Schappert, Koons, Muncan & Tully Benefit from Gagliano's NJ-NYTC

Frances Koons, Nicole Schappert, Marina Muncan and Sean Tully are all affiliated with former Georgetown (and Oregon Track Club) coach Frank "Gags" Gagliano's New Jersey-New York Track club. The Wall Street Journal today published this expose of Gagliano and the NJNYTC (visit the club's website HERE).

The Wall Street Journal
March 16, 2012, 8:58 p.m. ET

Coaching Icon Readies Another Olympic Run
By SARA GERMANO

Frank Gagliano knows everything you could want to know about running a great mile. But this Sunday he'll watch his protégé Julie Culley run 13.1 miles in the New York City Half Marathon—a first for both of them.

Gagliano, known affectionately as "Gags," heads the Olympic-development New Jersey-New York Track Club in Piscataway, N.J., and his bona fides since he started coaching over 50 years ago are impressive: 11 Olympians, one world championship medalist, and dozens of national and NCAA medalists.

"Some people like golf, some people take off to Florida," he said. "I like clicking my stopwatch."

Culley, who is the reigning U.S. 5k road champion, is one of Gagliano's best prospects for this summer's London Games. The half-marathon will be an experiment before Culley attempts to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team in the 5,000 meters this summer.

The Bronx-born Gagliano, who turns 75 Tuesday, was training Olympic hopefuls in Oregon in 2008 when his daughter-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer.

After the Beijing Games, he decided it was time to retire and move back East to be with his family.

Not long after he settled in Westchester, however, Erin Donahue, a New Jersey-based Olympian, called and asked Gagliano to coach her. He accepted.

News that he was working again galvanized the local running scene, and by last summer the 25-member New Jersey-New York group was meeting regularly at the Rutgers University track.

For the most part, the team consists of recent college graduates hoping to break into the top tier of American athletics—Gagliano's specialty.

"Nobody has had more continued success with mid-distance and distance runners beyond college than Gags," said Vin Lananna, the associate director of athletics at the University of Oregon and the co-founder, along with Gagliano, of the elite development Oregon Track Club.

Describing the current scene in American track and field, Lananna added, "No country in the world has something quite as established, funded, and organized as our high schools and colleges, but afterwards there's this big void." That's where Gagliano's club steps in.

Elite development track clubs tend to come and go in the U.S., but the NJ-NYTC has already spawned four world championships qualifiers. The group, now a non-profit, is the only such organization on the east coast to receive funding from the USA Track & Field Foundation and the New York Road Runners.

The sponsorship of Gagliano's cohort marks the first time the NYRR, which also produces this weekend's NYC half marathon, has endorsed a local group with Olympic potential. "Nothing makes us happier than to have such talent here," said Mary Wittenberg, the NYRR CEO.

Most of the team members have family or collegiate ties to this area, but all describe Gagliano as having a paternal presence in their coaching. "I remember one day at practice when I tried running but couldn't and I started crying," said Nicole Schappert, a former Villanova standout, describing the challenge of returning from a stress fracture last fall. "Instead of telling me to 'suck it up,' Gags put his arm around me." Two months later, Schappert ran the fastest indoor mile of the year by an American woman.

At the track earlier this week, neither Culley nor Gagliano appeared daunted by the half-marathon. Culley said she's hoping to finish in less than 1 hour, 12 minutes, though her coach emphasized preparing her for what's next: "Afterward, it's back to the track to get the 15:20 for the trials."

Referring to the Olympic qualifying standard for the 5,000 meters. Culley's current personal best? 15:21.

Even at 75, Gagliano is still looking out for the next generation of runners. He won't name names, but he's working on a short list of collegians to invite to NJ-NYTC. And if there's any doubt about his mental fortitude, his humor is as sharp as ever. Asking for her workout assignment at practice, one runner called out to Gagliano, "What am I doing today, Coach?"

"Running," he said.

Previewing the NYC Half-MarathonCan Bobby Curtis Mix It Up with the World's Best?

Here is some excellent in-depth coverage from LetsRun.com of the men's field at Sunday's New York City Half Marathon. Bobby Curtis brings a 1:01.52 PR from 2011 to the race, with his eyes on the upcoming USA Olympic Trials at 10,000 meters (Curtis is the 7th fastest native born American ever at that distance, 27:24.68).

LetsRun.com's Preview Of The 2012 NYC Half Marathon

By LetsRun.com
March 16, 2012

A few weeks ago, we referred to the 2012 NYC Half as the "London" of the half marathons. What we meant is the race is so full of names, it reminds us of the London marathon each spring - it seems like everyone is there.

While the New York race organizers may not like us using the term "London" as an adjective, we hope they forgive us, as we meant it as the ultimate of compliments.

The race really does have a lot of recognizable names from throughout the globe in it.

We'll start our analysis with the men and begin by presenting you three sets of names - one set that is based in North America, one set that is based in Africa and one that is based in old Commonwealth - and then there is South America's Marilson Gomes dos Santos.

After each name, you will see where they are from, their half marathon and 10,000 PRs, and then a comment or two about them. Note, we present the runners in each group in order of how excited we are to see them run. For example, Dathan Ritzenhein ("Ritz") is our #1 attraction as we want to see how he looks after finishing 4th at the OTrials marathon. Even though Meb Keflezighi ("Meb") handily beat Ritz at the Trials, Meb's only the sixth American we most want to see in this race, as it means next to little for him or his Olympic chances. He has nothing to prove here.

The North American Based Runners

Dathan Ritzenhein - USA - (60:00 PR, 27:22.28 10,000 PR, 2:09:55 at Trials in Houston) - How will Ritz look in his first race back after finishing 4th at the Olympic Trials Marathon?

Bobby Curtis - USA - (1:01:52 PR, 27:24.68 10,000 PR - 2012 opener) - Can Curtis mix it up with some of the world's best? Good form here means he's likely to make the US Olympic team at 10,000 as he's one of just 4 with the "A"' standard.

Scott Bauhs - USA - (61:30, 27:48.06 10,000 PR, 61:30 half in Houston in January) - Looked good in January, can Bauhs beat many of the top Americans? Good form here means he'll have a shot for the US team at 10,000 later this summer.

Sam Chelanga - KEN - (63:41, 27:08.39 10,000 PR - 7:50 3k in February) - The NCAA 10,000-meter record holder is likely a future US Olympian, how does his 10,000 track success translate to the roads?

Ed Moran - USA - (debut, 27:43.13 10,000 PR, 29:49 10k on roads at World's Best 10k on Feb. 26th) - His marathon debut in November in NYC of 2:11:49 was a smashing success. How will he fare in his return to NYC?

Meb Keflezighi - USA - (61:00, 27:13.98 10,000 PR - 2:09:08 Marathon Trials win in Houston). - Meb loves New York, but given the fact he won the Trials, we aren't expecting much here as he doesn't need to be in shape right now.

Wesley Korir - KEN - (62:30, 29:06.83 10,000 PR, 2:06:15 marathon PR - 2012 opener) - The runner-up at the 2011 Bank of American Chicago Marathon seems to be a true marathoner. Can he proves us wrong by excelling at 13.1?

Eric Gillis - CAN - (63:34, 28:07.19 10,000 PR, 2:11:28 marathon PR - 2012 opener) - His 13.1 best should be faster given his marathon time.

African Based Runners

Peter Kirui - KEN - (59:40 PR, 27:25.63 10,000 PR - 2012 opener) - We are very excited to see what the 2011 Kenyan 10,000 champ (6th at Worlds, 1 spot ahead of Galen Rupp) who also ran 59:40 and 2:06:31 in 2011 looks like in New York and what he says about his plans for the rest of the year. Will he shoot for the Olympic 10,000?

Feyisa Lelisa - ETH - (59:22, 27:46.97 10,000 PR - 59:22 in Houston in January, 61:52 in February)- The 2011 IAAF World Championships Marathon bronze medallist looked great in January but struggled in February. What form will he be in here?

Deriba Merga - ETH - (59:15, 27:02.62 10,000 PR, 2:06:38 - 2012 opener) - The 2009 Boston Marathon champion is a threat to win if he's on. He likes to race. It's a bit odd he hasn't finished a race so far in 2012.

Abderrahime Bouramdane - MOR - (62:40, 2:07:33 marathon PR - 2012 opener) - 4th at World Champs in 2011 at 26.2.


South America's Best

Marilson Gomes dos Santos (59:33 pb, 27:28.12 10,000 pb, 61:46 2nd place showing in Brazil two weeks ago). Two-time ING New York City marathon champ.

From The Commonwealth

Chris Thompson - GBR - (debut, 27:27.36 10,000 PR - 7:48 and 13:29 indoors this year) - In good form so far this year.

Ben St. Lawrence - AUS - (debut, 27:24.95 10,000 PR - 13:24 in Feb, 13:48 in March) - Didn't run very well earlier this month, how does he respond here?

Collis Birmingham - AUS - (65:46, 27:29.73 10,000 PR - 13:15 5,000 in Feb, 13:22 in March) - Already secured an Olympic berth earlier this year.

Michael Shelley - AUS - (62:10, 27:59.77 10,000 PR, 2012 opener) - 28-year-old ran 2:11 twice in the marathon last year.

And that list doesn't include two people from Japan. Toyo University stars Yuta Shitara (62:35 pb) and Kento Otsu (62:43). The NYRR certainly has gone to all corners of the globe to build an interesting field.

But who will win?

That is hard to answer. The problem when trying to handicap a half marathon is that a half most often isn't an athlete's main goal and thus you are sort of trying to handicap a race that in some ways is just a key stepping stone for a later race. Additionally, that later race may be in the near future (say, a spring marathon) or more distant future (Olympic 10,000 or US 10,000). Additionally, if the half marathon participant is a marathoner at heart, they very well may have run no other races so far this year and thus it's hard to judge their fitness.

