Terrence Mahon Boston BoundEx-Villanova Stalwart to Coach New BAA Elite Group

Terrence Mahon with two of his Mammoth TC charges, Sara Hall (l) and Deena Kastor (r)

Terrence Mahon To Coach New B.A.A. Elite Group
By Competitor.com

The new Boston-based training group will be made up of elite level U.S. athletes. 

Terrence Mahon, who recently left his position as distance running coach of UK Athletics, has joined the Boston Athletic Association to coach a yet-to-be-formed high-performance group of distance runners, the organization announced today in a press release.

“The B.A.A. is committed to supporting running for both participation and performance, and we are pleased to introduce this program which will provide opportunities at the highest level of our sport,” Tom Grilk, B.A.A. Executive Director, said in the press release. “Terrence, our new athletes and this program reaffirm our mission to promote the sport. This performance group will focus on elite competition; through the program, we will inspire up-and-coming runners both locally and nationally. We also hope that these athletes will serve to inspire an increased community focus on the benefits of fitness for everyone.”

RELATED: Uceny, Mahon Returning To U.S. 

Mahon has been coaching since 2003, which included a long stint with Team Running USA/Mammoth Track Club, a group which included the likes of Olympic bronze medalist Deena Kastor, U.S. half-marathon record holder Ryan Hall, his wife Sara, steeplechase Olympian Anna Pierce, Morgan Uceny, U.S. 50K record holder Josh Cox, Irish Olympian Alistair Cragg and Mahon’s wife, Olympian Jen Rhines, amongst others. He took the reigns of UK Athletics last year, but announced  last week that he was leaving the organization,

Under the direction of B.A.A. club director Michael Pieroni, Mahon will recruit and coach the high-performance athletes, who will represent the B.A.A. in competition. adidas, which has been the club’s sponsor since 1992, as well as the official footwear and apparel sponsor since 1989, will continue to support the club, including athletes who are a part of this new initiative. Mahon’s aim is to develop athletes who will compete at the national and international levels.

“The B.A.A. has a rich history of athletic excellence, both in terms of events and club membership, and I look forward to developing the next generation of top Americans who will compete wearing the Unicorn,” said Mahon. “The athletes who will run for the B.A.A. in this program will represent one of this country’s oldest and most prestigious running clubs, and our group will be the newest contributor to the already strong legacy of running in Boston.”
 _____________________________________________________________________________

Here is the official announcement from the Boston Athletic Association:

Terrence Mahon To Coach Boston AA Hi-Performance Group

For Release: Monday, September 30, 2013

Terrence Mahon To Coach B.A.A. High Performance Group

New program will bring selected runners to Boston.

BOSTON - Terrence Mahon has joined the Boston Athletic Association to lead and coach a high performance distance running initiative for the organization. The club will continue to be sponsored and supported by adidas, which has been the club's sponsor since 1992. adidas has been the athletic footwear and apparel sponsor of the Boston Marathon, the B.A.A.'s premier event, since 1989.

Mahon is considered a top middle distance and distance running coach, and he is credited with having developed or coached eight Olympians since 2005.

Mahon and Jen Rhines were All-Americans at Villanova

He began his coaching career in 2003 with renowned endurance coach Joe Vigil serving as a mentor to Mahon. In 2003 and 2004, Mahon offered private coaching under his company Spiridon Running, LLC, prior to taking charge of Team Running USA, the elite group which would later become the Mammoth Track Club. Most recently, Mahon was employed by UK Athletics in England, where he served as Lead Endurance Coach.

At the B.A.A., Mahon will work with Michael Pieroni to create a high performance running program consisting of U.S. athletes. Mahon will recruit and coach the high performance athletes, and Pieroni will continue to be the director of the entire club. Mahon, along with the athletes who will comprise the high performance group, will be based in Boston. Club members will compete under the B.A.A. name and affiliation.

"The B.A.A. has a rich history of athletic excellence, both in terms of events and club membership, and I look forward to developing the next generation of top Americans who will compete wearing the Unicorn," said Mahon. "The athletes who will run for the B.A.A. in this program will represent one of this country's oldest and most prestigious running clubs, and our group will be the newest contributor to the already strong legacy of running in Boston."

Mahon officially begins with the B.A.A. in October, and the program will launch shortly thereafter. It is anticipated that the first athletes will join the club by January 2014.

"The B.A.A. is committed to supporting running for both participation and performance, and we are pleased to introduce this program which will provide opportunities at the highest level of our sport," said Tom Grilk, B.A.A. Executive Director. "Terrence, our new athletes and this program reaffirm our mission to promote the sport. This performance group will focus on elite competition; through the program, we will inspire up-and-coming runners both locally and nationally. We also hope that these athletes will serve to inspire an increased community focus on the benefits of fitness for everyone."

Athletes who become part of the program will receive a range of benefits as the club seeks to develop Americans into top runners at several distances. Athletes will compete in track and field or in road races, and Mahon aspires to have club athletes compete in national championships, the U.S. Olympic Trials, the IAAF World Championships and the Olympic Games.

"Terrence comes to the B.A.A. with a proven record of having successfully developed and coached high performance athletes," said Pieroni, who will work with Mahon to design and implement the B.A.A. program. "Our objective is to create a well-supported group of top performing athletes who will live, train and be coached towards the goal of representing the United States at international competitions."


About the Boston Athletic Association

Established in 1887, the B.A.A. marked its 125th anniversary year in 2012 and is a non-profit organization with a mission of managing athletic events and programs for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.'s Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock Financial. The Boston Marathon is part of the World Marathon Majors along with the other major marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City. More than 50,000 individuals participate in B.A.A. events annually.

Emily Lipari Wins Main Line Invitational in Solo BreakGina Procaccio: "Can I Borrow a 5?"

Villanova's Top 4 are Clear, but It Takes 5 to Win -- Who Will Step Up?

