Jen Rhines after 4th place finish at USA Championships 5000

In this interview, Jen talks about taking a risk by bolting with about 6 laps left, not getting the necessary 50 meter cushion on the pack she thought she needed, and how she felt about her 4th place finish. Rhines will run the 5000 at this coming weekend's Prefontaine Classic and will then head to Europe.

Rhines 4th / Koons 11th at USATF 5000

Jen Rhines ran in 1st or 2nd all the way through 4600 meters, but lacked the finishing speed to maintain. Frances Koons ran in 11th most of the race, and never was much better than 9th.

Womens 5000 Meter Run Sr Final


Event Records
Record Time Athlete Affiliation Date
World 14:11.15 Tirunesh Dibaba ETH June 6 2008
American 14:44.80 Shalane Flanagan Nike April 14 2007

Place Athlete Name Affiliation Time PTS Heat(PL)

1 Lauren Fleshman Oregon TC-Nike 15:28.70 1(1)
2 Molly Huddle Saucony 15:30.89 1(2)
3 Jenny Barringer New Balance 15:33.33 1(3)
4 Jen Rhines adidas 15:35.71 1(4)
5 Angela Bizzarri Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 15:39.81 1(5)
6 Liz Maloy NYAC 15:40.22 1(6)
7 Rebecca Donaghue New Balance 15:46.66 1(7)
8 Renee Metivier Baillie Nike 16:03.22 1(8)
9 Delilah DiCrescenzo Puma 16:06.98 1(9)
10 Karen Dimoff Bowerman AC 16:08.51 1(10)
11 Frances Koons New Balance 16:22.53 1(11)
12 Lauren Weaver Asics Aggie RC 16:48.15 1(12)
13 Alisha Williams Boulder Running Co 17:27.50 1(13)
DNF Toni Salucci Adidas Raleigh TC 1
DNF Nicole Blood Oregon 1
DNS Racheal Marchand unattached 1
DNS Bridget Franek Penn State 1
DNS Shalane Flanagan Oregon TC-Nike 1
DNS Shannon Rowbury Nike 1

FitzSimons 3rd at Junior Nationals 800

Capping a week that saw him win two prep national titles (4x800 and DMR) with stirring anchor legs, Villanova signee Chris FitzSimons (Hamden, CT) today finshed third in the open 800 at the USATF Junior Nationals. His 1:48.83 is a new PR for the open 800 meters, and FitzSimons was bested only by two collegiate standouts: Robbie Andrews (the NCAA indoor champion and outdoor runner-up at 800 meters for the University of Virginia) and Casimir Loxsom (the Big 10 Conference 800 meters champion from Penn State).

Here are the official results:

Men 800 Meter Run Junior
======================================================
WJC Qual: $ 1:51.00
Name Year Team Finals
======================================================

Finals
1 Casimir Loxsom Penn State 1:47.45$
2 Robby Andrews Virginia 1:47.75$
3 Christopher FitzSimons Hamden HS 1:48.83$
4 Darrin Gibson Florida State 1:49.28$
5 Nicholas Kaiser unattached 1:50.10$
6 Nathanael Litwiller Sacramento State 1:50.82$
7 Aduo Omot Augustana Co 1:51.00$
8 Gabriel Hilbert unattached 1:56.18

Villanova Prospect May Take Gap Year

Mageean leaning towards gap year
-- BBC Sport, June 15, 2010

Ciara Mageean is leaning towards taking a year out from study as she continues to mull over scholarship offers from a number of US universities.

Villanova, Providence College, Harvard and Auburn University are among the institutions who have made approaches to the World Youth silver medallist.

However, Mageean told BBC Sport that she may opt to delay her decision about the American collegiate offers.

"I'm contemplating a gap year," said the 18-year-old Portaferry athlete.

"That might be something good to happen. To be able to wind down a bit after a rather hectic three years.

"With all the exams and the athletics, it has all kind of taken off," added Mageean, who is currently in the middle of her A Levels in Biology, Chemistry and PE.

Mageean will concentrate on her exams over the next couple of weeks before taking part in the annual junior international meeting in the German city of Mannheim early next month.

"It's always a good junior international event with a good standard of competition.

"I've run a personal best most of the years that I've gone there and it will be my first race in July."

The Mannheim meeting will be part of Mageean's build-up to Mageean's main summer target - the World Junior Championships in Canada in late July.

"Once I get the exams out of the way, I can get into good hard training every day - although I am doing some training every day at the moment.

"I'll just to able to train that bit harder. It is always a stress having to think about exams during your training."

Mageean took a break from her exams on Saturday as she eased to an emphatic victory in the 1500m at the Northern Ireland Championships.

Curtis a Scratch for USATF 5000

Despite two recent PRs at 10,000 (27:33.38) and 5000 (13:18.97) meters, demonstrating a high degree of fitness, Bobby Curtis will be forced to miss the USATF national meet this week due to severe blistering on his feet.

This Day in Villanova T&F History

On this day in 1962 at the AAU championships in Walnut, California Villanova great Paul Drayton set a new World Record in the 200 meter dash (20.55 seconds). He would go on to win three AAU titles in the 220 yard dash, run a leg on two World Record 400 meter relay teams, and win both a Gold (4 x 100) and a Silver (200 meters) medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.

This Day in Villanova T&F History

On this day in 1967, as a recently graduated senior at Essex Catholic high school in New Jersey, Liquori competed at the AAU Championships in Bakersfield, California, running in the mile finals. Jim Ryun, running from the front, ran 3:51.1 to break his own World Record in the mile (3:51.3). Marty Liquori finished 7th in 3:59.8 and become the 3rd prep runner to run a sub 4-minute mile. Ironically, Liquori finished just ahead of the 2nd high schooler to break 4-minutes, Tim Danielson (1966-3:59.4), who finished 8th in 4:00.6. Ryun, of course, was the first to go under 4-minutes when he ran 3:59.0 as a junior in 1964. This excerpt from the July 3, 1967 issue of Sports Illustrated:

Then, at about 9:15 Friday evening, Jim Ryun took over. With a race plan few people expected, Ryun rushed into a lead at the start of the mile run, widened his advantage for three laps, then sprinted the last quarter in 53.5 seconds, leaving his nearest opponents some 40 yards behind. Suddenly the 1967 AAU could no longer be remembered for such earlier disappointments as Boston's troubles or Jim Hines's tainted sprint victory over the infuriated Greene. Ryun had run the mile in 3:51.1.
The time was .2 second under his previous world record, set last summer at Berkeley, Calif. This one was achieved without the aid of pacesetters or opponents strong enough to push Ryun to his limit. Instead, it was Ryun who pulled the others along. Jim Grelle, who is 30 years old and had run only one mile race all season, placed second in 3:56.1, and the first seven finishers broke four minutes. Four of them, including Martin Liquori, the high-schooler who was seventh, were under four minutes for the first time. Liquori, a small, dark-haired 17-year-old from Newark, shook Ryun's hand eagerly after the race. "I was awfully proud to be in the race," he said. "Thank you for setting that pace."