Thankfully the NYRR likes to use it's half marathon to sort of give many top 10,000 runners a feel for a longer distance, the roads and New York as a sort of open house for the ING new York City marathon in case down the road one of the runners wants to move to the marathon. As a result, many of the entrants have run races in 2012. But if you really want to get up to date on people's form, you might want to watch tonight's broadcasts of NYRR Live at 8pm eastern where Olympian Todd Williams will hopefully have some insight on the top competitors.

In terms of winning this race, we'd say there really are just five contenders. The three African runners with pbs in the 59s - Peter Kirui of Kenya and Feyisa Lelisa and Deriba Merga of Ethiopia - and Dathan Ritzenhein - whose PR is almost in the 59s at 1 hour flat - as well as maybe Marilson Gomes dos Santos, who also has a pb under 1 hour (59:33) and has twice been top 10 at world's at 13.1.

When his career is over, it'll be interesting if people end up saying that the half marathon really was Ritz's ideal event. It seems perfectly suited for Ritz for a number of reasons. Unlike a 10,000, it's on the roads and features hills and what not, which suits Ritz, who is a former cross-country star. Additionally, it's not too far of a distance, as Ritz tends to bonk at the end of marathons.

Ritz almost ran the USA XC trials after missing out on the Olympic marathon team and he stated in a USA Today feature that he has been doing track workouts. So there is no doubt he's back at it after the Trials. But that doesn't mean he's by any stretch of the imagination he's ready to go 100%. The OTrials were just two months ago. As a result, we'd be very surprised if he won. It would be a long shot for Ritz to win if he was 100% sharp and we don't think he's 100%.

One guy who likely is in great form is Kenya's Peter Kirui. Kirui had a great 2011, as he ran 59:40 for the half, helped pace Patrick Makau to his world record, and then helped pace Wilson Kipsang to his 2:03:42 and then decided to finish that race in 2:06:31 (if you don't know Kirui, we recommend you read this NYRR Profile of him: Behind the Stats: Peter Kirui). We think Kirui is in good form as he's going to race a marathon for the first time in four weeks - Rotterdam.

Lelisa is going to be running London this spring, so he's likely in good form. We find it a bit odd that Merga hasn't raced so far this year as he loves to race and don't know what to expect from him. He's our wildcard. dos Santos, who has twice won the marathon in New York, ran a half-two weeks ago in 61:46 in his native Brazil. Fitness like that might get him top 5 but won't win.

If one of those four doesn't win, then maybe Sam Chelanga will a big surprise. He made a low key half-marathon debut in Boston in 1:03:41 last year. He'll have to do much better to be a factor here but he is the NCAA 10,000 record holder.

In addition to the winner, there is a lot to pay attention to. Ritz, Curtis, Bauhs, and Moran are four of the US's biggest Olympic hopefuls at 10,000 (plus a few absent people like prohibitive favorite Galen Rupp plus "A" qualifiers Matt Tegenkamp and Tim Nelson and the injured Chris Solinsky). Assuming Rupp makes it, there are only two spots left. Who's fitness gives them the inside track for that?

LRC Prediction: A Kenyan or Ethiopian wins. We're leaning towards Peter Kirui. We're very interested in seeing who ends up being the first American here. If it's not Ritz, there will be a lot to talk about after the race.

We're sure some of you will criticize us for taking the easy way out by saying a Kenyan or Ethiopian will win. We hate it win people talk about Kenyan or Ethiopian runners or even worse African runners as if they are not individuals. We did it here to make a point. For as loaded as the field is with 'names', it's by no means loaded in terms of Kenyan and Ethiopian talent. Saying a Kenyan or Ethiopian will win it means saying one of three guys will win it, Feyisa Lelisa, Peter Kirui, or Deriba Merga. For better or worse, one thing the NYRR does is try to make their fields full of interesting stories. Other half-marathons likely have more top-end talent as all you need to do is go to Iten, Kenya and get the 10 most in form guys. For example, last week 5 Kenyans broke 1 hour at the ABN-AMRO City-Pier-City Half Narathon.

With that in mind, perhaps we shouldn't call this the "London" of half-marathons. London is the best of the best. This race has a lot of top talent spread over the globe which by the way is what the Olympics does as well. So maybe it just makes since to call it the NYC Half Marathon. One thing we know for sure is it is a race we're really looking forward to and without a doubt the top half-marathon in the United States.

Interview with Angel Piccirillo after 2nd Place at Indoor Nationals

Here is an interview with Villanova signee Angel Piccirillo after she finished second in the mile at the New Balance Indoor Nationals, running 4:45. Piccirillo currently has the 3rd fastest mile time among US preps.

Click HERE for the video interview.

Here is a video of the race itself:

Bobby Curtis Readies for New York City Half Marathon

Bobby Curtis is back on the roads this weekend, in his first big test after his winter racing season was hijacked by a foot injury. Since then, his race-conditions running has been relegated to rabbiting a 5000 meter race in Tasmania, Australia in early February. By all accounts, he's healthy and confident going into the race. Here's how the New York Road Runners describes Bobby Curtis on the eve of the New York City Half Marathon on Sunday.

Bobby Curtis

NYC Half Welcomes Bobby!

Appearing in his first NYC Half, Bobby Curtis is coming off a personal-best 1:01:53 at the 2011 ING Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half-Marathon, where he placed ninth. He made his marathon debut in the ING New York City Marathon 2011, placing 15th with a 2:16:44. Curtis, 26, A former cross-country champion at Villanova University, won the NCAA 5000-meter track title in 2008. In 2011, he placed second in the 10,000 meters at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational, and he was the top American finisher at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K (in 29:09).

To see the biographies of the men's elite field, click HERE.

Video: Sam McEntee 4th at NCAA Indoor Mile Final

NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
Finals - Mile

1) Chris O'Hare                    Tulsa                    4:01.66
2) Rich Peters                     Boston University        4:01.78
3) Miles Batty                     BYU                      4:01.86
4) Samuel McEntee                  Villanova                4:01.91
5) Andrew Bayer                    Indiana                  4:02.13
6) Peter Callahan                  Princeton                4:02.66
7) Erik van Ingen                  Binghamton               4:02.70
8) Raul Botezan                    Oklahoma State           4:02.90
9) David McCarthy                  Providence               4:04.05
10) Kirubel Erassa                 Oklahoma State           4:04.36
11) Robby Creese                   Penn State               4:11.45

Man on a Mission: Brother Colm O'ConnellHosted by Eamonn Coghlan

Fantastic documentary presented by former World Indoor Mile record holder, and 1983 World 5000m Champion, Eamonn Coghlan. Inspired to take up running by Kenya’s 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist Kip Keino, Coghlan travels to St. Patrick’s High School in Iten, Kenya, to meet Brother Colm O’Connell, an Irish Patrician missionary and former headmaster of the school. O’Connell was the man who coached Wilson Kipketer to a World Record in the 800m, and currently coaches the man who broke that World Record, David Rudisha, and former Commonwealth 5000m champion Augustine Choge, amongst others.

Coghlan wants to find out what it is about the Kenyan distance runners, and especially those living and training in Iten, which makes them produce so many world beaters. Through conversations with O’Connell, Rudisha, Keino, and his contemporary Mike Boit, Coghlan gives us a fascinating insight into the training practices, both mental and physical, which leave the Kenyan athletes a few steps ahead of the rest of the world. The video won the award for Irish Sports Programme of the Year at the 2011 Irish Film and Television Awards.

Presented by Eamonn Coghlan, Directed by Maurice Sweeney.
Video from jamieleedalton, hosted on Vimeo.

McEntee, Lipari and Ward Named All-Americans

Miler Sam McEntee (Perth, Australia) was named Villanova's sole 1st Team All-American by the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). McEntee finished 4th in the NCAA indoor championships in the mile, .25 seconds behind the NCAA champion from Tulsa. The complete list of All-Americans can be found HERE.

On the women's side, Emily Lipari (Greenvale, NY) and Shericka Ward (Leesburg, FL) were named 2nd Team All-Americans. Ward was a 60 meter hurdle finalist at the NCAA indoor nationals, while Lipari bowed out in the semi-finals of the mile.

Lagat vs Coghlan vs O'Sullivan in the Wanamaker Mile

John Desmond writes a wonderful blog on Irish running called "Running in Cork, Ireland." County Cork has produced a number of tremendous Villanova runners such as Sonia O'Sullivan, Marcus O'Sullivan, John Hartnett, Donal Walsh, Ken Nason, John Hunter, and Aidan O'Regan. In a recent post he compared the Wanamaker Mile victories of the three most prodigious milers in recent Millrose Games history: Bernard Lagat, Eamonn Coghlan, and Marcus O'Sullivan, the latter two being icons in Villanova running history. Here is a nice comparison of their mile prowess at Millrose.

Jen Rhines Gearing Up for April Half Marathon in New York

Runner's World has a nice profile of Jen Rhines and her plans to run in the ninth annual More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon on April 15th in New York.

Go HERE for the details.

Piccirillo 2nd in Mile at New Balance Indoor Nationals

Villanova signee Angel Piccirillo (Homer Center, PA) broke the Armory facility record at the New Balance Indoor Nationals, but was bested by USA #1 miler Hannah Meier (Grosse Pointe, MI), who lowered her nation's best time by almost a second and broke Villanova's Emiliy Lipari's meet record from 2010. This race went according to script, at least according to the national performance list prior to the race. Hannah Meier was #1 and Piccirillo, at #3 nationally, was the next highest ranked miler. On Sunday, Piccirillo ran 4:45.05, less than a second off the Pennsylvania state record she ran on February 25th at the PA state meet. Piccirillo held off Syracuse-bound Brianna Nerud, who took third.

