Steve Curley 5th at Gasparilla 15K

Steve Curley enjoyed another successful February day at the Gasparilla Distance Classic in Florida. Last year Curley won the Gasparilla Half-Marathon in a 1:11:47 course record. Saturday, competing in the 15K, he came home 5th in 48:23. Here are the top finishers from the race.

15K MALES

1. Jeremy Criscione, 46:22 (2008 XC All-American at University of Florida)
2. Andrew Letherby, 47:05 (1:03 half-marathoner from Australia)
3. Richmond Austin, 47:19 (2010 Gasparilla 15K winner)
4. Ryan Ripley, 48:10 (former Oklahoma State distance runner)
5. Steve Curley, 48:23
6. Paul Nielsen, 48:43 (ex University of Central Florida; 3rd at 2011 Disney Marathon)
7 Elias Gonzalez, 49:26 (former University of Tampa distance runner)
8. Lee Stephens, 49:45
9. Joshua Sanchez, 49:54
10. Scott Mackley, 50:16
11. Christopher Hough, 50:22
12. Hank Campbell, 50:39
13. Matt Deleon, 50:44
14. Kyle Meyers, 51:05
15. Anthony Calingo, 51:19
16. Joshua Prevatt, 51:22
17. Tony Nicolosi, 51:31
18. Merrill Hausenfluck, 51:33
19. Oscar Orozco, 51:39
20. Ricardo Lomas, 52:15
21. Brandon Dahlem, 52:35
22. Jon Babcock, 52:38
23. Sean Gallagher, 52:44
24. Daniel Conn, 52:48
25. Andrew Chandler, 53:11

Koons 7th at USATF Indoor Champs Mile

Frances Koons ran well off her mile PR of 4:31.5 today at the USA Track and Field Indoor Championships in Albuquerque.

1 Jenny Simpson New Balance 4:34.96
2 Heidi Dahl New Balance 4:36.35
3 Gabriele Anderson TmUSA Mn/Brooks 4:36.64
4 Sara Hall Asics 4:38.47
5 Lauren Bonds adidas Raleigh Track Club 4:41.59
6 Karly Hamric RIADHA 4:44.06
7 Frances Koons New Balance 4:50.59
8 Annick Lamar NYAC 4:51.87
9 Lesley Higgins Brooks/NYAC 4:55.28
10 Dana Mecke unattached 4:56.47
11 Catherine Beck Central Park TC 4:58.06
12 Mason Cathey unattached 5:03.18
DNS Sara Vaughn adidas
DNS Heather Kampf TmUSA Mn/Asics

Make that "Stephanie Makes FOUR"

Stephanie Schappert's (Boca Raton, FL) recent signing with Villanova was dubbed in this blog "Stephanie Makes Three" -- referring to her All-American sister Nicole and her All-American father Ken who preceded her on the track at Villanova. The truth is that Stephanie will make the fourth in the family to compete at a high level for Villanova athletics. Her mother Jane (nee Ackerman), shown above at Stephanie's letter-of-intent signing ceremony earlier in February, competed for Villanova in the late 1970s and was the first Villanova women to earn All-American honors. As a high school All-American swimmer at Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, Florida, Jane Ackerman was named to the 1973 Girls High School All American team for her prowess in the 100 yard breaststroke; in that year she had the second fastest time in the United States. She won three straight Florida state championships in the 100 breaststroke in 1971, 1972, and 1973.

Koons to Compete in USA Indoor Mile

The USATF indoor championships will be help this weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Frances Koons will compete in the mile. The women's mile is scheduled for Sunday at 3:20 mountain (5:30 eastern) time. Here is the declared list for the event.

Women's Mile Qual. Mark Entry Declaration

Sara Hall Asics 4:15.35* qualified declared
Heidi Dahl New Balance 4:16.99* qualified declared
Sara Vaughn adidas 4:20.52* qualified declared
Lesley Higgins NYAC 4:20.72* qualified declared
Dana Mecke unattached 4:22.67* qualified declared
Catherine Beck New Balance 4:25.00* qualified declared
Jennifer Barringer New Balance 4:28.60 qualified declared
Frances Koons New Balance 4:31.53 qualified declared
Lauren Bonds Adidas Raleigh Track Club 4:34.65 qualified declared
Gabriele Anderson Brooks / Team USA Minnesota 4:35.17 qualified declared
Karly Hamric RIADHA 4:37.55 qualified declared
Heather Kampf Asics / Team USA Minnesota 4:37.76* qualified declared
Annick Lamar New York Athletic Club (NYAC) 4:40.92 qualified declared
Mason Cathey unattached 4:42.36 qualified declared
Asher Kyger unattached 4:47.94 not qualified pending
Lauren Johnson unattached 4:33.64 qualified scratched
Brenda Martinez New Balance 4:45.12 qualified scratched
Victoria Martinez unattached 4:46.02 qualified scratched
Elizabeth Maloy New Balance NT* not qualified scratched

Corcoran 2nd at Irish Indoor Champs 3000

Former Villanovan Richie Corcoran came second in the 3000 meters at the Irish Indoor championships last weekend in Dublin, running 8:08.96. Corcoran had recently set a new 3000 meter indoor PR on February 13th at the UK Indoor Championships, where he finished 8th in 8:08.54. In the Dublin meet John Coghlan, the son of Villanova legend Eamonn Coghlan, competed in the heats but DNF'd. Here are the results:

Senior Men's 3000 Meter Finals

1 289 Mulhare, Dan North Laois A.C. 8.05.26
2 292 Corcoran, Richard Raheny Shamrock A.C. 8.08.96
3 293 Fitzpatrick, Tomas Tallaght A.C. 8.10.91
4 367 Travers, John Donore Harriers A.C. 8.13.53
5 343 Hanrahan, Mark Leevale A.C. 8.14.79
6 284 Bradley, Conor City of Derry 8.16.13
7 281 Mc Ginley, Eddie Annadale Striders A.C. 8.18.27
8 61 Bermingham, Daire Raheny Shamrock A.C. 8.27.32
9 320 Sanchez, Alberto Sligo A.C. 8.28.79
10 54 Casey, Tommy Sligo A.C. 8.32.39

Liquori Enshrined in Van Cortlandt Park Hall of Fame

Villanova's legendary Marty Liquori was recently inducted into the inaugural 3-person class of the Van Cortlandt Park Hall of Fame (along with Alberto Salazar and Matt Centrowitz). Here is the story from the New York Times

For Generations of Runners, the Ultimate Test
By DAVID GONZALEZ

The snow blanketing the Parade Grounds at Van Cortlandt Park lends the landscape a tone of pastoral tranquility, even if generations of schoolboy runners know better. To them, the scene is more like a battlefield temporarily stilled by nature.

The park’s cross-country course is legendary — a grueling stretch of wide flats and twisting trails that has tested up-and-coming high school and college runners for nearly a century.

“Van Cortlandt was the ultimate,” said Matt Centrowitz, an Olympian who began as a standout at his Manhattan high school in the early 1970s. “Kids would come from Massachusetts and Maryland. The point was, if you were a star in any state, you came to Vannie like a gunslinger. Guys came ready for war.”

On Friday, Mr. Centrowitz, who is now the head cross-country and track coach at American University, will become an inaugural member of the park’s new Cross Country Hall of Fame, along with the longtime sports commentator Marty Liquori and the three-time New York City Marathon winner Alberto Salazar. They will be inducted at a ceremony during the Millrose Games track meet at Madison Square Garden.

All three are Olympians and American record holders at 5,000 meters. And all got their earliest taste of hard-earned victory along Van Cortlandt’s rugged 2.5-mile high school course. The route started with a mad dash across the flats, then a jostle for position along a narrow cow path, looping through treacherous back hills and on to the final straightaway.

Although greater fame would await the three runners, Vannie’s thrill was unique.

“The excitement of going to Van Cortlandt, I don’t know if there is anything else to equal that,” said Mr. Liquori, 61, who went from setting course records while at Essex Catholic High School in Newark to a storied career at Villanova University and a rivalry with Jim Ryun.

“Even if you got to the Olympics, you developed the routine for handling stress at Van Cortlandt when you get off the bus and saw 10,000 kids there. You’re 15 years old, without a whole lot of belief in yourself thinking you’re going to be the 10,000th kid running that day. It was nerve-racking.”

Gene McCarthy, a member of the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy, was hoping to recapture some of that excitement when he came up with the idea for the Hall of Fame. He had been a champion runner in the Bronx, at All Hallows High School and Fordham University. He recalls an era when quirky rebels dominated the sport, before it lost its edge to recreational road racers and strictly-business professionals.

“New York City has such a great running heritage,” he said. “We wanted to remind people where it came from.”