It appeared that the floodgates had opened for more high school runners to break 4-minutes, but it would be another 34 years before Alan Webb became the 4th prep to get under that barrier in 2001. The following summer in Mexico City, Liquori, having finished his first year at Villanova, became the youngest 1500 meter finalist in Olympic history. All told, Liquori ran 26 sub-4:00 miles in addition to 19 sub-3:42 1500 meters. Liquori went on win numerous NCAA and AAU titles (including two over Ryun) and a stellar international career. Liquori is the last American to be ranked #1 in the world in the mile, and he holds the same distinction for 5000 meters as well.

More on FitzSimons' Big Weekend

This from ESPN Rise / Dyestat

They spilled their guts on the track with two of the best performances in meet history on Friday night. So it wasn’t really fair to expect Chris FitzSimons and Joe Rosa to top it.

But they very well may have.

Rosa, the 2-mile champion in a national junior class and NJ state record on Friday in 8:44.06, and FitzSimons, who split 1:47.15 on the winning 4x800 on Friday, once again came up with jaw-dropping races that had the fans falling out of their seats.

It happened in the eagerly anticipated Distance Medley relay.

Rosa, a junior from West Windsor-Plainsboro North, NJ, led off for his team and went head-to-head with sophomore stud Zavon Watkins of Liverpool NY (1:47.99 in the 4x800) on the leadoff leg. It looked like Watkins was going to get away from Rosa with 200 to go on the opening leg, but Rosa fought back and handed off in the lead with a mind-boggling split of 2:59.56. Watkins was right on his heels with a 3:00.01.

Rosa’s split is the second fastest ever recorded by a high school runner and Watkins is No. 3. Only Steve Magness of Klein Oak High in Houston, Texas (2:56.8 in 2003), has run a faster 1,200 leg than Rosa and Watkins.

After Jim Rosa, Joe’s twin, retook the lead on the anchor leg for West Windsor North, it was FitzSimons’ turn to light up the track.

Sitting in sixth place when he got the stick, FitzSimons, a senior, pounded out a 4:05.70 anchor and powered by Rosa with 200 to go and went on to give Hamden of Connecticut the win in a US #6 all time 9:56.50. Warwick NY was second in US #12 all-time 9:59.03 and West Windsor North was third for the second straight year in a US #13 all-time 9:59.07.

Hamden also won the DMR at the Nike Indoor Nationals.

FitzSimons said he felt the 800 in his legs from the day before, but wasn’t about to give in to the pain.

"The lactic acid started building up, but I saw I was getting closer to him (Rosa) and I owed it to my team to do everything I could to win," said FitzSimons.

FitzSimons said he had no idea which Rosa he was chasing, but it didn’t matter.

"I know how great the Rosa’s are," said the Villanova-bound FitzSimons. "I didn’t know which one it was, but it didn’t make a difference because they are both animals and I knew I’d have to run real fast to have a chance to beat either one of them."

FitzSimons’ teammates weren’t surprised.

"Chris deserves all the praise and all the credit," said Nick Saba. "We just keep handing off the baton until Chris gets it and he pulls out the win for us."

Jim Rosa, second in the 2-mile to his brother, ran 4:09.38 on the anchor and thought he had a big enough gap to hold off FitzSimons

"When I heard I had a four second lead I thought that would be enough," said Jim Rosa. "But I underestimated him. That guy is amazing."

Joe Rosa was ecstatic with what he and his teammates did this weekend.

"I couldn’t be happier," said Rosa, who also ran a 4:08.65 mile last week.

"We left it all out on the track in the DM and I hit my goal of breaking three in the 1,200. Everything that happened here is pretty amazing. I never thought of myself as track runner before this year, but now I am living track.”

Villanova's Track Shack

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

This from the folks at FloTrack: Check out this Track Shack just outside of Philadelphia and inhabited by 4 members of the Villanova Men's Track Team. The apartment houses 3 from Down Under and 1 from the states; Kiwis Hugo Beamish and Carl MacKenzie, Aussie Matt Gibney, and lone American Brian Long. Since Gibney and Long were away, teammates Bobby Papazian and Dan Lewis stepped in to help show us around.Filmed April 12, 2010.

This Day in Villanova T&F History

June 20: On this day in 1973 Villanova great John Hartnett set an Irish National Record in the mile, running 3:54.7 at the Hayward Field Restoration meet in Eugene, Oregon. Despite setting the Irish NR, Hartnett finished third: reigning Olympic gold medallist Dave Wottle, the 1972 Olympic Champion at 800 meters, disappinted the 12,000 fans in Eugene by beating their own Steve Prefontaine in the mile 3:53.3-3:54.6.
Hartnett is shown above in 1971 at IC4A cross, bib 435.

'Nova Signee Emily Lipari Wins National Title in the Mile

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

At the New Balance National in Greensboro, NC, Villanova signee Emily Lipari (Roslyn, NY) won the national title in the mile, in 4:48.20. In typical fashion, Lipari closed with a devastating kick, coming from 6th with 200 meters to go to grab the win. Her final lap was timed at 62 seconds. Also in the competition was Stephanie Schappert, the younger sister of Villanova's All-American Nicole Schappert (and the daughter of former Villanova All-American Ken Schappert).