Event 10  Girls 1 Mile Run
================================================================
    National: N 4:38.50  3/17/1972   Debbie Heald, Neff, La Mira
        Meet: M 4:42.64  3/14/2010   Emily Lipari, Roslyn, NY   
      Armory: A 4:46.11  1/7/2012    Samantha Nadel, North Shore
    Freshman: F 4:40.10  3/16/1973   Mary Decker, Orange, CA    
   Sophomore: O 4:46.13  3/14/2004   Nicole Blood, Saratoga, NY 
      Junior: J 4:38.50  3/17/1972   Debbie Heald, Neff, La Mira
      Senior: S 4:39.00  2/24/1978   Lynn Jennings, Bromfield, H
    Name                    Year School                  Finals 
================================================================
Finals                                                          
  1 Hannah Meier              13 Grosse Point           4:42.60M
  2 Angel Piccirillo          12 Homer-Center Tc-Pa     4:45.05A
  3 Brianna Nerud             12 North Shore Rc-Ny      4:45.29A
  4 Megan Moye                12 Cosby Tc-Va            4:47.75 
  5 Alexis Panisse            12 Benjamin Car           4:48.36 
  6 Katie Fortner             14 Cave Spring Tc-Va      4:49.79 
  7 Carolyn Bethel            13 Hidden Valley Tc-Va    4:52.40 
  8 Maria Seykora             12 Academy of N           4:52.44 
  9 Ellie Gonzalez            14 Catholic Tc-Md         4:53.78 
 10 Audrey Batzel             12 Ocean Lakes Tc-Va      4:55.85 
 11 Anna Boyert               12 Medina Tc-Oh           4:56.12 
 12 Reagan Anderson           13 Adrenaline Tc-De       4:56.26 
 13 Catherine Maloy           13 Academy Of T           4:58.66 
 14 Haley Meier               13 Grosse Point           4:59.12 
 15 Samantha George           12 Una-Nc-Ralei           5:01.97 
 16 Sara Barron               12 Una-Mi-Oakla           5:05.92 
 17 Avery Evenson             13 Una-Mi-Howel           5:06.70 

Recruit Caitlyn Bungo 12th at NB Indoor Nationals Two Mile

Villanova-bound Caitlin Bungo (Sewickley Academy, PA) finished 12th in a slow, sit-and-kick two mile at the New Balance Indoor Nationals at the Armory in New York City. The race included most of the nation's top 3000/3200 runners. Bungo came home ahead of several nationally ranked runners, such as Maryland's Maggie Mullins (USA #12 at 2 miles), Rhode Island's Paige Ethier (USA #28 at 2 miles), and Nikki Park of Virginia Beach, VA (USA #28 at 3200 meters).

Event 12  Girls 2 Mile Run
================================================================         
 Section 1 at 9:00am; Section 2 at 12:16pm                               
    National: N  9:55.92  3/10/1991   Melody Fairchild, Boulder,         
        Meet: M  9:56.85  3/13/2011   Aisling Cuffe, Cornwall, N         
   NSIC Meet: I  9:55.92  3/10/1991   Melody Fairchild, Boulder,         
      Armory: A  9:56.85  3/13/2011   Aisling Cuffe, Cornwall, N         
    Freshman: F 10:23.46  3/15/1998   Michelle Dela Vina, Andrea         
   Sophomore: O 10:25.07  3/14/1999   Sara Bei, MontgomerySantaR         
      Junior: J 10:11.55  3/13/2010   Aisling Cuffe, Cornwall, N         
    Name                    Year School                  Finals          
================================================================         
Finals                                                                   
  1 Carmen Carlos             13 Una-Al-Mobil          10:25.30  9:49.73 
  2 Rachel Paul               12 Sachem Spike          10:25.82  9:50.05 
  3 Dana Giordano             12 Una-Nj-Berna          10:28.91  9:49.72 
  4 Bethanie Brown            13 Waterville Tc-Me      10:29.04  9:49.98 
  5 Julie McConville          13 Una-Ma-Hingh          10:36.36  9:53.85 
  6 Hannah Christen           14 Burke Tc-Va           10:36.40  9:59.24 
  7 Mackenzie Barry           14 Mendham Tc-Nj         10:38.24  9:53.75 
  8 Colette Richter           13 Una-Nj-Mount          10:38.87  9:59.11 
  9 Shelby Davidson           12 Holy Trinity          10:40.03  10:00.07
 10 Rebecca Salter            13 Adrenaline Tc-De      10:42.03  9:59.50 
 11 Gianna Frontera           14 Una-Ny-Newbu          10:42.52  9:58.02 
 12 Caitlin Bungo             12 Sewickley Ac          10:47.43  10:07.96
 13 Jackie Choucair           13 Metroplex St          10:48.14  10:06.07
 14 Annika Gompers            14 Una-Ma-Newto          10:51.16  10:09.71
 15 Sara Sargent              13 Three Amigos Tc-Pa    10:52.19  10:10.32
 16 Maggie Mullins            12 Andover Tc-Ma         10:53.46  10:10.53
 17 Kelsie Schwartz           14 Una-Mi-Gross          10:54.26  10:12.03
 18 Jessica Donohue           13 North Shore Rc-Ny     10:54.84  10:07.95
 19 Abby Seel                 13 Una-Nj-Chester-Seel   11:00.11  10:14.16
 20 Elizabeth Caldwell        13 North Shore Rc-Ny     11:02.30  10:19.44
 21 Paige Ethier              12 South Kingst          11:02.60  10:19.66
 22 Amy Darlington            12 Una-Pa-Bethl          11:12.60  10:26.86
 23 Nikki Park                14 Ocean Lakes Tc-Va     11:13.19  10:27.37
 24 Emily Waligurski          13 Boiceville Tc-Ny      11:27.25  10:39.06

Sam McEntee Comes 4th in Tight NCAA Mile Title Run

Sam McEntee closed fast over the final 400 meters to come from 7th to 4th, finishing a mere one-quarter of a second behind the NCAA indoor champion Chris O'Hare of Tulsa. McEntee (above photo, far left) was caught in traffic on the rail with 500 meters to go, and was only able to strike for home with 400 meters remaining. He had the fastest closing 400 time (54.95) of any of the competitors, but ran out of track to catch the remaining three runners. If the race had been 20 meters longer, he may have had enough space to surge to the lead. McEntee, only a sophomore, earns his first All-American certificate.

NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
Finals - Mile

1) Chris O'Hare                    Tulsa                    4:01.66
2) Rich Peters                     Boston University        4:01.78
3) Miles Batty                     BYU                      4:01.86
4) Samuel McEntee                  Villanova                4:01.91
5) Andrew Bayer                    Indiana                  4:02.13
6) Peter Callahan                  Princeton                4:02.66
7) Erik van Ingen                  Binghamton               4:02.70
8) Raul Botezan                    Oklahoma State           4:02.90
9) David McCarthy                  Providence               4:04.05
10) Kirubel Erassa                 Oklahoma State           4:04.36
11) Robby Creese                   Penn State               4:11.45

Shericka Ward 7th at NCAA 60 Meter Hurdles Final

Shericka Ward ran right at her PR tonight in the 60 meter hurdle finals (8.151), and finished 7th, earning All-American honors. As the official Villanova Sports Information office story relates it, Ward and Jasmin Stowers of Louisiana State each had an official time of 8.16 and Ward finished seventh with a time that was three thousandths of a second faster. Her time at the finish line was 8.151 and was only one thousandth of a second away from officially being another personal best.

Last night in the preliminary heats of the 60 meter hurdles Ward had the seventh fastest time (8.16) out of 16 sprinters and she held that spot in tonight's finals. She was making her first individual appearance at the NCAA Championships indoors and is already a veteran of the outdoor meet.

Tonight's finish puts the wraps on a phenomenal indoor season for Ward, one which saw her set personal bests in the 60 meter hurdles on three separate occasions. Back in January she had a time of 8.25 at the Penn State National and established her top career time at the meet for the second time in as many years.

Just shy of a month later Ward was the individual runner-up at the BIG EAST Championships and received All-BIG EAST accolades for her efforts. Most recently, Ward was the 60 meter hurdles champion at the ECAC Championship last weekend. She had the top time through the preliminary and semifinal heats at the ECAC meet and then clocked in a personal best 8.18 in the finals to claim the crown.

NCAA INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Finals - 60 Meter Hurdles
 
1. Christina Manning       Ohio State               7.91
2. Brianna Rollins         Clemson                  7.93
3. Bridgette Owens         Clemson                  8.03
4. Tiffany McReynolds      Baylor                   8.04
5. Jackie Coward           UCF                      8.14
6. Donique' Flemings       Texas A&M                8.15
7. Shericka Ward           Villanova                8.16  (8.151)
8. Jasmin Stowers          LSU                      8.16  (8.154)

Ward (60H) Up and Lipari (Mile) Out in NCAA Prelims

Senior Shericka Ward ran another PR (8.16) in the 60 meter hurdles tonight, and qualified for the NCAA finals. Miler Emily Lipari ran in the back of the pack in her heat of the mile, and could not find her patented kick. She finished 7th, and failed to advance.

