova (fighting illness and injury), but when healthy possesses great 800 meter ability and a devastating kick. Either way the DMR at Millrose should present high drama and a nice pre-Penn Relays test for the Villanova DMR team.

Here's a nice article from the folks at Armory Track on Coghlan's Irish DMR team:

Chairman Of The Boards To Return To Millrose

Frank O'Mara, Marcus O'Sullivan, Ray Flynn, and Eamonn Coghlan, in 1985 after setting the still-standing world record in the 4 x mile relay

Celebrated runner Eamonn Coghlan is coming back to the Millrose Games, this time as an 'adopted coach.' The seven-time champion of the Wanamaker Mile is helping bring a talented Irish squad from Dublin City University to compete in the Byron Dyce College Men’s Distance Medley Relay in the 105th Millrose Games, Feb. 11, 2012 at The Armory.

"I've known these kids since they were young teenagers," said Coghlan, whose son, John, will be running the 1600m anchor. "I've seen them grow up. The fact that they are all in school together, they can see what running in New York City is all about. It's exciting for their team from Dublin University to go to the Millrose Games and have a chance to do exceptionally well.

"The Irish used to come to the Millrose Games to support me, Marcus O'Sullivan (Wanamaker Mile champion in 1986, '88, '89, '90 and '92 and now head coach at Villanova) and Ron Delany (winner of four consecutive Wanamaker Mile titles, 1956-59). People are not aware of the talent coming out of Ireland. It might get them back on the scene again and they potentially could make the Olympic Team come next July."

Recognized as Ireland's 'Dream Team' and Gold Medal winner of the Irish Under-23 Cross Country team competition, the Dublin City squad consists of Irish Junior 800m record holder Mark English (1:47.09), Brian Gregan, Darren McBrearty and 2010 U-23 Irish 1500 meters champion John Coghlan.

Dublin City University coach Enda Fitzpatrick will make the trip.

Earlier this year Eamonn Coghlan introduced to Armory Foundation president Dr. Norb Sander the idea of bringing an Irish team to the Millrose Games. "He asked me if I would be in on the floor activities," Coghlan recalled. "I said we need a bit of the Irish influence back in the Millrose Games again. I said, 'What about bringing an Irish team over?'"

Thus Coghlan, nicknamed the Chairman of the Boards for winning the Wanamaker Mile in 1977, '79-81, '83, '85 and '87, will be in attendance to support the talented Irish outfit.

"My role there is as a parent, coach and a nervous dad," Coghlan said. "I just want to be with Norb and help keep the Millrose Games going. Enda would like my influence to be with the kids the day before and calm them down, motivate them and help them get ready.

"The Millrose Games are close to my heart for obvious reasons. My success in the Millrose Games has been the making of Eamonn Coghlan. Not a week goes by when someone doesn't say something to me about winning the Wanamaker Mile."

The Irish Team will be competing against the country's top college programs including Eamonn Coghlan's alma mater Villanova, Virginia, Duke, Providence, Columbia and Albany.

The week prior to the Millrose Games, the Irish team will participate individually in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational (Feb. 3-4) at The Armory.

Kelsey Margey wins Millrose Games Trials Mile in 4:49.03 (USA #3)

2012-01-12T12:35:00.005-06:00

Villanova signee Kelsey Margey (Friends Academy, Long Island, NY) won the girls 1 mile invitational race yesterday at the Millrose Games Trials at the Armory. Her time was 4:49.03, the third fastest prep indoor mile run this season, and a 3.3 second improvement over her 3rd place finish at last weekend's Hispanic Games.

Event 15  Girls 1 Mile Run Invitational
================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
  1 Margey, Kelsey               Friends Academy        4:49.03  
  2 Paul, Rachel                 Sachem East            4:52.95  
  3 Gerlach, Tori                Pennridge              4:58.67  
  4 Sheva, Marissa               Pennridge              5:01.67  
  5 Maloy, Catherine             Holy Names             5:01.87  
  6 Bottalico, Ariana            Brewster               5:06.77  
  7 Kendall, Kali                Snyder                 5:08.41  
  8 Brennan, Brigid              Northport              5:09.90  
  9 Frontera, Gianna             Newburgh               5:12.90  
 10 Cuccia, Gabbrielle           RC Ketcham             5:19.82  
 11 Young, Megan                 Nanuet                 5:20.57  
 12 Gomba, Claire                John Jay EF            5:21.32

Sheila Reid on Bowerman Preseason Watch List

2012-01-12T12:18:00.005-06:00

The Bowerman Preseason Watch List Announced for Women’s Award
Courtesy: Tom Lewis, USTFCCCA

NEW ORLEANS – The race to acquire collegiate track & field’s most coveted award has begun its 2012 campaign. The official preseason women’s watch list announced by The Bowerman Watch List Committee has many familiar names from the 2011 season including two former finalists and no fewer than seven who have been semifinalists in the past two years.

Kimberlyn Duncan of LSU and Tina Sutej of Arkansas were finalists for The Bowerman in 2011 and are among the stellar returnees to the watch list. In addition, Arizona’s Brigetta Barrett, Colorado’s Emma Coburn, Oregon’s Jordan Hasay, Villanova’s Sheila Reid, and Oregon’s Brianne Theisen – semifinalists in 2011 – are on the preseason watch. Theisen was also a semifinalist in 2010.

Landing on the watch list for the first time are Southern Miss’ Tori Bowie, Oregon’s Anne Kesselring, and Arizona’s Julie Labonte.

LSU’s Semoy Hackett is on the “also receiving mention” list. Hackett was a preseason watchlister in 2011 and a semifinalist while at Lincoln (Mo.) in 2010.

THE BOWERMAN OFFICIAL WATCH LIST, PRESEASON 2012 WOMEN
(updated January 12, 2012, listed in alphabetical order)

NAME             YEAR    SCHOOL         EVENTS            HOMETOWN      
Brigetta Barrett   JR    Arizona        Jumps             Duncanville, Texas 
Tori Bowie         SR    Southern Miss  Jumps/Sprints     Sandhill, Miss. 
Emma Coburn        SR    Colorado       Distance          Crested Butte, Colo. 
Kimberlyn Duncan   JR    LSU            Sprints           Katy, Texas 
Jordan Hasay       JR    Oregon         Distance          Arroyo Grande, Calif. 
Anne Kesselring    JR    Oregon         Middle Distance   Nürnberg, Germany 
Julie Labonte      JR    Arizona        Throws            Ste-Justine, Quebec 
Sheila Reid        SR    Villanova      Distance          Newmarket, Ont. 
Tina Sutej         SR    Arkansas       Pole Vault        Ljubljana, Slovenia 
Brianne Theisen    SR    Oregon         Combined Events   Humboldt, Sask.

The Watch List

Brigetta Barrett, Arizona – Semifinalist in 2011. Barrett claimed NCAA high jump titles in both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2011 to join six others that have accomplished the same feat (most recently, Texas’ Destinee Hooker in 2009). Barrett cleared six feet or more in each of her 11 competitions and notched an all-around personal best of 6-4 (1.93m) to win the Pac-10 title. Barrett won 10 of 11 meet crowns in the high jump during both indoor and outdoor 2011 seasons.

Tori Bowie, Southern Miss – In 2011, Bowie swept NCAA long jump titles. At the outdoor championships, Bowie claimed a career-best leap of 21-9½ (6.64m) in taking the crown, needing the final jump to retake the lead from Oklahoma’s Ti’Anca Mock. Bowie was the indoor champion after posting a jump of 21-4¾ (6.52m) in the event’s final.

Emma Coburn, Colorado – Semifinalist in 2011. Coburn won the NCAA’s 3000-meter steeplechase title in 2011 with a wire-to-wire victory, clocking 9:41.14 which bettered the field by more than six seconds. Coburn was undefeated in the steeplechase during the season and clocked a 9:40.51 personal best to win the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational race – a mark that ranks sixth among collegians all-time. Coburn also finished eighth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the mile.

Kimberlyn Duncan, LSU – A 2011 finalist for The Bowerman. Duncan swept the NCAA’s 200-meter titles in 2011 and, in both seasons, notched world-leading times. Duncan became the sixth woman in NCAA Division I history and the first since Auburn’s Kerron Stewart in 2007 to sweep 200-meter titles in the same season. Indoors, Duncan won the SEC title in 22.78 for the world’s best time of the season. Outdoors, Duncan was undefeated in the 200 meters and clocked a low-altitude collegiate record (and the third-best overall) with a 22.24 run. Duncan was also the NCAA’s 100-meter runner-up and anchored the Lady Tigers to an NCAA title in the 4×100 (42.64).

Jordan Hasay, Oregon – Semifinalist in 2011. Hasay won NCAA indoor titles in the mile and 3000 meters in 2011, becoming the fifth overall and the first since Northern Arizona’s Johanna Nilsson (2006) to claim such a double. Hasay also led the Ducks to a runner-up finish in the distance medley relay at the national indoor meet. Outdoors, Hasay finished fourth nationally in the 5000 meters and eighth in the 1500 meters.

Anne Kesselring, Oregon – In 2011, Kesselring took the NCAA 800-meter outdoor title as a sophomore, posting a career-best 2:02.15 to outdistance Oklahoma State frosh Natalja Piliusina by just one hundredth of a second. At the NCAA indoor championships, she scored in the mile (fourth) and distance medley relay (second).

Julie Labonte, Arizona – Last year, Labonte established herself as the top shot putter in the nation as a sophomore, sweeping NCAA titles and lasting the season without being defeated by a collegian. At the NCAA outdoor meet, Labonte won with a career-best put of 60-1 (18.31m). Labonte was the MPSF indoor champ and Pac-10 outdoor champ with the shot for the second-year in a row in 2011.

Sheila Reid, Villanova – Semifinalist in 2011. Reid tallied three NCAA crowns and five Big East titles during the 2011 track & field seasons. Outdoors, Reid became the first woman in Division I history to the NCAA’s 1500 and 5000 in the same championship. Indoors, Reid anchored the Wildcats to the NCAA crown in the DMR and was second nationally in the 3000 meters. In the Big East, Reid would also win the 1500-5000 double outdoors and was a three-time titlist indoors with wins in the 1000 meters, 4×800, and DMR. In cross country – which is not considered for The Bowerman – Reid has won two-consecutive individual NCAA titles and is only the fifth in the history of Division I to do so back-to-back.

Tina Sutej, Arkansas – A 2011 finalist for The Bowerman. Sutej set new collegiate records with the pole vault both indoors and outdoors in 2011. Indoors, Sutej would reach a best of 14-10¾ (4.54m) to set the new all-time collegiate best in winning the SEC crown and would go on to win the NCAA title. Outdoors, Sutej again won the SEC league title with a collegiate-record vault – a clearance of 15-1½ (4.61m). Overall, Sutej collected 13-straight meet victories before finishing runner-up at the NCAA outdoor meet, but tied the championship-meet record with Oregon’s Melissa Gergel who took the crown on virtue of misses.

Brianne Theisen, Oregon – Semifinalist in 2010 and 2011. Theisen twice set the collegiate record in the pentathlon in the 2011 indoor season and won her second-straight NCAA crown in the event. Her score of 4,540 bettered her previous all-time collegiate best mark of 4,507 set in January at the UW Invitational and ranked among the world’s top five in the event for the season. Theisen also scored at the NCAA indoor meet for the second-straight year as a member of Oregon’s 4×400 relay team. Outdoors, Theisen did not compete as a result of injury.

LetsRun Nation Sees Rhines 7th, Marino 23rd at Olympic Marathon Trials

2012-01-12T09:37:00.005-06:00

Here are the results of the US Olympic Marathon Trials prediction contest held by the folks at the LetsRun.com running website. As shown below, Desi Davila is the predicted winner by just about 50 percent of those participating in the contest, with Shalane Flanagan second. Villanova has two women in the race (the third, Kristen Nicolini has scratched from the race): Jen Rhines, who finished third at the 2004 marathon trials (see photo below) and finished 34th at the Beijing Olympic), is listed 7th in the opinion of those participating in the prediction contest. She received 2 first-place predictions. Rhines set a new half-marathon PR earlier this year on this course (which is based on three circuits of an 8-mile loop) in winning the 2011 USA half-marathon championship. First-time marathoner Amanda Marino is 23rd in the poll.

Women's Individual Poll
Name (first place votes) total points

1. Desiree Davila (432) 7258
2. Shalane Flanagan (289) 6736
3. Kara Goucher (34) 5417
4. Magdalena Lewy Boulet (5) 3989
5. Amy Hastings (2) 3625
6. Deena Kastor (5) 3006
7. Jennifer Rhines (2) 1925
8. Janet Cherobon-Bawcom (2) 1517
9. Stephanie Rothstein 1439
10. Blake Russell (2) 1224
11. Tera Moody 1153
12. Clara Grandt 856
13. Colleen De Reuck 758
14. Katie McGregor 733
15. Molly Pritz 649
16. Maegan Krifchin 397
17. Dot McMahan 394
18. Adriana Nelson 208
19. Serena Burla 161
20. Zoila Gomez 146

Others receiving votes: 21. Stephanie Herbst-Lucke 83 22. Melissa White 81 23. Amanda Marino 70 24. Mary Akor 67 25. Rebecca Donaghue 61 26. Emily Harrison 60 27. Jennifer Houck 60 28. Gina Slaby 56 29. Paige Higgins 54 30. Alissa McKaig 46 31. Alisha Williams 40 32. Meghan Peyton 40 33. Linda Somers Smith 38 34. Clara Peterson 33 35. Ariana Hilborn 29 36. Cassandra Slade 26 37. Kelly Jaske 26 38. Katherine Newberry 21 39. Brianne Nelson 20 40. Alvina Begay 20 41. Teresa McWalters 14 42. Diana Bowser 13 43. Amanda Rice 13 44. Erin Nehus 12 45. Wendy Thomas 11 46. Robyn Friedman 10 47. Erin Moeller 9 48. Caroline White 9 49. Esther Erb 9 50. Brooke Wells 8 51. Laurie Knowles 8 52. Camille Herron 8 53. Kristen Nicolini 7 54. Leah Thorvilson 7 55. Kasie Enman 7 56. Christine Ramsey 6 57. Jeannette Faber 6 58. Christa Iammarino 5 59. Brett Ely 4 60. Sheri Piers 3 61. Heidi Westover 3 62. Mattie Suver 2 63. Reilly Kiernan 1 64. Jessica Minty 1

Average Predicted Time for the Winner: 2:26:22

Villanova Women Ranked #22 in Pre-Season Indoor Poll

2012-01-11T12:58:00.004-06:00

The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) has released its preseason indoor T&F rankings. Villanova's women are ranked #22 in the country, and #2 in the Big East. Here's the complete top 25:

2012 Preseason — January 10

Rank School           Points Conference Head Coach (Yr) 2011 FINAL 
1. Oregon             200.25  Pac-12    Vin Lananna (7th)       1 
2. LSU                142.63  SEC       Dennis Shaver (8th)     3 
3. Arkansas           124.93  SEC       Lance Harter (22nd)     4 
4. Texas              112.27  Big 12    Bev Kearney (20th)      2 
5. Clemson            111.83  ACC       Lawrence Johnson (4th) 11 
6. UCF                100.67  Conf USA  Caryl Gilbert (5th)    21 
7. BYU                 85.81  W.Coast   Patrick Shane (2nd)    15 
8. Texas Tech          70.09  Big 12    Wes Kittley (13th)     36 
9. Florida State       61.83  ACC       Bob Braman (9th)        9 
10. Arizona            59.78  Pac-12    Fred Harvey (10th)      7 
11. Ohio State         57.99  Big Ten   Karen Dennis (6th)     40 
12. Southern Illinois  57.69  MV        Connie Price (11th)    21 
13. Southern Miss      57.17  Conf USA  Kevin Stephen (5th)    13 
14. Georgia            53.38  SEC       Wayne Norton (13th)    NR 
15. Stony Brook        48.21  Am. East  Andy Ronan (12th)      30 
16. Arizona State      47.75  Pac-12    Greg Kraft (16th)      40 
17. Texas A&M          47.71  Big 12    Pat Henry (8th)         5 
18. Baylor             47.66  Big 12    Todd Harbour (7th)     10 
19. Michigan           45.21  Big Ten   James Henry (27th)     18 
20. Connecticut        44.24  Big East  Bill Morgan (9th)      23 
21. Oklahoma           43.10  Big 12    Martin Smith (7th)      6 
22. Villanova          40.02  Big East  Gina Procaccio (12th)  12 
23. Stanford           36.71  Pac-12    Edrick Floreal (7th)   15 
24. Georgetown         34.84  Big East  Patrick Henner (5th)   50 
25. Nebraska           32.39  Big Ten   Gary Pepin (32nd)      17

Rhines, Nicolini & Marino Get Set for US Marathon Trials

2012-01-10T10:12:00.000-06:00

Villanova will be represented at this weekend's US Olympic maraton trials by alums Jen Rhines, Kristen Nicolini, and Amanda Marino.