Event 10 Girls 1 Mile Run Championship

=========================================================
National: N 4:35.24 5/16/1982 Polly Plummer, University, Irvine,
Meet: M 4:36.95 6/16/2005 Sarah Bowman, Fauquier, Warrenton,
Freshman: F 4:42.0h 1973 Mary Decker, Portola Jr, Orange, C
Sophomore: O 4:40.24 6/20/2009 Chlsey Sveinsson, Greenhills, Addi
Junior: J 4:39.25 6/17/2006 Danielle Tauro, Sn Ocean, NJ
Senior: S 4:35.24 5/16/1982 Polly Plummer, University, Irvine,
Name Year School Finals Points
=========================================================

Finals

1 Emily Lipari 10 Una-Ny-Green 4:48.20 10
2 Madeleine Meyers 12 Una-Wa-Seatt 4:49.57 8
3 Kelsey Margey 12 Una-Ny-Hunti 4:49.98 6
4 Cory McGee 10 Una-Ms-Pass_ 4:50.54 5
5 Monica Adler 10 Beverly Tc-Ma 4:52.26 4
6 Kathleen Lautzenheiser 10 Midlothian TC 4:52.44 3
7 Claudia DiSomma 13 Sparta Tc-Girls 4:52.75 2
8 Gabrielle Levac 10 Una-Wi-Hartl 4:54.92 1
9 Hannah Meier 13 Una-Mi-Gross 4:54.93
10 Colleen Schmidt 11 Holy Trinity TC 4:55.05
11 Abbey Leonardi 12 Una-Me-Kenne 4:56.22
12 Julia Foster 11 Albuquerque 4:56.26
13 Liga Blyholder 10 Lees Summit West TC 4:56.55
14 Paige Kvartunas 10 West Springfield TC 4:57.21
15 Angel Piccirillo 12 Homer-Center Tc-Pa 4:57.67
16 Stephanie Schappert 11 Una-Fl-Delra 4:58.66
17 Erica Dobbs 11 Deep Run TC 4:59.39
18 Gina Talt 11 Una-Ny-Larch 4:59.67
19 Hayley McMahon 11 Arlington Tc-Ny 5:04.95
20 Lyndsey Mull 12 Redondo Union TC 5:06.40
21 Haley Meier 13 Una-Mi-Gross 5:14.06
-- Ariel Karabinus 10 Osbourn Park TC DNF
-- Ajee Wilson 12 Shore AC DNS
-- Meg Ryan 10 Una-Ct-Fairf DNS
-- Jackie Nicholas 11 Nonnewaug TC DNS
-- Samantha George 12 North Raleigh TC DNS

FitzSimons Runs Down Rosa: Anchors Hamden DMR to National Title

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

In a deja vu moment, Villanova signee Chris FitzSimons got the baton in yesterday's New Balance Nationals DMR final trailing the leaders. This time, he found himself in 6th place with the final 1600 meter leg ahead. In much the same fashion as he did the night before in anchoring Hamden to a national title in the 4 x 800 meters (with a 1:47.15 anchor), FitzSimons unleashed a 4:05.70 final leg to pace Hamden to its second national title in 24 hours. In so doing, FitzSimons ran down one of the premier distance runners in the USA, Jim Rosa of New Jersey. FitzSimons was 15 meters back at the bell, but won by 20-25 meters. Hamden set a new Connecticut state record, finishng in 9:56.50. Here are the final results:

Event 37 Boys Distance Medley Championship
=========================================================
Section 1 at 10:00am; Section 2 at 6:57pm
National: N 9:49.78 6/17/2001 South Lakes, Reston, VA
Meet: M 9:49.78 6/17/2001 South Lakes, Reston, VA
School Finals Points
=========================================================
Finals

1 Hamden TC 9:56.50 10
1) Nick Saba 10 2) Tevin Moye 10
3) Isiah Whiting 10 4) Chris FitzSimons 10

2 Warwick TC 9:59.03 8
1) Daniel Paez 11 2) Daniel Ramirez 10
3) Pierre Armand 10 4) Timothy Luthin 11

3 Plainsboro TC 9:59.07 6
1) Jim Rosa 11 2) Chris Banks 12
3) Veer Bhalla 12 4) Joe Rosa 11

4 Liverpool TC 9:59.59 5
1) Colin Savage 10 2) Christopher Clemons 10
3) Alex Wilke 10 4) Zavon Watkins 12

5 Kroy TC 9:59.97 4
1) Jack Driggs 11 2) Matt Schact 10
3) Andrew Smith 10 4) Trey Kelly 10

6 Deluge XC 10:00.06 3
1) Scott Maughan 10 2) Drew Loeffler 12
3) Chris Fernandez 10 4) Otis Ubriaco 11

7 Our Lady of Good Counsel 10:04.72 2
1) Kyle Graves 10 2) Courtland Harris 10
3) Fola Shokunbi 11 4) Thomas Tallerico 11

8 Brookwood TC 10:04.96 1
1) Carter Hewitt 10 2) Patrick Kelley 10
3) Jackson Wearn 11 4) Tyler Anyan 10

9 Pioneer TC 10:15.09
1) Muhammad Sani 10 2) Matthew Flamme 12
3) Adam Kern 10 4) Nicholas Kern 10

10 Haddonfield Memorial TC 10:16.14
1) Colin Baker 10 2) Matt Nussbaum 11
3) Ben Potts 11 4) Jonathan Vitez 10

11 Rancho Buena Vista TC 10:23.05
1) Kyle Lynch 11 2) Thomas Ducat 10
3) Scott Gisel 12 4) Chris Brewer 11

12 Snider Tc-In 10:24.62
1) Mitch Dutton 12 2) Kendal Frederick 11
3) Ethan Wappes 10 4) Adam Williams 12

13 Grafton Runners 10:24.80
1) Brian Gorwitz 10 2) Joseph Wallace 12
3) David Gunnerson 10 4) Kyle King 11

14 Xbc TC 10:30.00
1) Sean McGorty 13 2) Mohamed Labor-Koroma 11
3) Matthew Cumpian 10 4) Christopher Foley 10

15 Reservoir TC 10:30.76
1) Jimmy Peterson 10 2) Ryan Konstanzer 11
3) Jeff Carrion 10 4) Ryan Jackson 10

16 Long Island Alliance 10:32.48
1) Bryan Buttigieg 11 2) Dan Varon 11
3) Nord Spencer 12 4) Pat Rose 12

17 Peabody TC 10:32.95
1) Evan Braz 11 2) Jamal Abu Hijleh 10
3) Shawn Cronin 10 4) Nicholas Christensen 12

18 Germantown Friends Tc-Pa 10:41.03
1) David Waterman 11 2) Tom Waterman 10
3) Reuben Wilson 10 4) Gus McKenzie 10

19 North Raleigh TC 10:50.71
1) Paul Carr 11 2) Read Caulkins 10
3) Richard Miller 12 4) Stephen Townsend 10

-- Eastern Alamance TC DNF
1) Tyron Alston 10 2) Kyle Miles 10
3) Michael Tamayo 11 4) Jake Hurysz 10