Not that Mr. Centrowitz needed any reminders of where his career started. He lived about a mile south of the park on Broadway, and attended Power Memorial Academy, a Catholic boys’ school near Lincoln Center that closed in 1984. Summers and weekends were spent in Van Cortlandt, running with his high school rivals and college heroes.

The course was a tough slog then, studded with roots and rocks. The start of a race unleashed a fury, with hundreds of runners swarming over the flats like a teenage production of “Lawrence of Arabia.”

“Vannie made city kids tougher,” said Mr. Centrowitz, who skill at running the 1500 meters earned him a spot on the American team in the 1976 and 1980 Olympics. “The rocks, the hills, the wind always in your face at the end.”

Mr. Liquori counts the course as among the most challenging anywhere, saying it set a standard for young runners hoping to be noticed by college scouts.

“It was the yardstick everybody on the East Coast could be judged by,” he said. “Unfortunately, if you were a kid who only ran it once in your junior or senior year, it was like only getting to take the SAT once. For some of us, there was a lot of pressure because this was where and how you got your college scholarships.”

In recent years, the conservancy and the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation have improved the course and nearby facilities. The course may not be as challenging as before, but it is still tougher than the suburban courses that now dominate the sport because coaches fear injuries to runners.

“I’ve seen championships held on gently rolling golf courses,” said Adrian Benepe, the city’s parks commissioner. “That’s not cross-country. It’s not cross-country until you’ve charged across that parade ground and into the hills.”

The sport’s boosters hope that this week’s Hall of Fame induction will help spur greater interest and support for cross-country, especially since the city now offers refurbished track-and-field sites like the Washington Heights Armory and Icahn Stadium, and will soon have an eight-lane indoor track on Staten Island.

There are already tens of thousands of runners, perhaps with gray hair and stiff knees, who trace their success in school and work to the rough-and-tumble discipline they learned pounding the hills at Vannie.

“That park made me,” said Mr. Centrowitz, who will turn 56 on Friday. “We caught the tail end of that great era for New York City, where kids learned to work hard, where blue-collar kids just mixed it up.”

Villanova Men & Women Take 3rd in Big East Team Battle

The Villanova men's and women's teams each finished third at the 2011 Big East Indoor meet. It was the highest team placing for the men's squad in 9 years. The men were led by Big East champions Hugo Beamish (5000 meters), Mathew Mildenhall (3000 meters) and runner up placings by Matt Gibney (mile), Carlton Bowers (400 meters), Robert Sainvil (triple jump), the 4x400 relay, and the 4x800 relay. On the women's side, Sheila Reid defended her 1000 meter conference title, and anchored both the Distance Medley and 4 x 800 relay championship relays. Emily Lipari (mile), Shericka Ward (60 meter hurdles), and Christie Verdier (400 meters) were each conference runners-up.

Women’s Final Team Scores
1. Louisville, 110
2. Connecticut, 108.5
3. Villanova, 86
4. Georgetown, 80
5. West Virginia, 66
6. Cincinnati, 58
6. USF, 58
8. Notre Dame, 56
9. Pittsburgh, 48
10. St, John’s, 38
11. Syracuse, 36
12. Providence, 19
13. DePaul, 11
14. Marquette, 5.5

Men’s Final Team Scores
1. Connecticut, 136.75
2. Notre Dame, 132
3. Villanova, 92
4. Louisville, 87
5. USF, 63.75
6. Georgetown, 55
7. Pittsburgh, 47
8. Rutgers, 45
9. Syracuse, 44
10. Providence, 32
11. DePaul, 29
12. Marquette, 15.5

VU Women Win Tight 4x8 as Reid wins 3rd Conference Title -- Men Settle for Second

Sheila Reid anchored the Villanova women's 4 x 800 meters relay team to a very tight victory today at the Big East indoor championships. The race came down to a sprint finish between Villanova's Sheila Reid and Connecticut's Heather Wilson. Reid was able to prevail, but by the razor margin of 6/100ths of a second. It was Reid's third conference title of the weekend (1000 meters, DMR, and 4 x 800). Villanova's time set a new facility record

Finals

1 VILLANOVA 8:42.88 10
1) Browne, Shannon SO 2) Lipari, Emily FR
3) Neutts, Ariann SO 4) Reid, Sheila SR

2 CONNECTICUT 8:42.94 8
1) Andrianos, Leah SR 2) Crean, Rosemary JR
3) Mania, Brigitte SO 4) Wilson, Heather JR

3 GEORGETOWN 8:48.81 6
1) Borduin, Lauren JR 2) Schneider, Rachel SO
3) Dasilva, Shanique FR 4) Cox, Chelsea FR

4 NOTRE DAME 8:59.71 5
1) Higgins, Abby SR 2) Schulz, McKinzie FR
3) Langhans, Kelly SR 4) Tracy, Rebecca SO

5 ST. JOHN'S 9:03.67 4
1) Sudbury, Sarah SR 2) Piard, Kim SR
3) Cocozza, Nicole JR 4) Duffy, Michelle SO

6 SYRACUSE 9:10.07 3
1) McCarter, Elizabeth SR 2) Riley, Michelle FR
3) Busby, Natalie JR 4) DeSarle, Catherine SR

7 CINCINNATI 9:12.30 2
1) Hanzal, Rachel SR 2) Heaton, Jenna JR
3) Good, Kaitlyn FR 4) Klump, Kathy JR

8 PITTSBURGH 9:16.74 1
1) Piper, Korinne SO 2) Johnson, Miya JR
3) Feinstein, Susannah FR 4) Martinez, Susan JR

9 RUTGERS 9:18.05
1) Pontecorvo, Victoria SO 2) Krausser, Stephanie SO
3) Bertulis, Lindsay SO 4) Deckert, Ashley FR

10 MARQUETTE 9:22.26
1) Ball, Sarah FR 2) Kelly, Courtney JR
3) Windt, Carly JR 4) Magliola, Grace FR

On the men's side, Notre Dame set a meet record to handle Villanova, who came second, some three seconds in arrears..

Finals

1 NOTRE DAME 7:25.31 10
1) Labus, Kevin SR 2) Shawel, Johnathan JR
3) Rae, Jeremy SO 4) Howard, Jack SR

2 VILLANOVA 7:28.28 8
1) Tetreault, Brian SR 2) Apwah, Jason SR
3) McEntee, Sam FR 4) Gibney, Matthew SR

3 PITTSBURGH 7:31.02 6
1) Negley, Samuel FR 2) Cowsette, Dontave JR
3) Washington, Wesley SO 4) Hatch, Ben JR

4 PROVIDENCE 7:34.07 5
1) Hernandez, Francis FR 2) McCarthy, David JR
3) Wallace, Alex SO 4) Matthews, Julian JR

5 LOUISVILLE 7:34.54 4
1) Warren, Sirron FR 2) Shepard, Howard SO
3) Lovelace, Luke SO 4) Wolfe, Chris SR

6 GEORGETOWN 7:34.56 3
1) Leyh, Dan SR 2) Sorensen, Dylan FR
3) Hencke, Brian SO 4) Ledder, Billy FR

7 CONNECTICUT 7:39.91 2
1) Johnson, Scott JR 2) DeSalvo, Paul FR
3) Bennatan, Alex SO 4) Bennatan, Tim SO

8 RUTGERS 7:40.06 1
1) Cronin, Kevin JR 2) Richburg, Curtis FR
3) Purcell, Karon FR 4) Karlsson, John SR

9 SYRACUSE 7:41.47
1) Manning-Smith, Greg JR 2) Nelson, Andrew SO
3) Saviet, Nat SR 4) Bubniak, Joseph FR

10 MARQUETTE 7:50.04
1) Bolgert, Peter JR 2) Schlottke, Billy JR
3) Ross, Evan SO 4) Winter, Kyle SO

Women's DMR Crushes Big East Foes

The Villanova quartet of Emily Lipari (1200 meters), Ashley Dunbar (400 meters), Sheila Reid (800 meters) and Bogdana Mimic (1600 meters) won the conference championships title on Saturday in style, taking the race by over 5 seconds. Georgetown was second. Villanova's time broke the facility record by some 15 seconds, but did not match the 11:11.00 meet record set last year by the Villanova DMR team of Mimic-to-McDonald-to-Neutts-to-Schappert. It was Villanova's first DMR effort of the year for 2011.