Villanova senior Emily Lipari  (bib 499 above) ran away and hid today at the Main Line Invitational, winning the 3-mile event by 14 seconds over former LaSalle All American Meghan McGlinchey (unattached).  Nicky Akande (bib 495) was 3rd, some 37 seconds in arrears of Lipari.  For the first time Angel Piccirillo (bib 501) wore the white vest in cross country and ran well, coming 4th overall in 16:49.22.  Stephanie Schappert (bib 502) -- she of two Florida state cross country individual titles -- was next for the Cats in 17:01.48, good for 6th place.  Interesting results: Katie Brislin from the Fayetteville-Manlius cross country dynasty, debuted for Villanova (well, unattached) today in fine fashion in 17:36.23, as she and Caitlin Bungo (17:37.09) both came home ahead of Julie Williams (17:53.69).  The final three spots on Villanova's top 7 look still up for grabs.  With Summer Cook gone for the Olympic Training Center and the world of triathlons, the back end of Villanova's top 7 needs to be sorted out.  Sydney Harris made a claim today for the #5 spot (albeit a full 27 seconds behind #4 Schappert), with Brislin and Bungo on the cusp.  If Brislin continues to run well, coach Gina Procaccio might be tempted to remove the red shirt and give her a Villanova singlet to wear.  Bungo was #7 today and a 12 second gap followed to Leanne Tucker at #8.  Whether frosh Julie Williams, who bested Bungo and Tucker at the Big 5 meet two weeks ago, reasserts herself into the discussion remains to be seen.  At bottom, the top 4 look set (with a 53 second spread) and a solid #5 needs to stand up and identify herself.  Harris was #5 today, but was too detached from #4 Schappert for comfort.  A wiggly #5 cost Villanova a cross country title two years ago (1-4-37-40-90 at Nationals) when the women finished 3rd, only 19 places out of first, something no doubt on Gina Procaccio's mind this evening.

                          Main Line Invitational - 9/26/2013                            
                                    Haverford College                                    
                                  Last Completed Event                                   
 
Women 3 Mile Run CC
      Comp#  Name                     School                       Time
============================================================================ 
 1   499  Lipari, Emily               Villanova                    16:08.03       
 2   542  McGlinchey, Meghan          Unattached                   16:22.06       
 3   495  Akande, Nicky               Villanova                    16:45.73       
 4   501  Piccirillo, Angel           Villanova                    16:49.22       
 5   419  Whiting, Cleo               Penn                         17:01.20       
 6   502  Schappert, Stephanie        Villanova                    17:01.48       
 7   498  Harris, Sydney              Villanova                    17:28.65       
 8   414  Jhabvala, Kersie            Penn                         17:29.08       
 9   418  Whiting, Clarissa           Penn                         17:29.39       
10   345  Weathers, Nora              Haverford                    17:30.19       
11   407  Cuccia, Gabby               Penn                         17:34.66       
12   486  Brislin, Katie              Unattached (VU)              17:36.23       
13   496  Bungo, Caitlin              Villanova                    17:37.09       
14   341  Scott, Emily                Haverford                    17:39.35       
15   382  Harrison, Rochelle          La Salle                     17:46.36       
16   327  Bourland, Clarice           Haverford                    17:47.62       
17   503  Tucker, Leanne              Villanova                    17:49.10       
18   454  Saarel, Emma                Swarthmore                   17:50.72       
19   340  Riffenburgh, Kelley         Haverford                    17:51.46       
20   536  Williams, Julie             Unattached  (VU)             17:53.69       
21   338  Lellman, Charlotte          Haverford                    17:54.50       
22   535  Russo, Alex                 Unattached  (VU)             17:56.03       
23   384  Mickle, Molly               La Salle                     17:56.97       
24   375  Areias, Anne                La Salle                     17:59.49       
25   383  McNally, Kaylie             La Salle                     18:01.60       
26   417  Quinn, Emily                Penn                         18:03.13       
27   410  Delaney, Chelsea            Penn                         18:05.89       
28   539  Hogan, Callie               Unattached (VU alum)         18:08.32       
29   449  McMenamin, Katie            Swarthmore                   18:08.74       
30   381  Hackett, Taylor             La Salle                     18:09.52       
31   390  Strycharz, Christa          La Salle                     18:13.73       
32   451  Nielsen, Sarah              Swarthmore                   18:14.29       
33   416  Montgomery, Ashley          Penn                         18:15.48       
34   386  Scardelletti, Rebecca       La Salle                     18:20.89       
35   504  Venables, Megan             Villanova                    18:23.52       
36   342  Seglem, Erin                Haverford                    18:23.81       
37   448  McLaughlin, Natalie         Swarthmore                   18:28.31       
38   453  Reid-Shaw, Indy             Swarthmore                   18:28.70       
39   406  Connelly, Madison           Penn                         18:29.48       
40   389  Solano, Cayleigh            La Salle                     18:29.95       
41   385  Pisco, Tori                 La Salle                     18:32.35       
42   485  Abueldoleh, Sammar          Unattached                   18:37.30       
43   376  Boligitz, Katherine         La Salle                     18:38.41       
44   409  Darlington, Amy             Penn                         18:42.89       
45   379  DiFiore, Carolan            La Salle                     18:46.48       
46   420  Wurth, Ella                 Penn                         18:48.43       
47   439  Cody, Jenna                 Swarthmore                   18:49.57       
48   331  Freeley, Bridget            Haverford                    18:52.06       
49   326  Berklein, Flora             Haverford                    19:01.37       
50   411  Desai, Maya                 Penn                         19:09.91       
51   324  Allen, Molly                Haverford                    19:16.14       
52   455  Tawa, Liz                   Swarthmore                   19:22.76       
53   408  Dabrowski, Pauline          Penn                         19:23.02       
54   443  Hannah, Kate                Swarthmore                   19:35.97       
55   336  Howe, Nora                  Haverford                    19:37.54       
56   306  McGarrity, Holly            Gwynedd-Mercy                19:41.39       
57   441  Eppley, Sarah               Swarthmore                   19:43.44       
58   387  Simoes, Ines                La Salle                     19:47.68       
59   378  Cramer, Courtney            La Salle                     19:50.57       
60   438  Cina-Sklar, Zoe             Swarthmore                   19:51.97       
61   301  Dalton, Colleen             Gwynedd-Mercy                19:57.24       
62   440  Crowley, Kate               Swarthmore                   20:05.48       
63   333  Greifeld, Katherine         Haverford                    20:10.14       
64   305  McCloskey, Danielle         Gwynedd-Mercy                20:12.28       
65   538  Moran, Callie               Unattached                   20:12.69       
66   328  Duffy, Margaret             Haverford                    20:17.05       
67   302  Geiger, Hannah              Gwynedd-Mercy                20:18.11       
68   332  Glavin, Amanda              Haverford                    20:36.00       
69   380  Guntle, Alexandra           La Salle                     20:58.35       
70   310  Schneider, Amy              Gwynedd-Mercy                21:07.14       
71   307  Moots, Racehel              Gwynedd-Mercy                21:23.50       
72   329  Farley, Helen               Haverford                    21:41.20       
73   442  Frantz, Sophia              Swarthmore                   21:48.49       
74   308  Piatkowski, Ashley          Gwynedd-Mercy                21:58.84       
75   444  Henig, Ariel                Swarthmore                   22:14.69       
76   330  Fisher, Rebecca             Haverford                    22:19.09       
77   337  Kantor, Rachael             Haverford                    22:24.02       
78   339  Quay de Valle, Molly        Haverford                    22:31.88       
79   388  Simpson, Britteni           La Salle                     22:32.12       
80   303  Iffrig, Kaitlin             Gwynedd-Mercy                22:35.03       
81   450  Nee, Julia                  Swarthmore                   22:43.93       
82   445  Lu, Shaina                  Swarthmore                   23:15.46       
83   309  Rudich, Simone              Gwynedd-Mercy                24:03.97       
84   334  Hacker, Allie               Haverford                    24:29.09       
85   487  Hopkins, Alyson             Unattached                   24:40.56       
86   446  Mallory, Gavi               Swarthmore                   24:44.27    