*** UPDATE: Kristen Nicolini has scratched from the trials ***

Jen Rhines, 37, is a three-time USA Olympian who won multiple NCAA individual championships while at Villanova: 4-times NCAA 5000 meter champion and NCAA individual cross country champion. She has a half-marathon PR of 1:11:14 (2011, Houston) and a marathon PR of 2:29:32 (2006, Rome). She finished 3rd at the 2004 USA Olympic marathon trials and was a 5000 meter finalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Rhines Achievements
THREE TIME OLYMPIAN: 10,000m (2000), Marathon (2004), 5,000m (2008)
2011 US 15k Champion
2011 US Half Marathon Champion
3rd All Time US at 5,000m
2008 US Olympian, 5,000m
2005 World Championships 10,000m
2005 US Champion 15K
2006 4th Place Rome Marathon
2004 US Olympian Marathon
2002 US National Champion 10,000m
2000 US Olympian 10,000m
7th Place Tokyo Women's Marathon
3-Time NCAA Outdoor Track 5000m Champion
NCAA Indoor Track 5000m Champion
NCAA Cross Country Champion

Kristen Nicolini, 34, graduated from Villanova in 2000. Kristen ran first at Auburn and then at Villanova, where she was a member of the 1998 National Cross Country Championship team - placing 17th - and the 4 x 1500m Penn Relays team. She was an All American for both cross country and for the 3000m indoor. Nicolini has PRs of 1:12:41 for the half-marathon (2009, Houston) and 2:35:06 for the marathon (2009, St. Paul). Here are some of her post-collegiate milestones:

Nicolini Achievements
2009 USA Marathon Championship - 3rd
2009 USA 20k Championships - 6th
2009 USA 10 Mile Championship - 5th
2009 USA 7 Mile Championships - 8th
2009 USA Half Marathon Championships - 7th
2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championship - 25th
2008 USA Half Marathon Championships - 5th
2002 USA Chiba Ekiden Road Relay team

Amanda Marino, 22, is a 2011 graduate of Villanova, where she was a 3-time All American in cross country (2008, 2009, 2010), helping Villanova to back-to-back NCAA titles in 2009 and 2010, when she finished 6th and 10th overall, respectively. She was also a 3-time All American at 5000 meters. Marino qualified for the Olympic Trials with her 1:13:47 time at the Philadelphia half-marathon, good for third place. She will be making her marathon debut at the trials in Houston.

Marino Achievements
6x All American (3 each in cross country and 5000 meters)
2011 Philadelphia Half-Marathon - 3rd
2009 ECAC 5000 meter champion

Tom Donnelly: The Man Who Stares at Goats

2012-01-09T19:47:00.001-06:00

Here's a great story about former Villanova All-American Tom Donnelly ('69) who helped Villanova win three consecutive NCAA cross country titles. He's been track & XC coach at Heverford College since 1975.

Leader of the Goats

Tom Donnelly of Haverford College is one of the winningest coaches in the world of running

By Erin Seglem
English House Gazette

Tom Donnelly talks quickly, rattling off a long list of distances and times. “They’re gonna run the bus route first,” he says. Then stops, squinting a little bit, “Do you know what the bus route is?” Immediately, he grabs a pen and paper, laying the pad out on his desk. He starts to draw. As he explains the route his runners will be taking as part of the day’s interval work out, his crisp voice picks up speed. It’s easy for him to envision the familiar course. He has, after all, been coaching these kinds of workouts since 1975.

Donnelly, 60, has been the men’s track and cross-country coach at Haverford College, a 1200 student Division III liberal arts school in suburban Philadelphia, for the last 37 years.

Coach Tom Donnelly

He has coached his team to countess conference championships, and helped 132 men achieve All-American status between track and cross-country. Twenty-five of his runners have also taken home individual national championships. In 2011, the Haverford men, also called “The Goats,” took the Centennial Conference Championships by storm. Along the side of the course, a runner from Dickinson college, which is Haverford’s chief conference rival, held up a homemade sign: “This year, 12% of the Centennial Conference has 83% of the championships. OCCUPY HAVERFORD.” The timely sentiment was true. Every year, other Centennial conference teams work to bring down the small but mighty college but they rarely succeed. This year, the Goats defended their championship title with both the individual and team championship. Donnelly was also awarded coach of the year.

While Donnelly rattles off the times and short distance “pick ups” included in “the bus route,” a short, car-free loop that goes through parts of Haverford and Ardmore, he leans back in his chair. For a second, his head is framed by a dozen all-American certificates. In fact, the white walls of his office are heavily decorated by All-American and championship certificates. None of them, however, say, “Tom Donnelly.” Over the last several decades, Donnelly has collected multiple “Coach of the Year” awards too, from the conference, regional and national levels. None of those trophies are within view.

“You will never see one Coach of the year trophy,” said Brian Sokas, a sophomore Goat. “Yeah,” another, Jeff Duncan, class of 2015, adds, “he throws them away.”

Though Donnelly happily talks about his childhood, one would never realize all of the success the coach had as a runner at Villanova University in the mid to late 1960s. He is a local kid. He grew up in the Olney section of Philadelphia and his father was a roofer. He went to La Salle High School and before attending Villanova. Recruited to run, he was a multi-time all-American and ran on national championship teams. When his college career is mentioned he quickly brushes it off, “Nah,” he waves a hand, “I wasn’t that good. I just ran with good guys.” Donnelly has retained that sense of modesty. According to legend, in 2001, the same day that J.B. Haglund, Haverford, class of 2002, took 1st at the National Cross country championships, Donnelly took his coach of the year award and tossed it into the Mississippi River. Donnelly would always prefer to talk about his athletes’ successes, rather than his own. A coach is only one person,” he says.

When it comes to his runners’ achievements, the present isn’t just what matters. How each individual developed themselves and became a champion runner is just as valuable. File cabinets and boxes are filled with old running logs. He has his runners turn one in every week. It helps them have a sense of what they’re doing right and sometimes, he adds laughing, what they are doing wrong. He pulls out a manila folder with a calendar on it, pointing to a specific day. That day, the guys that worked out were a little sick because it was so hot. That workout same though, had been done the year before by Anders Hulleberg, class of 2011, who went on to win the Division III National Cross Country Championships. Even through the heat, Donnelly reminded his runners that they had just done the same workout as a national champion.

When it comes to planning for an individual’s season, Donnelly has his runners write down their goals and then, at a meeting, discuss them with him. His goal is make sure that the athletes are not overselling or, as the case more often is, underselling themselves.

After a little sifting through a cardboard box, Donnelly retrieves an old marble notebook. As he flips through it, he stops on one yellowed page. Neat blue block letters say: We won nationals!!! He hesitates for a moment before skipping to another page, pointing at a workout, “30 400s,” he said, “at around 65.” A jaw-dropping workout for most, he and teammates would sprint a lap on the track, ¼ of a mile, in 65 seconds, rest for a minute, and do it again. Then, looking it over, he continues, “Everybody did twenty but I did an extra ten because I was mad. I did the 20th in 56 and got blown away by the other guys, so I did 10 more.” He did an extra 10 just because he was frustrated with himself for not keeping up.

In 1975, Donnelly started coaching at Haverford College. The job was part time at first, though Donnelly immediately poured in full-time hours. Two years later, the college created a full-time position and the coach has been there ever since. During his tenure, Donnelly has coached professionals, such as former worldclass runner and current Villanova head coach, Marcus O’Sullivan, and major Division III champions like J.B. Haglund and Karl Paranya (Paranya was the first man to break the four minute mile in division III.).

Between his years at Villanova and his coaching at Haverford, Donnelly taught history at Archbishop Wood and La Salle High school. He also spent a year at Villanova for graduate school. It was his time there that made him realize that the best way to learn is by doing. That, as well as his love of history and teaching, has followed him through his career. Junior Jordan Schilit says that on his first visit to Haverford, Donnelly spent three hours showing him the campus, which can be contained by a 2.25 mile nature trail, telling short histories about many of the buildings that most on Haverford’s campus pay little attention to. “He really just wants to teach you,” Schilit says. Donnelly wants to teach his runners how to become great. To him, putting in the time and effort is the necessary, but wanting to do that is the only way anyone can truly succeed. “All you can ask for is for them to run well…to do their best.” Donnelly says.

In 2011, the Goats took second at Nationals, losing their title to North Central of Illinois. “I feel like I was the only happy one there.” Donnelly smiled a little bit, his blue eyes twinkling. “I remember when it was a big deal that we got twelfth in the region.” In keeping with his previous philosophy, the Goats ran the best they could that day and that’s enough.

Donnelly checks his watch, with a double take though, he jumps to his feet. “We better get down there,” he says, grabbing a lint-covered black fleece jacket. “It’s going to be cold out there,” he says. At the fieldhouse, some of the early arrivals are milling around. Eventually, as all of the Goats gather, they form a clump, with Donnelly at the center. At first, he makes some jokes, taunting a few of the upperclassmen runners, he makes running references that only a few hardcore track nerds would understand, then mentions something about the last week’s workout. When Donnelly is with his runners he moves between awkward and silly, teasing some while trying to make genuine conversation with others. As he turns his attention to his clipboard, Donnelly adjusts his faded blue Phillies hat a little. Everyday, Donnelly wears a similar uniform: faded jeans, running sneakers, a polo or t shirt and his Phillies cap. When it gets cold, he wears fleece under a heavy down vest that swishes in time with the swing of his arms. His wardrobe is as consistent as his training methods.

Laughter erupts from the center of the circle. Donnelly has built a strong community within his team, one that is focused on enjoying running, through training and racing. The coach says that, “A coach is only one man.” One of his athletes, Soren Rasmussen recalls another interview with Donnelly in which he said, “as a coach you influence your athlete by 1%, maybe.” But so many of Donnelly’s athlete’s would disagree. Rasmussen says that Donnelly is a unique coach because, “He’s not going to try and micro-manage your life or order you around, instead he challenges you to discipline yourself to do the best you can both academically and athletically.” Many of his runners can only describe him as “indescribable.” Donnelly pours hours into his work, going over each runner’s logs and perfecting the workouts he prepares for his team.

Junior Jordan Schilit says, “He cares so much about each runner, so much about the program.” Donnelly doesn’t race his guys for points, he races them because he wants to see them improve their times. This December, he got the all-American certificates for several of his runners and he acted as if it was the first time he had a runner do so well at the national level. In the fieldhouse, he’s bouncing on his toes a little bit, looking at Andrew Sturner, a senior, who had just come back from a run. “Hey,” Donnelly says, grinning, “your certificate,” he stumbles over his words a bit, “your all-American thing came through today.” Sturner smiles, responding with a quiet nod,

“Cool.” He says. For the Goats, seeing another All-American certificate in Donnelly’s office is like seeing another tree take root within the Haverford’s arboretum. For Donnelly though, every individual’s achievement is just as thrilling as the last.

Does Rhines Have a Real Shot at Olympic Marathon Trials?

2012-01-08T21:56:00.000-06:00

One thing is clear in the lead-up to next weekend's US Olympic marathon trials: no one is giving Jen Rhines much of a chance to finish in the top three and make the team. Only one of the 263 experts who voted in a Runner's World poll predicted that Jen would win the trials. Most observers think that she'll have to catch lightning in a bottle to make the team. Three reasons form the basis of this conventional wisdom: (1) Jen has not completed a marathon since running her PR (2:29:32) in Rome in February 2006; (2) she was a DNF at the 16 mile mark at the New York City marathon in November, despite some optimistic talk prior to the race; and (3) Jen has been rather clear that she'll try to make her fourth USA Olympic team at a different distance: the 10,000 meters. On the other hand, Jen did win national titles on the roads in the past year at 15,000 meters and the half-marathon (where in January 2011 she ran her PR of 1:11:14). Moreover, one of Jen's three Olympic berths was a marathoner (Athens in 2004).

Click HERE for a good review from Runner's World of the major contenders at the trials.

Recruit Margey 3rd at Hispanic Games Elite Mile

2012-01-08T21:55:00.004-06:00

Georgetown-bound Samantha Nadel won the invitational mile at the Hispanic Games handily, front-running over the second half of the race. Sophomore Mary Cain finished second, joining Nadel as automatic entrants in the girl's mile at the Millrose Games. Villanova signee Kelsey Margey finished third, in 4:52.33.

Girl's Invitational Mile
1.  Samantha Nadel    North Shore       4:46.11  (USA #1 & Facility Record)
2.  Mary Cain         Bronxville        4:48.98
3.  Kelsey Margey     Friends (LI)      4:52.33
4.  Audrey Batzel     Ocean Lakes (VA)  4:58.07
5.  Sara Sargent      Pennsbury (PA)    4:59.07
6.  Taylor Driscoll   Saratoga          5:03.76
7.  Tiana Guevara     Miller Place      5:06.25
8.  Keelin Hollowood  Saratoga          5:07.19
9.  Estela Smith      Saratoga          5:07.95
10. Tiana Guevara     Miller Place      5:09.25
11. Gianna Fronters   Newburgh          5:17.51
12. Tess Keller       Pope John XXIII   5:20.15
13. Lauren Fontana    St Anthony's      5:33.93

Delaware Invitational Nets 5 Big East Auto Qualifiers

2012-01-07T08:55:00.003-06:00

Several Villanova track and field athletes competed Friday night at the Delaware Invitational in Newark, DE. Highlighting the results were Big East automatic qualifiers for frosh Matthew Sidney (high jump), soph Chris Dougherty (pole vault), soph Samantha Yeats (high jump), frosh Alexandra (Alex) Wasik (pole vault), and frosh Kathleen McPhillips (pole vault). Here are the complete Villanova results from the meet.


Men's High Jump
1.  Matthew Sidney      FR   6' 7"    BIG EAST QUAL
2.  Elbert Maxwell      FR   6' 4 1/4"

Men's Pole Vault
1.  Chris Dougherty     SO   14' 9"   BIG EAST QUAL
-.  Charles Kido        FR   NH

Men's Long Jump
2.  Lazaro Tiant   SO   21' 1 1/2"

Women's 400 meters
3.  Katherine Petruzzelis   FR   1:01.60

Women's 60 meter hurdles
5.  Katherine Petruzellis   FR   9.77

Women's High Jump
1.  Samantha Yeats         SO   5'7"   BIG EAST QUAL
10. Katherine Petruzellis  FR   4'11"

Women's Pole Vault
1.  Alex Wasik            FR   11' 9 3/4"   BIG EAST QUAL
2.  Kathleen McPhillips   FR   11' 7 3/4"   BIG EAST QUAL
3.  Melissa Meggiolaro    JR   11' 3 3/4"

Women's Long Jump
4.  Samantha Yeats        SO   17' 10 3/4"
8.  Kathleen McPhillips   FR   17'  3 1/4"

Women's Shot
8.  Kathleen Petruzellis  FR   31' 9 1/4"

Nova Signee Kelsey Margey in Elite Mile at Hispanic Games

2012-01-06T08:28:00.000-06:00

The girls mile at Saturday's Hispanic Games in the Armory in New York, a Millrose Games qualifier, could be the highlight of the meet. It features Neptune, New Jersey sr Ajee Wilson, Bronxville, New York soph Mary Cain, North Shore, New York sr Samantha Nadel, and Friends Academy, New York sr Kelsey Margey (who gave Villanova a verbal commitment in November). Wilson, of course, is best known for her 800 prowess, which netted her last year’s World Youth title (US#2 2:02.64, #6 all-time) as well as last winter’s New Balance Indoor Nationals crown (US#1 2:06.17, #6 all-time). Wilson is being heavily recruited by many schools, Villanova included. Wilson, who is also the defending champ in this race, has run 4:43.92 for 1600 (outdoors 2010), and last winter won the loaded Brooks PR mile (4:49.48) and was 3rd at Millrose. Cain set the frosh 1500 USR with a US#2 4:17.84 last spring to win the New York state meet, then was 5th in the New Balance Outdoor Mile and 2nd in the USATF Jr 1500. She is currently US#1 in the 1500 and 1000. Nadel is the defending Millrose Champ and last spring also ran a 4:25.59 1500. She is currently US#1 for 3k at 9:46.39 and has anchored North Shore’s US#1 4x1500 and DMR relays (the latter with a 4:47 that is the best anyone has run for any distance close to the mile this winter). Margey, ran a 4:23.82 1500 and 4:47.39 mile last spring, and has an even faster mile PR of 4:43.91 from 2010.