WOMEN'S 60 METER HURDLES

     Name                   Affiliation    Time       Heat(Pl)
 1.  Brianna Rollins        Clemson        7.93    Q    2 (1)
 2.  Bridgette Owens        Clemson        7.95    Q    2 (2) 
 3.  Christina Manning      Ohio State     7.98    Q    1 (1) 
 4.  Jackie Coward          UCF            8.02    q    1 (2)
 5.  Jasmin Stowers         LSU            8.05    q    1 (3)
 6.  Tiffani McReynolds     Baylor         8.10    q    2 (3) 
 7.  Donique' Flemings      Texas A&M      8.14    q    1 (4)
 8.  Shericka Ward          Villanova      8.16    q    1 (5)
 9.  Sharika Nelvis         Arkansas St    8.18         1 (6)
10.  Katie Grimes           Texas Tech     8.22         1 (7)
11.  Shanekia Hall          LSU            8.22         1 (8)
12.  Breeana Coleman        Illinois       8.23         2 (4)
13.  Kierre Beckles         So Carolina    8.24         2 (5)
14.  Kendra Harrison        Clemson        8.24         2 (6)
15.  Ivanique Kemp          Arkansas       8.27         2 (7)
16.  Evonne Britton         Penn State     8.40         2 (8)

WOMEN'S MILE -- HEAT # 1

     Name                   Affiliation    Time     Qual
 1.  Lucy Van Dalen         Stony Brook    4:40.29    Q 
 2.  Morgane Gay            Virginia       4:40.45    Q 
 3.  Kristen Gillespie      Arkansas       4:40.47    Q 
 4.  Becca Friday           Oregon         4:41.03    Q 
 5.  Hannah Brooks          Florida St     4:41.96    q 
 6.  Shannon Osika          Michigan       4:43.12    q 
 7.  Emily Lipari           Villanova      4:46.66  
 8.  Josephine Moultrie     New Mexico     4:49.56

McEntee Wins Mile Heat & Advances to NCAA Final

Sam McEntee won heat #1 (the slower of the two heats) today in the preliminary rounds of the men's mile. He automatically qualified for the NCAA finals.

Men's 1 Mile Run Prelim

     Name                School          Time          Heat (Place)
 1.  Miles Batty         BYU             4:03.85 Q     2 (1)
 2.  Raul Botezan        Oklahoma St     4:03.87 Q     2 (2)
 3.  Chris O'Hare        Tulsa           4:04.24 Q     2 (3)
 4.  Andrew Bayer        Indiana         4:04.69 Q     2 (4)
 5.  Robby Creese        Penn State      4:04.89 q     2 (5)
 6.  Sam McEntee         Villanova       4:06.47 Q     1 (1)
 7.  David McCarthy      Providence      4:06.66 Q     1 (2)
 8.  Erik van Ingen      Binghamton      4:06.81 Q     1 (3)
 9.  Peter Callahan      Princeton       4:06.96 Q     1 (4)
10.  Rich Peters         Boston U.       4:07.22 q     1 (5)
11.  Eric Harasyn        Oklahoma        4:07.46       1 (6)
12.  Matt Maldonado      Long Beach St   4:07.60       1 (7) 
13.  Cory Leslie         Ohio State      4:07.61       2 (6)
14.  Kirubel Erassa      Oklahoma St     4:09.65       1 (8)
15.  Nick Happe          Arizona St      4:13.18       2 (7)

Bryan Murphy: From Frosh Obscurity to Indoor Nationals in a Fortnight

As the story below details, Villanova freshman Bryan Murphy got his chance to run the 400 leg of the Villanova "B" team DMR at the Big East meet on February 18th on a fluke -- an injury knocked out a more senior 400 meter man and Murphy was plugged in. He ran well enough there (and Sam Ellison -- the original 400 man on the DMR "A" squad -- was running better than Chris FitzSimons at 800 meters) to move into the 400 meter slot when Ellison was moved to the 800 for the Alex Wilson last chance meet at Notre Dame on March 3rd. Murphy ran well again and the Villanova quartet qualified for the NCAA indoor national meet. Murphy had gone, then, in two week's time, from an obscure freshman to a key spot in a national championship relay race.


Bergen Quartet in NCAA Track and Field Championships

Friday, March 9, 2012
by Paul Schwartz
The Record


Chris Phipps knows what Stephen Mozia, Bryan Murphy and Patrick Rono are feeling like today.

A psychology major at the University of Nebraska, and a six-time All-American, the 2008 graduate of Lodi is preparing for his third visit to the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field championships at the same time Mozia, Murphy and Rono are readying for their first.

"I’ve learned a lot from my four years at Nebraska," said Phipps, who will compete at this evening’s long jump and Saturday’s triple jump at Boise State University in Nampa, Idaho. "I’m smarter, I’m more mature and I’ve grown up a lot. But being at a meet like this is always exciting."

Just 13 to 16 participants in each of 15 individual events and 12 teams in two relays qualify for the championship meet and Bergen County has a remarkable four men’s qualifiers in five events, including freshmen Mozia, Murphy and Rono, who were competing for their high schools at Hackensack, Teaneck and Lyndhurst, respectively, just last spring.

Mozia, who throws for Cornell, is the 12th seed in the shot put, and fresh off a victory in the IC4A championships last weekend, a meet where the Big Red took the team title.

"I can’t wait to compete," said Mozia, who had a remarkable throw of more than 62 feet with the 16-pound shot last month, nearly as far as the 62-11 that was his best mark with the 12-pound shot last winter.

He is seeded four spots ahead of Nick Vena, a freshman at Virginia, who dominated New Jersey high school throwing for four years at Morristown and beat Mozia by 14 feet at last year’s spring state Meet of Champions.

"I’m not thinking about him any more, as anything more than another thrower," Mozia said. "I’m trying to throw as far as I can, and beat as many people as I can."

For Murphy, at Villanova, and Rono, at the University of Arkansas, their spots as part of two of the 12 teams in the distance medley relay were not on the radar as early as the start of the winter season.

Murphy, who will run the 400-meter leg on the Wildcats’ ninth-seeded team, made the team for the Big East Conference meet three weeks ago after earning a scholarship to the Philadelphia-area school in mid-August.

"The coach put me on the team at [the] Big East [meet] after one of the other guys got hurt and I ran my best time," said Murphy, who was part of two state championship 4-x-400 teams at Teaneck. "Then I ran even better in a meet at Notre Dame and here I am."

Rono, who will anchor the third-seeded team, didn’t even know if he’d be running indoor track this year, but ended up winning the Southeastern Conference mile title and ran a 4:01 anchor split as the Razorbacks won the conference distance medley title.

"This is really the right place for me to be," said Rono, who won the 800 and 1,600-meter titles at last spring’s state Meet of Champions. "I expected to make the top seven in cross-country but when [previous anchor] Duncan Phillips got hurt, the coaches asked me to step in."

Phipps, who has placed in the top five in three previous indoor and outdoor NCAA titles and won the Big 10 long jump title this year, thinks he can win if he can approach his personal best of 26-7, while Rono thinks a four-minute mile split and an Arkansas distant medley win is possible.

And Murphy?

"I just want us to seize the moment," he said. "I think we can."

Marc Pelerin's 1:12:59 Good for 12th Place at New Orleans Half

Marc Pelerin, a former All-Big East distance ace for Villanova, finished 12th at last Sunday's Rock & Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon in New Orleans. He ran 1:12:59 -- about 5:35 pace -- and left New Orleans in good spirits. You can read about his race at his blog, HERE.




Here are the top-25 finishers from New Orleans.

Rock & Roll New Orleans Half Marathon Top Results
 1. Shadrack Biwott      Eugene, OR                   1:04:23 
 2. Jose Chaves          San Jose Goicoechea, COS     1:08:03 
 3. John Brigham         Mobile, AL                   1:09:02 
 4. Matthew Manning      Baton Rouge, LA              1:09:22 
 5. Sean Fitzwilliam     New Orleans, LA              1:10:54 
 6. Geoff Nelson         New Fairfield, CT            1:11:51 
 7. David Saunders       Hastings, MN                 1:12:12 
 8. Josh Myers           Jacksonville, FL             1:12:25 
 9. Sean Patrick         Allerton New Orleans, LA     1:12:27 
10. Zachary Cater-Cyker  Metairie, LA                 1:12:38 
11. Loren Wohletz        Los Alamos, NM               1:12:56 
12. Marc Pelerin         Audubon, NJ                  1:12:59 
13. Dan Khan             Houston, TX                  1:13:03 
14. Timothy Callinan     Haddonfield, NJ              1:13:25 
15. Jeff Abbott          Dublin, OH                   1:13:50 
16. Papa Bouckaert       New Orleans, LA              1:13:54 
17. Andrew Riesenberger  Wilmington, DE               1:14:40 
18. Hayden Schmitz       New Braunfels, TX            1:15:25 
19. Lloyd Gray           Holly Springs, MS            1:15:43 
20. Jeremy Kalmus        New Orleans, LA              1:15:44 
21. Eric Bonnette        Philadelphia, PA             1:15:57 
22. Zachary Harris       Tulsa, OK                    1:16:07 
23. Rob Chenoweth        Chicago, IL                  1:16:28 
25. Paul Coover          Oakland, CA                  1:16:53 

Remembering the Great Browning Ross

Data Sought for Book about Two-Time Olympian Browning Ross
Thursday, March 08, 2012
By Bob Shryock, Gloucester County Times

He was Gloucester County’s only two-time Olympian. A close friend and fellow distance runner, Tom Osler, lionized him as “The father of distance running in the United States.” He is mentioned in the autobiography of Roger Bannister, the world’s first sub-4 minute miler. When he died of a heart attack, April 27, 1998, after his daily three-mile run near his Woodbury home, the New York Times devoted 20 inches to his obituary.

And while the hearse was delivering legendary Browning Ross to his final resting place, members of the Gloucester Catholic High School track team he coached so proudly jogged alongside in a tear-provoking, gut-wrenching tribute.

Ross, one of the county’s most accomplished athletes in history, a will-o-the-wisp running machine from Woodbury High and Villanova who represented his country in the London and Helsinki Olympics and raced competitively around the globe, would be 87 years old.

So not everyone remembers the man or his bigger-than-life persona.

But Jack Heath remembers. And he is determined to not let others forget.

Heath, a Bellmawr resident who coached with Ross, was a member of his Ram teams, and considers him the most important person in his life next to his parents, is gathering data for a book about Browning he hopes to complete and publish this spring.