Finals

1 VILLANOVA 11:16.72 10
1) Lipari, Emily FR 2) Dunbar, Ashley JR
3) Reid, Sheila SR 4) Mimic, Bogdana SO

2 GEORGETOWN 11:21.82 8
1) Schneider, Rachel SO 2) Menges, Emily FR
3) Borduin, Lauren JR 4) McCafferty, Katie SO

3 WEST VIRGINIA 11:27.06 6
1) Bland, Keri SR 2) Carrier, Chelsea SR
3) Christopher, Kaylyn JR 4) O'Connell, Jessica JR

4 NOTRE DAME 11:37.80 5
1) Tracy, Rebecca SO 2) Brown, Michelle FR
3) Langhans, Kelly SR 4) Ryan, Meg FR

5 SYRACUSE 11:44.54 4
1) McCarter, Elizabeth SR 2) McCarthy, Kelly Anne SO
3) Riley, Michelle FR 4) Penney, Lauren SO

6 PROVIDENCE 11:46.94 3
1) FfrenchO'Carroll, Charlotte SO 2) Wolf, Julie SR
3) Isabelle, Laura FR 4) Davidson, Hannah SO

7 CONNECTICUT 11:49.15 2
1) Hunter, Cassondra FR 2) Hepburn, Coleen SR
3) Crean, Rosemary JR 4) Dinnan, Courtney JR

8 CINCINNATI 11:56.65 1
1) Heaton, Jenna JR 2) Rhodes, Aricka JR
3) Klump, Kathy JR 4) McKenney, Michele SR

9 MARQUETTE 12:03.32
1) Ball, Sarah FR 2) Zahn, Jenny JR
3) Magliola, Grace FR 4) Weber, Anna SR

10 ST. JOHN'S 12:06.76
1) Sudbury, Sarah SR 2) Cousins, Rene SR
3) Piard, Kim SR 4) Cocozza, Nicole JR

11 RUTGERS 12:13.05
1) Pontecorvo, Victoria SO 2) Leeke, Rachel FR
3) Krausser, Stephanie SO 4) Deming, Brianna FR

12 PITTSBURGH 12:17.76
1) Feinstein, Susannah FR 2) Fonrose, Arielle SO
3) Johnson, Miya JR 4) Wilson, Elesia FR

Mildenhall Takes Big East 3000 Title

Mathew Mildenhall captured the 3000 meter championship title today at the Big East Indoor Championships, running 8:19.76 in a tactical race. Hugo Beamish, who won the 5000 meter crown yesterday, came back in the 300o today to finish 6th, two seconds off the pace. The top 6 finishers were within two seconds of each other. Matt Kane was 19th in 8:33.06.

Men's 3000 meters -- Finals

1 Mildenhall, Mathew SO VILLANOVA 8:19.76 -- 10
2 Carlson, Jordan JR NOTRE DAME 8:20.52 -- 8
3 Graham, Matthew JR DEPAUL 8:20.81 -- 6
4 Channon, Dominic JR PROVIDENCE 8:21.14 -- 5
5 Hughes, Matt SR LOUISVILLE 8:21.53 -- 4
6 Beamish, Hugo JR VILLANOVA 8:21.74 -- 3
7 Szczech, Nick JR MARQUETTE 8:22.88 -- 2
8 Medrano, Tito SO SYRACUSE 8:23.08 -- 1
9 Lynch, Kelly JR NOTRE DAME 8:23.21
10 Robinson, Corey JR SYRACUSE 8:24.39
11 Miller, Joe JR NOTRE DAME 8:24.62
12 Weeks, Steven JR SYRACUSE 8:24.75
13 Taye, Ayalew SR GEORGETOWN 8:25.02
14 Kamyszek, Reed FR SYRACUSE 8:26.69
15 Jackson, Dan SR NOTRE DAME 8:28.11
16 Lumbar, TC JR GEORGETOWN 8:28.30
17 Johnson, Blake JR MARQUETTE 8:30.68
18 Bruce, Matt SR LOUISVILLE 8:31.98
19 Kane, Matthew JR VILLANOVA 8:33.06
20 Byrne, Tyler FR LOUISVILLE 8:34.09
21 Cleland, Brice SR MARQUETTE 8:35.66

Gibney & Lipari Come Second in Big East Mile

Two-time defending Big East indoor mile champion Matt Gibney lost a close race today to Notre Dame's Jeremy Rae, 4:08.01 to 4:08.37. Rae was 7th in last year's indoor Big East meet, won by Gibney in 4:09.99. Villanova freshman Sam McEntee was 6th in 4:10.61.

Men's Mile -- Finals

1 Rae, Jeremy SO NOTRE DAME 4:08.01 -- 10
2 Gibney, Matthew SR VILLANOVA 4:08.37 -- 8
3 Malette, J.P. SO NOTRE DAME 4:09.60 -- 6
4 Matthews, Julian JR PROVIDENCE 4:10.26 -- 5
5 Hackett, Jack JR MARQUETTE 4:10.56 -- 4
6 McEntee, Sam FR VILLANOVA 4:10.61 -- 3
7 Sorensen, Dylan FR GEORGETOWN 4:11.31 -- 2
8 Bubniak, Joseph FR SYRACUSE 4:11.73 -- 1
9 Darrah, Max FR GEORGETOWN 4:12.57
10 Lovelace, Luke SO LOUISVILLE 4:13.80
11 Wise, Philip JR SOUTH FLORIDA 4:18.05
12 Agnew, Spencer SO MARQUETTE 4:21.32

On the Women's side, freshman Emily Lipari was second in a very tight race, where the top three finishers finished within a third of second. Callie Hogan was 7th in 5:01.08.

Women's Mile -- Finals

1 Tracy, Rebecca SO NOTRE DAME 4:46.61 -- 10
2 Lipari, Emily FR VILLANOVA 4:46.80 -- 8
3 Schneider, Rachel SO GEORGETOWN 4:46.96 -- 6
4 Smith, Yasmin JR SOUTH FLORIDA 4:52.30 -- 5
5 Aragon, Alexa FR NOTRE DAME 4:54.66 -- 4
6 Salvatore, Toni JR DEPAUL 4:58.54 -- 3
7 Hogan, Callie SR VILLANOVA 5:01.08 -- 2
8 Treece, Marissa SR NOTRE DAME 5:01.39 -- 1
9 Moskal, Aubrey SO WEST VIRGINIA 5:02.45
10 Martinelli, Sarah FR WEST VIRGINIA 5:03.31
11 Spitzer, Jennifer SO RUTGERS 5:04.67
12 Kelly, Courtney JR MARQUETTE 5:12.16

Sheila Reid Wins Big East 1000 in Meet & Facility Record

Sheila Reid waltzed to a 4-second victory over UConn's Leah Andrianos (see photo above) in the 1000 meters today at the Big East Indoor Championships. Her time was a meet and facility record of 2:43.70. Kelly McElroy was 6th in 2:54.25, adding 3 more points to the Villanova women's team total.

Women's 1000 meters -- Finals

1 Reid, Sheila SR VILLANOVA 2:43.70 -- 10
2 Andrianos, Leah SR CONNECTICUT 2:47.77 -- 8
3 Borduin, Lauren JR GEORGETOWN 2:48.96 -- 6
4 Curran, Kelly FR NOTRE DAME 2:52.46 -- 5
5 Schulz, McKinzie FR NOTRE DAME 2:53.57 -- 4
6 McElroy, Kelly SR VILLANOVA 2:54.25 -- 3
7 Heaton, Jenna JR CINCINNATI 2:54.88 -- 2
8 Trujillo, Aryon JR ST. JOHN'S 2:57.72 -- 1
9 Condon, Carly JR MARQUETTE 3:09.44

Beamish Defeats McCarthy to Win Big East 5000 Crown

Hugo Beamish defeated Providence's Irish ace David McCarthy over 5000 meters today at the Big East indoor championships in Akron, Ohio. Beamish and McCarthy battled over the final laps, with Beamish finishing in 14:16.11 to McCarthy's 14:17.54. Brian Long came 4th in 14:20.45, Matt Kane was 12th in 14:37.44, and Greg Morrin was 19th in 15:08.32.