"Phantom Foot Injury" Scratches Curtis Out of Edinburgh XC

2012-01-04T22:51:00.008-06:00

Bobby Curtis has been in the UK since Christmas, in preparation for the BUPA Great Edinburgh Cross Country meet (Curtis was named captain of Team USA, which will compete in a team format against British and European Select squads). Unfortunately, he's been niggled since mid-December by what he has termed (via Twitter) a "phantom foot injury" of unknown origin. The injury recently forced him to drop out of his planned 10K race in Balzano, Italy on New Year's Eve. He's getting treatments while in Britain, but it looks like Curtis has scratched from the race. He's been replaced on the 9-man squad by Ben Bruce, known best in the States as a steepler. It's not clear how debilitating the injury might be (at last report, Curtis is currently doing only light jogging), but European cross country courses are not very forgiving on the feet. In any event, with 2012 being an Olympic year and Curtis seemingly intent on making the USA team at 10,000 meters, discretion is currently the better part of valor. The situation is reminiscent of the last-minute injury that kept Adrian Blincoe out of the world championships' 5000 meters last year. Very frustrating for all involved.

Reid Wins Eastern Track's Female Athlete of the Year

2012-01-03T22:32:00.003-06:00

Eastern Track Names Its Athletes Of The Year

Walt Murphy's News and Results Service
Eastern Track
(c)Copyright 2012-all rights reserved.

Here are the picks for Eastern Track's Athletes of the Year. Athletes representing schools from Maine to Virginia were considered, as well as those collegians who attned schools that are outside E.T.'s geographic region, but are active members of the IC4A/ECAC.

College Men-Leonard Korir (Iona)
College Women-Sheila Reid (Vilanova)
High School Boys-Nick Vena (Morristown,NJ)
High School Girls-Aisling Cuffe (Cornwall Central,NY)

2011 Athletes of the Year

College Women: Sheila Reid (Villanova)

Sheila Reid won the NCAA Div.I Cross-Country title in the fall, anchored Villanova to a win in the DMR at the Indoor NCs (and finished 2nd in the 3000), and scored a historic double by winning both the 1500 and 5000 at the Outdoor NCs. Now a senior, Reid is the 7th woman from Villanova to be named E.T.’s AOY (the first since Carrie Tollefson was so named in 1999).

Other Eastern notables in 2011:

Duke’s Juliet Bottorff was the NCAA Champion at 10,000-meters and the ECAC Champion at 3000-meters.

Chelsea Carrier, West Virginia’s all-around talent, won three Big East outdoor titles(100h, 400h, LJ) and was 5th in the NCAA Pentathlon and 3rd in the NCAA Heptathlon.

Virginia Tech’s Dorotea Habazin won the hammer throw at the NCAA Championships.

Stony Brook’s Lucy Van Dalen was 3rd in the NCAA 3000(i) and 2nd in the 1500.

Katie Van Buskirk was 2nd in the NCAA mile(i) and anchored Duke to victory in the 4x800 at the Penn Relays.

College Men: Leonard Korir (Iona)

Iona’s Leonard Korir and Liberty’s Sam Chelanga raced against each other five times during the 2010-2011 school year, with Korir beating his fellow Kenyan three times. That was enough to give the nod to Korir, ending Chelanaga’s bid to become a 3-time AOY!

Chelanga drew first blood, winning the NCAA X-Country title in the fall of 2010(Korir was 4th), with Korir evening the score by winning the 5000 at the NCAA Indoor

Championships(Chelanga-2nd). They both competed the next day in the 3000, with Korir finishing 6th and Chelanga a distant 15th.

They next went head-to-head at the Outdoor NCs, with Korir winning the 10,000 (Chelanga-2nd) and Chelanga winning the 5000(Korir-3rd).

While those two dominated the voting, others also performed well in 2011.

Robby Andrews won his 2nd NCAA 800 title and once again anchored Virginia to victory in the 4x800 at Penn.

Virginia Tech’s Alexander Ziegler won the NCAA hammer throw and was 2nd in the weight throw indoors.

Princeton’s Donn Cabral was 2nd in the NCAA steeple and was an All-American in X-Country.

Amanda Marino to Marathon Debut at USA Olympic Trials

2012-01-03T07:48:00.006-06:00

Amanda Marino's blog entry below appears HERE from the folks at FloTrack.

Quest to Rediscover the Passion
Amanda Marino on January 1, 2012, 3:23pm

Amanda Marino was a 3-time cross country All-American (35th, 6th, 10th) and part of two consecutive National Championship cross country teams at Villanova from 2007-2011. Her PRs include 16:04 5k and 33:47 10k on the track as she heads into Houston with a half marathon qualifying time of 1:13:47. The Houston Trials will be her marathon debut.

AM: After a roller coaster ride through indoor and outdoor track last year, running left a bitter taste in my mouth. I wanted to forget about finishing one place out of making outdoor NCAAs, I wanted to forget about two consecutive years of wasted indoor seasons, and I just wanted to cherish the great memories of college—two team championships in XC, a last-minute solo plane ride to indoor NCAA’s sophomore year, watching teammates take the 2011 indoor DMR, etc. And most importantly, I didn’t want the disappointments of my sub-par track seasons to overshadow the value of my whole college experience. In a quest to rediscover my passion for the sport, I thought it would be best to leave it for a while.

If you know me well enough, you know that my fifteen-day no-running streak was a feat. All it took to break me was my brother Matt, an ex-runner who would now rather wash the dishes than run, to say “I think I’ll go for a run. It’s nice out.”

Soon thereafter, Villanova grad Craig Segal contacted me about running some races at the shore for the team Runner’s High. I love New Jersey, I love the beach, and I love meeting new people, so, naturally, I joined the team. Out of my own desire, I woke up at 5:30am every summer weekday to run before reporting to my job as counselor at a YMCA day camp. It was during those lonely morning hours that I came to the realization that I was simply born to be a runner (and/or that I am crazy).

Beginning at some point in July, I met Craig and a few other people every Sunday for a long run. When people asked what I was training for, I would jokingly say “Sunday runs!” Since my early summer training consisted of only thirty minute runs every other day, the first few long runs were tough. Ten miles one week. Twelve the next. Then an ambitious attempt at fifteen, which left me walking the last two miles of my third trip around the Manasquan reservoir’s five-mile loop. However, as my fitness started to come around, ten turned into thirteen, thirteen turned into fifteen, and fifteen turned into eighteen. One Sunday after a hilly thirteen-miler in Holmdel, NJ, Craig told me he was planning to run the Philadelphia Half Marathon in November. He gave me the idea that it would be fun to train for something new and exciting. About a month later, I solidified the idea by signing up.

September and October flew by. Among taking graduate classes, helping out (and being inspired by) Nova’s cross country teams, training, tutoring, babysitting, and attempting to have a social life, there wasn’t much time to think. The 4:30am alarm on November 18th came before I knew it, and it was time to test my limits. I had no race plan and little indication of what kind of shape I was in, but in the back of my mind I knew that I wanted to run under 1:15, since that was the qualifying time for the trials. Characteristically, I went out slow and gradually picked people off; characteristically, I was averaging miles that were faster than any workout would have indicated (I’ve never been a workout warrior), and I somehow found myself crossing the line well under my goal time. Since then, those eighteen-milers have turned into twenty-milers, those 85-mile weeks have turned into 100-mile weeks, and along the way, I have strengthened my appreciation for the running community. I have been encouraged and supported by former coaches, Nova’s current team members, former college competitors, elite runners, fellow New Jersey-ans, my little sister’s high school teammates—the list goes on and on.

I always knew that one day I would want to try a marathon. But I never could have predicted that my first one would be at the Olympic trials at the age of 22. I have no idea what to expect in Houston. I’m excited to see all the pros in person. I’m excited to see what the crowd is going to be like. I’m scared as hell of what I’m going to feel like at mile 20. I’m aware that there are about a million different things that can go wrong. But I also know that everyone else out there, whether young or experienced, is human just like me. I’m ready to talk myself through it; ready to fight through the inevitable onset of pain. I’m going to take it all in, because although right now I don’t know what the heck I’m doing, maybe four years from now I’ll have a shot. I certainly can’t plan life, but I can choose to take advantage of its opportunities. This is a pretty big one, and I’m ready for it.

Piccirillo Reflects on Foot Locker XC Nationals

2012-01-02T00:01:00.000-06:00

Villanova signee Angel Piccirillo reflects below on her race at the Foot Locker Cross Country Nationals last month in San Diego. Piccirillo finished 13th overall, earning All American status.

Day before the race
We had our meal, and they also had a panel of athletes who are past or present Olympians, NCAA champions, record holders and Olympic hopefuls that all started in our shoes. We were assured that we were taking the first step to becoming just like them; I’m sure that’s what we were all dreaming of. It couldn’t have been more inspirational and kind of them to take time out of their busy schedules, especially with this being an Olympic year, to share their past trials and tribulations, successes and everything in between. This panel included some of the following professional athletes: Jen Rhines, Bobby Curtis, Jorge Torres, Adam Goucher, Suzy Favor Hamilton, Adam Goucher, Carrie Tollefson, among others. It was especially cool for me to meet Carrie Tollefson and Jen Rhines because they both ran for Villanova!! I was so excited to get to talk to them for even a little while because they were both so amazing and made sure I knew I had chosen the right school. After that, we headed to bed as quickly as possible to get as much sleep as possible because for tomorrow we were going to need it.

Race Day
The next day we woke up bright and early, were served a huge amazing breakfast and it was time to go to the course. I did do a shake out run for 10 minutes before we ate but that was nothing major and just to get the blood flowing early. On the bus ride to the course it was not at all like the other rides we had taken. You could tell everyone just sort of knew it was time to get serious, and there were the nerves. When we got to the course, there were already plenty of people there and the announcers had started showing clips of what we had done the day before and some interviews that had been taken.

Everyone was really just trying to focus on their strategy and race plan. We warmed up and then were lined up to be announced right before the race. I was really excited and nervous at this point to get going and start the race, and before we knew it it had started. I did go out nice and easy like I wanted to but I had underestimated the pace they would go out in. Don’t get me wrong, I was expecting them to go out fast but I wasn’t expecting them to go out as fast as they did. It ended up just being too much for me to make up in the end. I had gone there with some different goals in mind but the big one was I wanted more than anything to be All-American. I just squeezed in All-American by getting 13th, which I can’t say I was completely satisfied with, but no one close to me would let me be disappointed. One of the really cool things about this race was that my future Villanova coach, Gina Procaccio was there! It was awesome to see her and talk to her a little bit about my race and she got a chance to meet my coach face to face and hear some of the things I have been doing.

Sheila Reid Repeats as PSWA's Outstanding Amateur Athlete

2012-01-01T10:28:00.000-06:00

Villanova All-American to be honored at PSWA’s 2012 banquet on January 30

Villanova University’s great track and cross country All-America Sheila Reed has again been named the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association’s Outstanding Amateur Athlete, it was announced by PSWA president Rich Westcott.

Reid, the two-time NCAA cross country individual champion, will be honored at the PSWA’s 108th annual Sports Awards Dinner on Monday, January 30, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, on Route 70 in Cherry Hill, N.J.

A winner of numerous national awards, Reid was the 2011 outdoor individual champion in the 1500 and the 5000 meters, becoming the first woman ever to double-up in winning both of these events at the same NCAA meet. Indoors, she anchored the Wildcats to a national title in the distance medley relay.

An 11-time All America in cross country and indoor and outdoor track, Reid triggered Villanova’s run to its second straight NCAA cross country title in 2010, an achievement that helped the Newmarket, Ontario native win the 2011 Honda Sports Award as the nation’s top female athlete in the sport.

Reid was twice named the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Year and also National Scholar-Athlete of the Year. An English major, she is also a four-time Big East Academic All Star and Villanova’s Senior Student Athlete of the Year.

Previous winners of the Outstanding Amateur Athlete award—in addition to Reid last year—include Matt Ryan, Steve Slayton, Jameer Nelson, Lisa Raymond, Dawn Staley, Vicki Huber, Jay Sigel, and Michael Brooks, among others.

Other prestigious awards at the dinner that have previously been announced include the Philadelphia Phillies, as the Team of the Year, and Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Giroux, the Pro Athlete of the Year. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel and Flyers coach Peter Laviolette will also be in attendance.

The Living Legend, Native Son, Humanitarian of the Year, and Good Guy Athlete awards, among others, will be announced in coming weeks, as will a couple of surprise presentations and some “Special Achievement” awards. The most coveted award—Most Courageous—is kept secret until the night of the dinner. Comedian Joe Conklin will also perform at the oldest continuing sports awards banquet in the nation.

Douma-Hussar is Third at Emerald Nuts Midnight Run

2011-12-31T09:39:00.000-06:00

PEACOCK, PEZZULLO ARE MIDNIGHT RUN CHAMPIONS

By David Monti, Race Results Weekly

NEW YORK (31-Dec) — Two athletes training in North Carolina, Landon Peacock of Blowing Rock and Stephanie Pezzullo of Charlotte, won the 33rd Emerald Nuts Midnight Run, a four mile road race held here in Central Park at the stroke of midnight.

Peacock, 24, a former University of Wisconsin Badger who now runs for the Reebok-sponsored ZAP Fitness program, clocked 18 minutes and 35 seconds, three seconds up on Tesfaye Dube, an Ethiopian athlete who runs for the New York-based West Side Runners club. Stephen Pifer, who runs for the Nike Oregon Track Club in Eugene, finished third in 18:48.

“It was a whole lot of fun,” Peacock said after running the race for the first time. He smiled and added: ”It was the most interesting way I’ve started a year.”

Pezzullo, 29, who represents Saucony, outlegged rivals Sarah Porter and Carmen Douma-Hussar in the final mile to win in 21:05, a personal best for the distance by 55 seconds. For Pezzullo it was her first Midnight Run victory; she was second back in 2006.

“Awesome, awesome,” Pezzullo said when she was asked how the race went. She continued: “It was just a great experience, and the crowd support was unbelievable.”

Porter, who like men’s winner Peacock runs for the ZAP Fitness program, crossed the finish line in 21:17 in her debut at the race. Douma-Hussar, a Canadian Olympian and former Midnight Run champion and course record holder, ran 21:26. Former Providence College standout Katie DiCamillo was fourth in 21:38.

Both Peacock and Pezzullo earned $600 each in prize money and time bonuses.

The New York Road Runners, the race founders and organizers, said about 5000 runners took part. A nearly 20 minute fireworks display accompanied the race.

Top 10 Finishers


WOMEN 
 1 Stephanie Pezzullo  29      Charlotte, NC     USA     21:05
 2 Sarah Porter   22           Blowing Rock, NC  USA     21:17
 3 Carmen Douma-Hussar  34     Ardmore, PA       CAN     21:26
 4 Katie DiCamillo  25         Providence, RI    USA     21:38
 5 Breanne Simpson  29         New York, NY      USA     22:56
 6 Leonora Petrina  29         Bayport, NY       USA     23:37
 7 Elizabeth Briasco  19       Forest Hills, NY  USA     24:09
 8 Alem Ashebir Gebreezgi 26   New York, NY      ETH     24:49
 9 Marisa Cummings  19         New York, NY      USA     25:40
10 Sarah Cummings  22          Princeton, NJ     USA     25:40

Carmen Douma-Hussar on Tap for New Year's Eve Race

2011-12-30T07:46:00.002-06:00

Emerald Nuts Midnight Run to Ring in New Year

Carmen Douma-Hussar, Sarah Porter, Landon Peacock and Christian Hesch set to race under a glittering sky of fireworks at midnight

NEW YORK - (December 27, 2011) - As 2011 winds down, New York Road Runners is gearing up to celebrate the new year with the legendary Emerald Nuts Midnight Run in Central Park at midnight on December 31. Professional athletes will toe the line with thousands of reveling New Yorkers, it was announced by NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.

The Midnight Run, a Central Park tradition since 1978, offers runners and spectators a fun and athletic way to celebrate New Year's Eve. As the ball drops in Times Square just blocks away, runners can party through a four-mile run knowing they won't drop the ball on their fitness this year. The run promises to be one of the most distinctive, cost-effective parties in all of Manhattan.

"The Emerald Nuts Midnight Run is a unique and active way to celebrate New Year's Eve in New York City," said Wittenberg. "It's the perfect way to start the New Year on the right foot, literally! We welcome friends and family to join an extravaganza of fun-from the run to the fireworks."

