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

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

Boys 4x800 Meter Relay Championship

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DNS Monroe-Woodbury TC-Boys

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

Recruiting Update: Ireland's Ciara Mageean

This from The Independent of Ireland:

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

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

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

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

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

Lipari Dominates Mile Field at Nike Indoor Nationals | #4 All-Time USA Prep

The jewel of Gina Procaccio's incoming 2010 freshman class, Emily Lipari, set a meet record in winning the NIN Girls mile, in 4:42.64. In 6th place at 1500 meters, she used a blistering last lap to win by 4 seconds. Lipari, from Long Island, NY, is the national leader in the mile and is now #4 on the all-time USA prep mile list.

Notice, as well, that the 12th place finisher overall, is Nicole Schappert's younger sister, Stephanie, a junior at Pope John Paul II high school, and (like Nicole before her) a two-time Florida state cross country individual champion.

2010 Nike Indoor Nationals - 3/12/2010 to 3/14/2010
Reggie Lewis Sports and Athletic Center
Boston, MA

Event 10 Girls 1 Mile Run
========================================================
Sections 1 and 2 on March 14 at 11:25am
Sections 3 and 4 on March 14 at 2:02pm
National: N 4:38.50 3/17/1972 Debbie Heald, Neff, La Mira
Meet: M 4:45.18 3/11/2007 Alex Kosinski, Oak Ridge, E
Freshman: ( 4:40.10 1973 Mary Decker, Orange, CA
Sophomore: R 4:46.13 3/14/2004 Nicole Blood, Saratoga, NY
Junior: J 4:38.50 3/17/1972 Debbie Heald, Neff, La Mira
Senior: $ 4:39.00 1978 Lynn Jennings, Bromfield, H
Name Year School Finals (1500m)
=========================================================
Finals
1 Lipari, Emily 10 Una-Ny-Green 4:42.64M (4:31.72)
2 McGee, Cory 10 Pass Christian TC 4:46.63 (4:26.19)
3 Fulton, Eleanor 11 Una-Co-Lone_ 4:48.10 (4:29.58)
4 Stevens, Joanna 10 Blacksburg TC 4:49.68 (4:29.15)
5 Meyers, Madeleine 12 Una-Wa-Seatt 4:51.05 (4:31.18)
6 Stevens, Kathleen 10 Blacksburg TC 4:51.63 (4:31.50)
7 Vailas, Arianna 10 Manchester C 4:52.18 (4:32.26)
8 Brink, Emma 11 Una-Ky-Louis 4:53.40 (4:35.18)
9 Adler, Monica 10 Beverly TC 4:53.66 (4:35.24)
10 DiSomma, Claudia 13 Sparta TC 4:54.81 (4:35.59)
11 O'Keefe, Katherine 11 Newton Centr 4:55.14 (4:35.76)
12 Schappert, Stephanie 11 Una-Fl-Delra 4:55.86 (4:36.23)
13 Schmidt, Colleen 11 Holy Trinity TC 4:56.20 (4:36.23)
14 Hollowood, Keelin 12 Kinetic RC 4:56.27 (4:37.08)
15 Fineman, Melanie 10 Newton Centr 4:57.00 (4:37.05)
16 Sargent, Sara 13 Una-Pa-Yardl 4:57.80 (4:39.09)
17 Coogan, Katrina 11 Phillips Exeter TC 4:58.29 (4:37.64)
18 Amaral, Joelle 11 Randolph Tc-Nj 4:58.40 (4:37.81)
19 Patrignelli, Megan 10 Wilson Memor 4:58.66 (4:40.57)
20 Lautzenheiser, Kathleen 10 Midlothian TC 4:59.33 (4:38.38)
21 Neer, Waverly 11 Culver TC 4:59.99 (4:40.95)
22 Poretta, Alanna 10 Pentucket Reg TC 5:00.05 (4:41.18)
23 Beattie, Kayla 11 Woodstock Tc-Il 5:01.89 (4:42.27)
24 Niblock, Katie 10 Una-Ny-Tonaw 5:03.30 (4:43.43)
25 O'Brien, Dena 10 Una-Al-Pelha 5:04.35 (4:42.69)
26 Bellon, Brianne 10 Kinetic RC 5:05.26 (4:42.20)
27 Nerud, Brianna 12 North Shore RC 5:05.81 (4:46.07)
28 Brown, Hannah 12 Blacksburg TC 5:05.85 (4:46.82)
29 Kerr, Lindsay 10 Northwestern 5:06.88 (4:46.94)
30 Fitchett, Leah 10 Blacksburg TC 5:08.09 (4:47.29)
31 Walker, Katherine 10 Brooke Point-Gir 5:08.15 (4:47.34)
32 Barry, Sarah 10 Una-Ri-Barri 5:08.23 (4:48.84)
33 Dulac, Madeline 11 McDonogh TC 5:10.14 (4:50.78)
34 Dent, Alexandria 10 Una-Wv-Scott 5:10.40 (4:50.24)
35 Harrington, Sophia 10 Conard TC 5:10.68 (4:51.05)
36 Davis, Kaitlyn 10 Mountain View TC 5:11.67 (4:50.97)
37 Rehn, Katherin 10 Una-Il-Weste 5:11.85 (4:50.33)
38 Dorrell, Sarah 11 Blacksburg TC 5:13.08 (4:52.04)
39 Hoevet, Katherine 12 Ann Arbor Ytc 5:20.85 (4:59.69)
40 Sanders, Mary Katherine 10 Western Branch TC 5:25.35 (5:02.64)
-- Maher, Sophie 12 Carmel TC DNF
-- Rowe, Hannah 10 St. Johnsbur DNS
-- Strasser, Stephanie 12 Una-Fl-Ferna DNS
-- Walsh, Lindsay 10 Swampscott TC DNS
-- Kvartunas, Paige 10 West Springfield TC DNS
-- Cuffe, Aisling 11 Una-Ny-Cornw DNS