-- Clifton Park TC DNS
1) Dan Harris 10 2) Brian Campoli 10
3) Mitch Todorov 10 4) Adam Jacobs 10

This Day in Villanova T&F History

On June 19, 1969, Villanova's Erv Hall won the NCAA title and set a new US National Record in the 110 meter high hurdles with a performance of 13.2 in the NCAA finals held at University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. Hall had previously won a silver medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics in 13.4, trailing only Willie Davenport (see above photo, with Hall in second place in the Olympic final).

Chris FitzSimons after 1:47.15 Anchor Takes Hamden from 8th Place to a National Title

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

FitzSimons' 1:47.15 Anchor Leads Hamden Boys to 4x800 National Title

Villanova signee Chris FitzSimons from Hamden, Connecticut -- one of the top three 800 meter runners in the US prep ranks this year -- anchored the victorious 4 x 800 relay team tonight at the New Balance Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina. He took the baton in 8th place -- over 4.6 seconds in back of the leader -- and stormed to the front to win at the tape (by .18 seconds). His split of 1:47.15 was the fastest of the day. Here are the splits from the fast heat (which produced the top nine teams overall): Race video is at bottom of the post.

Boys 4x800 Meter Relay Championship

1 Hamden TC 7:35.68
(10) 1:57.43
(8) 1:54.78
(8) 1:56.33
(1) 1:47.15 Chris FitzSimons

2 Warwick TC 7:35.86
(1) 1:53.11
(1) 1:54.18
(1) 1:56.59
(2) 1:51.99

3 Bismarck TC 7:36.62
(9) 1:57.17
(6) 1:54.11
(6) 1:56.49
(3) 1:48.86

4 Pioneer TC 7:39.19
(2) 1:54.19
(5) 1:56.28
(4) 1:56.84
(4) 1:51.90

5 Shaker TC 7:39.69
(4) 1:54.74
(2) 1:54.95
(2) 1:55.60
(5) 1:54.41

6 Liverpool TC 7:39.97
(13) 2:00.92
(12) 1:56.07
(11) 1:55.01
(6) 1:47.99

7 Glen Oak TC 7:40.21
(8) 1:56.29
(7) 1:55.45
(3) 1:53.84
(7) 1:54.64

8 Lawrenceville TC 7:41.27
(11) 1:57.74
(3) 1:52.03
(5) 1:57.85
(8) 1:53.66

9 Snider TC-IN 7:41.48
(3) 1:54.58
(9) 1:57.66
(7) 1:55.80
(9) 1:53.45

10 Union Catholic TC 7:42.59
(6) 1:55.77
(10) 1:57.01
(9) 1:58.21
(10) 1:51.61

11 Eastern Alamance TC 7:43.89
(7) 1:56.15
(11) 2:00.79
(10) 1:54.29
(11) 1:52.69

12 Wadsworth TC 7:49.28
(5) 1:55.26
(4) 1:55.19
(12) 2:01.89
(12) 1:56.95

13 Ben Davis TC 7:54.54
(12) 1:58.85
(13) 1:58.20
(13) 1:58.59
(13) 1:58.91

DNS Monroe-Woodbury TC-Boys

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

Carrie Tollefson's Comeback Starts with 5K Road Win

Former Villanova great and 2004 1500 Olympian Carrie Tollefson has a double comeback confronting her. Most immediately, Tollefson is trying to regain her fitness after the birth of her first child on April 1 of this year. More generally, Tollefson has been plagued by injuries over the past several years and wishes to make one more attempt to make the 2012 USA olympic team. Tonight she won the William Irvin 5K in Duluth, Minnesota -- one of the shorter races associated with Grandma's Marathon. Her time -- 18:24.5 -- was over three minutes slower than her 15:04.07 PR, but comebacks start with baby steps.

William A. Irvin 5K

1. Carrie Tollefson F 33 St Paul MN 18:24.5
2. Erin Ward F 35 St Paul MN 18:24.8
3. Kathleen Monaghan F 42 Duluth MN 18:26.3
4. Michelle Oman F 36 Mankato MN 18:46.7

This Day in Villanova T&F History: June 14, 1956

June 14, 1956: Villanova’s Ron Delany, the 1956 Olympic 1500-meter champion, closed out his brilliant collegiate career by winning the mile and 880y at the NCAA Championships in Berkeley, California. Up first was the mile, with Cal’s Don Bowden, the American Record holder, setting a fast pace in an attempt to blunt Delany’s feared kick. Delany, mindful that he still had the 1/2-mile coming up, was content to stay near the rear of the chase pack. Bowden couldn’t maintain his quick tempo, allowing Delany to gradually move up and the Irishman went on to win his 3rd NCAA outdoor title in a row (1500 in 1956). Bowden faded to 4th, while Oregon’s Jim Grelle, a future American Record holder and the 1959 NCAA champion, finished 2nd to Delany for the 2nd year in a row. Delany was at his exciting best in the 880y, coming from more than a second back with a 1/2-lap to go to easily pass Manhattan’s Tom Murphy to finish off his memorable double win. Delany’s winning times of 4:03.5 and 1:48.6 made it the fastest 1-day double in history.