"We look forward to partnering with the NYRR for an eighth straight year, especially in such an iconic New York event," said Craig Tokusato, vice president of marketing at Diamond Foods, Inc. "The Emerald Nuts Midnight Run will be a great way to celebrate the new year in a fun, healthy and safe environment."

The festivities begin at 10:00pm with music and a massive dance party, followed by a spirited costume parade and contest at 11:00pm. At the stroke of midnight, runners will take off on a four-mile loop through Central Park while the night sky sparkles with a 17-minute fireworks show. Halfway through the race, runners will have the option of toasting the new year with a glass of non-alcoholic champagne at the two-mile mark.

In addition to the celebrations that are planned throughout the evening, a strong professional athlete field will race for a prize purse of $2000, including $500 apiece to the male and female winners. Canadian Olympian and 2007 Emerald Nuts Midnight Run champion Carmen Douma-Hussar will be up against Sarah Porter, the 2011 NCAA Division II 10,000 meter champion, who made her marathon debut in this year's ING New York City Marathon. Other top contenders in the women's field include Katie DiCamillo, Stephanie Pezzullo, Lesley Higgins and Sarah Cummings.

In the men's field, Landon Peacock, the 2010 Big Ten 5000 meter indoor champion, will compete against two-time Emerald Nuts Midnight Run champion (2003-04) and former course record holder Christian Hesch. Other top contenders in the men's field include Tim Ritchie and Stephen Pifer.

Douma-Hussar, 34, of Ardmore, PA, won this event in 2007 in 20:54. She was second in 2010 in 20:55.

Porter, 22, of Blowing Rock, NC, won the 2011 NCAA Division II 10,000m championship in 33:17.39. She finished the ING New York City Marathon this past November in 2:44:25.

Peacock, 24, of Blowing Rock, NC, won the 2010 Big Ten Indoor Championships 5000 meters in 14:11.94 for the University of Wisconsin. He was recently second at the Manchester Road Race (4.75 miles) on Thanksgiving Day in 21:39.

Hesch, 33, of Hollywood, CA, won this event in 2003 (19:36) and 2004 (18:28), and is a former course record holder.

Other top contenders in the women's field:

DiCamillo, 25, of Providence, RI, won the 2010 ECAC Outdoor Championships 5000 meters in 16:25.83.
Pezzullo, 29, of Charlotte, NC, was second at this event in 2006 in 22:00.
Higgins, 31, of New York, NY, placed second in the 2001 NCAA Indoor Championships Mile in 4:42.36.
Cummings, 23, of New York, NY, placed second in the 2011 Ivy League Outdoor 5000 meters in16:48.51.

Other top contenders in the men's field:

Ritchie, 24, of Brighton, MA, placed fifth at this year's Manchester Road Race (4.75 miles) on Thanksgiving Day in 21:47.
Pifer, 27, of Eugene, OR, placed second in the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships 5000 meters in 13:39.34.

For more details on the race and pre-race festivities in Central Park, visit: www.nyrr.org

"The Great One" -- Reid Wins FloTrack Gretsky Award

2011-12-29T12:51:00.005-06:00

Here's the latest from the folks at FloTrack:

As we sat down and reflected on what were truly the greatest moments of the 2011 season one name kept coming up but we couldn't find a superlative that truly encompassed the greatness of this athlete. This athlete has consistently risen to the occasion and seems to have a quiet tenaciousness that combined with a race savvy like none else, produces an almost unbeatable package.

The athlete is Villanova Senior Sheila Reid. We knew we wanted to recognize her but didn't know what title to bestow upon her name. The first idea was to give her "Canadian of the Year" which, is a tremendous title especially when you consider how well Canucks have done this year. But that was too generic, bland and unFlotrack. So eventually we came to the idea of naming it after the Canadian Chuck Norris. Wayne Gretzky.

Who better to receive this award then a fellow Ontarioan ..Ontarianite ..(a person who is from Ontario). The two are just plain winners. Gretzky once said "A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be."

Sheila has been able to craft races into her own blueprint. Her keen race senses are unparalleled and in 2011 almost unbeatable.

Indoors she anchored her Villanova crew to a DMR crown and was barely edged out in the 3k by Hasay. (Fortunately for her, the last place finish in the pee test was went virtually unnoticed and did not effect her indoor stats- 4:00 into vid)

Then Came Outdoors and Sheila was all business as she tore up the Blue Oval in Des Moines. Battling through A 1500 prelim on the second day, Sheila came back the next night to pull away and win the 5k in 15:37. The long weekend continued as she still had a tough, 1500m final on her plate. It came down to the wire again, but as usual, Sheila timed it right, winning in 4:14.57.

Cross Country brought a lot of pressure for the reigning NCAA champion. Reid didn't have an easy road to the championship opening her season at the Wisconsin Invitational. It came down to scene we all know to well. With Jordan and Sheila stride for stride going into the home stretch, Reid set the tone for her season and pulled away with a signature kick.

Reid Continued to roll, and in November arrived in Terre Haute with an undefeated season on her hands. The women's race seemed as though it was scripted it was so dramatic. Fjortoft of SMU took the race out hard and did all she could to not let the race come down to a kick. But with 400m to go, in almost slow motion, a pack of about five women hugged the turn and darted for the barely visible finish line and for a second, it looked as though someone might take down the reigning champ. (I wanted to insert a nickname here, but i don't think she has one yet..lets work on that. Gretzky is "The great one"..just saying) With 200 meters to go the two titans of NCAA XC broke forth and it came down to none other than Sheila and Jordan. It was tight, each inching in front of the other with syncopated strides. Then the barrier was broken and Sheila powered away across the finish line to defended her title.

The NHL has officially retired Gretzky's #99 from ever being used again. Sheila Could leave her Collegiate career with 13 All American Awards so how can Coach Procaccio immortalize Sheila once she leaves Nova and is toeing the line in London next summer?

I will deliver this award to Sheila personally and I will be wearing my best Canadian Tuxedo (Denim Jacket, Denim Jeans, Denim Attitude.)

Jen Rhines on the Upcoming US Olympic Marathon Trials

2011-12-23T22:34:00.006-06:00

Jen Rhines for the first time speaks openly about her DNF at the New York City marathon in November -- her first marathon in 5 years -- and her surprising decision to compete in the upcoming USA Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston on January 14th. She competed in the 2004 US marathon trials, where she finished 3rd and made Team USA. She finished 34th at the Olympics that year, in 2:43:52. Overall, Jen has competed in three previous Olympic Games for the USA: over 10,000 meters in 2000, the marathon in 2004, and over 5000 meters in 2008. Jen has indicated for well over a year that her intention for 2012 was to attempt to make the US team at 10,000 meters. Inasmuch as she has not completed a marathon since 2006, and given her recent DNF in New York, Jen would have to be considered a long shot to make the marathon squad this time. Rhines has a marathon PR of 2:29:32 (good for 4th place at the 2006 Rome Marathon).

Running the marathon trials next month does not, of course, preclude an attempt to make the team at 10,000 meters. That race will be held at the Olympic Trials on June 22nd in Eugene, Oregon. Her coach and husband (and former Villanova All-American) Terrence Mahon recently explained the decision to give it a go in Houston: "She's running. . . . We trained her to run New York in November off her track season, but I don't think we timed it right. She didn't adapt quickly enough. She wanted to give it another try, and I thought, 'Okay, let's run the Marathon Trials.' Her primary goal is still to run on the track in London. She's not going to race as aggressively as the other two [Mammoth TC competitors, Deena Kastor and Amy Hastings]. But if she runs smart and makes the Olympic Team, great. If she gets close to the third-place runner in the last six miles, that's not going to be good for the woman in third. But for Jen it's not an all-or-nothing situation the way it is for Deena."

Curtis Named Captain of Team USA for Great Edinburgh XC Challenge

2011-12-21T22:28:00.005-06:00

Team USA Announced for Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country - International Challenge
12/21/2011

INDIANAPOLIS - Team USA will travel to Scotland for the second Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country - International Challenge on Jan. 7, 2012.

Teams from the United States, Great Britain and Northern Ireland and a select European team will compete in men’s and women’s junior and senior races. Each country competing in the International Team Challenge will consist of nine athletes per team (six on the junior teams) with the first six athletes per team (first four on the junior teams) scoring. In cross country, the team with the lowest overall score wins.

After only a senior men’s race was held in the inaugural event in 2011, Team USA will be in full force in the second running of the event. Bobby Mack (Raleigh, N.C.) is the sole returning athlete after finishing sixth last year to finish as the second American en route to the team’s silver medal.

Mack will be joined by team captain Bobby Curtis (Ardmore, Pa.) who ran the second fastest 10,000m time by an American in 2011 with his 27:24.67 effort at the Stanford Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. Mack and Curtis will be joined by recent USATF National Club Cross Country Champion Jon Grey of (Minnetonka, Minn.) and Araon Braun (Flagstaff, Ariz.) who finished as the runner-up in the same race. The men’s squad is rounded out by Phil Reid (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), Colby Lowe (Southlake, Texas), Justin Tyner (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Landon Peacock (Blowing Rock, N.C.) and Robert Cheseret (Colorado Springs, Colo.).

Neely Spence (Shippensburg, Pa.) will lead the senior women’s team after finishing as the runner-up at the recent USATF Club Cross Country Championships. Spence will be joined by Alisha Williams (Colorado Springs, Colo.) who finished 4th in the same race and Sarah Porter (Blowing Rock, N.C.) the 2011 NCAA D-II 10,000m champion. Other team members include Katie DiCamillo (Providence, R.I.), Bethany Nickless (Santa Barbara, Calif.) Jamie Cheever (Minneapolis, Minn.), Laura Thweatt (Boulder, Colo.), Maggie Infeld (Washington, D.C.) and Betzy Jimenez (Austin, Texas).

The junior squads include a mix of outstanding high school seniors and collegiate freshman. On the women’s side, Aisling Cuffe (Cornwall on Hudson, N.Y.) a freshman at Stanford leads the team after being the top junior finisher for Team USA at the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Kaitlin Flattman (Benton, La.) was recently named the SEC freshman cross country runner of the year and will be joined on the U.S. squad by her teammate Jessica Jackson (Neosho, Mo.) from the University of Arkansas. High school athletes include the top two finishers from the recent Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, Molly Seidel (Hartland, Wisc.) and Erin Finn (West Bloomfield, Mich.), as well as the third place finisher from the Nike Cross Country Nationals, Katie Knight (Spokane, Wash.).

On the junior men’s side, Princeton freshman Eddie Owens (Brooklyn, N.Y.) leads the team after winning silver in the Junior Pan-American steeplechase in July. Other collegiate runners include Ohio State freshman Michael Bradjic (Bay Village, Ohio) and Oklahoma State freshman Kirubel Erassa (Grayson, Ga.). and Thomas Curtain (Leesburg, Va.) of Virginia Tech. The high school duo of Nathan Weitz, and Andrew Gardner both of Spokane, Wash. round out the squad.Weitz recently finished 3rd at the Foot Locker Championships while Gardner took 6th.

Carmen Douma-Hussar to Contest Emerald Nuts Midnight Run

2011-12-21T21:46:00.002-06:00

From Dave Monti in today's Race Results Weekly:

DOUMA-HUSSAR, PEACOCK LEAD MIDNIGHT RUN ENTRANTS:

The 33rd Emerald Nuts Midnight Run in New York’s Central Park, which will ring in the New Year on Saturday, December 31, will feature a solid elite field led by Canadian Carmen Douma-Hussar and American Landon Peacock. Douma-Hussar, 34, an Olympian and Villanova alumnus, won the race in 2007 and was the runner-up last year. Peacock, 24, was the 2010 Big 10 indoor 5000m champion for Wisconsin and was recently second at the Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day. Other top contenders include last year’s NCAA Division II 10,000m champion Sarah Porter, the 2010 ECAC 5000m champion Katie DiCamillo, the 2006 Midnight Run runner-up Stephanie Pezzullo, two-time Midnight Run champion and former course record holder Christian Hesch, the fifth place finisher at the Manchester Road Race Tim Ritchie, and the 2008 NCAA 5000m championships runner-up Stephen Pifer. The four-mile road race, which usually draws about 5000 New Year’s revelers, has an impressive elite tradition. Former champions include Irishman Marcus O’Sullivan, USA Olympian Amy Rudolph, and 2011 Boston Marathon runner-up Desiree Davila.

Matt Gibney Named to Academic All-Area Team

2011-12-20T18:28:00.000-06:00

Matthew Gibney Named to Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team
www.villanova.com

Villanova senior continues to excel in competition and academically

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.--Senior Matthew Gibney (Albury, Australia) has been named to the 2011 Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Men's Cross Country Team, as announced on Tuesday morning by the Philadelphia Area Sports Information Directors Association. The award is based on both athletic and academic achievements and is voted on by local sports information directors. This is the first time that Gibney has won the award.

During the 2011 cross country season Gibney earned All-Mid Atlantic Region and All-BIG EAST honors while helping Villanova finish 13th as a team at the NCAA Championships, where the Wildcats placed 10 spots higher than last season. Gibney was one of the team's first two runners at each of the first four meets of the season, including coming in first on the team at both the BIG EAST Championships and the Paul Short Run.

Gibney placed fifth overall at both the conference meet and the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional and at the latter meet recorded a career-best 10K cross country time of 30:42. He came in fourth on the team and 109th overall at the national championships meet.

Outside of competition Gibney is a two-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star and last spring garnered Capital One Academic All-America third team honors for cross country and track & field. Gibney is an English major and maintains a 3.71 grade-point average.

Gibney also was named a Scholar-Athlete by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) last spring after a successful outdoor track season which saw him garner All-America honors in the 1500 meters and anchor Villanova to a Championship of America title in the distance medley relay at the Penn Relays.

The members of the 2011 Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Men's Cross Country Team are Gibney, Eric Arnold (Haverford), Tyler Dye (Philadelphia University), Stephen Hoffman (Rowan), Jacob Phillips (Swarthmore), Andrew Sturner (Haverford) and Matt VanDenHengel (Gwynedd-Mercy).

Each year the sports information directors from 28 area institutions vote on the Academic All-Area Teams for 22 different sports, plus two at-large teams. The teams recognize those student-athletes who are best able to balance athletics with academics, and excel at both. Voting is based on both grades and athletic performance. An overall Performer of the Year is also chosen from each team, as well as a Male Performer of the Year and a Female Performer of the Year at the end of each academic year.

The Academic All-Area program is now in its seventh year. A list of the honorees for each fall sport will appear in the printed edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer at a later date.

When Irish Guys are Miling: The Millrose Games

2011-12-19T16:37:00.001-06:00

Chairman Of The Boards Coghlan Returns To Millrose

His `Dream Team' Strives to Renew Irish Tradition at Famous Meet

NEW YORK, December 20, 2011 - Celebrated runner Eamonn Coghlan is coming back to the Millrose Games, this time as an ``adopted coach.'' The seven-time champion of the Wanamaker Mile is helping bring a talented Irish squad from Dublin City University to compete in the Byron Dyce College Men's Distance Medley Relay in the 105th Millrose Games, February 11, 2012 at the Armory.

``I've known these kids since they were young teenagers,'' said Coghlan, whose son, John, will be running the 1600m anchor. ``I've seen them grow up. The fact that they are all in school together, they can see what running in New York City is all about. It's exciting for their team from Dublin University to go to the Millrose Games and have a chance to do exceptionally well.

``The Irish used to come to the Millrose Games to support me, Marcus O'Sullivan (Wanamaker Mile champion in 1986, '88, '89, '90 and '92 and now head coach at Villanova) and Ron Delany (winner of four consecutive Wanamaker Mile titles, 1956-59). People are not aware of the talent coming out of Ireland. It might get them back on the scene again and they potentially could make the Olympic Team come next July.''

Recognized as Ireland's ``Dream Team'' and Gold Medal winner of the Irish Under-23 Cross Country team competition, the Dublin City squad consists of Irish Junior 800m record holder Mark English (1:47.09), Brian Gregan, Darren McBrearty and 2010 U-23 Irish 1500 meters champion John Coghlan.

Dublin City University coach Enda Fitzpatrick will make the trip.

Earlier this year Eamonn Coghlan introduced to Armory Foundation president Dr. Norb Sander the idea of bringing an Irish Team to the Millrose Games. ``He asked me if I would be in on the floor activities,'' Coghlan recalled. ``I said we need a bit of the Irish influence back in the Millrose Games again. I said, `what about bringing an Irish team over?' ''

Thus Coghlan, nicknamed the Chairman of the Boards for winning the Wanamaker Mile in 1977, '79-'81, '83, '85 and '87, will be in attendance to support the talented Irish outfit.