Tiernan Leads Villanova Men at Main Line InvitationalBests Nova Course Record by 4 Seconds

Tiernan (518) and Williamsz (522) went 1-2 at the Main Line Invitational

Patrick Tiernan arrived at Villanova in January as a freshman with gaudy accomplishments in cross country (three Australian national titles as a junior competitor) and the prospects of competing immediately for a spot on this year's team top three.  After two early season competitons, he's lived up to the hype. Today at the Haverford 4-mile Main Line Invitational, Tiernan (19:09.48) led a 1-2-3 Villanova Australian finish as 8 Wildcats dipped below the 20:00 mark.  Tiernan's time was the fastest ever by a Villanova runner at this meet, breaking Sam McEntee's 2012 school course record (19:13.50) and Bobby Curtis's 19:16.50 from 2007.  By way of comparison, Curtis -- an eventual NCAA 5000 meter champion -- debuted on this course as a freshman in 2003 by running 19:33. Jordy Williamsz (19:21.24) was second today, while Sam McEntee came third (19:25.05).  Also below twenty minutes were Brian Basili (19:33.93), Dusty Solis (19:35.24), Harry Warnick (19:38.06), Michael Palmisano (unattached) (19:41.85), and Kevin Corbusier (19:43.70).  Of note: (1) Alex Tully and Rob Denault were held out with niggles (Tully has yet to compete this season, but looks to be in the squad's top 7, while Denault was Nova's #2 at the Big 5 meet); (2) graduate student (formerly of Princeton) Michael Palmisano (unattached) ran impressively in 19:41.85; (3) Harry Warnick looks like a threat to Dusty Solis's status as #7 -- he trailed Solis at the Big 5 meet two weeks ago by a full 14.5 seconds, but closed to within 3 seconds of Solis today; (4) ex-Novaman Matt Kane ran well, crossing in 19:30.14.

                          Main Line Invitational - 9/26/2013                            
                                    Haverford College                                    
                                  Last Completed Event                                   
 