Adrian Blincoe Named to New Zealand Commonwealth Games Team

New Zealand national record holder at 5000 meters (13:10.19) and a 2008 Olympian, Adrian Blincoe has been named to the 2010 Kiwi Commonwealth Games team. Blincoe was an NCAA champion at 3000 meters and anchored two NCAA DMR champion teams while at Villanova, where he was a 7-time All-American. He currently serves as an assistant coach under Marcus O'Sullivan. Here is the New Zealand team that will compete at the Games in Delhi, India.

The team named today is:

Valerie Vili Shot Put (Auckland)
Nick Willis 1500m (Ann Arbor, MI, USA)
Adrian Blincoe 5000m (Philadelphia, PA, USA)
Brent Newdick Decathlon (Auckland)
Nikki Hamblin 800m/1500m (Cambridge)
Andrea Miller 100mH (Gold Coast, Australia)
Beatrice Faumuina Discus (Auckland)
Elizabeth Lamb High Jump (Auckland)
Monique Williams 200m (Tokoroa)
Rebecca Wardell Heptathlon (Christchurch)
Stuart Farquhar Javelin (Hamilton)
Jessica Hamill F34 shotput (Invercargill)

Jen Rhines 10th at NYC Diamond League 5000

Pretty slow times for everyone, including Rhines, who has a 5000 PR of 14:54.49.

5000 Metres - Women
Pts
1 Dibaba , Tirunesh ETH 15:11.34 4
2 Ejigu , Sentayehu ETH 15:12.99 2
3 Utura , Sule ETH 15:16.61 1
4 Kipyego , Sally KEN 15:18.46
5 Yoder Begley , Amy USA 15:18.96
6 Metcalfe , Megan CAN 15:19.33
7 Korikwiang , Pauline Chemning KEN 15:23.82
8 Kiros , Aheza ETH 15:29.18
9 Davila , Desire USA 15:49.39
10 Rhines , Jennifer USA 16:01.77
11 Wellings , Eloise AUS 16:11.61
Metivier Baillie , Renee USA DNF
Muncan , Marina SRB DNF
Ejdys , Sylwia POL DNF

Sheila Reid 4th in NCAA 1500 Finals

Sheila Reid earned her 4th All-American certificate of the 2009-2010 season (cross country, 2 in indoor track, and 1 in outdoor track) by finishing 4th in the 1500 meters at the NCAA championships in Eugene, Oregon. The first five finishers all came within 1 second of each other. Reid scored the only points by a Villanova athlete at this year's national meet.

Full results are:

Event 25 Women 1500 Meter Run

===================================================
2 Heats. Advance top 5 from each heat plus next best 2 times
American: A 3:57.12 7/26/1983 Mary Slaney, Athletics West
College Best: C 3:59.90 6/7/2009 Jenny Barringer, Colorado
NCAA Meet: M 4:06.19 6/14/2008 Hannah England, Fla State
Hayward: S 3:59.19 1984 Mary Slaney, USA
Name Year School Finals Points
===================================================

Finals
1 Charlotte Browning SR Florida 4:15.84 10
2 Gabriele Anderson SR Minnesota 4:16.25 8
3 Jordan Hasay FR Oregon 4:16.43 6
4 Sheila Reid SO Villanova 4:16.66 5
5 Pilar McShine SR Florida State 4:16.72 4
6 Karly Hamric SR West Virginia 4:17.78 3
7 Lauren Bonds SR Kansas 4:18.06 2
8 Lucy Van Dalen JR Stony Brook-SUNY 4:18.42 1
9 Keri Bland JR West Virginia 4:19.98
10 Katie Follett SR Washington 4:20.19
11 Alex Kosinski JR Oregon 4:20.93
12 Brenda Martinez SR Riverside 4:25.60

Interview with Sheila Reid after Qualifying for 1500 Finals

Sheila Reid makes 1500 Finals; Dougherty and Mackenzie Out

Villanova junior Sheila Reid finished 5th today in heat 2 of the NCAA 1500 semi-final and thereby qualified for the NCAA final. In the same heat, Ellen Dougherty ran near or at the back of the race, and finished 12th. Here are the splits in heat 2:

Women 1500 Meter Run Heat 2 Splits

Place Athlete 300m 700m 1100m 1500m

1 Pilar McShine, Florida State 4:16.53 Q
300: 53.74 (3)
700: 2:06.62 (6)
1100: 3:14.63 (3)
1500: 4:16.53 (1)

2 Charlotte Browning, Florida 4:16.77 Q
300: 53.95 (6)
700: 2:06.82 (8)
1100: 3:15.03 (5)
1500: 4:16.77 (2)

3 Jordan Hasay, Oregon 4:17.90 Q
300: 54.46 (11)
700: 2:06.50 (3)
1100: 3:14.36 (1)
1500: 4:17.90 (3)

4 Brenda Martinez, Riverside Q
300: 53.94 (5)
1100: 2:06.73 (7)
1100: 3:15.12 (6)
1500: 4:18.17 (4)

5 Sheila Reid, Villanova 4:18.34 Q
300: 54.46 (12)
700: 2:06.93 (9)
1100: 3:14.97 (4)
1500: 4:18.34 (5)

6 Zoe Buckman, Oregon 4:19.02
300: 53.67 (2)
700: 2:06.42 (2)
1100: 3:14.53 (2)
1500: 4:19.02 (6)

7 Katrina Drennen, Montana 4:20.24
300: 54.02 (7)
700: 2:06.97 (10)
1100: 3:15.61 (9)
1500: 4:20.24 (7)

8 Heidi Gregson, Iona 4:22.89
300: 54.18 (8)
700: 2:06.58 (4)
1100: 3:15.78 (10)
1500: 4:22.89 (8)

9 Rachel Schneider, Georgetown 4:24.25
300: 53.79 (4)
700: 2:06.60 (5)
1100: 3:15.37 (8)
1500: 4:24.25 (9)

10 Lauren Hardesty, Iowa 4:26.01
300: 53.61 (1)
700: 2:06.41 (1)
1100: 3:15.24 (7)
1500: 4:26.01 (10)

11 Kate Van Buskirk, Duke 4:28.65
300: 54.18 (9)
700: 2:07.10 (12)
1100: 3:16.17 (11)
1500: 4:28.65 (11)

12 Ellen Dougherty, Villanova 4:31.68
300: 54.36 (10)
700: 2:07.05 (11)
1100: 3:16.94 (12)
1500: 4:31.68 (12)

On the men's side, Carl Mackenzie was the only Villanova athlete to make Nationals. In heat one of the 1500 semi-finals, Mackenzie DNF'd after trailing the pace on laps 2 and 3. Here are his splits and place:

DNF Carl MacKenzie, Villanova
300: 51.42 (5)
700: 1:52.08 (10)
1100: 2:49.84 (11)
1500: DNF

Curtis runs 13:18.97 in France for a New PR

Displaying the great level of fitness that produced a 27:33.38 over 10,000 meters on May 1 of this year, Bobby Curtis dropped another huge PR yesterday, this time over 5000 meters. Curtis ran a 13:18.97 to come 5th in a blanket finish in a race where the first seven finishers were all within one second of each other.