5000 meters -- Finals

1 Beamish, Hugo JR VILLANOVA 14:16.11 -- 10
2 McCarthy, David JR PROVIDENCE 14:17.54 -- 8
3 Hughes, Matt SR LOUISVILLE 14:19.28 -- 6
4 Long, Brian SR VILLANOVA 14:20.45 -- 5
5 Bruce, Matt SR LOUISVILLE 14:21.84 -- 4
6 Medrano, Tito SO SYRACUSE 14:22.06 -- 3
7 Jackson, Dan SR NOTRE DAME 14:23.07 -- 2
8 Lynch, Kelly JR NOTRE DAME 14:24.66 -- 1
9 Byrne, Tyler FR LOUISVILLE 14:33.73
10 Szczech, Nick JR MARQUETTE 14:35.33
11 Dupont, Pat SO SYRACUSE 14:35.64
12 Kane, Matthew JR VILLANOVA 14:37.44
13 Molke, Robert FR SYRACUSE 14:38.78
14 Hopkins, Jonathan FR PROVIDENCE 14:39.85
15 Straneva, Max FR SYRACUSE 14:42.11
16 Furcht, Ben FR GEORGETOWN 14:47.18
17 Lumbar, TC JR GEORGETOWN 14:52.39
18 Cleland, Brice SR MARQUETTE 15:02.48
19 Morrin, Greg FR VILLANOVA 15:08.32
20 McGuire, Ryan FR CONNECTICUT 15:08.94
21 Grady, Martin FR NOTRE DAME 15:12.93
22 Springer, Paul SR NOTRE DAME 15:20.53

Eamonn Coghlan Blasts Ireland's "A-Standard Only" Policy

Athletics: Coghlan blasts ‘A’ grade cut-off

Eamonn Coghlan's comments have the potential to reignite tensions between the OCI and the Sports Council.
By Cliona Foley
The Independent

Friday February 18 2011

EAMONN Coghlan has lashed the Olympic Council of Ireland's (OCI) decision to insist on 'A' standards only for next year's London Games, describing it as "an injustice".

The three-time Olympian and former world champion believes the OCI should accept the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) standards and says the proximity of London 2012 only increases the reasons for Ireland to send athletes with a 'B' standard.

"If the IAAF, and the international Olympic committee, are accepting 'B' standards and we in Ireland are saying 'A standards only', well personally I don't agree with that," Coghlan said.

"There was a U-turn done (to accept the 'B' standard) before Beijing for one or two individuals but not for one or two others. That was a political decision I think, that came down to two individuals, one in the Olympic Council and the other in government."

As Coghlan chairs the Sports Council's High Performance sub-committee, his comments have the potential to reignite the tensions that have previously existed between the OCI and the Sports Council.

But he stressed that he was speaking in a private capacity, saying "this is my personal view, this issue has not come up at the High Performance Committee whatsoever.

"There are very few in Ireland who are ever going to win an Olympic gold medal, so why only pick athletes who have that potential?" he said. "If an athlete has achieved the best 'B' standard in Ireland then they should go.

"The cost of sending (athletes) to London, compared with Beijing, is relatively little and we want to inspire, encourage and motivate the kids coming through the sport, not turn them off."

That the Sports Council's own standards have toughened was underlined by yesterday's individual grant announcements, which saw several prominent athletes dropped or relegated because they did not meet pre-agreed targets last year.

Those on the top level of funding (€40,000) have now been rechristened as 'podium athletes' and Coghlan made no apology for this onerous new title, saying: "Podium is the expectation. If this amount of money is invested in an athlete, year after year, then you expect them to deliver."

Roisin McGettigan, Alistair Cragg, Martin Fagan, Joanne Cuddihy, Mark Kenneally and Eileen O'Keeffe have all been dropped off the scheme, while Mary Cullen's funding has dropped from €20,000 to €12,000.

But Coghlan said that, as with all sports, athletes can return to the scheme, or change levels, during the season, once they meet their targets.

Robert Heffernan is the only athlete who has moved up to 'podium' status and in other sports, swimmer Grainne Murphy, cyclist Daniel Martin, paracyclist Mark Rohan and boxers Darren O'Neill, Eric Donovan and Tyrone McCullagh are among those who have made a similar leap.

- Cliona Foley

Sheila Reid is NCAA D1 Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year

Villanova’s Sheila Reid Adds D-I Scholar Athlete of the Year to 2010 Cross Country Scrapbook

Tom Lewis, USTFCCCA
February 15, 2011

NEW ORLEANS – Sheila Reid of Villanova University was named the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Women’s Scholar Athlete of the Year for the 2010 cross country season on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Reid was the individual national champion at the 2010 NCAA Cross Country Championships in the fall and led the Wildcats to a team national title as well.

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

Reid, a senior from Newmarket, Ontario, not only won her first NCAA national cross country crown in the fall, but she also led the Wildcats of Villanova to their second-straight, and eighth overall, NCAA team title.

Reid has earned a 3.37 cumulative GPA and majors in English.

At the NCAA meet, with a 20:06.9 run in the 6k race, she topped Georgetown’s Emily Infeld by just over two seconds in the closest finish in NCAA women’s Division I history. Reid was also the first since Villanova’s Jennifer Rhines to win the individual NCAA title while leading their team to victory. Reid also won the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional by 16 seconds to win a second-consecutive region title. Reid was also this year’s Big East Conference champion and a winner at the Penn State National. In addition, Villanova's Amanda Marino (an English major with a 3.25 GPA) and Ali Smith (a 3.47 GPA in Communication) were named to the Division I Cross Country All-Academic Honor Roll. On the men's side, Hugo Beamish (3.71 GPA in Civil Engineering), Brian Long (3.31 GPA in Finance), and Mathew Mildenhall (3.44 GPA in Marketing) were also named to the All-Academic Honor Roll.

Past Winners

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

Gibney Getting Props Down Under

Matt Gibney's weekend dip under 4:00 has been noticed in his native Australia. Click the title of this post to go to the Runnerstribe website's story about the new cohort of top Aussie milers. Runnerstribe.com is the #1 athletics website in Australia.

Watch Matt Gibney's 3:58.12 in Seattle

Watch more video of Flotrack Husky Classic 2011 on flotrack.org

Villanova's Big East Qualifiers

The Big East indoor championships are on the horizon for this upcoming weekend and Villanova has a very large contingent of athletes already qualified for the meet. Additional late qualifiying time may be attained by some at Wednesday's Haverford meet. But, as of today, here are Villanova's conference championship meet automatic qualifiers.

Listed below are VU's qualifiers by distance/event, with their best qualifying time, their Big East performance list ranking, and their NCAA performance list ranking (if in top 50).

60 meters
Shericka Ward 7.64 BE #14

200 meters
Nicoy Hines 22.50 BE #21

Shericka Ward 24.60 BE #8
Ashley Dunbar 25.50 BE #33

400 meters
Nicoy Hines 49.26 BE #11
Carlton Bowers 49.30 BE #13

Kristen Mahon 56.06 BE #4
Jessona McDonald 57.16 BE #12
Christie Verdier 57.64 BE #19
Fafavie Lumax 58.11 BE #26

500 meters
Sam Ellison 1:02.76 BE #2
Chris Kearney 1:05.18 BE #17

Kristen Mahon 1:13.83 BE #3
Mary Bohi 1:17.19 BE #21

800 meters
Sam Ellison 1:51.22 BE #7
Matt Wikler 1:52.08 BE #14
Jason Apwah 1:52.33 BE #15

Nicky Akande 2;11.81 BE #12
Kelly McElroy 2:12.03 BE #13
Anna Francis 2:16.00 BE #25
Shannon Browne 2:16.75 BE #30

1000 meters
Brian Tetreault 2:23.74 BE #2
Matt Wikler 2:25.14 BE #6
Carl Mackenzie 2:25.59 BE #8
Jason Apwah 2:26.22 BE #10
Chris FitzSimons 2:27.52 BE #22
Joe LoRusso 2:29.03 BE #27
Joe Capecci 2:29.46 BE #29

Emily Lipari 2:49.06 BE #6
Kelly McElroy 2:50.37 BE #8
Araian Neutts 2:52.34 BE #12
Shannon Browne 2:56.51 BE #22
Nicky Akande 2:58.44 BE #25

Mile
Matt Gibney 3:58.12 BE #1 NCAA #8
Mathew Mildenhall 4:05.88 BE #9
Brian Long 4:08.91 BE #14
Sam McEntee 4:09.84 BE #17
Brian Tetreault 4:09.99 BE #18
Jason Apwah 4:17.00 BE #45
Joe LoRusso 4:17.26 BE #46

Sheila Reid 4:41.14 BE #1 NCAA #18
Emily Lipari 4:47.03 BE #9
Bogdana Mimic 4:47.98 BE #11
Callie Hogan 4:54.34 BE #16
Ali Smith 4:54.92 BE #17
Amanda Marino 4:55.59 BE #20
Sarah Morrison 5:05.72 BE #39
Nicky Akande 5:07.21 BE #45

3000 meters
Mathew Mildenhall 7:57.40 BE #2 NCAA #24
Hugo Beamish 8:03.57 BE #3 NCAA #47
Brian Long 8:06.59 BE #4

Sheila Reid 8:56.92 BE #1 NCAA #2
Bogdana Mimic 9:17.34 BE #4 NCAA #15
Amanda Marino 9:35.17 BE #11

5000 meters
Hugo Beamish 13:51.60 BE #1 NCAA #14
Brian Long 13:59.72 BE #2
Matt Kane 14:25.55 BE #6
Greg Morrin 14:47.03 BE #23