Men 4 Mile Run CC
      Comp#  Name                       School                 Time 
=========================================================================
    1   518  Tiernan, Patrick           Villanova              19:09.48       
    2   522  Williamsz, Jordan          Villanova              19:21.24       
    3   513  McEntee, Sam               Villanova              19:25.05       
    4   373  Stadler, Chris             Haverford              19:26.42       
    5   490  Kane, Matt                 Unattached (VU alum)   19:30.14       
    6   505  Basili, Brian              Villanova              19:33.93       
    7   517  Solis, Dusty               Villanova              19:35.24       
    8   432  Smith, Brendan             Penn                   19:35.87       
    9   521  Warnick, Harry             Villanova              19:38.06       
   10   427  Nickel, Conor              Penn                   19:41.52       
   11   515  Palmisano, Michael         Unattached  (VU)       19:41.85       
   12   507  Corbusier, Kevin           Villanova              19:43.70       
   13   545  Arnold, Eric               Unattached             19:43.98       
   14   347  Bregman, Avi               Haverford              19:45.62       
   15   318  Kubiak, Brett              Gwynedd-Mercy          19:46.09       
   16   405  Ross, Nick                 La Salle               19:49.35       
   17   422  Awad, Thomas               Penn                   19:50.85       
   18   430  Shearn, Brendan            Penn                   19:51.62       
   19   428  Paez, Conner               Penn                   19:53.38       
   20   434  Tuck, Nicholas             Penn                   20:01.07       
   21   514  O'Sullivan, Christopher    Villanova              20:04.42       
   22   510  Hurlbut, Robert            Villanova              20:05.20       
   23   400  Murphy, James              La Salle               20:06.81       
   24   363  Marquardt, Charlie         Haverford              20:07.17       
   25   433  Trueman, John              Penn                   20:08.07       
   26   491  Malone, Ben                Unattached  (VU)       20:15.93       
   27   426  Miner, Samuel              Penn                   20:18.02       
   28   431  Shurtleff, Clark           Penn                   20:22.15       
   29   531  Pitone, Ernie              Widener                20:22.40       
   30   352  Fujimori, Sam              Haverford              20:23.95       
   31   350  Christian, Joel            Haverford              20:25.61       
   32   519  Trainer, Thomas            Villanova              20:27.32       
   33   459  Branch, Corey              Swarthmore             20:27.92       
   34   369  Roza, David                Haverford              20:28.39       
   35   425  Meadows, William           Penn                   20:29.85       
   36   396  Gorsuch, Andrew            La Salle               20:30.51       
   37   358  Gorman, Jimmy              Haverford              20:32.17       
   38   319  Kubiak, Joe                Gwynedd-Mercy          20:32.48       
   39   351  Curry, John                Haverford              20:34.29       
   40   403  Robertson, Brendan         La Salle               20:35.47       
   41   436  Wistar, Lyle               Penn                   20:35.74       
   42   471  Kakkar, Sid                Swarthmore             20:41.25       
   43   355  Gandolfo-Lucia, Nick       Haverford              20:41.58       
   44   421  Allen, Victor              Penn                   20:43.88       
   45   484  White, Erick               Swarthmore             20:44.20       
   46   463  Fain, Robert               Swarthmore             20:45.18       
   47   476  Russell, Stuart            Swarthmore             20:48.33       
   48   516  Pietrocarlo, Chris         Villanova              20:50.83       
   49   512  Lampron, Josh              Villanova              20:51.08       
   50   523  Benkhadra, Brian           Widener                20:51.55       
   51   435  Webb, Kirk                 Penn                   20:55.78       
   52   374  Verner-Crist, Dylan        Haverford              20:59.52       
   53   392  Beveridge, Joe             La Salle               21:00.81       
   54   506  Bates, Charles             Villanova              21:01.24       
   55   348  Brier, Mike                Haverford              21:02.69       
   56   429  Seykora, Thomas            Penn                   21:05.47       
   57   530  McDermott, Will            Widener                21:07.60       
   58   489  Johnston, Drake            Unattached  (VU)       21:08.30       
   59   362  Keny, Gebby                Haverford              21:08.65       
   60   472  Kalamarides, Dan           Swarthmore             21:09.48       
   61   493  O'Mara, Colin              Unattached  (VU)       21:09.96       
   62   393  Day, Kevin                 La Salle               21:10.29       
   63   529  McCullough, Seamus         Widener                21:14.10       
   64   524  Caporale, Jason            Widener                21:21.37       
   65   509  Fitzsimons, Christopher    Villanova              21:25.46       
   66   397  Magnus, Ryan               La Salle               21:32.00       
   67   527  Counsel, Qadree            Widener                21:34.39       
   68   528  Garrity, Chris             Widener                21:35.20       
   69   364  Marsico, David             Haverford              21:39.37       
   70   540  Gallagher, Ryan            Unattached             21:41.12       
   71   465  Gagnon, John               Swarthmore             21:41.65       
   72   316  Joniec, Joe                Gwynedd-Mercy          21:43.70       
   73   368  Rada, Cormac               Haverford              21:44.39       
   74   320  Moyer, Sean                Gwynedd-Mercy          21:47.26       
   75   365  Mendelsohn, Richard        Haverford              21:47.60       
   76   460  Castro-Wehr, Dominic       Swarthmore             21:48.14       
   77   359  Hale, Charlie              Haverford              21:48.49       
   78   360  Hamilton, Evan             Haverford              21:55.64       
   79   525  Ciavarelli, Michael        Widener                21:59.75       
   80   372  Stackman, Daniel           Haverford              22:02.70       
   81   402  Nunez, Rodrigo             La Salle               22:04.14       
   82   526  Cooper, Andrew             Widener                22:08.64       
   83   543  Siqueiros, Ben             Unattached             22:10.79       
   84   398  Mangold, Trent             La Salle               22:11.12       
   85   481  Sullivan, Will             Swarthmore             22:11.54       
   86   458  Arbuckle, Stuart           Swarthmore             22:12.26       
   87   370  Schwartz, Elliott          Haverford              22:12.98       
   88   537  Kelly, James               Unattached             22:16.61       
   89   346  Barrett, Graham            Haverford              22:17.88       
   90   479  Scott, Richard             Swarthmore             22:21.51       
   91   399  McNabb, Justin             La Salle               22:27.22       
   92   534  Updegrove, Will            Widener                22:32.93       
   93   404  Rosenblatt, Dan            La Salle               22:39.21       
   94   478  Schug, Jorin               Swarthmore             22:42.71       
   95   357  Gooding, Ryan              Haverford              22:50.25       
   96   314  French, Matt               Gwynedd-Mercy          22:51.14       
   97   356  Gardner, Chris             Haverford              22:51.46       
   98   492  Mattis, Eon                Unattached             22:55.37       
   99   394  Finn, Matthew              La Salle               23:05.10       
  100   395  Gallo, Alex                La Salle               23:19.72       
  101   544  Pettit, Nick               Widener                23:21.71       
  102   457  Acosta, Brian              Swarthmore             23:26.54       
  103   401  Murphy, Terence            La Salle               23:29.32       
  104   482  Thompson, Bennett          Swarthmore             23:30.72       
  105   533  Simpson, Terry             Widener                23:39.28       
  106   468  Haque, Samiul              Swarthmore             23:48.40       
  107   483  Toro, Alec                 Swarthmore             23:50.85       
  108   354  Gabriel, Dorvil            Haverford              24:02.92       
  109   323  Tranchitella, Mike         Gwynedd-Mercy          24:07.12       
  110   367  Priver, Kyle               Haverford              24:16.27       
  111   532  Simcox, David              Widener                24:19.28       
  112   494  Pester, Kamrin             Unattached             24:43.08       
  113   366  Olsen, Gabe                Haverford              24:50.10       
  114   313  Forsythe, Matt             Gwynedd-Mercy          25:02.94       
  115   315  Gonzaga, Craig             Gwynedd-Mercy          25:08.68       
  116   321  Selke, Chris               Gwynedd-Mercy          25:41.93       
  117   353  Gabor, Zach                Haverford              25:42.20       
  118   477  Schmidt, Nick              Swarthmore             25:55.24       
  119   312  Demby, Michael             Gwynedd-Mercy          27:04.82       
  120   470  Jimenez, Alexander         Swarthmore             27:22.65       
  121   317  Keba, Nick                 Gwynedd-Mercy          27:30.03       
  122   322  Stone, Bobby               Gwynedd-Mercy          32:55.81       