“I never would have coached without Browning’s influence and encouragement,” says Heath, Gloucester Catholic’s cross-country coach for nearly 30 years. “I want kids to be able to go to the library to read the book and discover how important he was to running. Few people around here know what he accomplished. I also want to convey what kind of person he was. His story is long overdue.”

Heath, whose full-time job is in computer technology with the Social Security Administration and who was GC’s first computer classroom instructor, met Ross at Gloucester Catholic in 1974 when Ross was coaching at the school for one of three stints spanning three decades.

Heath came out for spring track wearing baseball spikes, set on trying out for jumping events.

“Ross told me, ‘Jack, try the mile.’ I ran a 5:30. He said, ‘You’re gonna be a good distance runner.’ So after that, I ran the mile, two-mile, and steeplechase.”

Heath graduated from Gloucester Catholic in 1977, after establishing the school’s two-mile record and becoming the first Ram to qualify for the state Meet of Champions, and his path would cross Ross’ on almost a daily basis for the next 21 years via competition and coaching.

Says Heath, “Many coaches treat kids like kids, but Browning treated you like you were a real person. One of his coaching strengths was how nice and how generous a person he was.

“He was humble. But he was a great coach who was ahead of his time. The New York Times said he was ‘born to run.’ He knew what worked. He was ‘sane’ with his training although he advocated running 40 miles a week.” Heath has enough Ross memories to fill several chapters in his book.

Ross sometimes had his Ram runners working out barefoot because he said your feet could become atrophied in running shoes. So Heath once ran a shoeless half-mile in a Moorestown Friends meet.

Once, when he was running for Glassboro State College, Heath was asked by Ross to help him coach Gloucester Catholic.

“I’ll be by to pick you up at 3,” Ross told him. “I thought he was kidding. But he picked me up, right at 3 ... and I became his assistant.”

Heath says Browning “struggled with French” at WHS but his teacher gave him a good grade, figuring he’d never have to use the language. “Then he mailed her a postcard from Normandy when he was serving in World War II.” Ross ran in the steeplechase in the 1948 London Olympics, placing seventh (Boston Marathon champion John Kelley was his roommate), and was 12th in his steeplechase heat in 1952 at Helsinki, failing to make the finals because of an upset stomach. In the 1951 British Games he placed fifth to Roger Bannister’s mile victory and received a mention in Bannister’s book.

“He had great speed and won races all over the country,” Heath says. “Browning’s best distance was 10 miles. He won the Berwick, Pa. 10-miler 10 times.”

There were countless Ross accomplishments: Becoming the first world’s cross-country coach; starting the first national runners’ club and leading country-wide events; launching the first nationwide runners’ magazine and mailing it himself.

Heath was scheduled to coach with Ross in a meet against Williamstown the day after Ross died.

“I talked to him every day,” Heath says. “When the phone rang that day with the news he had died, I thought it was him. It was the worst feeling I’ve ever had. The whole running community felt the same way. To me, running just didn’t feel the same; it just hasn’t been as much fun.

“But Browning’s greatest accomplishment was being a good father. He was a great family man (wife Sis, son Barry, daughters Bonnie and Barbara).”

The late Sis Ross once said of her husband, “No one loved running as much as Browning.”

Jack Heath will offer additional proof.

Jack Heath encourages Ross’ friends and associates to loan him newspaper clippings and photographs for possible inclusion in his book. His email address is coachheath@comcast.net.

Bobby Curtis Enters New York City Half Marathon FieldJoins Former Teammate Frances Koons Among Entries

Former Villanova teammates Bobby Curtis and Frances Koons are among the elite entries in next weekend's New York City Half-Marathon. Here is a press release on Curtis' entry from the New York Road Runners, and a related story below.


Thompson, Curtis Join NYC Half Field
Wednesday, 07 March 2012 11:16
Written by Barbara Huebner, NYRR

Last November, ING New York City Marathon weekend was a big one for both Chris Thompson and Bobby Curtis. That Saturday, Thompson won the inaugural NYRR Dash to the Finish Line 5K, and the next day Curtis made his 26.2-mile debut.

At the NYC Half on March 18, the two will split the difference and come together in the same race. New York Road Runners officials today are announcing that Olympic hopefuls Thompson, from Great Britain, and Curtis, from the United States, lead a group of additions to the professional field of the seventh-annual race.

This time, it is Thompson who will be making his debut at the distance.

In other race news, two-time World Marathon Majors series champion Liliya Shobukhova of Russia has been forced to withdraw from the race due to a hamstring injury. Shobukhova, the second-fastest female marathoner in history and an early favorite to win the Olympic Marathon in London this summer, was set to open her 2012 season at the NYC Half. Molly Pritz, the top American female finisher in the 2011 ING New York City Marathon, has also withdrawn, due to illness.

Curtis, 27, of Ardmore, PA, became the seventh-fastest American of all time at 10,000 meters when he ran 27:24.67 to finish second at the Stanford Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational in April 2011. He is a two-time Team USA member for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and he won the 2008 NCAA Championship at 5000 meters in 13:33.93. Curtis finished 15th last fall in the ING New York City Marathon in a time of 2:16:44. He has a half-marathon best of 1:01:52, set in September 2011.

Thompson, 30, a Great Britain Olympic hopeful, was the 10,000-meter silver medalist at the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona. At the 2011 Stanford Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational, he ran 27:27.36 for 10,000 meters, the third-fastest time in British history.

Jen Rhines Won't Defend USA 15K Road Title

Jen Rhines started off 2011 with a bang, winning USA road titles in the half-marathon (January, above) and 15K (in March). Unfortunately, 2011 did not end as well as she had hoped, with her DNF at the New York City marathon. Jen's 2012 started off with a below par 64th place finish at the USA Olympic marathon trials. The 2012 version of the 15K road championship is being held this Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida and Jen Rhines will not attempt to defend her title. All her attention is focused on getting ready for the 10,000 meters at US Olympic Trials this summer, as Rhines seeks her fourth Olympic team.

Here are the declared competitors in the women's field:

Women's Field
Molly Huddle
Janet Cherobon
Katie McGregor
Magdalena Lewy-Boulet
Blake Russell
Clara Grandt
Maegan Krifchin
Meghan Peyton
Sarah Porter
Kathy Newberry
Alisha Williams
Adriana Nelson
Lindsey Scherf
Emily Brown
Clara Peterson
Heather Cappello
Kristen Zaitz
Esther Erb
Heidi Westover
Bridget Lyons
Shannon Filar
Adrian Chouinard
Andrea Garvue
Annie Beecham
Laura O'Hara
Elyse Shimada
Michelle Frey
Kate Niehaus

Shericka Ward & Jeff Demps Sprint to NCAA Indoor Nationals

Ward, Demps Punch Tickets for NCAA Indoor Finals

Wednesday, March 07, 2012
FRANK JOLLEY Staff Writer, The Daily Commercial
frankjolley@dailycommercial.com

Shericka Ward has competed in relative obscurity throughout her college track-and-field career, while Jeff Demps has run on a much more visible stage.

That may be about to change for Ward as she joins Demps this weekend at college track's biggest indoor event.

Ward, a former Leesburg High School standout, and Demps, a former state champion from South Lake, will be running at the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships in Nampa, Idaho.

The two-meet begins Friday and is being hosted by Boise State University.

A senior sprinter at Villanova University in Philadelphia, Ward will compete in the women's 60-meter hurdles, while Demps will represent the University of Florida in defense of the men's 60-meter dash title he won last year in College Station, Texas.

Following a breakout effort at the Big East Championships in February, Ward used the momentum from that meet to set a record at the ECAC Championship in Boston. On the quick surface at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, Ward blistered the field in a preliminary heat, stopping the clock in 8.23 seconds.

She posted an 8.28 time in the semifinals, before unleashing a record-setting performance on the field in the finals. Ward broke the meet record with an 8.18 in the title race. She obliterated the field, outracing her nearest competitor by nearly 2/10ths of a second.

Ward's winning time surpassed the former meet record of 8.19 set in 2000 by former Villanova runner Charmaine Walker.

Based on her performance at the ECAC meet and her body of work as a senior, the NCAA announced late Monday that Ward had been accepted to run for the first time, as an individual in the NCAA title meet.

At the Big East Championships, Ward was the runner-up in the 60 hurdles and earned All Big East honors for the third consecutive year. She also came in third in the semifinals at the Penn State National in January, where her time of 8.25 was a personal best up until this past weekend.

Ward also scored a win at the NYC Gotham Cup during the regular season.

Demps, who was also a running back for the University of Florida football team and a member of the school's 2008 national championship team, recently announced he would focus on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials instead of the upcoming NFL Draft and pursue a career in track.

The UF senior was one of 20 Gators to qualify for the indoor championships. He is the defending 60-meter champion, running a 6.53 in 2011.

Demps will enter Friday's championships with the fastest qualifying time in the country. He qualified with a 6.54, one-tenth second ahead of Auburn's Harry Adams.

The entire list of 20 qualifiers in the event are separated by .13 seconds.

Demps has earned four track and field national championships during his career at Florida -- 60-meter titles in 2010 and 2011, a 4x100 title in the 2010 outdoor championships, and 2010 100 meter title.

In addition to earning All-State honors in football during his junior and senior seasons at South Lake, Demps won the 100-meter state title as a senior in 2008 and clocked a 10.25 at the AAU Junior Olympics.

During the 2008 Olympic Trials, Demps set a national high school record with a 10.01 time in the 100. In addition, Demps also posted a personal-best time of 21.04 in the 200 meters during a meet in Knoxville, Tenn.

At Leesburg, Ward was the Class 3A state champion in 2008 in the 200 meter with a time of 25.24, and in the 100 hurdles, stopping the clock in 14.82.

She also competed in the state meet as a junior and a sophomore.