55 meter hurdles
Shericka Ward 8.27 BE #2 NCAA #21
Audrey Gariepy-Bogui 8.74 BE #10

60 meter hurdles
Stefan Goodridge 8.40 BE #12

4 x 400 meter relay
Men: 3:14.88 BE #2
Women: 3:47.33 BE #6

4 x 800 meter relay
Women: 9:04.81 BE #5

High Jump
Samantha Years 1.75 meters BE #4 NCAA #37
Audrey Gariepy-Bogui 1.70 meters BE #9

Pole Vault
Chris Dougherty 4.40 meters BE #14

Ashlyn Llerandi 4.00 meters BE #4 NCAA #33
Kim Logoyda 3.60 meters BE #13
Melissa Meggiolaro 3.40 meters BE #21

Triple Jump
Robert Sainvil 15.06 meters BE #3

Marie Minasi 11.98 meters BE #6
Samantha Francis 11.54 meters BE #17
Erica Reijula 11.28 meters BE #22

Weight Throw
Frank Anuszewski 17.41 meters BE #8

Mildenhall Goes 7:57.40 PR at Husky Classic 3000

Mathew Mildenhall won his 3000 meter heat, taking over the lead with about 500 meters to go and pulling away from a quality field. His time of 7:57.40 fell just short of the NCAA automatic qualifying time (7:54.50). He sat in 7th or 8th through 2000 meters and then moved up steadily and took the lead for good at about 500 meters to go. Overall, Mildenhall finished 18th (13th among the collegiate runners) among the 122 competitors at the distance.

Men's 3000 Meters Combined Results

1 Nelson, Tim Nike 7:49.95$
2 Heath, Garrett Saucony 7:50.28$
3 Centrowitz, Matthew Oregon 7:50.59$
4 Hill, Ryan North Carolina St. 7:50.78$
5 Chelanga, Sam Liberty 7:50.92$
6 Webb, Alan Nike 7:51.85$
7 Estrada, Diego Northern Arizona 7:52.18$
8 Blankenship, Ben Minnesota 7:52.52$
9 Tully-Doyle, Colton Washington 7:53.13$
10 Fernandez, German Oklahoma State 7:53.82$
11 Tyner, Justin Air Force 7:53.91$
12 Fraser, Rory New Mexico 7:54.08$
13 Dobson, Ian Otc 7:54.39$
14 Farrell, Thomas Oklahoma State 7:54.42$
15 Pifer, Stephen Otc 7:55.39
16 Bor, Emmanuel Alabama 7:56.09
17 Williams, Kevin Oklahoma 7:56.58
18 Mildenhall, Mathew Villanova 7:57.40
19 Heineking, Emil Virginia 7:58.36
20 Sullivan, John Stanford 7:59.71
21 Forrester, David Florida State 8:00.06
22 Dunbar, Trevor Portland 8:00.10
23 Bouchikhi, Soufiane Eastern Kentucky 8:00.14
24 Cameron, James Washington 8:00.17
25 Thode, Jeff Iowa 8:00.38
26 Fernandez, Eric Arkansas 8:00.64
27 Johnson, Jeremy Brooks 8:00.88
28 Scott, Derek Puma 8:01.68
29 Clarke, Ross Butler 8:02.29
30 Haile, Solomon Arkansas 8:02.35
31 Alcorn, Kyle Nike 8:02.56
32 Colley, Andrew North Carolina St. 8:02.71
33 Shields, Drew Wisconsin 8:05.26
34 McNiff, Ryan Unattached 8:05.76
35 Medigovich, Brian Hanson/Brooks 8:05.87
36 Bishop, David New Mexico 8:06.63
37 Moskowitz, Shane Oklahoma State 8:07.29
38 Mead, Hassan Minnesota 8:07.47
39 Britt, Barry Unattached 8:07.89
40 Dohner, Ryan Texas 8:08.25
41 Walmsley, Jim Air Force 8:09.45
42 Jarvis, Collin California 8:09.66
43 Cleaver, Matt Unattached 8:09.79
44 Rohatinsky, Jared Byu 8:09.92
45 Rop, Joel Alabama 8:10.12
46 Morikawa, Kent Ucla 8:10.27
47 Sodaro, Steve California 8:10.48
48 Batt, Kevin Unattached 8:11.08
49 Hacker, Colin Unattached-U 8:11.52
50 Palmer, Trevor Bowerman Ath 8:11.67
51 Bassett, Jared Portland 8:11.68
52 Finnerty, Rob Wisconsin 8:11.96
53 Farnsworth, Taylor Byu 8:12.47
54 Gregg, Brendan Stanford 8:12.78
55 Orta, Luis Kentucky 8:12.88
56 Mutuse, David Eastern Kentucky 8:13.25
57 Luttrell, Walter Kentucky 8:13.41
58 Webster Jr., Rob Washington 8:13.63
59 Boyer, Lane Arkansas 8:14.54
60 Osman, Ahmed Northern Arizona 8:14.83
61 Chevee, Maxime California 8:15.62
62 Helbling, Cody Byu 8:15.78
63 Lynass, Spenser Colorado St. 8:15.97
64 Gilland, Taylor Virginia 8:16.06
65 Klotz, Kenny Oregon 8:16.58
66 Manilafasha, Joseph Oklahoma State 8:16.74
67 Lord, Brandon Georgia 8:16.84
68 Kimpel, Andrew Washington St. 8:17.19
69 Hall, Chad UC Riverside 8:17.48
70 Briggs, Mitchell Byu 8:17.51
71 Larsen, Andrew Minnesota 8:19.11
72 Totten, Seth UC Riverside 8:19.40
73 Khan, Talal UC Riverside 8:19.56
74 VanHalen, Aric Colorado 8:21.09
75 Shrader, Brian Unattached 8:21.47
76 Gonzales, Andrew Washington St. 8:22.33
77 Colon, Kevin Oklahoma State 8:23.13
78 Carlson, Taylor Washington 8:23.21
79 Keyser, Jake Colorado St. 8:23.36
80 Freriks, Tim Northern Arizona 8:23.43
81 Kiptoo, Evans Eastern Kentucky 8:23.47
82 Schmidt, Simon California 8:23.54
83 Brockerville, Ryan Simon Fraser 8:24.17
84 Grimes, Bennett Unattached-U 8:24.26
85 Frerker, Matt Portland 8:24.32
86 Fauble, Scott Portland 8:24.56
87 Quackenbush, Cameron Washington 8:24.62
88 Kipchumba, Alfred Portland 8:24.92
89 Berhane, Habben Texas 8:25.00
90 Osborn, David Oklahoma State 8:25.02
91 Prentice, Ryan Oklahoma State 8:26.01
92 Gomez, Patrick Oklahoma 8:26.14
93 Jordan, Drew Washington St. 8:26.56
94 Pedersen, Jason Northern Arizona 8:26.59
95 Bejar, Matthew Club Northwest 8:26.84
96 Bahr, Alden Byu 8:27.84
97 Nicolls, Danny Oklahoma 8:27.90
98 Barton, Cody Eastern Washington 8:28.46
99 Zans, Garrett Wyoming 8:29.12
100 Carpenter, Zachary Portland State 8:29.28
101 Ebding, Bowe Eastern Washington 8:29.73
102 Slater, James California 8:30.37
103 Wells, Cody Portland 8:31.41
104 Arcos, Raul Long Beach St. 8:32.46
105 Englund, Justin Unattached 8:32.57
106 Eden, Stacey Kentucky 8:34.62
107 Kelly, Tate Club Northwest 8:35.02
108 Gonzalez, Omar UC Riverside 8:35.70
109 Smith, Neal Oklahoma State 8:36.23
110 Vaux, Graham Eastern Washington 8:36.31
111 McClement, Matthew Seattle U. 8:36.41
112 Endicott, Nathan Portland State 8:37.85
113 Valencia, Brett UC Riverside 8:39.98
114 Dhanani, Samir Simon Fraser 8:40.88
115 Harbor, Justin Florida State 8:41.26
116 Elliott, Josh Western Oregon 8:44.52
117 Geiger, Markus Idaho 8:44.57
118 Drosky, Greg Washington 8:46.79
119 Kollgaard, Adam Seattle U. 8:51.63
120 Williams, David Portland 9:02.63
121 Perry, Aaron Soka 9:02.80
122 Armon, Mike Unattached 9:10.28
-- Connor, Reed Wisconsin DNF
-- Millington, Ross New Mexico DNF
-- Zivec, Jakub Florida State DN

Gibney Joins the Sub 4 Club with 3:58.12 Mile at Husky Classic

Matt Gibney was in the top heat of the mile today in Seattle and the fast pace paid off. Gibney finished fourth in the heat, won by Chris Solinsky in 3:54.43, but broke the 4:00 mile for the first time, running 3:58.12. Gibney stayed near the back of the pack in about 8th or 9th place until about 300 meters to go and then picked off one runner after another to finish fourth. His time is an NCAA automatic qualifier.