``My role there is as a parent, coach and a nervous dad,'' Coghlan said. ``I just want to be with Norb and help keep the Millrose Games going. Enda would like my influence to be with the kids the day before and calm them down, motivate them and help them get ready.

``The Millrose Games are close to my heart for obvious reasons. My success in the Millrose Games has been the making of Eamonn Coghlan. Not a week goes by when someone doesn't say something to me about winning the Wanamaker Mile.''

The Irish Team will be competing against the country's top college programs including Eamonn Coghlan's alma mater Villanova, Virginia, Duke, Providence, Columbia and Albany.

The week prior to the Millrose Games, the Irish Team will participate individually in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational (Feb 3-4) at the Armory.

Hugo Beamish goes 14:23 for Kiwi Chiba Ekiden Relay in Japan

2011-12-16T11:23:00.000-06:00

This story slipped past us temporarily, but Villanova's Hugo Beamish last month ran the 5K leg on New Zealand's Chiba Ekiden relay team in Japan. Here's the story from Athletics New Zealand:

Chiba Ekiden Relay – 23 November 2011

New Zealand finished eleventh in the Chiba Ekiden Relay.

The event is raced over the marathon distance of 42.2km in six stages with each team having three men and three women.

US based Hugo Beamish had New Zealand ninth after the first 5km in 14m 23s. Leonora Petrina, also based in the States, ran 16m 27s for the next 5km leg with the team in eleventh spot. Matt Smith ran the next 10km stage in 31m 3s with fellow Cantabrian Fiona Crombie completing lap four over 5km in 16m 31s.

Stephen Lett clocked 31m 12s for the 10km on the penultimate lap and Lisa Robertson anchored New Zealand home in 2h 14m 37s after running the final 7.195km in 25m 1s. Kenya won in a course record of 2h 4m 40s, just 19 seconds ahead of Japan with a Japan University third in 2h 7m 26s.

The New Zealand men’s Ekiden relay record is 2h 0m 56s set in Chiba in 1991 and the national women’s record is 2h 15m 49s also set in Chiba in 1988.

In the 5000m races for the travelling reserves Zane Robertson finished second in a PB 13m 58.37s and Nicki McFadzien was fourth in the mixed race in 17m 13.72s.

Kelsey Margey Verbals to Villanova

2011-12-15T23:01:00.004-06:00

On November 5th, Long Island, NY's Kelsey Margey, a 17:25 5000 meter runner with 2:10 800 meter speed, won the New York section 8 cross country title in 17:49 and then promptly gave a verbal commitment to join Gina Procaccio's Villanova squad. She joins Pennsylvania's Angel Piccirillo as two star recruits who will enroll at Villanova in August. Margey ran her 5000 XC personal best cited above on October 15th when she won the Brown Invitational. At that point in the season Margey was ranked by MileSplit as the 17th best high school cross country runner in the United States. She'll help Villanova attempt to maintain its position of national excellence in cross country as the team loses two-time national champion Sheila Reid and three-time All American Bogdana Mimic.

Kelsey Margey's PRs
600 Meter Dash 1:40.28
800 Meter Run 2:10.01
1000 Meter Run 2:51.33
1500 Meter Run 4:23.82
One Mile Run 4:43.91
3000 Meter Run 10:02.10
4000 Meter Run 14:35.70
5000 Meter Run 17:25.40
Long Jump 15-2

More Academic Accolades for Sheila Reid

2011-12-13T00:24:00.005-06:00

Here's a news release from the Villanova University Athletic Department:

Sheila Reid Named First Team Recipient of NCAS Scholar Baller Academic Momentum Award

Reid is one of 49 student-athletes across all sports to be recognized for their academic performance

Dec. 12, 2011

ORLANDO, Fla.--Senior cross country and track student-athlete Sheila Reid (Newmarket, Ont.) is a recipient of the 2011 Academic Momentum Award and is a first team selection, as announced last week by The Scholar Baller Program, in conjunction with the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS). A total of 49 student-athletes nationwide were chosen for the award, which encompasses all sports.

Nominees for the Academic Momentum Award were selected based on each student-athlete's academic improvement and the impact each of their academic performances had on his or her classmates, teammates, academic advisors and professors. A total of 17 male and female award recipients from NCAS partner schools were selected for the first team, 16 recipients were chosen for the second team and 16 recipients were selected for the third team. There were 89 nominations received from 55 different colleges and universities.

Reid made headlines during the 2010-11 academic year by winning four national championships, including becoming the first woman in history to win both the 1,500 meters and the 5,000 meters in the same year at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She also won the cross country individual national title and anchored Villanova to a national championship in the distance medley relay during the indoor track & field season.

Her academic accomplishments were just as impressive. While helping lead the cross country team to a second consecutive national championship in 2010, and winning her first individual national title in the process, Reid achieved a perfect 4.0 grade-point average for the Fall 2010 semester. She was named both the National Athlete of the Year and the National Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Following the conclusion of the 2010-11 academic year Reid was voted a Capital One First Team Academic All-American and was a `Top 3' finalist for the Honda-Broderick Cup, presented to the top female collegiate student-athlete in the nation. Reid doubled as the Honda Sports Award winner for both cross country and track & field during the year.Reid is a double major in English and Communications at Villanova and has been a four-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star during her collegiate career. She has a 3.408 composite GPA.

To this point the 2011-12 academic year is off to just as promising a start for Reid as last year. She repeated as the individual champion at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and won all four of her races during the fall season, also including the BIG EAST Championships and the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. Reid finished her collegiate cross country career having won each of her last eight starts, and 13 of her 15 races overall dating back to the 2009 season.

Reid has used up her indoor collegiate eligibility but will rejoin the Wildcats during the outdoor track & field season this spring. To date her combined accomplishments in cross country and track & field add up to five national championships, 11 All-America honors and 12 BIG EAST titles.

The First Team recipients of the Academic Momentum Award are Reid, Christopher Bass (men's basketball, Louisiana State); Chelsea Carrier (women's track & field, West Virginia); Erin Davis (women's gymnastics, Nebraska); Antonio Fenelus (football, Wisconsin); Janae Fulcher (women's basketball, Arizona State); Curenski Gilleylen (football, Nebraska); Robert McLarney (men's soccer, Rutgers); Jessica Panza (women's gymnastics, North Carolina State); Latoya Parkinson (women's track & field, Auburn); Trent Richardson (football, Alabama); Anthony Salciccia (men's soccer, California); and Natalie Villarreal (softball, Texas A&M).

The Second Team recipients of the Academic Momentum Award are Tyler Bitancurt (football, West Virginia); Aunye Boone (women's track & field, Virginia Tech); Brooke Borneman (field hockey, Indiana); Dakota Crockett (volleyball, Texas A&M); Janelle Davis (volleyball, Canisius); Michael Genovese (baseball, Seton Hall); Jamion Hartley (volleyball, Ball State); Kari Honomichl (volleyball, Niagara); Sarah Lizotte (water polo, UC San Diego); Amanda Montalto (softball, Ball State); Stephanie Norton (women's lacrosse, Connecticut); Jamal Parks (wrestling, Oklahoma State); Cecille Perez (women's basketball, Abilene Christian); Luke Spencer (men's soccer, Xavier); Shealyn Sullivan (women's soccer, Georgian Court); and Kayla Vitale (women's soccer, Dowling).

The Third Team recipients of the Academic Momentum Award are Stephen Bailey (football, Florida International); Ashley Benson (volleyball, Indiana); Mark Dodds (baseball, Florida International); Janae Grimes (softball, San Jose City College); April Hutchens (softball, Valdosta State); Verdell Jones II (men's basketball, Indiana); Chanel King (men's track & field, St. John's); Lindsey Lamar (football, USF); Shelly Lyons (football, Arizona State); Geoffrey Navarro (men's track & field, Monmouth); DeShawn Painter (men's basketball, North Carolina State); Matthew Pierce (football, Valdosta State); Korney Rhoades (men's soccer, South Carolina); Kiersten Tupper (women's lacrosse, Connecticut); Athalia Smith (women's track & field, Sacred Heart); and Khymest Williams (football, UCF).The NCAS is an ever-growing organization of colleges and universities that provides opportunities for current and former student-athletes to continue their pursuit of higher education, while working in the community with children to address social issues. Established in 1985, the overall mission of the NCAS is "to create a better society by focusing on educational attainment and using the power appeal of sport to positively affect social change."

Established in 1995, the Scholar Baller movement evolved in response to concerns that the student-athlete's athletics role increasingly superseded the student role. In order to address this issue, the founding members of Scholar Baller developed a groundbreaking program to bridge the gap between education and sport utilizing student-athletes' passion for entertainment and athletics. As a result, the Scholar Baller program has produced unprecedented outcomes in student retention and academic achievement.

1983 T&F News Interview with Eamonn Coghlan

2011-12-11T22:39:00.005-06:00

To see the 1983 interview in Track and Field News, click HERE.

Is Carrie Tollefson Retired?

2011-12-10T12:48:00.004-06:00

Over the past year or so Carrie Tollefson has given every indication that her professional running career is over. No major high-profile races, a budding media career back home in Minnesota, and a general sense of having "moved on" from the quest for another US Olympic team. Today in San Diego, Carrie was part of the media crew covering the Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships races. Here she is after the races at an autograph session:

Piccirillo 13th at Foot Locker National XC Championships

2011-12-10T11:40:00.004-06:00

Villanova signee Angel Piccirillo finished 13th today in San Diego at the Foot Locker Cross Country National Championship.


Event 1  Girls 5k Run CC
=======================================================================          
    Name                    Year School                  Finals  Points          
=======================================================================          
Results - Women                                                                  
  1 Molly Seidel              12 MW, Hartland, WI       17:21.4    1             
  2 Erin Finn                 11 MW,W Bloomfield, MI    17:23.9    2             
  3 Laura Leff                10 NE,Syracuse, NY        17:33.9    3             
  4 Abbey Leonardi            12 NE,Kennebunkprt, ME    17:35.3    4             
  5 Karlie Garcia             11 WE,Roseville, CA       17:35.6    5             
  6 Grace Tinkey              11 SO,Macon, GA           17:37.0    6             
  7 Catarina Rocha            11 NE,Peabody, MA         17:37.3    7             
  8 Kelsey Braithwaite        12 WE,Perry, UT           17:38.4    8             
  9 Makena Morley              9 WE,Bigfork, MT         17:39.1    9             
 10 Julia Bos                 11 MW,Rockford, MI        17:39.2   10             
 11 Sophie Chase              11 SO,Burke, VA           17:44.2   11             
 12 Karis Jochen              11 SO,College Sttn, TX    17:44.8   12             
 13 Angel Piccirillo          12 NE,Homer City, PA      17:46.1   13             
 14 Lindsey Burdette          12 MW,Horton, MI          17:55.1   14             
 15 Alexandria Fons           10 MW,Franklin, WI        17:56.7   15             
 16 Megan Moye                12 SO,Moseley, VA         18:01.8   16             
 17 Nikki Hiltz               11 WE,Aptos, CA           18:04.0   17             
 18 Cali Roper                12 SO,Conroe, TX          18:04.1   18             
 19 Olivia Ortiz              11 SO,Bradenton, FL       18:05.9   19             
 20 Nicole Mello              11 MW,Columbia, MO        18:06.4   20             
 21 Maria Hauger              11 MW,Shakopee, MN        18:06.6   21             
 22 Camille Chapus            12 WE,PfcPalisades, CA    18:07.9   22             
 23 Jordan McPhee             10 WE,Normandy Prk, WA    18:13.7   23             
 24 Anna Maxwell              10 WE,Felton, CA          18:14.5   24             
 25 Taylor Manett             12 MW,Rockford, MI        18:16.1                  
 26 Sydney Scott              12 MW,Idaho Sprngs, CO    18:17.2                  
 27 Clare Carroll             10 WE,Folsom, CA          18:17.7                  
 28 Holly Bischof             12 NE,Hainsport, NJ       18:17.9   25             
 29 Samantha George           12 SO,Raleigh, NC         18:18.9   26             
 30 Alexis Panisse            12 NE,Bellrose, NY        18:19.2   27             
 31 Kaylee Flanagan           11 MW,Roselle, IL         18:19.4                  
 32 Sydney Segal              11 WE,BeverlyHills, CA    18:20.7                  
 33 Hannah Oneda              12 NE,Wesminster, MD      18:21.0   28             
 34 Alana Hadley               9 SO,Charlotte, NC       18:22.0                  
 35 Lily Williams             12 SO,Tallahassee, FL     18:29.1                  
 36 Caroline Kellner          12 NE,Wst Windsor, NJ     18:32.1                  
 37 Emily Nist                12 WE,Meridan, ID         18:34.3                  
 38 Bridget Blake             11 SO,Orlando, FL         18:36.1                  
 39 Tori Gerlach              12 NE,Perkasie, PA        18:37.3                  
 40 Meredith Speakman         12 NE,Carlisle, PA        18:45.6

Reid Wins Second Honda Sports Award for Cross Country

2011-12-09T13:18:00.007-06:00

Villanova's Shiela Reid Receives Honda Sports Award for Cross Country

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sheila Reid of Villanova University, who successfully defended her national championship title against the University of Oregon's Jordan Hasay, has been named the recipient of the 2012 Honda Sports Award in cross country. It marks the second time that the fifth-year senior from Newmarket, Ontario, has been tapped as the top female collegiate athlete in cross country by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program.

Reid's repeat victory as the individual NCAA champion came with a closing kick past her longtime rival in the final 150 meters of the race. Reid is a five-time All-American and chosen National Female Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for 2011. She made track history by winning both the 1,500-meter and 5,000-meter NCAA championships, an unprecedented double.."

"Over the last 12 months Sheila Reid has had one accomplishment after another," says Lynn Tighe, Villanova's Senior Woman Administrator. "She's a true champion in every sense of the word—on the track, in the classroom, and in the community
.
"We were thrilled last year to be back in the mix with the Honda award after not being among the honorees for a number of years. It's an award that has become representative of topnotch female athletes. There's a lot of prestige connected to it."

As a high school student Reid was a standout runner in her native Canada. In her first year (2007) at Villanova, Reid qualified for the individual cross country championships. She suffered a hip injury in 2008 but returned to lead her team to NCAA titles in 2009 and 2010. That year she won her first NCAA individual crown by a two-second margin, the closest finish in women's Division I history. Reid, an English major, is a four-time Big East Academic All-Star, and a first-team Capitol One Academic All-American carrying a 3.4 GPA.

The Honda Sports Award is presented annually to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports. Reid becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the Honda Cup. Reid was chosen by a vote of coaches from 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Hasay (Oregon), Abbey D'Agostino (Dartmouth College) and Emily Infield (Georgetown University).

Ward and Anuszewski the Story as Cats Open Indoor Season

2011-12-05T09:30:00.004-06:00

The Villanova men and women opened the 2011-2012 indoor season over the weekend at the Jack Pyrah Invitational hosted by Haverford College. As is usual for the first indoor meet of the year, times and distances were pretty much unremarkable as the athletes began competition for the year. Such was not the case, however, for Shericka Ward, who broke two meet records (in the 55 meters and 300 meters), and freshman Faith Dismuke who herself set a new meet standard in the 500 meters, surpassing Makalia Griffith's previous record from 2006. Freshman Leanne Tucker made her Villanova debut a winning one, taking the 800 meters in 2:20.32. Other winners were Amanda Borroughs in a tight 1000 meters (3:30.32), Emerald Walden over the 55 meter hurdles (8.19), and Kathleen McPhillips in the pole vault (3.65 meters).

For the men, thrower Frank Anuszewski won both the shot and weight throw, setting new PRs in each event and setting a new meet record with his 18.69 meter weight throw. Freshman Elbert Maxwell set a new meet record in the long jump, going 7.23 meters on his initial effort. Other Villanova winners were Sam Ellison in the 1000 meters (2:33.80), Greg Morrin in the 3000 meters (8:40.31), and Chris Dougherty in the pole vault (4.40 meters).

Next up for the squads is the Gotham Cup in New York City on January 13th at the Armory.