VU Signee FitzSimons goes 1:51.94 and 4:07.6 at Nike Indoor Nationals

Villanova signee Chris FitzSimons owned the USA high school #1 times at 600 meters and 1000 meters this indoor season. Splitting the difference, Chris ran the 800 meters at the Nike Indoor Nationals this weekend. His 1:51.94 was good for third, as the top three preps finished within one second. Also, FitzSimons anchored the USA #1 Hamden High School DMR team to a victory at the NIN meet. He took the baton in 6th place and proceeded to run a 4:07.6 1600 split for the win. Overall an excellent weekend. Here are the results:


2010 Nike Indoor Nationals - 3/12/2010 to 3/14/2010
Reggie Lewis Sports and Athletic Center
Boston, MA

Event 7 Boys 800 Meter Run
======================================================
Sections 1 through 8 on March 14 at 8:45am
Sections 9 and 10 on March 14 at 2:51pm
National: N 1:49.21 3/15/2009 Robby Andrews, Manalapan, N
Meet: M 1:51.63 3/11/2007 Alex Mostrag, Fork Union M.
Freshman: ( 1:55.45 2005 Andrew Perkins, Watertown,
Sophomore: R 1:51.11 1994 Michael Granville, Bell Gar

Junior: J 1:50.55 3/12/1995 Michael Granville, Bell Gar
Senior: $ 1:49.21 3/15/2009 Robby Andrews, Manalapan, N
Name Year School Finals
======================================================
Finals

1 Kostelac, Anthony 10 Albemarle 5 Guys 1:50.96R
2 Kaiser, Nick 11 Mule Pack TC 1:51.34M
3 FitzSimons, Chris 10 Hamden TC 1:51.94(
4 Mallon, Tom 10 Chalfont-War 1:53.04(
5 Quercia, Michael 10 Marcellus TC 1:53.16(
6 Jones, Byron 10 Una-Ma-Westb 1:53.85(
7 Ledder, Bill 10 Una-Va-Falls 1:54.13(
8 Endress, Wade 11 Altoona Area TC 1:54.21(
9 Bell, Ford 10 Una-Tn-Brent 1:54.38(
10 Gornall, Jordan 11 Una-In-Helto 1:54.52(
11 Stevens-Carty, Henry 10 Una-Ga-Kenne 1:54.58(
12 Watkins, Zavon 12 Liverpool Tc-Boys 1:54.65(
13 Jiak, Bumkoth 10 Jamesville-D 1:54.70(
14 Byrne, Kevin 11 Runner's High RC 1:54.80(
15 Gunnerson, David 10 Grafton Runners 1:55.21(
16 Peterson, Pat 10 Gloversville TC 1:55.37(
17 Farag, Hamer 10 Una-Nj-Morri 1:55.71
18 O'Connor, Ryan 11 Una-Md-Owing 1:56.08
19 Magna, Brian 10 Canton Tc-Ct 1:56.11
20 Gisore, Antoine 10 Concord Tc-Nh 1:57.18
21 Tallerico, Thomas 11 Our Lady of 1:57.20
22 Decker, Luke 11 Jserra Tc-Ca 1:57.37
23 Bolinger, Charles 11 Blazin' Raid-Boy 1:57.56
24 Moran, Kyle 11 Glenside TC 1:57.72
25 Gorwitz, Brian 10 Grafton Runners 1:57.75