Nicole Schappert Wins Second NYRR Road Mile Title

Nicole Schappert won the New York Road Runners Road Mile championship today on 5th Avenue in New York City, reclaiming the title she won in 2011. Run in conjunction with the 5th Avenue Mile events, the event featured top local and national talent along the 5th Avenue Mile course on the border of Central Park.  Schappert was able to edge out former Syracuse All American Lauren Penney by two strides.  Recent Georgetown All American Renee Tomlin took third. Schappert's time this year bettered her 2011 winning time by 4 seconds. For details of that 2011 race, go HERE.

NYRR Road Mile Championships Women

 1. Nicole Schappert     26  Piscataway, NJ      NYAC          4:34.3
 2. Lauren Penney        23  Highland Park, NJ   Oiselle       4:34.6
 3. Renee Tomlin         24  Ocean City, NJ      Nike          4:36.7
 4. Rolanda Bell         25  Spring Gardens,NY   New Balance   4:43.0
 5. Tigist Tufa Demisse  26  Bronx/ETH, NY       WSR           4:44.1
 6. Erin Koch            25  Hoboken, NJ         New Balance   4:47.2
 7. Stephanie Herrick    26  New York, NY        New Balance   4:50.6
 8. Kathryn McManus      38  Mamaroneck, NY      NYAC          4:50.8
 9. Andrea Bradshaw      25  New York, NY        New Balance   4:54.8
10. Jeanna Composti      32  New York, NY        NYAC          5:00.0
11. Lorain McKenzie      28  Newark/JAM, NJ      New Balance   5:02.2

It's Lauren Penney (2nd), Renee Tomlin (3rd), and Nicole Schappert (1st) after the race

Frances Koons Comes 11th at USA 5K Championship

While at Villanova, Frances Koons was the 2009 NCAA runner-up at 5000i meters, and finished third outdoors that same year.  Today on the roads in Providence, Koons contested the USA 5K championship against a quality field.  She finished 11th in 16:16.1, a creditworthy result given the level of competition.  Here are the results for the elite women's race:

Women

1.  Molly Huddle     Providence    15:29.6
2.  Emily Infeld     Concord       15:30.8
3.  Alexi Pappas     Alameda       15:34.7
4.  Laura Thweatt    Boulder       15:51.7
5.  Neely Spence     Lake Orion    16:01.5
6.  Kellyn Johnson   Flagstaff     16:01.5
7.  Meghan Peyton    Richfield     16:04.3
8.  Deborah Maier    Concord       16:07.7
9.  Katie Matthews   Allston       16:09.2
10. Amy Van Alstine  Flagstaff     16:16.0
11. Frances Koons    Bryn Mawr     16:16.1
12. Jessica Tebo     Sammamish     16:16.3
13. Kerri Gallagher  Arlington     16:26.5
14. Liz Costello     Hoboken       16:29.3
15. Kristen Rohde    Portland      16:29.9
16. Rachel Ward      Charlttevlle  16:32.2
17. Betzy Jimenez    San Antonio   16:37.4
18. Jillian King     Chestnut Hill 16:52.5
19. Laura Cummings   Bay Shore     16:53.4
20. Larissa Park     Somerville    16:56.2

Marty Liquori Takes 1973 AAU Indoor Mile TitleWin Makes Ex-Nova Great 14 for 14 at Madison Square Garden

Here is a recently appearing video of Marty Liquori fending off Reggie McAfee to win the 1973 AAU indoor title over 1 mile.  It was at the time Liquori's 14th win in 14th attempts at Madison Square Garden.  McAfee gave Liquori a tough time (both were hand timed in 4:03.5, with Liquori out-leaning the diminutive McAfee at the line), but the best part of the video is Liquori planting an elbow in the chest of one of his traditional nemeses, the Pole Henryk Szordykowski, at the 3:28 mark of the video.  Also interesting is Brent Musberger interviewing Liquori after the race, while Liquori represents his alma mater well by donning a Villanova track t-shirt.

Terrence Mahon to Leave UK Distance PostWill Return to the USA with wife Jen Rhines

Terrence Mahon was an 8x All-American at Villanova and is married to all-time Villanova great Jen Rhines

Terrence Mahon to leave UKA

Lead endurance coach to return to the USA as he announces departure from UKA less than a year after taking up the role

September 20, 2013 by Athletics Weekly

Terrence Mahon has announced he is to leave his lead endurance coach role at UK Athletics less than a year after taking up the post and will return to the USA.

The news follows an announcement earlier this month in which it was confirmed endurance coach John Nuttall is also leaving UK AThletics for a new role in Qatar.