Montreuil-sous-Bois FRA 8 June

Men's 5000 meters

1 Belete Assefa ETH 3.3.91 13:18.40 PB
2 Debebe Woldesenbet ETH 13:18.80 PB
3 Paul Kemboi KEN .91 13:18.88
4 Gebretsadik Abraha ETH 16.7.92 13:18.93 PB
5 Bobby Curtis USA 28.11.84 13:18.97 PB
6 Fikre Assefa ETH 13:19.07 PB
7 Alex Korir KEN 22.9.82 13:19.30 PB
8 Markos Geneti ETH 30.5.84 13:21.99 SB
9 Hosea Macharinyang KEN 12.6.86 13:22.43 SB
10 Essa Ismail Rashed QAT 14.12.86 13:24.86
11 Philemon Limo KEN .85 13:37.54 PB
12 Dino Sefer ETH 28.5.88 13:40.61 SB
13 Yohan Durand FRA 14.5.85 13:40.72 SB
14 Bernard Koech KEN 13:41.34 PB
15 Goitom Kifle ERI 3.12.93 13:45.02 PB
-- Ben St. Lawrence AUS 7.11.81 DNF

Andrews' 1:45.54 Demotes Tufariello & Others

The University of Virginia's Robby Andrews (who came close to running for Villanova, but opted for Charlottesville) ran the third fastest 800 meters time of any American junior in history. In so doing, he bumped down a peg some great Villanova half-milers: Tufariello, Belger, and Marshall. Here is the list:


ALL-TIME U.S. JUNIOR LIST--MEN’S 800

1:44.3h’ Jim Ryun Kansas 1966
1:45.34 Jose Parrilla Tennessee 1991
1:45.54 Robbie Andrews Virginia 2010
1:46.42 Anthony Tufariello Villanova 1978
1:46.45 Michael Granville Cal. H.S. 1996
1:46.5h Mark Winzenreid Wisconsin 1968
1:46.58 George Kersh Miss. H.S. 1987
1:46.67 David Mack Oregon 1980
1:46.99 Gabe Jennings Stanford 1998
1:47.0h’ Bob Smith LSU 1972
1:47.0h Jason Van Swol Illinois 1999
1:47.1h# Keith Colburn Harvard 1967
1:47.1h Mark Belger Villanova 1975
1:47.14 John Marshall Villanova 1982

h-hand time, ‘-880y-.6s, #-en route to 880y.

Recruiting Update: Ireland's Ciara Mageean

This from The Independent of Ireland:

Mageean bows out in style on day of records
By Cliona Foley
Monday June 07 2010

TWO thrilling distance talents and a charismatic sprinter who hopes to become Ireland's Usain Bolt stole the limelight at an action-packed Woodies DIY Irish Schools Athletics Championships.

Rising Co Down star Ciara Mageean (Assumption Ballynahinch), who took 800m silver at the World Youth Championships last year, certainly didn't disappoint on her schools swansong.

The defending 800m/1500m champion knocked 11 seconds off Sinead Delahunty's senior 1500m record, coming home 30 seconds clear of the field in 4:19.00, just 48 hours before sitting her first A-level.

Mageean still hasn't decided what she's doing next year but said she is "seriously contemplating taking a gap year", especially as she's racing in the World Junior Championships this summer and also hopes to run in the Commonwealth Games in October.

Shericka Ward's 110H NCAA Start List

Event 29 Women 100 Meter Hurdles
========================================================
3 Heats. Advance top 2 from each heat plus next best 2 to final
Name Year School Seed
========================================================

Heat 1 Prelims
1 Tori Smith SR Texas Tech 13.33
2 Jasmine Chaney JR Az State 13.26
3 Latoya Greaves JR Oklahoma 13.12
4 Kristi Castlin SR VA Tech 12.83
5 Gabby Mayo JR Texas A&M 12.81
6 Vanneish Ivy SR North Carolina 13.08
7 Jackie Coward SO C. Florida 13.11
8 Christina Manning SO Ohio State 13.20

Heat 2 Prelims
1 Falesha Ankton SR Washington 13.37
2 Alysha Adams JR North Texas 13.31
3 Lindsay Rowe JR UCLA 13.26
4 Tamika Robinson JR Illinois 13.25
5 Queen Quedith Harrison SR VA Tech 12.69
6 Aleesha Barber SR Penn St. 12.85
7 Letecia Wright JR Ohio State 13.05
8 Shericka Ward SO Villanova 13.12

Heat 3 Prelims
1 Brittany Hyter SO Arkansas 13.36
2 Larissa Matthews FR TCU 13.26
3 Vashti Thomas SO Texas A&M 13.21
4 Shalina Clarke SR USC 13.09
5 Ti'erra Brown JR Miami 12.76
6 Kimberley Laing JR Alabama 12.92
7 Michaylin Golladay SR Clemson 13.07
8 Landria Buckley SR Howard 13.20

Marino & Mimic 5000 Meter NCAA Start List

Event 27 Women 5000 Meter Run

==========================================================
Final only. Random draw. Double waterfall. 2/3 on main
Name Year School Seed
==========================================================