2010 Nike Indoor Nationals - 3/12/2010 to 3/14/2010
Reggie Lewis Sports and Athletic Center
Boston, MA

Event 29 Boys Distance Medley
======================================================
National: N 9:59.94 3/10/2000 Gloucester, Gloucester, MA
Meet: M 10:02.13 3/14/2009 Albemarle, Charlottesville
School Finals
======================================================
Finals

1 Hamden TC 10:07.58
1) Saba, Nick 10 2) Moye, Tevin 10
3) Whiting, Isiah 10 4) FitzSimons, Chris 10

2 Warwick TC 10:08.50
1) Paez, Daniel 11 2) Armand, Pierre 10
3) Ramirez, Daniel 10 4) Luthin, Timothy 11

3 Liverpool Tc-Boys 10:08.52
1) Clemons, Christopher 10 2) Savage, Colin 10
3) Watkins, Zavon 12 4) Wilke, Alex 10

4 Western Branch TC 10:09.06
1) Matais, George 10 2) Smith, Keenan 10
3) Cipcic, Cameron 11 4) Theroux, Blake 10

5 Breen TC 10:09.20
1) Yau, James 10 2) Murphy, Brian 10
3) Pienta, Brad 10 4) Atchoo, Michael 10

6 Deluge XC 10:09.25
1) Maughan, Scott 10 2) Taylor, David 10
3) Fernandez, Chris 10 4) Ubriaco, Otis 11

7 Grafton Runners 10:09.40
1) Gorwitz, Brian 10 2) Wallace, Joseph 12
3) King, Kyle 11 4) Gunnerson, David 10

8 Shenendehowa TC 10:16.14
1) Kimmey, Sam 10 2) Hildenbrandt, Zack 10
3) Jacobs, Adam 10 4) Harris, Dan 10

9 Kern TC 10:23.20
1) Kern, Nicholas 10 2) Cutler, Evan 11
3) Kern, Adam 10 4) Karr, Nathan 10

10 Toms River North Tc-Boys 10:23.49
1) Leskow, Aaron 10 2) Botti, Rob 10
3) MacNab, Brian 10 4) Kotran, Joe 10

11 Our Lady of Good Counsel 10:23.70
1) Colbert, Stephon 13 2) Graves, Kyle 10
3) Shokunbi, Fola 11 4) Tallerico, Thomas 11

12 Reservoir TC 10:24.51
1) Carrion, Jeff 10 2) Jackson, Ryan 10
3) Peterson, Jimmy 10 4) Schuler, Eric 11

13 Hoover HS 10:24.91
1) Taylor, Austin 10 2) Humphrey, Maudrecus 10
3) Marshall, Will 10 4) Propst, Bryan 11

14 Glastonbury Tc-Boys 10:26.63
1) Watson, Beecher 10 2) Holmes, Malcolm 11
3) Goff, Cameron 10 4) Pajor, Ryan 11

15 Union Catholic TC 10:27.26
1) Gingrich, Evan 11 2) Veiksans, Michael 11
3) Eke, Allen 12 4) Thornton, DJ 10

Versatile Mary Bohi signs with Villanova

Gina Procaccio has signed a versatile hurdler/middle distance runner from Seneca High School in Tabernacle, New Jersey. Reigning Group 3 New Jersey state champion in the 400 meter intermediate hurdles Mary Bohi will join the Villanova track team in the fall. Mary is also a promising talent at 800 meters (PR of 2:11.56), at which distance she finished 4th in the Group 3 state meet last summer. Bohi's best times are 59.80 (400 meters), 1:01.49 (400 meter hurdles), 2:11.56 (800 meters), and 5:24.96 (1600 meters). As a junior she finished 14th in the 400 hurdles at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, NC. Here is the December 2009 story from The Burlington County Times announcing her decision to attend Villanova:

Seneca's Bohi headed for Villanova
By: Reuben Frank
Burlington County Times

Seneca senior Mary Bohi, one of only two girls in the U.S. to run 2:11 for 800 meters and 1:01.49 in the intermediates this past spring, will continue her education and track career at Villanova, Bohi said today.
“I loved pretty much everything about it,” Bohi said. “The campus had a great feel to it, everyone there – especially the team – was extremely nice and made me feel a part of the team right away.
“I love the coaching staff and know they can get me to my full potential, and I’m so excited about that. I knew the whole weekend that I was on my official visit that Villanova was where I wanted to go, and myself, my parents and my coaches are thrilled.”
Bohi ran 2:11.56 and 1:01.49 at the state Group 3 meet, winning her first state title in the 400 intermediates. The only other girl in the U.S. who ran that fast for both races was Ellen Dougherty of East High in Sioux City, Iowa (2:08.94, 1:01.25).
Bohi and senior All-America Michelle Brown helped Seneca win state Group 3 team titles both indoors and outdoors. They also teamed with Lyndsy Horn and Nicole McGrainer to win the Millrose Games mile relay and with Horn and Kayla Moody to win Penn Relays and state 1,600-meter relay titles.
Brown signed with Notre Dame last month, so Bohi and Brown will find themselves competing against each other in the Big East Conference.
“Mary chose an amazing school and I couldn’t be happier for her, especially since Villanova is in the Big East,” Brown said. “I’m so excited to be able to run against one of my best friends next year.”
Villanova is rich in track and cross country tradition. The Villanova women’s cross country team won its eighth NCAA title last week and is a perennial national contender on the track.
Nova women’s track coach Gina Procaccio and legendary Shawnee middle-distance runner Michelle DiMuro ran together on several world-class relay teams, including the 3,200-meter relay team that set a world indoor record of 8:24.72 in 1987.
Bohi, who ranks No. 2 in county history in the 800 and No. 5 in the intermediates, plans to study nursing at Villanova.
“It has one of the best nursing programs in the country, and it has one of the best track programs,” Bohi said. “I know it was the best possible fit for me.”

Chris O'Sullivan to Run for Villanova

Two-time Pennsylvania state cross country medalist and 2009 all-state harrier Chris O'Sullivan will join his father's squad in the fall. Not surprisingly, given the DNA involved, Chris is a top miler in Philadelphia and currently leads the Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) list at that distance. He finished 2nd in the mile at the PCL championship meet as a junior. Running for St. Joseph's Prep, Chris had a great 2009 cross country season, finishing second at the prestigious Paul Short meet, covering the 5 kilometer course in 15:41. At the PCL cross championship, Chris trailed only Tom Kehl in finishing second. Only in the last two years have the Philadelphia Catholic League schools competed at the PIAA state championship XC meet, and Chris acquitted himself nicely, finishing 24th as a junior and 18th as a senior. Chris has PRs of 15:41.00 (5000 meters), 9:57.66 (3200 meters), 4:23.13 (mile), 4:16.27 (1600 meters), 4:08.28 (1500 meters) and 2:06.19 (800 meters). In the 2009 outdoor season, he finished 9th at the Pennsylvania state championships in the 1500 meters.

Dave Cotton Signs with Villanova

Dave Cotton of Daniel Hand high school in Madison, CT has signed on to join the Villanova track and cross country squads, picking the Wildcats over Virginia and Virginia Tech. Cotton has achieved multiple all-state honors in Connecticut and finished 31st at the 2009 New England cross country championship. Competing in the same conference as Villanova's other Connecticut signee Chris FitzSimons, Cotton has PRs of 2:37.47 (1000 meters), 4:22.93 (mile), 9:35.58 (3200 meters), 9:45.74 (2 miles), and 16:30.00 (5000 meters). Dave comes from a strong running bloodline: his father Mike Cotton ran track and cross country for the University of Virginia from 1977-1981 and still ranks #1 on the all-time UVA 10,000 meter list (28:55.34), #3 on the school's all-time steeple list (8:44.44), and #3 on the all-time 5000 meters list (13:56.44).

Connecticut Middle Distance Ace Signs with Villanova

Villanova has signed Hamden (CT) High School's Chris FitzSimons to join Marcus O'Sullivan's men's program. Chris is currently the USA #1 schoolboy at 600 meters (1:20.63) and he recently won his debut attempt at the mile at the 14th annual New Balance Games at the Armory. His time in that race (4:17.33) places him at 16th on the national high school mile list. Running off a slow pace, FitzSimons bolted with three laps to go and won by 4 seconds. His splits were 2:14 - 2:03. Chris's PRs are 50.92 (400 meters), 1:20.63 (600 meters), 1:51.96 (800 meters), 2:33.46 (1000 meters), 4:17.33 (mile), and 16:16 (5000 meters). He is also part of the USA #1 DMR team (10:19.64) at Hamden.