VILLANOVA RESULTS: Men


300 Meters
David Stillings               20th of 37               38.25
Cory Serfoss                  21st                     38.30
Matt Whalen                   23rd                     38.50


1000 Meters
Samuel Ellison                1st of 10                2:33.80
Dusty Solis                   2nd                      2:35.30
Joseph Capecci                3rd                      2:35.50


Mile
Brian Tetreault               2nd of 25                4:15.84
Joseph LoRusso                3rd                      4:16.51
Chris Pietrocarlo             4th                      4:21.14
Richie Bohny                  8th                      4:31.36
Robert Hurlbut (UA)           9th                      4:31.48
Charlie Bates (UA)            16th                     4:40.34


3000 Meters
Greg Morrin                   1st of 18                8:40.31
Brian Basili                  2nd                      8:45.28
Robert Hurlbut (UA)           18th                     10:32.25


4x400 Meter Relay
Villanova `A'                 2nd of 12                3:26.34


Weight Throw
Frank Anuszewski              1st of 11                18.69m (Meet Record)
Christopher McLeod            3rd                      14.38m
Billy Berrigan                7th                      13.01m


Long Jump
Elbert Maxwell                2nd of 10                7.23m (Meet Record)
Lazaro Tiant                  4th                      6.37m


Pole Vault
Chris Dougherty               1st of 7                 4.40m
Charlie Kido                  2nd                      4.25m


Shot PutM
Frank Anuszewski              1st of 14                15.14m


Triple Jump
George Bodziock               5th of 8                 12.92m

VILLANOVA RESULTS: Women



3000 Meters
Megan Venables                2nd of 19                10:20.33
Meghan Smith                  3rd                      10:28.96


55 Meter Hurdles
Emerald Walden                1st of 15                8.19
Katherine Petruzzellis        7th                      9.09


55 Meters
Shericka Ward                 1st of 27                7.07 (Meet Record)
Varonica Johnson              2nd                      7.17
Qualitra Brown                3rd                      7.24
Samantha Francis              13th                     7.51


500 Meters
Faith Dismuke                 1st of 29                1:15.52 (Meet Record)
Anna Francis                  5th                      1:18.74
Katherine Petruzzellis        17th                     1:23.28


300 Meters
Shericka Ward                 1st of 40                39.61 (Meet Record)
Qualitra Brown                2nd                      40.41
Varonica Johnson              5th                      41.89
Emerald Walden                14th                     43.39


800 Meters
Leanne Tucker                 1st of 11                2:20.32
Erin Ryan                     2nd                      2:20.92


1000 Meters
Amanda Borroughs              1st of 10                3:00.32


4x400 Meter Relay
Villanova `A'                 3rd of 13                4:02.14
Villanova `B'                 4th                      4:05.76


Weight Throw
Jamie Klein                   7th of 7                 9.82m


Long Jump
Kathleen McPhillips           3rd of 15                5.39m
Alexandria Reo                6th                      5.12m
Katherine Petruzzellis        8th                      5.05m


Pole Vault
Kathleen McPhillips           1st of 17                3.65m
Kim Logoyda                   3rd                      3.45m
Erica Litvak                  3rd                      3.45m
Melissa Meggiolaro            6th                      3.35m


Shot Put
Alexi Stershic                7th of 11                9.57m


Triple Jump
Samantha Francis              2nd of 8                 11.35m
Victoria Profit               3rd                      11.32m
Marie Minasi                  4th                      11.14m

Tollefson Defends Jamaican 10K Road Title

2011-12-04T17:03:00.002-06:00

Carrie Tollefson returned to Negril, Jamaica this weekend and successfully defended her 2010 10K crown at the Raggae Marathon race fest. She ran 36:17 for the win (Carrie ran 35:05 last year on this course). While at Villanova, Tollefson won 3 NCAA titles over 3000 meters and a fourth at 5000 meters (in addition to an individual XC title); she won the US Olympic Trials 1500 meters in 2004.

Here's an article from the local Negril, Jamaica press.

Champions repeat at Reggae Marathon
Everard Owen, Jamaican Observer
Sunday, December 04, 2011

NEGRIL, Westmoreland — Three runners retained their titles at the 11th Reggae Marathon yesterday along the Norman Manley Boulevard.
Carrie Tollefson of Minnesota United States in the 10K for female (36:17.0), Kirk Brown in the half-marathon (1:12.20), and Rupert Green in the marathon (2:32.0) returned atop the podium.

The winners in the 10K had new record times as the course is now officially IAAF-certified. Oraine Wint Bellefield clocked 32:29.0 to finish ahead of Andre Headley GC Foster (33:29.0) and Nembhard Palmer of Bellefield (34:03.0).
Jhevere Hall (40:48.0) was second behind Tollefslon, while Molly-Ann Blake was next in 41:01.0.

Brown retained the half-marathon ahead of Bryan Huberty of USA (1:16.56) and Ronique Williams of Montego Bay (1:17.9).

Christina Dotson of Bermuda won the female race in 1:39.26 ahead of Kishka-Kaye O'Connor (1:44.43), and Sara Gress of Port Antonio (1:45.12).

Green (unattached) finished ahead of Colin Graham (3:8.24), and Herv Bacon of France (3:12.7), while first-timer Jenifer Goebel of Chicago clocked 3:07.59, Karlene Blagrove 3:36.51 and Soile Peltoniemi-Ni of Finland 3:51.41 to finish in that order.
According to race director Alfred Francis, "The marathon was good and it will enhance our long-distance runners.

"The course is certified and it means that if you run a world record it will stand; if you want to qualify for the Olympics, World Championship you can do it on the Reggae Marathon course," he said.

"This is the first time the 10K course is certified, so whatever time was run on it is a record...," he pointed out.

55 Years Ago Today

2011-12-01T20:21:00.007-06:00


1.  Ron Delany (IRL)           3:41.2  (Olympic Record)
2.  Klaus Richtzenhain (EUA)   3:42.0
3.  John Landy (AUS)           3:42.0
4.  Laszlo Tabori (HUN)        3:42.4
5.  Brian Hewson (GBR)         3:42.6
6.  Stanislav Jungwirth (TCH)  3:42.6
7.  Neville Scott (NZL)        3:42.8
8.  Ian Boyd (GBR)             3:43.0

Video: Sheila Reid Interview: "I Like to Win"

2011-12-01T13:16:00.003-06:00

Matt Gibney Leaves a Lasting Impact at Villanova

2011-11-30T09:12:00.007-06:00

Matt Gibney has only a fortnight remaining as a Villanova student. He'll be returning to his native Australia at the end of the semester to pursue both an Olympic berth and a medical career. Even though his stay at Villanova was a brief three years, he contributed mightily to the regeneration of the men's program, and for that Villanova fans should be thankful. He will probably be best remembered for his two stellar DMR anchors at the Penn Relays,on a stage as big as they come for a middle distance runner, and a stage that applies massive pressure to Villanova athletes. When he arrived on campus in January 2009 coach Marcus O'Sullivan is reported to have told him "Just give me a good mile at the Penn Relays" -- a request that Gibney fulfilled with flying colors (ginger, in this particular case: see photo on right). He anchored the DMR to Villanova's 23rd Championship of America in that event. He repeated the feat in 2011, helping bring home a 24th COA wheel (see photo above). Matt was a multiple All-American, broke the 4:00 minute barrier in the mile, performed his best on the biggest stage at Penn, all the while excelling in the classroom: Gibney in 2011 was Villanova's first men's Capital One Academic All-American since 2007. Villanova Running wishes Matt good luck in his pursuit of a spot on Australia's Olympic team for 2012 and in his future professional endeavors.

Here's a look at Matt Gibney's career highlights as a Villanova Wildcat:

2009 Indoor
Wins the mile at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational
Wins the Big East mile championship

2009 Outdoor
All-American in 1500 meters with 5th place at NCAA meet
Anchors Villanova's Distance Medley Relay team to a COA win at the Penn Relays
Breaks the metric equivalent of the 4:00 mile with a 3:40.58 in the 1500 meters

2009 Cross Country
Earns NCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region status for 22nd place finish (31:10 over 10K)

2010 Indoor
Wins second Big East mile championship
Wins the mile at the Haverford Invitational

2010 Outdoor
Red-shirted due to injury

2010 Cross Country
Wins the Haverford Invitational in 20:06 over 4 miles

2011 Indoor
Breaks the 4:00 mile barrier with a 3:58.12 at the Husky Invitational in Seattle
Finalist in the mile at the NCAA Indoor championships
Big East runner-up in the mile
Anchors Villanova's runner-up 4x800 meter squad at Big East conference meet
Wins the mile at the New York Road Runners indoor meet

2011 Outdoor
Anchors Villanova's Distance Medley Relay team to a COA win at the Penn Relays
All-American at 1500 meters with 4th place finish at NCAA meet
All-Big East over 800 meters with 3rd place finish in 1:48.66
Wins 1500 meters at the Larry Ellis Invitational

2011 Cross Country
Earns NCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region status for 5th place finish (30:42 over 10K)
Earns All-Big East status for 5th place finish (23:41 over 8K)
15th Overall at Paul Short Run (24:41 over 8K)

Reid and Hasay Sprint to the Finish

2011-11-29T22:30:00.003-06:00

This beauty is from Jason Wighton's Flickr photostream, available HERE. Click on the photo for a larger version.

Photo Album of Villanova Women at NCAA XC Nationals

2011-11-29T21:56:00.012-06:00

These great shots come from D.W. McDannald's Flickr page, available by clicking HERE. Click on each photo for a much larger version.

Rob Denault 2nd Overall at Canadian Junior Cross Country Championships

2011-11-28T12:50:00.006-06:00

Here's an article that describes the Canadian Junior Cross Country championship race over the weekend. Rob Denault red-shirted during cross country season as a freshman at Villanova this fall. He is pictured above in the black and green singlet. Also of note, former Villanova harrier Sam Pawluk finished 8th in the Senior Men's race, covering the 10 kilometers in 33:22.

Denault leads way as Huskies earn 5th straight title
John Cudmore, YorkRegion.com

Rob Denault finished second in a field of 167 competitors to help the Newmarket Huskies to second place in the men’s team standings at the rain-soaked Canadian cross-country championships Saturday at Jericho Park in Vancouver.

Denault, a freshman at Villanova University in Philadelphia, covered the muddy eight-kilometre course in 26 minutes, 22 seconds, finishing two seconds behind winner Ryan Cassidy of the University of Victoria Track Club. Teammate Dylan Brown placed 15th as the Huskies finished behind Windsor Legion Track and Field club.

Combined with a fifth-place finish by the junior women’s team, the Huskies earned their fifth straight Athletics Canada junior club of the year title, claiming a share of top spot with Ottawa Lions.

Caileigh Glenn turned in the top result among Huskies women, finishing eighth among 116 runners.

In masters, Geoff Peat’s sixth-place finish helped the men’s 40-and-over team to victory in overall team standings. Chris Deighan, Tom Callaghan and Jim Freemantle rounded out the roster.

The Huskies quartet of Ken Hamilton, John DeFinney, Tim Payne and Murray Hale also captured top spot in the men’s over-60 division category.

Top 20 Finishers
1 Cassidy, Ryan UVIC BC 26:20 1993 18
2 *Sikubwabo, Yves Ottawa Lions Track and Field ON 26:21 1993 18
3 Denault, Robert Newmarket Huskies Track Club ON 26:22 1993 18
4 Hendrikx, Aaron London Runner Distance Club ON 26:43 1993 18
5 Kowalsky, Andrew Windsor Legion Track & Field ON 26:47 1992 19
6 Piticariu, Daniel Windsor Legion Track & Field ON 26:49 1992 19
7 Flanagan, Ben Tri City Track Club ON 26:50 1995 16
8 Johnston, Blair Trinity Western University Spa BC 26:55 1992 19
9 Janikowski, Paul Windsor Legion Track & Field ON 26:57 1992 19
10 Hadfield, Gareth CALTAF Athletics Association AB 26:59 1992 19
11 Bourget, Jeremie Timmins Porcupine TFC ON 27:04 1993 18
12 Smith, Troy Niagara Olympic Club ON 27:06 1995 16
13 Bellemore, Corey Windsor Legion Track & Field ON 27:07 1994 16
14 Kent, Justin Coastal Track Club BC 27:21 1992 19
15 Brown, Dylan Newmarket Huskies Track Club ON 27:23 1993 18
16 Aulagnon, Dominique Lakehead Athletics Club ON 27:27 1993 18
17 Vincent, Samuel Bison Track and Field MB 27:30 1992 19
18 Williams, Jack University of British Columbia BC 27:30 1993 18
19 Baxter, Samuel Tri City Track Club ON 27:31 1994 17
20 Eiswerth, Alexander Excel Athletica SK 27:33 1995 16

Angel Piccirillo Wins Foot Locker Northeast Regional Crown

2011-11-26T15:20:00.002-06:00

Already wondering how Villanova will replace 6 All-American certificates in cross country as Sheila Reid and Bogdana Mimic exit the scene, good news was delivered by Villanova signee Angel Piccirillo of Homer City, PA. At the Foot Locker Northeast Regional in King's Park, New York, Piccarillo won the seeded girls' race by four seconds, covering the 5000 meter course in 18:01 (a 5:49 per mile pace). In the race, New Yorker Laura Leff led until late in the race, and Oregon-bound Abbey Leonardi had the lead heading into the final home straight, but Piccirillo kicked to the win in 18:01.4. This places her 3rd all time at Sunken Meadows behind 2-time-Foot Locker champ Aisling Cuffe's winning times of 17:45.9 and 17:50.9 the past 2 years. It's the second trip to San Diego for Pennsylvania champion Piccirillo (she was 6th at the NE regional last year) and the third for Maine champion Leonardi.

Interesting tidbits: (1) Aisling Cuffe's younger sister Dara, a freshman, finished 86th in the race; (2) highly ranked at #14 nationally, Megan Lacy of Marlton, NJ could do no better than 11th, and failed to qualify for the national championship race; (3) second-place finisher Abbey Leonardi, ranked #9 in the country by MileSplit, recently committed to attend the University of Oregon.

Here are the results of the race:


Varsity Girls 5000 Meter Run      

1 Angel Piccirillo       12 Homer City, PA         18:01.4   5:49
2 Abbey Leonardi         12 Kennebunkport, ME      18:05.7   5:50
3 Catarina Rocha         11 Peabody, MA            18:19.9   5:55
4 Holly Bischof          12 Hainesport, NJ         18:24.9   5:56
5 Laura Leff             10 Syracuse, NY           18:26.1   5:57
6 Hannah Oneda           12 Wesminster, MD         18:26.6   5:57
7 Alexis Panisse         12 Jamaica, NY            18:29.4   5:58
8 Caroline Kellner       12 West Windsor, NJ       18:35.9   6:00
9 Meredith Speakman      12 Carlisle, PA           18:36.8   6:00
10 Tori Gerlach          12 Perkasie, PA           18:40.1   6:01
11 Megan Lacy            12 Marlton, NJ            18:44.4   6:02
12 Leila Mantilla        12 Penfield, NY           18:48.5   6:04
13 Lauren Mullins        12 Binghamton, NY         18:57.7   6:07
14 Hannah Grossman       12 Swarthmore, PA         19:02.5   6:08
15 Emily Stark           12 Concord, MA            19:02.8   6:08
16 Katie Lembo           10 Penfield, NY           19:05.8   6:09
17 Mackenzie Barry       10 Mendham, NJ            19:10.0   6:11
18 Camille Blackman      12 Longmeadow, MA         19:13.4   6:12
19 Tiana Guevara         10 Miller Place, NY       19:14.2   6:12
20 Maria Seykora         12 Broomall, PA           19:14.9   6:12
21 Meghan Lockett         9 Dickerson, MD          19:16.0   6:13
22 Dina Iacone           12 Sewell, NJ             19:16.3   6:13
23 Kennedy Weisner       10 Saint Marys, PA        19:21.0   6:14
24 Willow Parker          9 Rockport, ME           19:22.7   6:15
25 Talia Guevara         10 Miller Place, NY       19:26.6   6:16
26 Abby Seel             11 Chester, NJ            19:29.6   6:17
27 Madison Granger       12 Belchertown, MA        19:30.4   6:17
28 Abby Mace             12 Readfield, ME          19:32.7   6:18
29 Jenna Cupp            11 Newark Valley, NY      19:34.0   6:18
30 Courtney Hawkins      11 Milford, NH            19:35.8   6:19
31 Christin Bettis       12 Hammonton, NJ          19:37.6   6:19
32 Annika Gompers        10 Newton, MA             19:41.8   6:21
33 Catie Skinner         11 Philadelphia, PA       19:45.4   6:22
34 Tessa Barrett         10 Waverly, PA            19:47.9   6:23
35 Julie McConville      11 Hingham, MA            19:49.9   6:23
36 Brandy Leclair        12 Groton, CT             19:57.5   6:26
37 Reagan Kolakowski     11 Morristown, NJ         20:00.5   6:27
38 Brigid Brennan        10 Northport, NY          20:00.8   6:27
39 Marykate Surette      12 Ipswich, MA            20:04.1   6:28
40 Shannon Murdock        9 Exeter, NH             20:05.6   6:29
41 Samantha Sauer        11 Elmira Heights, NY     20:06.3   6:29
42 Alexandra Archambault 12 Strafford, NH          20:08.7   6:30
43 Tiffany Lang          12 Columbia, MD           20:10.2   6:30
44 Jenna Flickinger      12 Hummelstown, PA        20:10.9   6:30
45 Brittany Mendelson    11 Southbury, CT          20:11.1   6:30
46 Nicole Buehrle         9 Sugarloaf, PA          20:14.9   6:32
47 Allison McCurry       11 Branchville, NJ        20:16.3   6:32
48 Christine Davis       11 Acton, MA              20:19.9   6:33
49 Mary Brelsford        11 Ocean City, NJ         20:21.3   6:34
50 Paige Stoner          10 Pottsville, PA         20:22.3   6:34
51 Elizabeth McDonald    12 Bryn Mawr, PA          20:24.2   6:35
52 Marella Angello       12 Boyertown, PA          20:25.1   6:35
53 Shannon Hickey        12 South Easton, MA       20:28.3   6:36
54 Ashley Carle          12 Jackson, NJ            20:32.8   6:37
55 Sarah Keiran          11 Rowley, MA             20:35.8   6:38
56 Jazmin Booker         12 Philadelphia, PA       20:37.1   6:39
57 Devon Greenwood       11 Easthampton, MA        20:38.5   6:39
58 Christina Melian      12 Staten Island, NY      20:39.8   6:40
59 Alexandra Buonfiglio  11 Lynnfield, MA          20:42.5   6:40
60 Lee Milne             11 Dover, MA              20:43.5   6:41
61 Madeleine Dwortz      11 Marblehead, MA         20:45.8   6:41
62 Laura Broderick       10 Kennebunkport, ME      20:47.1   6:42
63 Abbey Murphy          12 Belmont, MA            20:47.3   6:42
64 Maria Snyder          11 Woodbury, PA           20:51.4   6:43
65 Holly Cook            12 Bel Air, MD            20:51.5   6:43
66 Lizzie McDermott      11 Wilmington, MA         21:03.9   6:47
67 Manon Blackman        10 Longmeadow, MA         21:06.2   6:48
68 Kathleen Kalbian      11 Cheshire, CT           21:07.5   6:48
69 Sara Iannone          11 Thomaston, CT          21:09.2   6:49
70 Morgana D'Ottavi      10 Silver Spring, MD      21:11.9   6:50
71 Alexandra Kaeslin     12 Bethel, CT             21:13.7   6:50
72 Tori Wickenheisser    12 Cheshire, CT           21:17.1   6:52
73 Dana Cerroni          12 Sharon, PA             21:21.3   6:53
74 Sydney Shaw           10 Delmar, NY             21:24.6   6:54
75 Angie Marchetti       10 Hazleton, PA           21:25.9   6:54
76 Amber Goodspeed       12 Middletown, NY         21:29.6   6:56
77 Aubrie Russell        12 Candor, NY             21:31.1   6:56
78 Kirsten McMichael      9 Eighty-Four, PA        21:37.2   6:58
79 Amanda Quaglia        12 Reading, PA            21:37.5   6:58
80 Maggie Christe        11 Brookfield, CT         21:44.3   7:00
81 Carly Schuyler        10 Bethel, CT             21:55.0   7:04
82 Ajee Wilson           12 Neptune, NJ            21:58.2   7:05
83 Brianna Heikkinen     12 Leola, PA              22:02.6   7:06
84 Rachel Levy           12 East Meadow, NY        22:31.6   7:16
85 Becky Marchetti       10 Hazleton, PA           22:51.3   7:22
86 Dara Cuffe             9 Cornwall-On-Hudson, NY 23:19.7   7:31

Photo Gallery: Sheila Reid Wins #2

2011-11-25T16:21:00.009-06:00

Frances Koons 5th at Manchester Road Race

2011-11-24T15:50:00.001-06:00

Former 8-time Villanova all-american Frances Koons finished 5th today at the 75th annual Manchester (CT) Road Race (4.75 miles). She was the 2nd American female finisher.

Top 10 Women
1.    24:22   5:08    Sally Kipyego           25  KENYA 
2.    25:03   5:17    Meghan Armstrong-Peyton 25  USA 
3.    25:15   5:19    Alemtsehay Misganaw     31  ETHIOPIA 
4.    25:15   5:19    Bedada Bekelech         20  ETHIOPIA 
5.    25:27   5:22    Frances Koons           25  USA 
6.    25:27   5:22    Stephanie Pezzullo      28  USA 
7.    25:37   5:24    Amy Mortimer            30  USA 
8.    25:43   5:25    Atalelech Asfaw         28  USA 
9.    25:46   5:26    Ashley Higginson        22  USA 
10.   25:50   5:27    Jenn Donovan            29  USA

Villanova Alums Impressive at Philly Marathon Weekend Races

2011-11-23T14:09:00.003-06:00

2010 Villanova graduate Amanda Marino (now serving as an assistant coach of the women's team) finished third at the Philadelphia Half-Marathon last Sunday, running 1:13:42 (5:37 pace). In the 8K race, Carmen Douma-Hussar came second, four seconds off the winner. Marina Muncan was 8th and Ellen Dougherty finished 11th. In the men's 8K Dan Lewis was 5th in 24:16, and Tom Parlapiano was 17th in 25:36.


Top 10 Women -- Half Marathon
1.  Yihunlish Delelecha  Waldorf, MD        30   1:12:42  5:32.7  
2.  Bekelch Bedada       New York/ETH       19   1:13:23  5:35.8  
3.  Amanda  Marino       Bryn Mawr, PA      22   1:13:42  5:37.2  
4.  Hellen Jemutai       Chapel Hill, NC    29   1:13:46  5:37.6   
5.  LiLian  Mariita      Hebron, KY         23   1:14:15  5:39.8  
6.  Caroline LeFrak      New York, NY       28   1:14:20  5:40.1  
7.  Christine Ramsey     Baltimore, MD      29   1:14:58  5:43.0  
8.  Erica Jesseman       Scarborough, ME    22   1:15:45  5:46.6  
9.  Loretta Kilmer       New York, NY       28   1:15:48  5:46.9  
10. Lauren Philbrook     State College, PA  24   1:16:29  5:50.1

Top 11 Women -- 8k
1.  Bbekelech Bedada     New York, NY       19    26:08  
2.  Carmen Douma-Hussar  Ardmore, PA        34    26:12  
3.  Lauren Centrowitz    Washington, DC     25    26:51  
4.  Alemtsehay Misganaw  New York, NY       31    26:54  
5.  Hellen Jemutai       Chapel Hill, NC    29    27:11   
6.  LiLian Mhrilta       Hebron, KY         23    27:28  
7.  Mulu Seboka          Hebron, KY         27    27:29   
8.  Marina Muncan        Ardmore, PA        29    27:35  
9.  Erin Koch            Chevy Chase, MD    23    27:36   
10. Kerri Gallagher      Washington, DC     22    27:50   
11. Ellen Dougherty      Ardmore, PA        24    28:48

Top 20 Men -- 8k
1.  Samuel Ndereba       Royersford, PA     34    23:44   
2.  John Itati           Royersford, PA     37    23:45   
3.  Derese Rashaw        Bronx, NY          29    23:50   
4.  Kipyegon Kirui       Chapel Hill, NC    31    24:08  
5.  Daniel Lewis         Staten Island, NY  23    24:16  
6.  Andrew Weaver        Newark, DE         21    24:20 
7.  David Chorney        Somerville, MA     24    24:34   
8.  Jeffrey Brannigan    Washington, DC     22    24:38   
9.  Will Viviani         Alexandria, VA     29    24:40   
10. Matt Sandercock      Exton, PA          42    24:46  
11. Jake Sitler          Shippensburg, PA   22    25:04   
12. Will Rowland         Furlong, PA        25    25:14   
13. Patrick Quinn        Chicago, IL        28    25:24  
14. Greg Wetzel          Chalfont, PA       27    25:27   
15. Dan Suher            Wilmington, DE     25    25:29   
16. Edward Callinan      Haddonfield, NJ    37    25:29   
17. Tom Parlapiano       Chesterbrook, PA   30    25:36   
18. Addisu Botoro        New York, NY       29    25:39   
19. Michael Daigeaun     Philadelphia, PA   31    25:42   
20. Patrick Ward         New York, NY       27    25:43

Sheila Reid USTFCCCA Athlete of the Year for 2011AOY for 2nd Consecutive Year

2011-11-23T13:43:00.005-06:00

NATIONAL WOMEN’S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Sheila Reid, Villanova

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced on Wednesday that NCAA Division I Cross Country Champions Lawi Lalang of Arizona and Sheila Reid of Villanova were named as National Athletes of the Year for the 2011 cross country season. In addition, Wisconsin’s Mick Byrne was named the Bill Dellinger National Men’s Coach of the Year while Georgetown’s Chris Miltenberg was recognized as the Peter Tegen National Women’s Coach of the Year.

Reid, a senior from Newmarket, Ontario, won her second-straight national cross country crown on Monday, leading the Wildcats to a third-place team finish. In one of the best finishes in recent memory, Reid had to compete with a lead pack of eight runners heading into the final 500-meter stretch. Reid and Oregon’s Jordan Hasay separated from the group and ran side-by-side until the final 100 meters where she out sprinted Hasay to take the crown in 19:41.2.

Reid is the fifth in NCAA history to win back-to-back individual crowns.

Reid also won the NCAA Mid-Atlantic title for the third-straight time this season with a 21:32.7 run to outdistance Georgetown’s Emily Infield by just over a second. Reid won the Big East crown for the third-straight time in leading the Wildcats a fourth-straight league championship.

Past National Female Athletes of the Year

2010: Sheila Reid, Villanova
2009: Angela Bizzarri, Illinois
2008: Sally Kipyego, Texas Tech
2007: Sally Kipyego, Texas Tech
2006: Sally Kipyego, Texas Tech
2005: Johanna Nilsson, Northern Arizona

Video: Complete XC Championship Races

2011-11-22T18:38:00.001-06:00

WOMEN'S RACE

MEN'S RACE

Sheila Reid Repeats as National Champion -- Women 3rd

2011-11-21T16:42:00.003-06:00

Watch more videos on Flotrack

Two things were very well known going into today's NCAA women's national championship race: (1) Sheila Reid was the favorite to defend her individual title, and two-time defending national champions Villanova was very vulnerable at its number 5 spot. Both expectations were borne out. In a sprint finish, Sheila Reid beat Oregon's Jordan Hasay by 0.6 seconds to win her second consecutive individual national cross country title (Hasay was third last year). In the team competition, Villanova led the competition after 4 finishers were counted, but when everyone's number 5 had come home, Georgetown's depth won out and the Hoyas (trailing Villanova 82-106 after 4 runners) swept to their first cross country national title. Washington trailed Villanova as well 82-104 after four runners, but they were able to finish second. Sheila Reid and Bogdana Mimic (6th place overall) end their Villanova cross country careers as three-time All Americans.

Top 5 Teams

1. 162 Georgetown ( 20:32 1:42:37 1:02) ==========================================================
1 3 187 Emily Infeld SR 9:53 19:45
2 33 193 Claire Richardson SR 10:04 20:38
3 36 188 Emily Jones JR 10:00 20:41
4 44 189 Kirsten Kasper JR 10:05 20:46
5 46 185 Katrina Coogan FR 10:12 20:47
6 (121) 190 Annamarie Maag FR 10:18 21:25
7 (151) 192 Hannah Neczypor FR 10:25 21:46

2. 170 Washington ( 20:29 1:42:23 1:10) ==========================================================
1 5 714 Katie Flood SO 9:53 19:48
2 12 716 Megan Goethals SO 9:54 20:07
3 42 712 Christine Babcock SR 10:04 20:44
4 45 719 Justine Johnson SO 10:08 20:46
5 66 713 Lindsay Flanagan JR 10:05 20:58
6 (100) 715 Eleanor Fulton FR 10:16 21:16
7 (129) 721 Liberty Miller SO 10:32 21:28

3. 181 Villanova ( 20:26 1:42:08 1:34) ==========================================================
1 1 686 Sheila Reid SR 9:53 19:42
2 4 684 Bogdana Mimic SR 9:53 19:46
3 37 683 Emily Lipari SO 10:03 20:41
4 40 676 Nicky Akande SO 10:02 20:43
5 99 680 Summer Cook JR 10:15 21:16
6 (138) 682 Callie Hogan SR 10:24 21:37
7 (175) 679 Courtney Chapman FR 10:24 21:59

4. 189 Florida State ( 20:37 1:43:04 0:34) ==========================================================
1 20 163 Hannah Brooks SR 10:05 20:19
2 25 170 Amanda Winslow JR 10:03 20:25
3 32 166 Violah Lagat JR 10:09 20:36
4 54 172 Aubree Worden FR 10:12 20:51
5 58 168 Colleen Quigley FR 10:11 20:53
6 ( 81) 169 Kayleigh Tyerman JR 10:17 21:07
7 (142) 167 Jessica Parry JR 10:13 21:40

5. 281 Oregon ( 20:44 1:43:38 1:41) ==========================================================
1 2 467 Jordan Hasay JR 9:52 19:42
2 51 469 Claire Michel SR 10:07 20:49
3 55 464 Bronwyn Crossman SR 10:03 20:51
4 59 472 Melanie Thompson JR 10:07 20:53
5 114 465 Becca Friday JR 10:20 21:23
6 (171) 466 Molly Grabill FR 10:38 21:57
7 (193) 468 Anne Kesselring JR 10:11 22:13