The indoor championships will be streamed live on ESPN3 from 7:30 to 11:45 p.m. on Friday and from 8 until 11:15 p.m. on Saturday. Cable channel ESPNU will air the championship on tape delay beginning at 7:30 p.m. March 18.

NCAA.com and broncosports.com will air what ESPN3 does not, beginning at noon on Friday and 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Nova Recruit Josh Lampron on Mile Split's Watch List

The folks at Mile Split have come out with their 2012 distance "People to Watch" list. Villanova recruit Josh Lampron, who recently won the Massachusetts state title over 1000 meters, is highlighted as a miler of note. Here's the list:





People To Watch, Boys Distance, 2012

This is the fourth of ten in our “People To Watch” series listing the top USA high school track & field athletes divided by event groups (sprints, hurdles, distance, jumps, and throws) and gender. Today’s listing will feature Boys Distance (800, 1500/1600/mile, 3000/3200/2 mile). Check back frequently for future listings.

Athlete, Grade, School; Accomplishment (PR’s) - i indicates indoor 2012, otherwise outdoors in current or previous year(s)

BOYS DISTANCE (800, 1500/1600/Mile, 3000/3200/2 Mile):

Ahmed Bile, 12, Annandale HS, VA; 800 (1:50.77), 1600 (4:09.48)

Jacob Burcham, 11, Cabell Midland HS, WV; 1500 (3:46.55), 1600i (4:05.77)

Edward Cheserek, 11, St. Benedict’s Prep, NJ; Footlocker Nat XC (1st), 1600i (4:00.81), 3200i(8:40.13)

Marcus Dickson, 12, White River HS, WA; 1600i (4:05.75)

Luis Gutierrez, 12, Rancho Cucamonga HS, CA; 1600 (4:06.51)

Brannon Kidder, 12, Lancaster HS, OH; 800 (1:51.09), 1600 (4:05.30)

Tretez Kinnaird, 12, Butler HS, KY; 800 (1:50.56)

Josh Lampron, 12, Mansfield HS, MA; 1600 (4:04.56)

Jake Leingang, 11, Bismarck HS, ND; Footlocker Nat XC (4th), 3200i (8:56.53)

Strymar Livingston, 12, Christopher Columbus HS, NY; 800i (1:51.90)

Cameron Thornton, 12, Whitefield Academy, GA; 800 (1:49.62)

Daniel Vertiz, 12, San Antonio Reagan HS, TX; Nike X Nat (2nd), Footlocker Nat XC (5th), 3200i (8:59.15)

Nathan Weitz, 12, Shadle Park HS, WA; Footlocker Nat XC (3rd)

Ned Willig, 12, Great Valley HS, PA; 800i (1:51.25); 800 (1:51.10)

Futsum Zeinasellassie, 12, North Central School, IN; Footlocker Nat XC (2nd), Nike X Nat (1st), 3200 (8:56.73)

Their Own Private Idaho:McEntee, Lipari, Ward & Men's DMR Head to Nationals

The NCAA has announced the field for the Indoor Nationals. 3:57 miler Sam McEntee won the school's only automatic qualifier and will compete over that distance in Boise in a hallmark Villanova event. Joining McEntee as a Villanova miler will be Emily Lipari, who posted the NCAA's 12th best time this season, missing the auto qualifier by a stride or two. Likewise just outside the AQ but invited to Nationals was the men's Distance Medley Relay team of Brian Tetreault, Bryan Murphy, Sam Ellison and Sam McEntee. The DMR finished the year as the # 9 team in the country and will continue a strong Villanova tradition in that event. Finally, senior Shericka Ward goes back to Nationals (she ran the 100 hurdles at NCAA Outdoor Nationals in 2011) in the 60 meter hurdles, where she sits as 12th fastest in the NCAA this year. Just missing out on an invitation by one spot was Bogdana Mimic in the 3000 meters. Mimic won the Big East title at 5000 meters, but sat at #19 in the country at 3000 meters, less than 5 seconds off the AQ of 9:10.00. The NCAA accepted only 18 women at that distance. Mimic was an NCAA finalist at 3000 during the 2010 indoor season.

The complete list for men and women is HERE.

Piccirillo, Bungo and Margey in New Balance Indoor Nationals

Here is the start list for the girl's mile at the New Balance Indoor Nationals, to be held this coming weekend at the Armory. Gina Procaccio's two main middle distance recruits -- Angel Piccirillo and Kelsey Margey -- are listed among the 17 competitors. Piccirillo has the nation's #3 time this year (a PA state record 4:44.20), while Margey's indoor campaign started strongly (a USA prep #10 of 4:49.03), but has been derailed somewhat by injuries of late.

Event 10  Girls 1 Mile Run
=====================================================================
Sunday 3/11/2012 - 10:45 AM
    National:  4:38.50  3/17/1972   Debbie Heald, Neff, CA          
        Meet:  4:42.64  3/14/2010   Emily Lipari, NY                   
      Armory:  4:46.11  1/7/2012    Samantha Nadel, NY   
    Freshman:  4:40.10  3/16/1973   Mary Decker, CA                    
   Sophomore:  4:46.13  3/14/2004   Nicole Blood, NY                 
      Junior:  4:38.50  3/17/1972   Debbie Heald, CA          
      Senior:  4:39.00  2/24/1978   Lynn Jennings, MA      
           Name                        Year School          Finals
=====================================================================
  1     38 Anderson, Reagan (USA #30)      13 Adrenaline T                
  2   3506 Barron, Sara (USA #11 1600)     12 Una-Mi-Oakla                
  3   2315 Batzel, Audrey (USA #29)        12 Ocean Lakes                 
  4   1281 Bethel, Carolyn (USA #8 1600)   13 Hidden Valle                
  5   1933 Boyert, Anna (USA #44)          12 Medina Tc-Oh                
  6   3503 Evenson, Avery (USA #10 1600)   13 Una-Mi-Howel                
  7    494 Fortner, Katie (USA #38)        14 Cave Spring                 
  8   3531 George, Samantha (USA #21)      12 Una-Nc-Ralei                
  9    488 Gonzalez, Ellie (USA #46)       14 Catholic Tc-                
 10     30 Maloy, Catherine (USA #45)      13 Academy Of T                
 11   3617 Margey, Kelsey (USA #10)        12 Una-Ny-Hunti                
 12   1209 Meier, Haley (USA #5)           13 Grosse Point                
 13   1210 Meier, Hannah (USA #1)          13 Grosse Point                
 14    709 Moye, Megan (USA #11)           12 Cosby Tc-Va                 
 15   2247 Nerud, Brianna (USA #12)        12 North Shore                 
 16   1342 Piccirillo, Angel (USA #3)      12 Homer-Center                
 17     26 Seykora, Maria (USA #31)        12 Academy of N

A third Villanova distance recruit -- Caitlin Bungo -- will compete as well, in the 2 mile run. Bungo recently finished 4th at the Pennsylvania state indoor championships in the 3000 meters (which was won by Piccirillo) in a PR 10:09.66. Here is the start list for the 2 mile at the New Balance Indoor Nationals:

Event 12  Girls 2 Mile Run
=====================================================================
Sunday 3/11/2012 - 9:00 AM
    National:   9:55.92  3/10/1991   Melody Fairchild, CO             
        Meet:   9:56.85  3/13/2011   Aisling Cuffe, NY               
   NSIC Meet:   9:55.92  3/10/1991   Melody Fairchild, CO             
      Armory:   9:56.85  3/13/2011   Aisling Cuffe, NY               
    Freshman:  10:23.46  3/15/1998   Michelle Dela Vina, IN
   Sophomore:  10:25.07  3/14/1999   Sara Bei, CA         
      Junior:  10:11.55  3/13/2010   Aisling Cuffe, NY               
           Name                        Year School            Finals
=====================================================================
  1   3894 Amend, Isabel (USA #22 3200)     12 Washington-L                
  2   1938 Barry, Mackenzie (USA #3 3200)   14 Mendham Tc-N                
  3   3444 Blackman, Camille (SA #19)       12 Una-Ma-Longm                
  4   3908 Brown, Bethanie (USA #7)         13 Waterville T                
  5   2869 Bungo, Caitlin                   12 Sewickley Ac                
  6   2245 Caldwell, Elizabeth              13 North Shore                 
  7   3385 Carlos, Carmen (USA #6 3200)     13 Una-Al-Mobil                
  8   1940 Choucair, Jackie                 13 Metroplex St                
  9    399 Christen, Hannah (USA #24 3200)  14 Burke Tc-Va                 
 10   3657 Darlington, Amy                  12 Una-Pa-Bethl                
 11   1327 Davidson, Shelby                 12 Holy Trinity                
 12   2246 Donohue, Jessica                 13 North Shore                 
 13   2952 Ethier, Paige (USA #28)          12 South Kingst                
 14   3625 Frontera, Gianna                 14 Una-Ny-Newbu                
 15   3550 Giordano, Dana (USA #1 3200)     12 Una-Nj-Berna                
 16   3449 Gompers, Annika                  14 Una-Ma-Newto                
 17   3316 Lacy, Megan (USA #5 3200)        12 Tomahawk Tc-                
 18   3440 McConville, Julie (USA #8)       13 Una-Ma-Hingh                
 19     68 Mullins, Maggie (USA #12)        12 Andover Tc-M                
 20    198 Panisse, Alexis                  12 Benjamin Car                
 21   2321 Park, Nikki (USA #28 3200)       14 Ocean Lakes                 
 22   2814 Paul, Rachel                     12 Sachem Spike                
 23   1151 Quinn, Sarah                     12 Gill St. Ber                
 24   3569 Richter, Colette (USA #23 3200)  13 Una-Nj-Mount                
 25     47 Salter, Rebecca (USA #46 3200)   13 Adrenaline T                
 26   3284 Sargent, Sara                    13 Three Amigos                
 27   3502 Schwartz, Kelsie                 14 Una-Mi-Gross                
 28   3555 Seel, Abby (USA #21 3200)        13 Una-Nj-Chest                
 29    300 Waligurski, Emily                13 Boiceville T                
 30   1335 Wollrath, Julie                  15 Holy Trinity

Emily Lipari Goes 4:37.43 to Win Armory Last Chance MileMisses Mile Auto Qualifier by .43 Seconds

Emily Lipari won the mile at the Columbia Last Chance meet, against an strong field that included pros Melissa Salerno and Delilah DiCrescenzo, and Penn State's Caitlin Lane. Lipari was looking for the NCAA automatic qualifier (4:37.00) for indoor nationals, but came up a bit short. It was a typical Lipari kick over the final 100 meters that overtook Melissa Salerno for the win. The good news is that Lipari's time places her #12 on the NCAA performance list and all but guarantees her a spot at nationals in Boise. Former Villanova all-american Frances Koons served as rabbit for the first 1000 in Lipari's heat.