Georgia's State Champ Nicky Akande Verbals to Villanova

Gina Procaccio's squad has gotten a new addition in Georgia's state champion Nicky Akande. She is the reigning 2009 Georgia 5A state cross country champion, after finishing 2nd in 2007 and 6th in 2008. She also won the state championship at 800 meters in 2008. In October 2009 she finished 6th at the Great American Cross Country Festival meet of champions in Cary, NC. The following month, Nicky finished 5th at the Nike Cross Southeast Regional on the same course. Akande was named 2010 Gatorade Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year in the state of Georgia. The following appeared recently on MileSplit.com

Nicky Akande Commits (verbally) to Villanova
By Andrew Hudson / January 28, 2010

Nicky Akande, a senior at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, GA, has verbally committed to run for Villanova University in Philadelphia, PA for her collegiate career. Nicky won the Georgia AAAAA Cross Country title in November with a record time of 17:55. She was undefeated against Georgia runners this year and swept the County and State runner of the year honors.

Villanova is the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country Champions and the most storied program in Women's Cross Country history. Nicky is excited about the athletic and academic opportunities that await her at Villanova. She chose the Wildcats over Florida State, Arkansas, and Columbia.

Nicky also placed 2nd in 3 different events (800m - 2:13, 1600 - 5:00, and 4x400m - 3:50) in last spring's GHSA Girls State Track Meet and won the AAAAA State Championship in the 800m in 2008.

Coach Hudson
Head Cross Country and Track Coach
Collins Hill High School
Suwanee, GA

VU signee Lipari posts New US#1 Mile at New Balance Games

Roslyn (Long Island, NY) senior all american Emily Lipari, a Villanova signee, improved upon her US#1 indoor mile time in winning the elite invitational mile by 3 seconds at the New Balance Games at the Armory. Here are the results:

Varsity Girls One Mile Run Finals ========================================
Name Yr Team Time
========================================
1 Emily Lipari 4:53.84
2 Joelle Amaral 4:56.81
3 Ajee Wilson 5:03.71
4 Alaine Tate 5:03.83
5 Corrie Gethard 5:06.29
6 Lindsay Kerr 5:09.75
7 Sarah Quinn 5:10.29
8 Kalyn Fisher 5:10.82
9 Alyssa LaGuardia 5:13.59
10 Tobin 5:16.93
11 Rachel O'Driscoll 5:30.36

The First Irishman to tell Jumbo "No, Thanks"

Eamonn Coghlan's recent book Chairman of the Boards, Master of the Mile relates the story of Jumbo Elliott's failed attempt to recruit John Treacy to Villanova. According to Coghlan, despite the existence of the Irish Pipeline dating back for two decades or more, prior to 1974 Jumbo had never traveled to Ireland and, aside from Carl Lewis in New Jersey, had never traveled to recruit a runner in person (usually leaving the recruiting to Jack Pyrah). Since he had been invited to speak to the Olympic Council in Dublin, Jumbo decided to seek out Treacy and offer him a scholarship to run at Villanova. When Treacy turned Jumbo down and accepted a scholarship to Providence College, he became the first Irishman to turn down an offer to compete at Villanova. Treacy went on to greatness at Providence and on the world scene. His younger brother Ray followed John to Providence a few years later and became the team's track and cross country coach.


John Treacy's greatest moments, including a 1984 Olympic silver medal in the marathon and two World Cross Country golds, are listed below:
PRs:
5000 meters: 13:28.89 (Rome, 1987)
10,000 meters: 27:48.7 (Brussels, 1980)
10K: 27:46 (Phoenix, 1985)
Half-Marathon: 1:02:22 (Nara, Japan, 1988)
Marathon: 2:09:15 (Boston, 1988)

Greatest Hits:
Silver Medal, Marathon (2:09:56), 1984 Olympic Games (Los Angeles)
Gold Medal, 1978 World Cross Country Championships (Glasgow)
Gold Medal, 1979 World Cross Country Championships (Limerick)
5th Place, 1985 World Cross Country Championships (Lisbon)
Brone Medal, 1974 World Junior Cross Country Championships (Monza)
Bronze Medal, 1975 World Junior Cross Country Championships (Rabat)
3rd Place, 1988 Boston Marathon (2:09:15)
3rd Place, 1989 Boston Marathon (2:10:24)

All-American Emily Lipari Commits to Villanova

All-American Lipari chooses Villanova

By Christopher Hunt / November 9, 2009

Sometimes in life you really can get anything you want. And sometimes when you can have anything and you find that you like everything, it becomes hard to settle on just one thing ? or one school. Roslyn’s Emily Lipari chose Villanova. The senior, ranked seventh in the Milesplit National poll, chose Nova last week over Oregon, Providence and Georgetown.