Here are the combined results of all heats.

Finals
1 Solinsky, Chris Nike 3:54.52R
2 Batty, Miles Byu 3:55.79$
3 Hlaselo, Dumisane Florida 3:56.84$
4 Gibney, Matthew Villanova 3:58.12$
5 Acosta, AJ Unattached 3:58.49$
6 Phillips, Duncan Arkansas 3:58.82$
7 Lalang, Lawi Arizona 3:59.13
8 Huffer, Craig Adams State 4:00.09
9 Berberick, Andrew Stanford 4:00.78
10 McGregor, Patrick Texas 4:00.85
11 Fleet, Mac Oregon 4:01.04
12 Gauson, Kris Butler 4:01.38
13 Schmitz, Tommy Saucony 4:01.55
14 Fuller, Travis Byu 4:02.79
15 Hassan, Abdi Arizona 4:02.80
16 Moriarty, Jeff Columbia 4:02.93
17 Legesse, Frezer Oklahoma 4:03.00
18 Bor, Julius Alabama 4:03.32
19 Horn, Jordan adidas/McMil 4:03.41
20 Joseph, Moise Unattached 4:03.54
21 Wakefield, Todd Washington St. 4:03.57
22 Johnson, Brett Virginia 4:03.62
23 Calmes, Keegan Adams State 4:03.87
24 Borchers, Samuel Penn State 4:03.91
25 Hall, Chad UC Riverside 4:04.57
26 Cattin-Masson, Thomas Arkansas 4:04.60
27 Soberanis, Ryan Washington 4:04.71
28 smith, scott adidas/McMil 4:04.73
29 Gonzales, Logan Texas 4:05.47
30 Crabill, Alex Ucla 4:05.63
31 Gowell, Chris TeamROGUE Elite 4:05.65
32 Muntefering, Alex Oklahoma 4:05.75
33 Nadzam, Josh Kentucky 4:06.04
34 O'Donoghue-McDonald, Max Washington 4:06.10
35 Watson, Cole Oregon 4:06.42
36 Cosby, Jacob Byu 4:06.81
37 Wehunt, Derek Florida 4:07.23
38 Neff, Danny Georgia 4:07.37
39 Dawson, Owen Penn State 4:07.47
40 Atchoo, Michael Stanford 4:07.61
41 Erassa, Kirubel Oklahoma State 4:07.89
41 Ferris, Dylan Stanford 4:07.89
43 Richardson, Andy Minnesota 4:08.25
44 Jessett, CJ Texas 4:08.40
45 Rhodes-Devey, Brian Texas 4:08.62
46 Larimer, Ross Oklahoma 4:08.70
47 Soucy, Drew Unattached 4:08.73
48 Johnston, Benjamin Byu 4:08.84
49 Corkedale, Tyler Penn State 4:09.23
50 Hatz, Alexander Wisconsin 4:09.51
51 Malarte, Antoine Adams State 4:09.54
52 Wardall, Taylor Oklahoma 4:09.57
53 Scarpello, Nick Penn State 4:09.62
54 Litwiller, Nathaniel Sacramento St. 4:09.77
55 DeJarnette, Ben Oregon 4:09.88
56 Renteria, Richard Oklahoma 4:09.93
57 Weirich, Brian Byu 4:10.20
58 Hillenbrand, Matt Kentucky 4:10.25
59 Hickerson, David Washington St. 4:10.26
60 Nelson, Hunter Utah State 4:10.46
61 Dean, Leon Texas 4:10.49
62 Larson, Eric Utah State 4:10.57
63 Arnold III, Carl Metropolitan St. 4:10.62
64 Monaghan, Taylor Oklahoma State 4:10.82
65 Kemboi, Victor Eastern Kentucky 4:11.40
66 Parry, Trey Portland 4:11.66
67 Anderson, Michael Florida 4:11.67
68 Kahleifeh, Adam Kentucky 4:11.77
69 Thorne, Adam Stanford 4:11.79
70 Ellis, Harry Butler 4:11.98
71 Slattery, Colin Oklahoma 4:12.17
72 Yatsko, John Northern Arizona 4:12.88
73 Valdes, Tyler Stanford 4:12.97
74 Krotzer, Kenny Stanford 4:13.16
75 Hicks, Kevin Seta 4:13.23
76 Stevens, Tabor Adams State 4:13.77
77 Alexander, Colby Unattached 4:13.91
78 Stublaski, Johnathan Oklahoma State 4:14.50
79 Lawrence, John Portland State 4:14.87
80 Schmidt, Cody California 4:15.19
81 Khan, Talal UC Riverside 4:15.21
82 Jones, Ryan Byu 4:15.69
83 Meis, Chad Seattle Pacific 4:16.23
84 Younger, Cole Sacramento St. 4:17.13
85 Kurgat, Kennedy Academy of Art 4:18.51
86 Osborn, Jeff Idaho 4:18.60
87 Knight, Spencer Ucla 4:18.65
88 Reid, Adam Simon Fraser 4:18.89
89 Sears, Kelton Seattle U. 4:19.04
90 Wakefield, Brett Simon Fraser 4:19.69
91 MacQuitty, Phillip Ucla 4:20.88
92 Bozarth-Dreher, Mark Portland State 4:21.13
93 Thorp, Nick Oklahoma State 4:22.37
94 Maru, Amos Academy of Art 4:23.56
95 Potts, Caleb Northern Arizona 4:24.25

Beamish and Long Smash Huge PRs at Husky Classic 5000 -- Both Break the 14:00 Barrier

The Washington Husky Classic got off to a big bang for the Villanova men tonight as Hugo Beamish smashed past the 14:00 barrier in the 5000, winning his section in 13:51.60, and finishing 10th overall of 88 competitors. Beamish's best 5000 prior to tonight's effort was his 14:05.25 at last year's Big East outdoor championships. He made short work of that time and came close to the NCAA auto qualifier of 13:47.00.
The night was good for Brian Long as well. Long also broke 14:00 for the first time and set a new PR of 13:59.72, crushing his previous indoor best of 14:20.01. All that despite running the final 10 laps with only one shoe. Long finished 25th of 88 competitors. Here are (a) a post-race interview with Hugo and (b) the complete combined results of the numerous 5000 sections.