As seen in the results below, teammates Stephanie Schappert, Courtney Chapman, and Nicky Akande competed in the mile as well. Schappert erased another PR (the 4:48.90 set at Big East two weeks ago), running 4:47.42. Courtney Chapman ran 4:48.68 (bettering her 4:49.08 PR set at the end of January), and Nicky Akande went 4:50.96.

Event 9  Women 1 Mile Run
=========================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Seed     Finals 
=========================================================================
Finals
  1 Lipari, Emily                Villanova            4:36.00    4:37.43  
  2 Salerno, Melissa             New Balance          4:35.00    4:38.26  
  3 Lane, Caitlin                Penn State           4:39.31    4:39.24  
  4 DiCrescenzo, Delilah         Nj-Ny-Tc             4:32.00    4:39.35  
  5 Gregson, Heidi               Iona                 4:34.80    4:40.21  
  6 Schneider, Rachel            Georgetown           4:36.80    4:40.56  
  7 King, Jillian                Boston Colle         4:39.00    4:41.98  
  8 Burne, Olivia                Stony Brook          4:40.00    4:42.31  
  9 Chambers, Madeline           Georgetown           4:41.00    4:43.71  
 10 Letourneau, Allison          New Hampshir         4:38.00    4:43.90  
 11 Kasper, Kirsten              Georgetown           4:42.00    4:44.54  
 12 Maguire, Keely               New Hampshir         4:45.00    4:45.83  
 13 Hursey, Katie                Syracuse             4:44.00    4:46.58  
 14 Schappert, Stephanie         Villanova            4:40.00    4:47.42  
 15 Borduin, Lauren              Georgetown           4:40.00    4:47.78  
 16 Chapman, Courtney            Villanova            4:40.00    4:48.68  
 17 Neczypor, Hannah             Georgetown           4:42.00   x4:50.82  
 18 Akande, Nicky                Villanova            4:39.00    4:50.96  
 19 McDonald, Darcy              Unattached           4:54.00    4:52.68  
 20 Foland, Aryn                 Columbia             4:51.00    4:53.79  
 21 Carey, Anne                  Columbia             4:54.00    4:53.98  
 22 Fricke, Julie                Maryland             4:45.00    4:54.75  
 23 Anderson, Mallory            Columbia             4:48.00    4:55.53  
 24 Jinks, Amanda                Syracue Chargers                4:55.87  
 25 Smith, Kelsey                Georgetown           4:47.00   x4:57.05  
 26 Mayden, Samantha             Muhlenberg           4:58.24    5:00.38  
 27 Aldea, Stephanie             West Virgini         4:44.00    5:03.46  
 28 Miller, Phoebe               Haverford            5:00.23    5:04.95  
 -- Koons, Francis               Nj-Ny-Tc                            DNF  

Sheila Reid Wins 3000 at Columbia Last Chance Meet

Sheila Reid is out of indoor eligibility as a Villanova Wildcat (she'll be back wearing the Villanova singlet come outdoor season), but represented Canada at this past weekend's meet at the Armory. Reid was victorious in the 3000 meters, running 9:01.83 against some good competition (e.g., Emily Sisson and Ashley Higginson). That time is about 5 seconds off her 3000 meter PR of 8:56.92, but a solid run for her first race of the indoor season. To place the 9:01.83 in context, that's about 8.2 seconds faster than the NCAA auto qualifier (9:10.00) in this event. The top time in the NCAA this indoor season belongs to Katie Flood of Washington, at 8:55.31. Reid's time would rank her in the #4 spot in the NCAA. Former Villanova all-american Frances Koons served as a pace-setter in the race through 4000 meters.

Event 17  Women 3000 Meter Run
=========================================================================
    Name                    Year School                  Seed     Finals 
=========================================================================
  1 Reid, Sheila                 Canada               9:05.00    9:01.83  
  2 Sisson, Emily                Providence           9:08.00    9:06.04  
  3 Higginson, Ashley            Saucony              9:05.00    9:11.62  
  4 Penney, Lauren               Syracuse             9:08.00    9:12.14  
  5 Davidson, Hannah             Providence           9:12.53    9:22.65  
  6 Reilly, Stephanie            Unattached           9:05.00    9:26.23  
  7 FfrenchO'Carroll, Charlo     Providence           9:22.00    9:27.71  
  8 Slekis, Stephanie            Unattached                      9:28.51  
  9 Westphal, Liv                Boston Colle         9:28.00    9:29.23  
 10 Lanois, Emily                Columbia             9:22.00    9:30.15  
 11 Mac Queen, Kyle              Boston Colle         9:18.88    9:32.30  
 12 Pagano, Sarah                Unattached           9:25.00    9:35.44  
 13 Stephens, Heather            Syracuse             9:18.00    9:37.03  
 14 Ridder, Brooklyne            Penn State           9:30.78    9:40.81  
 15 McKay, Rebekah               Unattached           9:35.00    9:41.42  
 16 Buck, Clare                  Columbia             9:25.00    9:43.50  
 17 Millhouse, Kara              Penn State           9:17.48    9:43.90  
 18 MacFawn, Lauryn              Syracuse             9:40.00    9:44.31  
 19 Busby, Natalie               Syracuse             9:35.00    9:47.35  
 20 Symoniak, Brenna             Syracuse             9:50.00   x9:52.86  
 21 Clinton, Alexandra           Syracuse             9:50.00  x10:13.84  
 22 Linde, Maura                 Syracuse             9:50.00  x10:30.87  
 -- Shappert, Niccole            NYAC                 9:05.00        DNF  
 -- Koons, Francis               Nj-Ny-Tc                            DNF  
 -- DiCresncenzo, Delilah        Nj-Ny-Tc                            DNF  
 -- Neczypor, Hannah             Georgetown                          DNF

Villanova Men Miss DMR Auto Qualifier by .52 SecondsStill a Chance for NCAA Berth with 4th at Notre Dame

The Villanova men's DMR ran 9:31.52, a half second short of the 9:31.00 NCAA automatic qualifier, in heat #2 of the Alex Wilson Invitational at Notre Dame. The quartet finished fourth in their heat, and fourth overall over two heats. Notre Dame and Wisconsin punched their tickets to the NCAA nationals, running 9:29.72 and 9:30.86 respectively, and brought the number of automatic qualifiers nationally to 6 teams (with BYU, Indiana, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma). Arkansas finished third overall tonight at Notre Dame, in 9:31.48. Villanova was next, coming home in 9:31.52. The men split this way:

Brian Tetreault  (1200 meters):   2:57
Bryan Murphy      (400 meters):     47.9
Sam Ellison       (800 meters):   1:48.7
Sam McEntee      (1600 meters):   3:57

Tonight's 9:31.52 places Villanova at #9 in the NCAA this season. Normally, 10 or 11 teams are selected to participate at the NCAA indoor championships; therefore, despite missing the automatic qualifier, Villanova may indeed get an invite. If so, lots of the credit should go to Sam McEntee who came from way back in the anchor tonight to finish fourth in the heat. He split 3:57.

Here are the top teams on the NCAA DMR performance list, pending other action in the country tonight:

NCAA DMR Performance List
 1.  BYU           9:29.00  AQ
 2.  Indiana       9:29.12  AQ
 3.  Texas A&M     9:29.71  AQ
 4.  Notre Dame    9:29.72  AQ
 5.  Oklahoma      9:30.13  AQ
 6.  Wisconsin     9:30.86  AQ
 7.  Stanford      9:31.24
 8.  Arkansas      9:31.48
 9.  Villanova     9:31.52
10.  Washington    9:31.68
11.  Ohio State    9:31.71
12.  Oregon        9:31.91

Here are the complete results from both DMR heats at tonight's Alex Wilson Invitational:

Finals                                                          
  1 Notre Dame  'A'                                     9:29.72 
     1) Shawel, Johnathan               2) Giesting, Christopher
     3) Babb, Randall                   4) Rae, Jeremy          
  2 Wisconsin  'A'                                      9:30.86 
     1) Mudd, Austin                    2) Thompson, Aaron      
     3) Mellon, Zach                    4) Hatz, Alexander      
  3 Arkansas  'A'                                       9:31.48 
     1) Lieghio, Anthony                2) Southard, Travis     
     3) Momoh, Leoman                   4) Rono, Patrick        
  4 Villanova  'A'                                      9:31.52 
     1) Tetreault, Brian                2) Murphy, Bryan        
     3) Ellison, Samuel                 4) McEntee, Sam         
  5 Washington  'A'                                     9:31.68 
     1) Soberanis, Ryan                 2) McNeal, Maurice      
     3) Whitley, Bradley                4) Bywater, Joey        
  6 Ohio State  'A'                                     9:31.71 
     1) Fallon, Chris                   2) Smith, Korbin        
     3) White, Dan                      4) Leslie, Cory         
  7 Oregon  'A'                                         9:31.91 
     1) Shrader, Brian                  2) Berry, Mike          
     3) Guyota, Boru                    4) Dunbar, Trevor       
  8 Princeton  'A'                                      9:31.95 
     1) Van Ackeren, Trevor             2) Hopkins, Tom         
     3) Williams, Michael               4) Callahan, Peter      
  9 Minnesota  'A'                                      9:33.02 
     1) Burkstrand, Travis              2) Holton, John         
     3) Abda, Harun                     4) Hutton, Nick         
 10 Virginia  'A'                                       9:34.78 
     1) Gilland, Taylor                 2) Anding, Kevin        
     3) Roller, Lance                   4) Kostelac, Anthony    
 11 Air Force  'A'                                      9:35.28 
     1) Zubey, Alex                     2) Delgado, Anthony     
     3) Lindsay, Alex                   4) Walmsley, Jim        
 12 North Carolina  'A'                                 9:40.21 
     1) Driggs, Jack                    2) Parros, Clayton      
     3) Wanliss, O'Neal                 4) Presson, Isaac       
 13 Kansas  'A'                                         9:41.02 
     1) Wasinger, Don                   2) Munsch, Josh         
     3) Fink, Dalen                     4) Clemons, Kyle        
 14 Albany  'A'                                         9:46.36 
     1) Burke, Christopher              2) Santana, Jonathan    
     3) Rowell, Peter                   4) Lagno, Paul          
 -- Penn State  'A'                                         DNF 
     1) Endress, Wade                   2) Nadolsky, Aaron      
     3) Loxsom, Casimir                 4) Creese, Robby        
 -- New Mexico  'A'                                         DNF 
     1) Evans, Sam                      2) York, Richard        
     3) Aragon, Gabe                    4) Millington, Ross     
 -- Georgetown  'A'                                         DNF 
     1) Peavey, Bobby                   2) Akers, Hansel        
     3) Ulm, Toby                       4) Springer, Andrew     
 -- Texas  'A'                                              DNF 
     1) Jessett, CJ                     2) Dreyer, Dereck       
     3) Thompson, Kyle                  4) McGregor, Patrick    

Beamish Wins Columbia 5000 -- Fails to Qualify for NCAA Meet

Villanova's Hugo Beamish, who won the Big East title in 14:06.40 two weekends ago, went to the Armory tonight in the hopes of getting close to the 13:44.60 auto qualifier for the NCAA indoor championship meet. Beamish went out hard at tonight's Columbia Last Chance meet, and was on 13:45 pace through 3800 meters. At that point, his limited training base caught up with him and things fell apart over the final 1200. Beamish still won the race easily, but was well off his Big East time and not close to the NCAA qualifier.

Men's 5,000m Run
1.  Beamish, Hugo       Villanova          14:17.28 
2.  Zitek, Andrew       NYU                14:35.59  
3.  Cleary, Brian       Unattached         14:46.17  
4.  Rosas, Howie        Unattached         15:03.03  
5.  Lobo, John          Unattached         15:04.58  
6.  Yernye, Seth        Syracuse Chargers  15:34.09  
7.  Kramer, Alex        Brandeis           NT 
8.  Ackerman, Bradford  Unattached         NT 

Shake-Up in Men's DMR at Tonight's Alex Wilson Invitational

Marcus O'Sullivan has shuffled Villanova's DMR line-up for tonight's "last chance" meet at Notre Dame in an effort to secure an NCAA automatic qualifying time. Most had anticipated a DMR squad of Brian Tetreault (1200), Sam Ellison (400), Chris FitzSimons (800), and Sam McEntee (1600). However, Sam Ellison's excellent anchor of the Big East-winning 4x800 relay (where he ran 1:49 and unleashed a ferocious kick to defeat the Notre Dame anchor) and his off-the-charts 500 meter dash at that same meet have evidently persuaded Marcus O'Sullivan to move Ellison out of the 400 leg (where only a slight time advantage can be gained over opposing teams) and into the 800 meter leg. Out, then, is Chris FitzSimons, gone from that leg of the DMR. The 400-meter vacancy left by Ellison has been filled on the "A" DMR squad for the first time by freshman Bryan Murphy, who ran that leg well at the Big East meet (where the Wildcats ran a "B" squad of Chris O'Sullivan, Bryan Murphy, Brian Tetreault, and Mathew Mildenhall). As configured, the DMR squad will now have this indoor season's two best performers -- Ellison and McEntee -- in control of the back end of the race, hopefully to good effect.

Villanova currently sits with the #10 time (9:38.02) in the NCAA this year (with the NCAA taking usually 10 or 11 teams total for nationals), but is a full 7 seconds off the NCAA automatic qualifying time (9:31.00). Only BYU, Indiana, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma have achieved the AQ, but the Alex Wilson meet at Notre Dame has traditionally produced excellent times (as highlighted by the section below). The meet is being streamed live by FloTrack HERE and the DMR races are scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

Other "last chance" competitors from Villanova will be at the Armory in New York City at the Columbia Last Chance Meet.

From the FloTrack website:

The Distance Medley Relays at Alex Wilson (AW) have really shaken things up over the past few years with teams flying in from all over the country to hit fast marks. With the exception of 2008, at least 5 of the teams at the NCAA Championships come from the Alex Wilson Invitational. Below there are some cliff notes on each year along with auto standards and slowest team from the meet to get in.

2007: 7 of 11 teams from AW (Auto: 9:34.00, slowest in from AW 9:35.71)
- 3 teams ran auto, 7 teams ran 9:35 or better, 13 teams ran under 9:40

2008: 1 of 11 teams from AW (Auto: 9:34.00, slowest in from AW 9:35.33)
- 3 teams ran 9:37 or faster

2009: 15 of 18 teams from AW (Auto: 9:34.00, slowest in from AW 9:33.32)
- 15 teams ran auto, only 1 team of 18 finishers that did not run under 9:40

2010: 5 of 11 teams from AW (Auto: 9:30.00, slowest in from AW 9:34.26)
- 9 teams ran under 9:35, 12 teams under 9:40 - Heat 1 | Heat 2

2011: 6 of 12 teams from AW (Auto: 9:32.00, slowest in from AW 9:33.77)
- 3 teams ran auto, 11 teams ran 9:35 or faster - Heat 1 | Heat 2

You can see that this is the place to get your marks and we love it as it provides some qualificaton drama only days away from the big show. And you have know its serious when Washington and Oregon leave the Dempsey and head to South Bend! Typically there are around 11 teams in, right now #11 is Florida at 9:38.95 (see national list). There are currently four auto qualifiers (BYU, Indiana, Texas A&M, Oklahoma) and only two others have broken 9:35 (Stanford-9:31.24 and ASU 9:33.48). With the list of teams entered below, no team outside of the auto qualifiers is safe!

Event 4 Men Distance Medley
Friday 3/2/2012 - 8:00 pm ET
9:31.00 NCAA AUTO

Section 1
Lane Team Relay Seed Time

1 Minnesota A 9:50.51
1) Burkstrand, Travis 2) Holton, John
3) Abda, Harun 4) Hutton, Nick

2 Ohio State A 9:48.64
1) Fallon, Chris 2) Smith, Korbin
3) White, Dan 4) Leslie, Cory

3 Penn State A 9:35.24
1) Endress, Wade 2) Nadolsky, Aaron
3) Loxsom, Casimir 4) Creese, Robby

4 North Carolina A 10:04.18
1) Driggs, Jack 2) Parros, Clayton
3) Wanliss, O'Neal 4) Presson, Isaac

5 Princeton A 9:54.11
1) Van Ackeren, Trevor 2) Hopkins, Tom
3) Williams, Michael 4) Callahan, Peter

6 Virginia A 9:42.97
1) Gilland, Taylor 2) Anding, Kevin
3) Roller, Lance 4) Kostelac, Anthony

7 Kansas A 9:48.92
1) Wasinger, Don 2) Munsch, Josh
3) Fink, Dalen 4) Clemons, Kyle

8 Oregon A 9:36.88
1) Shrader, Brian 2) Berry, Mike
3) Guyota, Boru 4) Dunbar, Trevor

9 Air Force A 9:55.39
1) Zubey, Alex 2) Delgado, Anthony
3) Lindsay, Alex 4) Walmsley, Jim


Section 2
Lane Team Relay Seed Time

1 Notre Dame A 10:00.58
1) Shawel, Johnathan 2) Giesting, Christopher
3) Babb, Randall 4) Rae, Jeremy

2 Wisconsin A 9:44.99
1) Mudd, Austin 2) Thompson, Aaron
3) Mellon, Zach 4) Hatz, Alexander

3 Albany A 9:49.90
1) Burke, Christopher 2) Santana, Jonathan
3) Rowell, Peter 4) Lagno, Paul

4 New Mexico A 10:10.31
1) Evans, Sam 2) York, Richard
3) Aragon, Gabe 4) Millington, Ross

5 Texas A 9:46.03
1) Jessett, CJ 2) Dreyer, Dereck
3) Thompson, Kyle 4) McGregor, Patrick

6 Villanova A 9:38.02
1) Tetreault, Brian 2) Murphy, Bryan
3) Ellison, Samuel 4) McEntee, Sam

7 Arkansas A 9:39.41
1) Lieghio, Anthony 2) Southard, Travis
3) Momoh, Leoman 4) Rono, Patrick

8 Washington A 9:35.06
1) Soberanis, Ryan 2) McNeal, Maurice
3) Whitley, Bradley 4) Bywater, Joey

9 Georgetown A 9:42.65
1) Peavey, Bobby 2) Akers, Hansel
3) Ulm, Toby 4) Springer, Andrew

Sheila Reid, Megan Brown & Kate Van Buskirk on Competitive Running

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Sheila Reid, Megan Brown, and Kate Van Buskirk -- three Canadian stars -- discuss the trials and tribulations of competitive running.