Individuals

Place TmPl No. Name Class School 3k Finish
1 1 686 Sheila Reid SR Villanova 9:53 19:41.2
2 2 467 Jordan Hasay JR Oregon 9:52 19:41.8
3 137 Abbey D'Agostino SO Dartmouth 9:53 19:42.9
4 3 187 Emily Infeld SR Georgetown 9:53 19:44.3
5 502 Alex Banfich SR Princeton 9:53 19:45.0
6 4 684 Bogdana Mimic SR Villanova 9:53 19:45.7
7 5 714 Katie Flood SO Washington 9:53 19:47.9
8 6 747 Kate Harrison SR West Virginia 9:53 19:49.5
9 7 266 Betsy Saina JR Iowa State 9:53 19:50.7
10 271 Tara Erdmann SR Loyola Marymount 9:53 19:51.3
11 8 86 Deborah Maier SR California 9:52 19:53.3
12 756 Aliphine Tuliamuk JR Wichita State 9:53 19:57.7
13 542 Silje Fjortoft SR SMU 9:41 19:58.1
14 9 54 Morgan Haws SR BYU 9:54 19:59.5
15 358 Kendra Schaaf SR North Carolina 9:53 20:00.4
16 10 481 Caitlin Lane SR Penn State 9:53 20:03.1
17 11 263 Meaghan Nelson JR Iowa State 9:55 20:05.0
18 12 716 Megan Goethals SO Washington 9:54 20:06.8
19 13 104 Shalaya Kipp SO Colorado 9:55 20:08.1
20 14 98 Emma Coburn SR Colorado 9:55 20:08.6
21 15 553 Kathy Kroeger JR Stanford 9:53 20:09.8
22 16 701 Morgane Gay SR Virginia 10:00 20:09.9
23 530 Becky Wade SR Rice 9:56 20:10.8
24 17 89 Chelsea Reilly SR California 9:56 20:11.2
25 666 Risper Kimaiyo JR UTEP 9:52 20:12.7
26 18 2 Jennifer Bergman JR Arizona 10:00 20:12.7
27 19 745 Kaitlyn Gillespie JR West Virginia 9:54 20:16.5
28 20 163 Hannah Brooks SR Florida State 10:05 20:18.1
29 21 580 Lauren Penney SR Syracuse 9:59 20:18.7
30 22 267 Dani Stack SR Iowa State 10:00 20:21.9
31 23 25 Kristen Gillespie SR Arkansas 9:56 20:22.3
32 24 554 Stephanie Marcy SR Stanford 10:00 20:22.6
33 574 Hayley Green SR Stony Brook 9:59 20:24.3
34 25 170 Amanda Winslow JR Florida State 10:03 20:24.3
35 630 Rose Tanui SR Texas Tech 9:56 20:25.2
36 416 Julie Accurso SO Ohio 10:05 20:26.3
37 140 Lydia Kosgei SR Eastern Kentucky 10:01 20:27.7
38 26 539 Laura Suur JR San Francisco 10:12 20:30.1
39 27 673 Alexa Rogers SR Vanderbilt 10:13 20:30.3
40 123 Waverly Neer FR Columbia 10:03 20:30.4
41 28 343 Ruth Senior SR New Mexico 10:02 20:31.3
42 151 Genevieve Lacaze SR Florida 10:07 20:32.0
43 29 668 Liz Anderson SO Vanderbilt 10:13 20:32.4
44 593 Brittany Sheffey SR Tennessee 10:08 20:33.4
45 30 283 Danielle Tauro SR Michigan 10:04 20:33.6
46 31 736 Amber Henry SO Weber State 10:02 20:34.7
47 268 Martina Tresch JR Kansas State 10:11 20:35.6
48 32 166 Violah Lagat JR Florida State 10:09 20:35.8
49 645 Paula Whiting SR Tulsa 10:04 20:37.0
50 33 193 Claire Richardson SR Georgetown 10:04 20:37.2
51 34 301 Sara Kroll SO Michigan State 10:11 20:37.4
52 35 7 Elvin Kibet SO Arizona 9:57 20:38.6
53 136 Lauren Sara SO Connecticut 10:05 20:39.5
54 36 188 Emily Jones JR Georgetown 10:00 20:40.5
55 37 683 Emily Lipari SO Villanova 10:03 20:40.9
56 38 36 Jillian King JR Boston College 10:05 20:41.5
57 615 Natosha Rogers JR Texas A&M 10:05 20:41.7
58 241 Hollie Rowland JR Iona 10:04 20:41.8
59 39 482 Kara Millhouse SR Penn State 10:04 20:42.7
60 40 676 Nicky Akande SO Villanova 10:02 20:43.0
61 41 318 Stephanie Price SR Minnesota 10:06 20:43.8
62 42 712 Christine Babcock SR Washington 10:04 20:43.9
63 43 361 Andie Cozzarelli SR North Carolina State 10:07 20:44.2
64 44 189 Kirsten Kasper JR Georgetown 10:05 20:45.3
65 45 719 Justine Johnson SO Washington 10:08 20:45.5
66 661 Ashley Schnell SR UNC-Greensboro 10:03 20:46.2
67 46 185 Katrina Coogan FR Georgetown 10:12 20:46.3
68 47 742 Sarah-Anne Brault JR West Virginia 10:07 20:46.7
69 48 304 Julia Otwell SO Michigan State 10:12 20:47.6
70 49 637 Emma Kertesz SR Toledo 10:06 20:47.9
71 50 362 Laura Hoer SO North Carolina State 10:07 20:48.7
72 51 469 Claire Michel SR Oregon 10:07 20:48.8
73 52 579 Sarah Pagano JR Syracuse 10:04 20:49.0
74 53 549 Aisling Cuffe FR Stanford 10:20 20:49.6
75 54 172 Aubree Worden FR Florida State 10:12 20:50.2
76 55 464 Bronwyn Crossman SR Oregon 10:03 20:50.6
77 56 368 Joanna Thompson FR North Carolina State 10:11 20:51.6
78 57 43 Liv Westphal FR Boston College 10:08 20:52.4
79 58 168 Colleen Quigley FR Florida State 10:11 20:52.4
80 59 472 Melanie Thompson JR Oregon 10:07 20:52.9
81 60 339 Natalie Gray SR New Mexico 10:05 20:52.9
82 61 37 Hope Krause SR Boston College 10:08 20:53.3
83 62 450 Natalja Piliusina SO Oklahoma State 10:24 20:53.3
84 664 Amanda Mergaert JR Utah 10:04 20:53.6
85 223 Hannah Kiser SO Idaho 10:12 20:54.0
86 428 Jessica Engel SR Oklahoma 10:07 20:54.0
87 63 699 Anna Corrigan SR Virginia 10:14 20:55.0
88 357 Courtney Schultz JR New Mexico State 9:59 20:55.1
89 139 Madeline Morgan JR Duke 10:08 20:55.7
90 64 282 Jillian Smith JR Michigan 10:15 20:56.1
91 65 340 Kirsty Milner SR New Mexico 10:11 20:56.5
92 66 713 Lindsay Flanagan JR Washington 10:05 20:57.7
93 67 15 Shelby Houlihan FR Arizona State 10:13 20:57.8
94 68 336 Imogen Ainsworth JR New Mexico 10:22 20:59.1
95 69 631 Kaylin Belair JR Toledo 10:14 20:59.2
96 70 603 Sara Sutherland SO Texas 10:12 20:59.4
97 71 100 Lara Darco JR Colorado 10:17 21:00.3
98 72 675 Jordan White JR Vanderbilt 10:13 21:00.7
99 73 21 Stephanie Brown SO Arkansas 10:06 21:01.3
100 74 26 Jessica Jackson FR Arkansas 10:14 21:01.7
101 75 670 Louise Hannallah SR Vanderbilt 10:13 21:02.6
102 76 636 Ari Fisher SR Toledo 10:12 21:03.0
103 77 280 Taylor Pogue FR Michigan 10:15 21:03.5
104 78 259 Morgan Casey SO Iowa State 10:21 21:03.5
105 71 Leanne Fogg SR Cal Poly 10:18 21:04.0
106 79 674 Kristen Smith JR Vanderbilt 10:14 21:05.2
107 80 758 Ashely Beutler JR Wisconsin 10:17 21:05.2
108 81 169 Kayleigh Tyerman JR Florida State 10:17 21:06.1
109 82 575 Natalie Busby SR Syracuse 10:18 21:06.3
110 83 33 Bridget Dahlberg JR Boston College 10:11 21:07.4
111 84 557 Jessica Tonn SO Stanford 10:13 21:07.8
112 85 478 Natalie Bower JR Penn State 10:17 21:08.1
113 629 Agnes Kemboi JR Texas Christian 10:19 21:08.6
114 86 392 Kelly Curran SO Notre Dame 10:19 21:09.8
115 87 533 Sophie Curl JR San Francisco 10:25 21:10.0
116 88 749 Ahna Lewis SR West Virginia 10:21 21:10.4
117 153 Florence N'Getich JR Florida 10:01 21:11.1
118 89 274 Rebecca Addison JR Michigan 10:05 21:11.3
119 90 762 Caitlin Comfort SR Wisconsin 10:13 21:12.0
120 417 Tori Brink JR Ohio State 10:12 21:12.0
121 91 672 Grace Orders FR Vanderbilt 10:13 21:12.6
122 92 298 Carlie Green SR Michigan State 10:14 21:12.6
123 93 483 Brooklyne Ridder JR Penn State 10:19 21:12.6
124 94 6 Hanna Henson SR Arizona 10:22 21:12.7
125 95 23 Kaitlin Flattmann FR Arkansas 10:10 21:13.6
126 96 601 Megan Siebert SO Texas 10:22 21:13.9
127 97 757 Gabi Anzalone FR Wisconsin 10:18 21:14.6
128 98 394 Gabby Gonzales FR Notre Dame 10:20 21:14.8
129 99 680 Summer Cook JR Villanova 10:15 21:15.4
130 100 715 Eleanor Fulton FR Washington 10:16 21:15.6
131 101 341 Josephine Moultrie JR New Mexico 10:18 21:16.0
132 102 396 Jessica Rydberg JR Notre Dame 10:13 21:16.1
133 103 299 Katie Haines JR Michigan State 10:23 21:16.6
134 104 765 Knurr Hanna JR Wisconsin 10:17 21:16.8
135 105 734 Sarah Callister JR Weber State 10:15 21:17.0
136 106 703 Chelsea Ley FR Virginia 10:23 21:17.7
137 107 99 Katie Cumming SR Colorado 10:25 21:17.8
138 108 39 Elizabeth O'Brien SO Boston College 10:28 21:18.1
139 109 306 Rebekah Smeltzer SR Michigan State 10:21 21:18.3
140 110 30 Dominique Scott FR Arkansas 10:10 21:18.6
141 111 391 Alexa Aragon SO Notre Dame 10:20 21:19.0
142 418 Nichole Hilton FR Ohio State 10:20 21:21.4
143 112 312 Ashlie Decker SO Minnesota 10:20 21:21.8
144 113 643 Megan Vogelsong SO Toledo 10:24 21:22.0
145 114 465 Becca Friday JR Oregon 10:20 21:22.1
146 70 Meghan Breadmore FR Cal Poly 10:20 21:22.1
147 115 401 Rebecca Tracy JR Notre Dame 10:20 21:23.3
148 116 344 Sarah Waldron SR New Mexico 10:15 21:23.5
149 117 541 Chloe Treleven JR San Francisco 10:26 21:24.0
150 273 Julie Fricke JR Maryland 10:20 21:24.0
151 118 582 Heather Stephens SR Syracuse 10:18 21:24.3
152 755 Marion Kandie SR Western Kentucky 10:13 21:24.4
153 119 600 Laleh Mojtabaeezamani JR Texas 10:23 21:24.6
154 120 1 Elizabeth Apgar JR Arizona 10:29 21:24.8
155 121 190 Annamarie Maag FR Georgetown 10:18 21:24.9
156 122 597 Marielle Hall SO Texas 10:11 21:25.0
157 123 275 Brook Handler FR Michigan 10:28 21:25.3
158 124 540 Maor Tiyouri SO San Francisco 10:28 21:25.4
159 125 82 Taylor Bryson SR California 10:28 21:25.6
160 126 737 Laken Hintze JR Weber State 10:29 21:26.2
161 127 29 Jillian Rosen SR Arkansas 10:26 21:26.6
162 128 583 Shaylyn Tuite FR Syracuse 10:18 21:27.2
163 129 721 Liberty Miller SO Washington 10:32 21:27.8
164 335 Jess Palacio SR Navy 10:10 21:28.8
165 130 105 Camille Logan SO Colorado 10:27 21:28.9
166 131 315 Molly Kayfes FR Minnesota 10:24 21:29.6
167 132 706 Kathleen Stevens FR Virginia 10:30 21:30.8
168 133 277 Ellen Junewick FR Michigan 10:21 21:31.6
169 134 107 Rachel Viger SO Colorado 10:31 21:33.5
170 135 96 Rachel Baptista FR Colorado 10:27 21:34.3
171 136 302 Rachel McFarlane SR Michigan State 10:30 21:34.6
172 137 741 Stephanie Aldea JR West Virginia 10:24 21:35.3
173 226 Samantha Ginther SO Indiana 10:27 21:35.4
174 138 682 Callie Hogan SR Villanova 10:24 21:36.1
175 139 311 Maggie Bollig SO Minnesota 10:30 21:37.4
176 140 83 Taylor Dutch SR California 10:12 21:38.0
177 141 479 Emily Giannotti SO Penn State 10:30 21:38.9
178 142 167 Jessica Parry JR Florida State 10:13 21:39.5
179 143 90 Kelsey Santisteban FR California 10:29 21:39.8
180 144 24 Cali George SR Arkansas 10:27 21:40.1
181 145 402 Rachel Velarde SR Notre Dame 10:32 21:40.9
182 146 55 Stephanie Jensen-Bills JR BYU 10:29 21:42.2
183 147 48 Katy Andrews SR BYU 10:30 21:42.7
184 148 445 Monika Juodeskaite FR Oklahoma State 10:37 21:43.5
185 149 708 Katherine Walker SO Virginia 10:31 21:43.9
186 150 50 Sarah Darby FR BYU 10:30 21:44.9
187 151 192 Hannah Neczypor FR Georgetown 10:25 21:45.7
188 152 594 Julie Amthor JR Texas 10:38 21:46.4
189 153 700 Chelsea France JR Virginia 10:32 21:46.9
190 154 316 Katie Moraczewski SO Minnesota 10:30 21:47.6
191 155 17 Lindsay Prescott SR Arizona State 10:33 21:47.6
192 156 551 Claire Durkin JR Stanford 10:31 21:47.8
193 157 441 Victoria Fratczak SR Oklahoma State 10:37 21:47.9
194 158 764 Dani Fischer SR Wisconsin 10:29 21:48.1
195 159 671 Amira Joseph FR Vanderbilt 10:28 21:48.7
196 160 744 Kaylyn Christopher SR West Virginia 10:38 21:49.1
197 161 84 Elisa Karhu SO California 10:33 21:49.9
198 162 303 Leah O'Connor FR Michigan State 10:32 21:50.0
199 163 768 Theresa Selestow SO Wisconsin 10:39 21:51.0
200 164 313 Laura Docherty SO Minnesota 10:34 21:52.1
201 165 449 Teran Mixon SR Oklahoma State 10:36 21:52.4
202 166 578 Rebekah MacKay SR Syracuse 10:37 21:53.0
203 167 477 Abbie Benson FR Penn State 10:39 21:54.2
204 168 12 Macy Bricks FR Arizona State 10:36 21:54.8
205 169 440 Jacqueline Campos JR Oklahoma State 10:47 21:55.2
206 170 279 Mary Grace Pellegrini SR Michigan 10:30 21:56.3
207 171 466 Molly Grabill FR Oregon 10:38 21:56.3
208 172 261 India Lee SR Iowa State 10:29 21:57.0
209 173 480 Lindsey Graybill JR Penn State 10:41 21:57.7
210 174 16 Kate Lydy JR Arizona State 10:39 21:57.7
211 175 679 Courtney Chapman FR Villanova 10:24 21:58.6
212 176 640 Kristal Studer JR Toledo 10:39 22:00.0
213 177 531 Alice Baker JR San Francisco 10:32 22:01.1
214 178 760 Kyla Chapman SR Wisconsin 10:18 22:02.7
215 179 707 Barbara Strehler JR Virginia 10:32 22:03.5
216 180 10 Haley Stenquist FR Arizona 10:42 22:04.5
217 181 265 Taylor Petersen JR Iowa State 10:39 22:05.9
218 182 345 Shawna Winnegar JR New Mexico 10:40 22:06.5
219 183 365 Erin Mercer JR North Carolina State 10:35 22:07.2
220 184 56 Rachel Lange-Schmutz JR BYU 10:42 22:07.8
221 185 41 Allison Stasiuk JR Boston College 10:40 22:08.2
222 186 367 Samantha Norman SO North Carolina State 10:44 22:08.9
223 187 9 Amanda Russell SO Arizona 10:38 22:09.8
224 188 19 Natasa Vulic JR Arizona State 10:45 22:10.3
225 189 52 Candace Eddy SO BYU 10:43 22:10.5
226 190 581 Jessie Petersen FR Syracuse 10:39 22:10.7
227 191 740 Taylor Thornley JR Weber State 10:42 22:11.0
228 192 85 Keena Kohl SR California 10:39 22:11.4
229 193 468 Anne Kesselring JR Oregon 10:11 22:12.1
230 194 733 Kayla Blackford SO Weber State 10:47 22:12.4
231 195 446 Kate Kujawa SO Oklahoma State 10:46 22:16.0
232 503 Alexis Mikaelian JR Princeton 10:45 22:16.0
233 196 14 Hailey Hanna JR Arizona State 10:59 22:16.7
234 197 317 Cassy Opitz SO Minnesota 10:36 22:17.4
235 198 35 Moira Kenny JR Boston College 10:47 22:20.1
236 199 548 Alli Billmeyer FR Stanford 10:54 22:23.1
237 200 398 McKinzie Schulz SO Notre Dame 10:40 22:26.9
238 201 596 Jourdan Ellis FR Texas 10:49 22:27.8
239 202 57 Michaelanne Laurent JR BYU 10:42 22:28.3
240 203 536 Hayley Niles SO San Francisco 11:01 22:33.0
241 204 442 Caileigh Glenn SO Oklahoma State 10:48 22:34.9
242 205 641 Priscilla Timmons FR Toledo 10:46 22:36.7
243 206 599 Brittany Marches SO Texas 10:31 22:37.9
244 207 8 Erin Menefee SO Arizona 11:00 22:40.5
245 208 360 Tiayonna Blackmon SR North Carolina State 10:43 22:42.6
246 209 738 Suzie Sorensen SO Weber State 11:03 22:42.9
247 210 363 Kenyetta Iyevbele FR North Carolina State 10:49 22:49.6
248 211 262 Katy Moen FR Iowa State 10:41 22:50.1
249 212 547 Mary Kate Anselmini FR Stanford 11:04 22:57.7
250 213 735 Jenna Deelstra JR Weber State 11:09 23:09.7
251 214 639 Jessica Phillips SO Toledo 11:06 23:13.4
252 215 538 Mary Sandri JR San Francisco 11:19 23:24.5
253 216 746 Jordan Hamric JR West Virginia 11:10 23:30.9
254 217 13 Taylor Conway FR Arizona State 11:32 24:11.9