Watch more video of Flotrack Husky Classic 2011 on flotrack.org

Men's 5000 Meters

Finals
1 Heath, Elliott Stanford 13:37.77$
2 Korir, Leonard Iona 13:40.62$
3 Sambu, Stephen Arizona 13:41.57$
4 Darling, Maverick Wisconsin 13:43.04$
5 Ahmed, Mohammed Wisconsin 13:43.96$
6 Alex, George Oklahoma 13:45.32$
7 Schwab, Kevin Oklahoma 13:47.59
8 Adams, David Nebraska 13:48.78
9 Bosshard, Joe Colorado 13:49.59
10 Beamish, Hugo Villanova 13:51.60
11 Cragg, luke Adams State - Unatt 13:51.63
12 Kogel, Bill Oklahoma 13:52.00
13 Lowe, Colby Oklahoma State 13:52.50
14 Fernandez, Eric Arkansas 13:53.48
15 Cowart, Donald Rmr 13:54.76
16 Ogden, Nathan Byu 13:55.70
17 Fout, Michael Florida State 13:56.52
18 Unterreiner, Miles Stanford 13:56.64
19 Medina, Richard Colorado 13:57.20
20 Cheruiyot, Ben Auburn 13:57.87
21 Collins, Ryan Virginia 13:58.54
22 Tebo, Matt Colorado 13:59.12
23 Osman, Ahmed Northern Arizona 13:59.19
24 Ige, Mohamud Arizona 13:59.69
25 Long, Brian Villanova 13:59.72
26 Wacker, Andy Colorado 14:03.41
27 Kemei, Carrison Alabama 14:03.59
28 Boyer, Lane Arkansas 14:03.72
29 Ward, Jared Byu 14:04.28
30 Krause, Elliot Wisconsin 14:06.20
31 Fraser, Rory New Mexico 14:06.93
32 Thompson, Christian Colorado 14:08.05
33 Torchia, Mike Minnesota 14:09.19
34 Gerrard, Keith New Mexico 14:09.31
35 Birdsong, Brandon Adams State 14:09.55
36 Drenckhahn, Jeremy Air Force 14:09.70
37 Houseworth, Sean Air Force Wcap 14:09.94
38 Mercado, Danny Oregon 14:10.35
39 Welling, Jordan Western Washington 14:11.10
40 Howell, Daniel Utah State 14:11.62
41 Martinson, Geoff Prince George T&F 14:11.93
42 Gagnon, Pieter Minnesota 14:11.95
43 Shield, Rex Byu 14:12.51
44 Roeder, Justin Butler 14:13.03
45 Johnson, Benjamin Stanford 14:14.52
46 Stam, Sean New Mexico 14:18.83
47 Kipchirchir, Shadrack Western Kentucky 14:18.87
48 King, Kyle Eastern Washington 14:18.92
49 Kigen, Evans Liberty 14:18.98
50 Crouch, Michael Queens Unive 14:19.87
51 Sellers, Nathan Adams State 14:22.48
52 Hughes, Matt Louisville 14:23.72
53 Johnson, Brandon Metropolitan St. 14:24.06
54 Havel, Kevin Stanford 14:24.41
55 Kotter, Jonathan Unattached 14:25.56
56 Edmonds, Josh Liberty 14:26.55
57 Hebbert, Brandon Byu 14:29.59
58 Uthmeier, James Florida 14:30.19
59 Williams, Matthew Air Force Wcap 14:30.26
60 Miller, Greg Wyoming 14:30.48
61 Mandi, Mark Club Northwest 14:35.31
62 Kelting, Taylor Wyoming 14:35.63
63 Belus, Andrew Northern Arizona 14:35.69
64 Matthews, Bill Georgia 14:38.75
65 Willis, Alex New Mexico 14:39.16
66 Lesser, Andrew Colorado St. 14:40.75
67 Ortiz, Patrick New Mexico 14:40.91
68 Richardson, Brett Georgia 14:43.60
69 Keveren, Sean Virginia 14:46.00
70 Rock, Jonathan Air Force 14:48.23
71 Barkhaus, Erik Seattle U. 14:48.27
72 Spooner, Michael Tennessee 14:49.57
73 Salg, Andrew Portland State 14:50.81
74 Pittman, Allen New Mexico 14:52.52
75 Ricardi, Joshua Club Northwest 14:52.63
76 Dube, Jeremiah Idaho 14:52.66
77 Cipro, Chris Penn State 14:52.94
78 Hasvold, Brett Long Beach St. 14:53.11
79 Sanchez, David Adams State 14:55.62
80 Medhaug, Blake Western Washington 15:01.17
81 O'Brian, Trevor Unattached 15:03.50
82 DeCastro, Steven Long Beach St. 15:08.41
83 Mosey, Nick Unattached 15:13.62
84 Schmidt, Klaus Oklahoma State 15:15.23
85 Heitzinger, Hans Seattle U. 15:24.90
86 Van Nuland, Michael Seattle U. 15:28.13
87 Hunt, Theo British Columbia 15:35.54
88 Heenan, Colin Kentucky 15:55.96
-- Stinson, Parker Oregon DNF
-- Rickman, Wesley Florida State DNF
-- Haile, Solomon Arkansas DNF
-- Karlsson, Kari California DNF

Marina Muncan Follows Up New Balance Mile Victory with Top 800 at Boston University Valentine Invite

Marina Muncan surprised Carmen Douma-Hussar last weekend at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston. She was back in Boston tonight at Boston U's Valentine Invite, where she went 2:05.75 and was the overall winner at 800 meters. Marina's outdoor PR for 800 meters is 2:02.86 (July 2009), but she hasn't seemed to have run an open 800 indoors since turning pro. Here's a list of top finishers from all sections in tonight's 800.

Women's 800 Meters

Finals
1 Muncan, Marina New Balance 2:05.75
2 Carlin, Jesse Unattached 2:06.09
3 Charnigo, Stephanie Unattached 2:06.28
4 Leblanc, Annie Lanaudiere Olymp 2:07.69
5 Supino, Christina Dartmouth 2:08.05
6 Herrick, Stephanie Cptc New Balance 2:08.09
7 Wallace, Madeline Boston College 2:10.90
8 Clement, Leah Wellesley 2:12.18
9 Wimberley, Meryl Tcnj 2:12.26
10 Perno, Gina Umass Amherst 2:12.62
11 McKenna, Erin Boston College 2:12.68
12 Moore, Danielle Unat-So. Conn. St. 2:12.82
13 Cramer, Margo Middlebury 2:12.95
14 Klett, Jessica Gbtc 2:13.77
15 Blackmon, Tiayonna North Carolina St. 2:13.89

Distance Men Headed to Seattle

Marcus O'Sullivan is sending five of his top distance men to this weekend's Husky Classic at the University of Washington in Seattle. Hugo Beamish and Brian Long are declared in the 5000 in a heat that includes Solomon Haile, Mohamud Ige, Ahmed Osman, Danny Mercado and other top national figures. Mathew Mildenhall will compete in the 3000 in a heat that features Trevor Dunbar, Hassan Mead, and Justin Harbor. Solomon Haile is declared in the 5000 as well, but will have to choose between the 5 and the 3.
Perhaps most interesting are the possibilities in the mile. Carl Mackenzie and Matt Gibney are both declared. Mackenzie has a sub 4:01 PR for the mile and will be in heat 7 along with such competitors as Alex Hatz, Julius Bor, and pro runner Jordan Horn. In heat 8 of the mile, Matt Gibney is scheduled to go against USA 10,000 meter record holder and sub 13:00 5000 meter man Chris Solinsky, Mac Fleet, AJ Acosta, and others. Mackenzie and Gibney are both looking to join the ranks of sub 4:00 milers. Both Mackenzie (3:41.99 in May 2010 at Swarthmore) and Gibney (3:40.58 in May 2009 in the NCAA finals) have gone sub 3:42.2 for 1500, the metric equivalent of the feat, but neither has run under 4:00 in an open mile; Mackenzie just missed going sub 4:00 in 2008 when he ran 4:00.25 indoors at the Armory. Given the level of competition, both have a real chance to do so this weekend if their races go out smartly. At last year's Husky Classic, 13 men ran sub 4:00 miles, with Adrian Blincoe's 3:57.05 topping the list. The last two Villanovans to break 4:00 were Bobby Curtis and Michael Kerrigan in 2007 at the Swarthmore Last Chance meet.

Stephanie Schappert Makes Three

Pope John Paul II high school's Stephanie Schappert, the daughter of former Villanova all-american Ken Schappert and sister of recent Villanova all-american Nicole Schappert, has signed a letter of intent to run for Villanova. Like Nicole in her day, Stephanie is a two-time Florida state champion in cross country. She is pictured above at the signing ceremony seated with her mother Jane. Her coaches are, standing from left to right, Nate Robinson, Jill Anderson, and Kevin Brown. Here are some excerpts from an article from the Sun Sentinal in Palm Beach discussing the signing.

Pope John Paul II's Stephanie Schappert, Palm Beach County's other dominant distance runner of the past four years, signed Wednesday with Villanova. Schappert, who has won multiple state titles in cross country and track, committed in October to follow the lead of older sister Nicole, who ran on Villanova's NCAA champion cross country team in 2009.

Schappert is also going to a program with a tradition of excellence in distance running. The Villanova women repeated as NCAA cross country champions in 2010, winning their ninth national title.

The program has produced numerous champions including the great miler Marty Liquori, who was a contemporary of Prefontaine.

"I'm so excited about starting a new career at Villanova," Schappert said recently. "I'm going to a great team with a history of track and field like no other school in the country."

Emily Lipari Making Her Presence Felt

Lipari already makes an impact for 'Nova
February 5, 2011 12:20 PM

By Christopher Hunt, Armory Track

For years, Emily Lipari toiled through workouts alone, or sometimes with her older brother, Tom, or some members of the boys team at Roslyn.

She couldn’t wait for a training partner that could push her finally. The Villanova freshman surely got one. So far this track season, Lipari has been chasing senior Shelia Reid through practice, the NCAA national cross country champion.

“Obviously, I have so much respect for her,” Lipari said. “But it’s also like, ‘Oh my God, I’m training with Shelia Reid. How am I training with Shelia Reid? She’s like the best there is out there.’”

Lipari, a former star distance runner at Roslyn, has been an favorite at the New Balance Armory, where she will return Saturday for the championship women’s mile [she finished 6th in 4:47.54]. She has competed at both Collegiate Saturday night meets, first winning the 1,000 in 2:49.06 on Jan. 16. Then she finished second in the mile last Saturday in 4:47.03.

But so far her biggest accomplishment is making the top five on Villanova’s national championship cross country team.

“Being part of a national championship team is something more than I’ve ever dreamed,” Lipari said. “I just can’t really put it into words. It’s going to be a memory that I remember for the rest of my life. My coach is amazing and I feel like I wouldn’t have been able to do it if I had a different coach. I’ve just done really well with her and the girls are really tremendous to look up to.”