Section 1 Timed Finals
1 Risper Kimaiyo SO UTEP 16:37.46
2 Brianna Felnagle SR North Carolina 16:16.06
3 Kathy Kroeger FR Stanford 16:39.80
4 Amanda Marino JR Villanova 16:19.30
5 Semehar Tesfaye SO Iowa St. 16:42.27
6 Caroline McDonough FR Columbia 16:27.66
7 Juliet Bottorff FR Duke 16:29.87
8 Holly Van Dalen SO Stony Brook 16:25.55
9 Angela Bizzarri SR Illinois 16:33.81
10 Deborah Maier SO California 16:37.95
11 Emily MacLeod JR Michigan St. 16:14.52
12 Claire Richardson JR Harvard 16:31.83
13 Jessica Engel SO Oklahoma 16:38.96
14 Paula Whiting JR Tulsa 16:41.15
15 Mia Behm SO Texas 16:35.96
16 Amanda Goetschius SO Charlotte 16:19.26
17 Marie Louise Asselin JR West Virginia 16:20.43
18 Alex Banfich SO Princeton 16:16.14
19 Jackie Areson SR Tennessee 16:27.36
20 Beverly Ramos SR Kansas St. 16:37.46
21 Lisa Koll SR Iowa St. 16:28.58
22 Alex Kosinski JR Oregon 16:34.95
23 Bogdana Mimic FR Villanova 16:24.43
24 Nicole Blood SR Oregon 16:38.80

Reid & Dougherty 1500 Meter NCAA Start List

Event 25 Women 1500 Meter Run

==========================================================
2 Heats. Advance top 5 from each heat plus next best 2 times
Name Year School Seed
==========================================================

Heat 1 Prelims
1 Betsy Flood SO Iowa 4:20.20
2 Gabriele Anderson SR Minnesota 4:16.22
3 Keri Bland JR West Virginia 4:18.92
4 Lauren Bonds SR Kansas 4:15.98
5 Nikki Swenson JR Minnesota 4:20.89
6 Karly Hamric SR West Virginia 4:18.98
7 Alex Kosinski JR Oregon 4:19.99
8 Brittany Sheffey SO Tennessee 4:18.74
9 Ashley Verplank SO North Carolina 4:18.79
10 Mihaela Susa JR Okla St. 4:16.60
11 Lucy Van Dalen JR Stony Brook 4:18.89
12 Katie Follett SR Washington 4:19.36

Heat 2 Prelims
1 Rachel Schneider FR Georgetown 4:19.16
2 Lauren Hardesty JR Iowa 4:20.40
3 Zoe Buckman SR Oregon 4:18.93
4 Katrina Drennen SO Montana 4:19.36
5 Charlotte Browning SR Florida 4:18.46
6 Jordan Hasay FR Oregon 4:19.95
7 Brenda Martinez SR Riverside 4:18.20
8 Heidi Gregson SO Iona 4:19.14
9 Ellen Dougherty SR Villanova 4:19.87
10 Kate Van Buskirk JR Duke 4:19.23
11 Sheila Reid SO Villanova 4:17.68
12 Pilar McShine SR Fla State 4:18.19

Mackenzie's 1500 Meter NCAA Start List

Event 5 Men's 1500 Meter Run

========================================
2 Heats. Advance top 5 from each heat plus next best 2 times
Name Year School Seed
========================================

Heat 1 Prelims
1 Kyle Merber SO Columbia 3:50.99
2 Andrew Wheating SR Oregon 3:37.52
3 Lee Emanuel SR New Mexico 3:38.81
4 Trevor Van Ackeren SO Princeton 3:51.91
5 Brandon Rooney SR Iowa St. 3:40.62
6 Carl MacKenzie JR Villanova 3:45.37
7 Mark Matusak SR California 3:39.59
8 David Forrester FR Fla State 3:51.70
9 Julian Matthews SO Providence 3:51.44
10 Jack Bolas SR Wisconsin 3:38.47
11 Jason Bigelow SR Oakland 3:51.72
12 Ben Blankenship JR Minnesota 3:39.77


Heat 2 Prelims
1 Riley Masters SO Maine 3:43.27
2 Felix Kiboiywo SR Auburn 3:44.07
3 Abdi Hassan SO Arizona 3:46.76
4 Jeff See SR Ohio State 3:43.14
5 Dylan Ferris SO Stanford 3:46.76
6 Cory Nanni JR Duke 3:43.52
7 Josh McAlary FR Michigan St. 3:43.87
8 Matthew Centrowitz SO Oregon 3:46.09
9 Craig Miller SR Wisconsin 3:46.32
10 A.J. Acosta JR Oregon 3:46.27
11 Francis Kasagule SR Lamar 3:40.89
12 Daniel Clark SR Notre Dame 3:43.08

Happy 60th Birthday, John Hartnett

It's Mike Keogh, John Hartnett & Donnie Walsh at IC4A XC

 

 

One of the key members of Jumbo Elliott's Irish Pipeline, John Hartnett turns 60 years old today. He is shown above leading the 1971 IC4A cross country meet, with Donal Walsh to his left and Marty Liquori a step or two behind. Hartnett broke 4:00 for mile on May 12. 1973 (3:58.3) and had a fine mile PR of 3:54.7. He was the Penn Relays Most Outstanding Performer in 1973. Hartnett had a 3-mile PR of 13:06.4 (#2 on Villanova's all-time list behind Sydney Maree) and a 5000 meter PR of 13:43.4.

Here is Villanova's official announcement of his induction to the Penn Relays Hall of Fame:

April 19, 2001

On Monday, April 16, The Penn Relay Carnival announced the 2001 Penn Relays Wall of Fame Inductees. This year, four individuals and four relay teams will be enshrined in the Wall of Fame at the 107th running of the Penn Relays. The Relays will take place from April 26-28 at historic Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

Former Villanova University track & field standout John Hartnett will be one of the four individuals who will be inducted into the Wall of Fame. Hartnett, a 1974 Villanova graduate, was the Outstanding College Athlete of the 1973 Penn Relays when he ran a leg on three championship relay teams including the two mile relay, four mile relay and the DMR. During his three-year Relay career, Hartnett's team won the DMR all three times with Hartnett running the anchor leg each year. In 1974, he ran the anchor leg on the Four Mile Relay and DMR teams that both set Penn Relay Carnival records.