“Each visit I went on, I really liked and it was great to be given those opportunities,” Lipari said. “In the end, I wanted to go somewhere that was far enough that I would feel like I have that independence but close enough that I could come home.”Lipari, decided two weeks ago, a week after she visited Oregon which finished second at the NCAA Cross Country Championships last year. Villanova though, is currently ranked second in the country according to the USTFCCA Women’s Division I poll.

“Every time I went on a visit I was like, ‘Oh my God, I like this place,’ or ‘this place is awesome,’” she said. “But Villanova always stayed in the back of my mind. There was just something about Villanova.” Lipari couldn’t say much about what separated one school from another. Mostly, she decided according to where she simply felt most comfortable, which turned out to be in Pennsylvania. “It’s kind of all just by feel,” she said. “You kind of go there and you can ask all the questions you want and get all the answers you want but in the end you’re just going to go where you feel comfortable.“The biggest thing for me is, I just feel like I’m ready to leave high school. Now that committed to a college you just feel like you have that independence. I’ve done high school training and I’ve had some of the best high school coaches. I’m ready to see what’s out there for me in college.”

Lipari has been among the top distance runners in the country for the past two years. She finished 11th at the Foot Lockers Nationals last year and won state titles in the 1,500 and 3,000 outdoors the past two years. Lipari sounded horse over the phone Monday night and had 101-degree fever before the Nassau County championships two weeks ago. She said she plans to the run in the state championships Saturday in Plattsburgh, where she’ll be the favor in the Class A race. But even more than her excitement about running in college next year, she’ll be able to experience something at practice she that she never has before.“I’ll actually get to run with girls,” she said. “It’s going to be so different.”

Villanova signs Middle Distance star

Seneca's Bohi headed for Villanova
By: Reuben Frank
Burlington County Times

Seneca senior Mary Bohi, one of only two girls in the U.S. to run 2:11 for 800 meters and 1:01.49 in the intermediates this past spring, will continue her education and track career at Villanova, Bohi said today.

“I loved pretty much everything about it,” Bohi said. “The campus had a great feel to it, everyone there – especially the team – was extremely nice and made me feel a part of the team right away.

“I love the coaching staff and know they can get me to my full potential, and I’m so excited about that. I knew the whole weekend that I was on my official visit that Villanova was where I wanted to go, and myself, my parents and my coaches are thrilled.”

Bohi ran 2:11.56 and 1:01.49 at the state Group 3 meet, winning her first state title in the 400 intermediates. The only other girl in the U.S. who ran that fast for both races was Ellen Dougherty of East High in Sioux City, Iowa (2:08.94, 1:01.25).

Bohi and senior All-America Michelle Brown helped Seneca win state Group 3 team titles both indoors and outdoors. They also teamed with Lyndsy Horn and Nicole McGrainer to win the Millrose Games mile relay and with Horn and Kayla Moody to win Penn Relays and state 1,600-meter relay titles.

Advertisement Brown signed with Notre Dame last month, so Bohi and Brown will find themselves competing against each other in the Big East Conference.

“Mary chose an amazing school and I couldn’t be happier for her, especially since Villanova is in the Big East,” Brown said. “I’m so excited to be able to run against one of my best friends next year.”

Villanova is rich in track and cross country tradition. The Villanova women’s cross country team won its eighth NCAA title last week and is a perennial national contender on the track.

Nova women’s track coach Gina Procaccio and legendary Shawnee middle-distance runner Michelle DiMuro ran together on several world-class relay teams, including the 3,200-meter relay team that set a world indoor record of 8:24.72 in 1987.

Bohi, who ranks No. 2 in county history in the 800 and No. 5 in the intermediates, plans to study nursing at Villanova.

“It has one of the best nursing programs in the country, and it has one of the best track programs,” Bohi said. “I know it was the best possible fit for me.”