His departure raises questions as to whether Lynsey Sharp will be forced to switch coach with less than a year to go until the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with the European 800m champion currently under Mahon’s guidance in Loughborough. One of Scotland’s big track hopes for the home Games, Sharp is said to be exploring the options available to her, with UKA advising AW that Mahon has not ruled out continuing to advise the 23-year-old from afar.

Mahon was a 2:13 marathoner and USA 20K Champion

“I am pleased to have worked closely with some very talented British coaches and support staff during this period in implementing a multifaceted approach to training – including all aspects of the sports science and medical team in place at the national performance Institute,” commented Mahon.

“There is a talented body of endurance coaches in the UK not to mention world class individuals such as Barry Fudge who plays such a crucial part in Mo Farah’s success, and there is no reason why that success cannot grow.

“I wish everyone at British Athletics the best in the run up to 2016, and will follow GB athletes’ progress in future.”

Mahon arrived in Loughborough in the autumn of 2012 with a great reputation having coached Ryan Hall, Josh Cox, Deena Kastor, Jenn Rhines and Anna Pierce.

Speaking of Mahon’s departure, UKA performance director Neil Black commented: “Terrence has worked hard in what has been a challenging post 2012 year to align our endurance programmes going forward towards 2016 and 2017, and I thank him for his contribution to British Athletics this year.

“We have some exciting plans for our endurance programme including some key opportunities for our home grown coaches going forwards, and I look forward to outlining these plans very soon.”

_________________________________________

Terrence Mahon was an 8-time All American at Villanova, where he won Big East and IC4A individual titles. After graduating in 1993, Mahon was a national class competitor who won the 1998 USATF national title at 20 kilometers (1:00:58) and qualified for the US Olympic trials five times combined on the track and at the marathon distance. He owns PRs of 4:05.9 (mile), 8:05.9 (3000 meters), 13:33.2 (5000 meters), 28:31.1 (10,000 meters), 1:03:37 (half marathon) and 2:13:02 (marathon). 

 Despite such an illustrious running resume, he is best known these days as one of the top professional coaches in the business. While in the US, his stable of runners included his wife Jen Rhines (winner of multiple national championships while at Villanova and a three-time Olympian, at 5000, 10,000 and marathon), the American record holder for the marathon and olympic bronze medalist Deena Kastor (nee Drossin), New York marathon winner and olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi, and the American record holder for the half marathon (59:43) and 20 kilometers Ryan Hall. His younger charges include Sara Hall, Ian Dobson, Ann Willard, and Scott Bauhs.  Prior to departing for the position of national distance coach for UK Athletics eleven months ago, Mahon was head coach at Mammoth Track Club in California, which developed into a mecca of elite distance training.

-- Villanova Running

Villanova Courts 3-Time PA State Champion Kennedy Weisner

Kennedy Weisner was the 2012 Pennsylvania Class A Cross Country Champion

PennTrackXC Journal:
Kennedy Weisner, Elk County Catholic - Entry #1 - September 16 - Villanova visit
PA 2013-14 Journals Series / September 16, 2013

 Elk County Catholic senior Kennedy Weisner enters her final year of XC with a champion's resume. Her best year to date was last year as a junior when she won her first state cross country title - this one in the inaugural Class A Championship. Weisner also qualified for her first Foot Locker Nationals. During indoor, she was invited to her first Millrose Mile, and also to the Brooks PR meet, an elite gathering in the Northwest. She came back in outdoor to capture two state AA titles, winning the 800 and the 1600 - a very tough double. She began her final XC season at PTXC-5, setting a course record of 17:49.

Kennedy Weisner
SR. Elk County Catholic HS, PA


Hi everyone! My name is Kennedy Weisner and I am a senior at Elk County Catholic High School. It is hard to believe that my senior year is already here, and with it, the start of cross country season!

My team and I had our first meet last weekend in Kutztown at PTXC5. Although I have run this race the past two years, this is the first time that my team came, so it was an extra special start to the season! This is always such a great meet with excellent competition, so my team and I were excited (and also nervous!) to run our first race. Since Kutztown is almost a five hour trip for us, we piled into the school vans after second period on Friday morning. After a quick stop for lunch and some questionably dangerous driving on some very windy roads, we finally arrived at the course and were able to walk/jog it and get a feel for what we would be facing the next day.
 

Will Weisner (1) join Margey (10) at Villanova?

After showering we went to this sketchy Italian restaurant (although the name of it sounded Mexican) that is apparently the number 1 rated Italian restaurant in the area on the internet. Let’s just say that when they say you can't trust everything you read on the internet they're actually right.

The weather the next morning was perfect and the course was better than I have ever seen it. Since it was the first race of my season, I was even more nervous than usual, but as soon as the gun went off I felt fine!  For the first mile I pretty much ran side by side with Marissa Sheva, and I was feeling strong. I decided to throw in a bit of a surge right after the first mile and created a bit of a separation between myself and the rest of the pack. I tried to push the second mile and just stay strong on the last mile. Before I knew it I was climbing the final hill to the finish line. I was excited to see that my time was 17:49 because I had never broken 18 before!

Overall my team had a pretty good day. It was a great opportunity for us all to see where we are at this point in the season. We had one other girl place in the top 20 and our little freshman, Lauryn, had a great first race, breaking 23 minutes! The rest of our girls and guys did really well, and I know we cannot wait until our next race to see how we can improve.

Weisner would join ex-foe Piccirillo as well

After the race, I took my first official visit to Villanova. I was secretly hoping that my host would be Angel Piccirillo, and it turned out that she was! That night, we went out to eat, along with the other sophomore girls, Caitlin Bungo and Kelsey Margey. On recommendation by Angel, I had lasagna, and it was delicious! Angel definitely knows her lasagna! The next morning I got to run on one of the trails they frequently train on, and it was so pretty there.