Joining Hartnett in this induction class are Meyer Prinstein (Syracuse, 1904), Inez Turner (Vere Tech-Hayes, Jamaica 1991, Southwest Texas State 1995) and John Thomas (Boston University, 1960). The relay teams being inducted include the 1921 Washington (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) High School mile relay, the 1939 University of Pittsburgh mile relay, the 1988 Texas Christian 4x200 meter relay and the 1991 Louisiana State women's shuttle hurdle relay.

With the addition of this year's class, there are now 47 individuals and 37 relay teams that are in the Penn Relay Wall of Fame

Carl Mackenzie Interview Post NCAA East Round 1 | NZRUN

Click Here: Carl Mackenzie Interview: Post NCAA East Round 1 | NZRUN

June 3, 1978: This Day in Villanova T&F

At the NCAA outdoor meet the 1500 meter final was a star-studded affair. Two Villanova greats competed against a packed field. Here is the top six finishers in the finals:

1. Steve Scott (Cal-Irvine) 3:37.6
(Future American record holder in the mile: 3:47.69 and 136 sub-4:00 miles)
2. Ray Flynn (East Tennessee State) 3:37.7
(Future and current Irish record holder in the mile, 3:49)
3. Steve Lacy (Wisconsin) 3:37.8
(1984 Olymopian at 5000 meters and 3:53 miler)
4. Don Paige (Villanova) 3:38.9
(Ranked #1 in the world in the 800 meters in 1980)
5. Sydney Maree (Villanova) 3:39.1
(Future World Record holder in the 1500 meters and 13:01 5000 meter man)
6. Matt Centrowitz (Oregon) 3:39.3
(2x Olympian at 5000 meters and Pan Am Games Gold Medalist)

June 2, 1979: The Don Paige NCAA Double

On this day in Villanova T&F history, Don Paige won the famed 800 / 1500 double at the NCAA championships. There were plenty of stars on view at the NCAA Championships in Champaign, Illinois, but none shone brighter than Villanova junior Don Paige, who on June 2 won the 1500 meters in 3:39.20 over Baylor soph Todd Harbour(3:39.27), then completed an historic double some 35 minutes later by winning the 800 in 1:46.20. Paige won 6 national titles in his Villanova career, and went on to a world #1 ranking in the 800 meters in 1980 (ahead of both Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett). His chance at Olympic glory in 1980 was derailed by the USA olympic boycott.

Also on this date in 1984, Marcus O'Sullivan ran a 3:37.40 in the NCAA 1500 meter finals, coming second to Joaquim Cruz. Cruz led Oregon to the men's team title by winning his 2nd NCAA 800 (June 1) in 1:45.10 over Eastern Michigan's Earl Jones (1:45.79), then coming back the following day to win the 1500 in 3:36.48 over Villanova's Marcus O'Sullivan (3:37.40).

Curtis goes 3:42.60 in Germany

On May 28th, Bobby Curtis competed in a 1500 meter event in Desau, Germany. Curtis is a 5000 meter guy, and with his excellent 10,000 meter PR earlier this year, this 1500 is probably a speed work exercise. Still, the 3:42.80 is his best this outdoor season.

1500 meters

1 Nicholas Kemboi KEN 18.12.89 3:38.29
2 Collis Birmingham AUS 27.12.84 3:38.63
3 Mateusz Demczyszak POL 18.1.86 3:38.87
4 Carsten Schlangen GER 31.12.80 3:39.53
5 Christoph Lohse GER 26.11.83 3:39.85
6 Bartosz Nowicki POL 26.2.84 3:40.07
7 Clement Langat KEN 18.12.91 3:40.90
8 Niclas Sandells FIN 14.3.84 3:41.01
9 Arne Gabius GER 22.3.81 3:41.54
10 Jackson Kivuna KEN 11.8.88 3:41.63
11 Bobby Curtis USA 28.11.84 3:42.60
12 Arthur Lenz GER 8.7.88 3:42.70
13 Sebastian Keiner GER 22.8.89 3:43.01
14 Jonas Hamm FIN 2.5.80 3:43.96
15 Sven Praetorius GER .85 3:48.62
16 Krystian Zalewski POL 11.4.89 3:49.99
17 Antoine Certente FRA .86 3:50.38
Zakaria Maazouzi MAR 15.6.85 DNF
Florian Pehrs GER .89 DNF

54 Years Ago Today -- June 1, 1956

June 1, 1956 -- Villanova sophomore Ron Delany ran 3:59.0 at the Compton Invitational in California to become the first Irishman to break four minutes for the mile. Delany, using his “awkward rock-and-roll kick” (as Cordner Nelson wrote in Track and Field News at the time), came from behind in the stretch to edge by Gunnar Nielsen of Denmark (3:59.1), the World Indoor record holder at the time. Delany, who went on to the gold medal in the 1500-meters at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, would break Nielsen’s world mark two years later. Finishing 3rd was former Villanova star Fred Dwyer, whose time of 4:00.8 missed Wes Santee’s American Record by .3s. Delany’s effort came at a high price, as explained by Ian O’Riordan in his A History of Ireland’s Greatest Milers: "If the physical cost in Delany's effort appears minimal, there was a financial one. He'd arrived in Compton needing a new pair of running spikes and figured he could soften the local shoe salesman into loaning him a pair. But the man wanted $13 and the best Delany could do was to agree on $10. 'I'd also been told that these adidas shoes were the only ones to wear. Back then, of course, everything was so strictly amateur that I could never have accepted a pair of shoes. I thought I might get away with borrowing them. Marketing meant nothing back then either and it was absolutely no use to the salesman to say someone had run the four-minute mile in a pair of his shoes. So I had to give him those $10, all the money I had. Once word got back to Ireland that I'd run under four minutes various newspapers were on to me, and, of course, I mentioned the shoes. And they all loved that. Most of the headlines said my four-minute mile had cost me my last $10'."


Exactly one year later, on June 1, 1957 Delany, then a junior, won IC4A titles at NY’s Randall’s Island in the 880y (1:49.5, over Tom Murphy-1:49.8) and mile (4:08.4). At the time, it was the fastest 1-day double in track history.

You can read the full history of Irish miling (highlighting such Villanova aces as Eamonn Coghlan, Marcus O'Sullivan, and others, at http://www.athleticsireland.ie/news/irelandsmilers.htm -- click this post's title to be sent to this page.