The Wildcats had to wait for the results to be tallied even after their top four runners had scored just 22 points. Lipari finished 69th in the scoring (94th overall).

“It was really stressful,” the freshman said. “I hadn’t been nervous for a race in so long and I’m lining up in Terre Haute (Ind.) and I’m looking across the line and I see all these people and all these teams and I’m like, ‘Whoa.’ The gun goes off and I was swallowed by people. I’m so not used to that. I took me forever to break out of the pack and nationals and once I finally it it was kind of too late.

“If I could go back and do that race differently, I would like to. But I finished and I saw that Shelia won and I was so happy.”

Villanova coach Gina Procaccio said she expected, given Lipari’s big race experience, that she would contribute right away.

“She’s great,” Procaccio said. “I know, for her, she didn’t’ want to go to a program where she was going to be by herself. She wanted to run with someone else. She’s embraced the program.”

For Lipari, her biggest adjustment to college life is that she actually at free time on her hands. While competing in high school, Lipari also competed for her a travel soccer team and would often be going from class to track practice and then rushing off to soccer practice before going home to tackle her homework.

Now she does most of her running trying to chase around Reid.

“I spent a very long time getting my butt kicked,” Lipari said. “But that’s the type of program I wanted to go into. I know it’s just going to make me better and I’m looking at the long-term picture. “

Megan Venables -- 5th at Footlocker Nationals -- Signs Letter of Intent for Villanova

New Jersey state cross country champion Megan Venables, who last season shattered course records at Holmdel Park and Belmont Plateau, will join Gina Procaccio's squad in fall 2011. Venables spent most of last season as the #2 ranked harrier in the MileSplit national rankings (behind only Aisling Cuffe). At the Briarwood Invitational at Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia on November 18, Venables destroyed the 9-year-old course record by a stunning 47 seconds, running 17:36.4 -- the only female harrier ever to break 18:00 on the course. Venables then won the New Jersey state meet at Holmdel, crushing the 27-year-old course record by 7 seconds. She followed that by finishing 4th at the Footlocker Northeast Regional, qualifying for the national championship race in San Diego. At Footlocker nationals Megan finished 5th overall, 42 seconds behind Cuffe. Her momentum from the cross country season has evidently been transferred into the indoor season as Venables today set a new PR for 1600i, running 5:06.92 at a meet in Toms River.
Megan's other PRs are 11:25.09 for two miles, 9:45.83 for 3000 meters, and 17:22.84 for 5000 meters.

Canadian Junior Ace Rob Denault Signs with Villanova

Rob Denault, the 17-year old Canadian from Aurora, Ontario with PRs of 3:45.87 for 1500 meters and 8:31.95 for 3000 (pictured center, above), has picked Villanova over Penn State, Guelph and McMaster universities. He signed a letter-of-intent on national signing day. Denault is the two-time defending Ontario scholastic 1500 champion, and the Canadian U-17 1500 meter record holder. After finishing second at the Ontario scholastic cross country championships early in November of last year, on November 27th, Denault finished third at the Canadian junior cross country championships, thereby making the national junior team. According to the story below, special credit goes to fellow Canadian (and fellow Newmarket-eer) Sheila Reid for pushing Denault over the hump for Villanova.

Middle man Denault makes strides for Villanova

Middle man Denault makes strides for Villanova. Aurora High School student and Newmarket Huskies Track Club member Rob Denault is expected to sign a scholarship package with the Villanova University Wildcats Wednesday, February 2. Rob Denault will be running after a third straight OFSAA gold medal in the 1,500 metres when the high school track and field season starts in the spring.The Aurora Eagles senior will do so knowing his next four years of running are secure.

A member of Canada's junior cross-country team, Denault is expected to sign a scholarship package with the Villanova University Wildcats Wednesday, ending a process that has seen the 17-year-old weigh offers from high-profile programs, notably Penn State in the United States and the University of Guelph and McMaster University in Ontario.

'But I made the decision best for my future. Penn State has a great program, but, at the end of the day, I thought Villanova 'was a better fit for me.'

"Ontario schools are doing a lot to keep athletes and that made my decision tougher," said Denault, who also competes for the Newmarket Huskies Track Club. "But I made the decision best for my future. Penn State has a great program, but, at the end of the day, I thought Villanova was a better fit for me."

A chance to train under head coach Marcus O'Sullivan, a five-time Olympian for Ireland and former world record holder in the 1,500, simplified his decision to make a verbal commitment earlier this month.

Denault, who will run middle distances during the track and field season and cross-country in the fall, follows in the footsteps of another Huskies graduate, Sheila Reid, the current NCAA women's cross-country champion.

"Sheila has had a great career and put me in contact with the school," said Denault, who set a Canadian youth age group record in the 1,500 last June in London. "A couple of months ago, I didn't know what I wanted. She showed me the program has a long legacy of Olympians, success and tradition. She started the process."

Denault is enrolled in the business school at Villanova, in Philadelphia, but is considering a career in marketing. He is anxious to get running.

"They're bringing in a new generation of runners and I'm happy to be part of it," he said.

"There is so much depth, but I think that's an environment I can thrive in. It can only make me better.

"If I can improve and grow, I think I can make an impact in two or three years."

It wasn't until he won the OFSAA gold medal in the 1,500 metres in June that Denault seriously considered the NCAA path.

"That's when I was starting to think about university and where I wanted to go," he said. "Before, I wasn't really running for a scholarship. It was more for fun and to see what happens."

Up next for Denault is the North American Central America and Caribbean (NACAC) cross-country championships in Trinidad next month as Canada vies for one of two berths at the world junior championships in March in Spain.

McElroy & Mimic Hit Big East Qualifiers at the Armory

At the Armory in New York City, graduate student Kelly McElroy (left), who ran for William & Mary as an undergrad, came 4th in the 1000 meters in 2:50.37, a Big East automatic qualifier. Her time is the second fastest on the team so far this season, trailing only Emily Lipari's 2:49.06 from January 15th. Shannon Browne (27th in 2:59.51), Nicky Akande (32nd in 3:02.39), and Kaitlyn O'Sullivan (36th in 3:06.76) also competed at that distance.
Bogdana Mimic won the top-level 3000 meter "championship" race, also in a Big East auto qualifier, in 9:17.34 (a time 10 seconds slower than her 2010 indoor best). She was not pushed in the race, winning by almost 8 seconds. Callie Hogan was 11th in the race, in 10:03.93. Sarah Morrison ran in the 3000 "Eastern" race, and came second, in 10:03.48.
Emily Lipari was 6th in the mile, in a time, 4:47.54, almost identical to her mile time last week, 4:47.03. Villanova signee Amanda Borroughs ran in the Junior Girls mile race, and finished 7th in 5:00.84.
Recent Villanova graduate Ellen Dougherty ran in the open 1500 meter race and finished third, in 4:21.62.

Matt Kane & Brian Tetreault Highlight Men's Weekend

Matt Kane ran an 8-second PR over 5000 meters at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the Armory. His time of 14:25.55 vaulted Kane (who finished 9th in the race) to the #2 time in the Big East (and NCAA #26) this indoor season. In the 1000 meters, Brian Tetreault ran 2:23.74, also the #2 time in the Big East, and #11 in the NCAA this season. Matt Wikler went 2:25.15 in the race, placing him #6 in the Big East and #20 in the NCAA. Tetreault's and Wickler's times are the top two 1000 meter marks on the squad so far this season.
As mentioned below, freshman newcomer (he arrived at Villanova in January) Sam MacEntee made his Villanova debut in the mile. He finished in 4:09.84, giving Villanova seven milers (Gibney, Mildenhall, Mackenzie, Long, LoRusso, Tetreault, & McEntee) with PRs under 4:10. Finally, competing in Chester at the Widener Indor Invitational, freshman polevaulter Chris Dougherty cleared 14' 5.25" (4,40 m) to gain a Big East qualifier.

Koons goes 9:01.46 over 3000 Meters

Frances Koons flirted with her 9:01.02 PR from 2007, coming up a bit short, but still ran her fastest indoor 3000 in four years today in Boston. As reflected in the results, the race broke into two distinct packs, with Koons leading home the chasers.

Women's 3000 Meters

1 Sally Kipyego KEN 8:49.74
2 Jenny Simpson USA 8:50.78
3 Megan Wright CAN 8:52.01
4 Kalkidan Gezahegne ETH 8:52.05
5 Frances Koons USA 9:01.46
6 Liz Maloy USA 9:02.47
7 Julie Culley USA 9:05.00
8 Sara Hall USA 9:11.17
DNF Mardrea Hyman JAM