Later that day, the assistant coach, Ali, gave me a tour of the campus and told me where to find all the best snacks. There is this one building on campus that has what they call a whispering arch. I tried it, and it actually works! It's right next to the book store, which is in Kennedy Hall.  Even though Kennedy Hall looks like a giant microwave, there is just something about the name that appeals to me. It was great talking to Ali and getting her perspective on everything because she had run at Villanova herself. She calls herself a seventh-year senior, and it was good to see that after seven years she still loves Villanova.
 
Meeting all of the girls on the team was awesome because they have such commitment and dedication to what they're doing at Villanova, and that's not something that you see everywhere. They were all so nice and welcoming, and Emily Lipari even offered to do my nails for me! It was great to be able to talk to all of them about Villanova, and I could tell that they were all happy and motivated. Before I left on Monday, I went to Kelsey's animal physiology class with her. The professor was so nice, and he was serious when he said he likes to pick on recruits.

Overall, the weekend went really well, but, as luck would have it, by Tuesday morning I had a bit of a cold, and the exhaustion from a long weekend didn't help matters. We don't have another invitational until the end of this month, so it will be nice to just focus on training.

Good luck to everyone in the coming weeks, and happy XC season!

Video: O'Sullivans win 1500m Races at 1992 Cork City Sports

Two famous County Cork heroes contested the 1500 meters at the 1992 edition of the Cork City Sports meeting.  In the men's race, Marcus O'Sullivan led from lap two and won comfortably in 3:40.9.  Later in the meet Sonia O'Sullivan took the women's 1500 in  4:10.5, closing with a final lap of 61 seconds.  Here are the races, at the links below.


Men's 1500

Women's 1500

Williamsz Wins, Leads Villanova Men at Big 5 Invitational

The Villanova harriers launched the 2013 cross country campaign today at Belmont Plateau at the Big 5 Invitational.  On the men's side, Jordy Williamsz won the 6K (6 x 1K loops) race in 18:50.95 and headed a  1-4-9-15-18 finish (with a 20.4 second spread) for Villanova.  Rob Denault was just a few strides behind in 4th place, and uber frosh Patrick Tiernan started his Villanova career by finishing 9th overall, 5.5 seconds in arrears of his compatriot Williamsz. Seventeen Villanova men contested the race, including unattached frosh Ben Malone, Colin O'Mara and Drake Johnson. No Alex Tully (who figures to be in Villanova's top 5 this season) in today's race, while Dusty Solis made the first claim on the open #7 spot on the squad by gapping Harry Warnick & Kevin Corbusier by over 14 seconds.  To be continued.  The complete race results are HERE.

The Nova men's order of finish looked like this:

Villanova Men

1.  Jordy Williamsz       18:50.95
4.  Rob Denault           18:52.32
9.  Patrick Tiernan       18:56.46
15. Sam McEntee           19:09.18
18. Brian Basili          19:11.35
20. Dusty Solis           19:13.43
33. Harry Warnick         19:27.95
34. Kevin Corbusier       19:28.71
35. Chris O'Sullivan      19:31.06
38. Robert Hurlbut        19:35.22
46. Chris Pietrocarlo     19:52.72
47. Ben Malone (u)        19:56.34
48. Colin O'Mara (u)      20:04.20
50. Charlie Bates         20:06.14
55. Drake Johnson (u)     20:17.79
56. Chris FitzSimons      20:18.70
58. Josh Lampron          20:20.10

Julie Williams Debuts with 2nd Place Finish at Big 5 Invitational

Williams is unattached, for now

In a reversal of the normal pattern in these matters, Gina Procaccio held back her top runners today at the Big 5 Invitational, while Marcus O'Sullivan let his big dogs run.  While the men's Jordy Williamsz won the race for the Villanova men (see separate post on the men's race), newcomer Julie Williams (Tatnall, DE) made it a Williamsz-Williams day (or, more accurately, a Williams-Williamsz day, since the women went off before the men) at Belmont Plateau.  The women ran 4 loops of the 1K course, with Williams, running unattached, coming 2nd in 14:29.37, some 20 seconds behind race winner Elizabeth Barrett of St. Joseph's.  Caitlin Bungo was the first official Villanova vest across the line in 8th, some 17 seconds behind Williams.  The full race results are available HERE.

The Villanova order of finish looked as follows:

Villanova Women

2.  Julie Williams (u)      14:29.37
8.  Caitlin Bungo           14:46.31
12. Leanne Tucker           14:49.01
15. Megan Venables          14:53.29
19. Alex Russo (u)          14:57.38
22. Courtney Chapman        15:03.00
41. Amanda Borroughs        16:01.02
42. Mary Bohi               16:02.50

Happy 64th Birthday to Marty Liquori

Liquori defeats Olympic Silver Medalist & World Record Holder Jim Ryun for 1969 NCAA Mile Crown

Marty Liquori, America's premier mile and 5000 meter man in the 1970s and the youngest ever 1500 meter Olympic finalist, turns 64 years old today.  The third prep runner in history to break the 4:00 mile, Liquori won 4 NCAA mile titles for Villanova (including the 1969 victory over Jim Ryun shown above).  He is still the last American runner to be ranked #1 in the world at the mile (1969 and 1971) and the last American runner to be ranked #1 in the world at 5000 meters (1977). He set American records over two miles (his 8:17.12 from 1975 lasted 19 years) and twice at 5000 meters (13:15.1).  He lives in Gainesville, Florida, where is a professional jazz guitarist.

Sonia O'Sullivan Stepping Up for Irish Athletics

Sonia wants to be ‘leading light’ for Irish athletes

By Feidhlim Kelly

The Irish Examiner 

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Ireland’s most celebrated athlete, Sonia O’Sullivan, has announced her intention to be a more active “leading light” for Irish athletes and give back to the sport she loves by setting up her own group to develop athletes to deliver on the world stage.

“I suppose I’ve been talking about what athletes should do and how they can improve without necessarily being visibly seen doing anything,” said O’Sullivan, who is currently home in Cork and participating in the An Post Rebel Tour which takes place on September 14.

O’Sullivan caused a stir by giving her opinion on the sport domestically recently but is keen to stress her desire to foster a positive energy amongst Irish athletes.

“Sometimes the truth hurts but I was giving my opinion and it was meant to be of benefit to the athletes,” said the multiple world champion.

“I want to be a leading light for athletes and a kind of umbrella to help them achieve their goals. I want to send out a positive message and breathe a positive energy into their running.”

The group will be called Sonia ag Rith after her twitter name @soniaagrith which had, until recently, left many confused by what it actually meant – Sonia Running for the non gaeilgoirí.

The first planned get together is before the Athletics Ireland Fit4Youth 6 week programme on September 16 at the UCC Sonia O’Sullivan track.

“I’ve always wanted to do something with the twitter name,” said O’Sullivan. “And hopefully by setting this up, I can make a difference to the performances of Irish athletes. This year I’ve helped Laura Crowe who has done really well and made a big improvement by linking up with my husband Nic [Bideau].”

Bideau is the director of the Melbourne Track Club and helps Paul Robinson, Laura Crowe and Mark English. All have excelled this year, most recently in Rieti where Robinson set a national U23 1500m record (3:35.22), Crowe ran a personal best over 800m (2:00.93) and English eight hundredths of a second outside the national 800m record with 1:44.89.

The Cobh native believes a positive team focusing on racing and not times is the key to Irish athletes performing well.

“It’s an individual thing when you are racing on the track but every individual has a team behind them. All these people who have an influence on what you’re doing and the most important thing is that they are all very positive.

“They don’t all have to be very serious though. You need to have someone who makes you laugh and kind of relaxes the atmosphere.”

O’Sullivan feels athletes should view racing as a game. “It’s all about racing. If you go out there and try and beat as many people as you can, you will eventually start getting into the right races.

“If you train hard, the race is just a game. It’s like a game of chess. You know there are certain people you can beat in a sprint and others that you know you can keep up with. By focusing on the race rather than times you will get results. If you’ve trained hard in the winter, then you have nothing to be afraid of.”

Now O’Sullivan has come full circle and is back running with the masses.

“I started off running the Evening Echo Mini Marathon in Cork at 15 to winning world and Olympic medals to coming back down now to where I started. It’s my passion.”

The 43-year-old also combines some cycling with her main passion to keep fit. “Cycling is a fantastic activity for getting you outdoors and keeping fit. The Rebel Tour is a great opportunity to take on a different challenge.”

As XC Season Begins, the Fight for Top 7 in On

Just a few days away from the start of the 2013 cross country campaign, Villanova's 7-deep at the top of the roster looks pretty much set -- except for the final spot.  Villanova returns five of its top-7 harriers from last year's squad -- losing stalwarts Mathew Mildenhall and Matt Kane to graduation and lack of eligibility (see 2012 chart below).  Added to the returning five is promising freshman Patrick Tiernan (a three-time Australian national cross country champion as a junior).  Tiernan figures to be among the top 3 runners on Villanova's team this season, especially as the races get longer at the end of the season, joining fellow compatriots Sam McEntee and Jordy Williamsz.  Sitting in the #4 spot (but pressing Williamsz at #3) looks to be Canadian Rob Denault, while returners Alex Tully and Brian Basili seems ready to fill the 5-6 slots.  That leaves the competition for the final spot on the squad for the end-of-the-year competitions (NCAA regionals and nationals).  Based on last year's performances, the #7 spot seems to wide open.  In play for that spot are returners Dusty Solis, Chris O'Sullivan, Tom Trainer, Harry Warnick, and Kevin Corbusier (Greg Morrin, who graduated, but had one more year of eligibility, is not on the 2013 roster).  Newcomer Ben Malone, primarily an 800 meter / mile specialist, might also enter the fray.  The exact mix of runners at the top of the squad, of course, will reveal itself soon enough, as the team gets through the first few events.

2013 Cross Country Schedule

09/13/13  Big Five Invitational        Philadelphia, Pa.  
09/26/13  Main Line Invitational       Haverford, Pa.  
10/05/13  Chile Pepper Festival        Fayetteville, Ark.  
10/19/13  Princeton Invitational       Princeton, N.J.  
11/02/13  BIG EAST Championships       Kenosha, Wis.  
11/15/13  NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional   Bethlehem, Pa.  
11/23/13  NCAA Championships           Terre Haute, Ind.

Here's the finishing order on the Villanova squad for the team during last year's campaign.

2012 XC Campaign	Main Line 4 mi	Paul Short 8K	Pre-Nats 8K	Big East 8K	NCAA Reg 10K	NCAA Nats 10K	2013 Eligible?
Sam McEntee	1	1	DNF	1	1	3
Matt Mildenhall	3	2	1	2	4	1	No
Jordy Williamsz	2	3	3	4	2	4
Rob Denault	DNS	5	2	3	5	5
Matt Kane	5	6	4	7	7	2	No
Alex Tully	4	8	7	5	3	6
Brian Basili	6	7	5	6	6	7
Greg Morrin	7	4	6	8	DNS	DNS	Out
John Pickhaver	8	9	8	9	DNS	DNS	Transfer
Tom Trainer	9	12	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS
Chris O’Sullivan	10	13	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS
Harry Warnick	11	11	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS
Kevin Corbusier	12	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS
Dan Harris	13	16	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS
Dusty Solis	14	10	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS
Chris Pietrocarlo	15	15	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS
Charlie Bates	16	14	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS
Robert Hurlbut	17	17	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS
Josh Lampron	18	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS
Andrew Golato	19	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	No
Richie Bohny	20	18	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS