Friday, March 30, 2012

Richmond/Fred Hardy, Day 1 results

Fred Hardy Invitational
University of Richmond
Friday, March 30, 2012

Men’s results and splits
1,500-meter run

22. Kyle Havard 4:03.14 (personal best)
63, 2:09 (66), 3:16 (67), 4:03.14 (63.14 last 400m)
26. Tom Lipari 4:05.67
63, 2:09 (66), 3:16 (67), 4:05.67 (65.67 last 400m)
36. Matt Panebianco 4:10.52
63, 2:10 (67), 3:18 (68), 4:10.52 (66.52 last 400m)

3,000-meter steeplechase
1-Ken Walshak 9:30.28
71, 2:25 (74), 3:41 (76), 4:58 (77), 6:16 (78), 7:33 (77), 8:50 (77), 9:30.28 (40.28)
3. Mark Valentino 9:37.71 *USATF Junior qualifier
72, 2:28 (76), 3:46 (78), 5:04 (78), 6:23 (79), 7:42 (79), 8:58 (76), 9:37.71 (39.71)
6. Ryan Fitzsimons 10:10.59
75, 2:33 (78), 3:51 (78), 5:21 (81), 6:35 (83), 8:01 (86), 9:28 (87), 10:10.59 (42.59)
7. Nick Hughes 10:20.59
73, 2:31 (78), 3:49 (78), 5:12 (83), 6:38 (86), 8:04 (86), 9:32 (88), 10:20.59 (48.59)

5,000-meter run
1-Joel Moss 15:05.72
71, 2:22 (71), 3:32 (70), 4:43 (71)
5:55 (72), 7:08 (73), 8:22 (74), 9:38 (76)
10:53 (75), 12:08 (75), 13:22 (74), 14:34 (72)
15:05.72 (31.72)
6. Ryan Scrudato 15:37.23
72, 2:23 (71), 3:36 (73), 4:49 (73)
6:04 (75), 7:20 (76), 8:37 (77), 9:54 (77)
11:12 (78), 12:29 (77), 13:47 (78), 15:02 (75)
15:37.23 (35.23)
9. Ian Dorset 15:44.18 (personal best)
73, 2:23 (70), 3:37 (74), 4:50 (73)
6:05 (75), 7:21 (76), 8:38 (77), 9:54 (76)
11:12 (78), 12:31 (79), 13:51 (80), 15:08 (77)
15:44.18 (36.18)
12. Billy Posch 16:07.04
71, 2:22 (71), 3:34 (72), 4:47 (73)
6:01 (74), 7:17 (76), 8:36 (79), 9:56 (80)
11:19 (83), 12:44 (85), 14:06 (82), 15:28 (82)
16:07.04 (39.04)
13. Ryan Brown 16:11.24
74, 2:26 (72), 3:43 (77), 5:00 (77)
6:17 (77), 7:35 (78), 8:54 (79), 10:13 (79)
11:34 (81), 12:55 (81), 14:15 (80), 15:35 (80)
16:11.24 (36.24)

10,000-meter run
1-Arquimedes DelaCruz 31:51.08
73, 2:31 (78), 3:44 (73), 5:00 (76)
6:17 (77), 7:33 (76), 8:48 (75), 10:05 (77)
11:21 (76), 12:37 (76), 13:53 (76), 15:09 (76)
16:26 (77), 17:43 (77), 18:58 (75), 20:14 (76)
21:33 (79), 22:53 (80), 24:11 (78), 25:28 (78)
26:47 (79), 28:03 (76), 29:22 (79) 30:39 (77)
31:51.08 (72.08)
First 5km: 15:48
4. Billy Hild 32:34.05 (personal best)
77, 2:32 (75), 3:47 (75), 5:04 (77)
6:21 (77), 7:38 (77), 8:55 (77), 10:12 (77)
11:28 (76), 12:44 (76), 14:01 (77), 15:19 (78)
16:36 (77), 17:53 (77), 19:13 (80), 20:33 (80)
21:53 (80), 23:12 (79), 24:33 (81), 25:54 (81)
27:14 (80), 28:35 (81), 29:55 (80), 31:16 (81)
32:34.05 (78.05)
First 5km: 15:57

Women’s results and splits
1,500-meter run

13. Christine Coughlin 4:49.37 (personal best)
78, 2:34 (76), 3:52 (78), 4:49.37 (77.37 last 400m)
16. Briana Crowe 4:49.93 (personal best)
78, 2:34 (76), 3:52 (78), 4:49.93 (77.93 last 400m)
26. Erin O’Reilly 4:54.70
78.0, 2:36.8 (78.8), 3:55.0 (78.2), 4:54.70 (78.70 last 400m)
32. Kara Lightowler 4:58.53
77, 2:38 (81), 3:59 (81), 4:58.53
40. Becca Denise 5:05.56
77, 2:40 (83), 4:02 (82), 5:05.56
41. Jackie Gamboli (unattached) 5:06.83
79, 2:40 (81), 4:03 (83), 5:06.83 (83.83 last 400m)
52. Elizabeth O’Brien 5:20.23
82, 2:48 (86), 4:16 (88), 5:20.23 (85.23 last 400m)
53. Allyson O’Brien 5:20.25
83, 2:48 (85), 4:16 (88), 5:20.25 (85.25 last 400m)

5,000-meter run
6. Katie Messina 18:21.03 (personal best)
83, 2:51 (88), 4:17 (86), 5:45 (88)
7:13 (88), 8:41 (88), 10:11 (90), 11:41 (90)
13:11 (90), 14:41 (90), 16:12 (91), 17:39 (87)
18:21.03 (42.03)

Richmond highlights, day 1

It was a productive first day of competition at the Fred Hardy Invitational here at the University of Richmond. Among the highlights:

--Freshman Mark Valentino qualified for the USATF Junior Championships in June with his third-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Tino ran 9:37.71, a 5-second PR time. More importantly, he limboed his way under the qualifying standard of 9:38.00. Nicely done!
--Senior Kyle Havard had a monster breakthrough race in the 1,500, running 4:03.14 and closing in 62 seconds. Awesome to see!
--Junior Katie Messina had a huge PR in the 5,000, placing sixth in 18:21.03. The time eclipsed her previous best by more than 20 seconds. Great job, Katie!
--Sophomore Billy Hild placed fourth in the 10,000-meter run in a PR of 32:34.05, a new best about a second per lap (it’s a 25-lap race, so that’s a pretty good trick!). Fresh went through the 8,000-meter split in 25:54, which is also remarkable. Great job, Billy.
--Freshman Christine Coughlin (4:49.37) and senior Briana Crowe (4:49.93) both had strong races in the 1,500. It’s great watching the two of them race each other, because they are always so close and always seem to push each other to fast times.
--Last but not least, our distance men swept the top spots in the three longest races of the night. Sophomore Kenny Walshak won the 3,000 steeple (9:30.28); Joel Moss proved to be the “big man” in the 5,000 with a winning time of 15:05.72, closing with a stirring kick over the final 200 meters; Arquimedes DelaCruz cruised to victory in the 10,000, running a personal-best time of 31:51.08. The only other time Quimes ran the 25-lap race was out at USATF Juniors in Des Moines in 2010, when he earned All-American status with his time of 32:25.22.

Complete results and splits will be posted as soon as I can get to them.

Fans of the day

A major shout-out and thank you to the O’Sullivans – parents of sophomore distance runner Kevin O’Sullivan – for coming out to Richmond for tonight’s meet.

Our family support is great, even this far from home. We had several parents make the long trip to Richmond – the O’Briens came UP from Charleston (great to see them!) and the Thompsons came down from New Jersey.

But what makes the O’Sullivans’ presence so special is that KEVIN DID NOT EVEN MAKE THE TRIP! Our dedicated distance man is currently on the shelf with an injury, and he did not travel with us. It was very nice of the O’Sullivans to drive the 2 hours from Virginia Beach to cheer on the Running Red Foxes.

That sort of dedication and loyalty to our program is priceless. Thank you.

Can we just stay here?

Greetings from beautiful Richmond, Virginia.

I say beautiful for the following reasons, in no particular order:

--The long bus ride ended and we were able to get out in the fresh air on a warm afternoon …
--75 degrees and sunny, short-sleeve weather, on a late Friday afternoon in March
--A gorgeous track stadium on campus
--Did I mention the perfect weather? Oh yeah. And how about that forecast for SNOW back home later tonight and early Saturday?
--It won’t be snowing here on Saturday. I’m thinking that’s a lock.
--Did I mention the beautiful track facility they have here? Oh yeah. Another reason to stay.

But alas, we are here for a short time … we’ll try to enjoy it while we can …

Thursday, March 29, 2012

When it rains …

OK. Here’s a glass half-empty post.

Our Wednesday practice at the Vassar track was a rainy, chilly disaster. It started out with distant lightning and thunder. Coach Horton and I were very close to shutting things down out of concern for safety. But then the lightning and thunder went away.

It was replaced by a drenching, chilly rain. Something this area has sorely needed. But, not in the middle of sprinter starts, distance threshold, middle-distance intervals and steeplechase barrier work – track practice. Yikes! The sprinters got their work done quickly and efficiently and headed back to campus. The longer guys weren’t so lucky. Feeling was lost in arms, hands and fingers. It was damp and raw out there. We amended the distance thresh workout accordingly. The middle distance boys plowed through it admirably and did a nice job out there. We told the steeple guys not to hop barriers and instead do hurdle drills. It was wet and slippery out there.

Cold, soaked and grumpy, we went into the warm vans for the short ride home. As we pointed the vans westward on Hooker Avenue toward Marist, something amazing happened. The rain stopped. The sun came out. It turned out to be a beautiful rest of the day! The Vassar team, bless their hearts, probably enjoyed this sunshine and warmth during their late afternoon practice.

There were two hours of miserable weather yesterday. We experienced every second of it.

These things happen. Especially in spring.

Upon us all, a little rain must fall

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Important info regarding this weekend's meet!

An updated and final schedule has been posted for the Fred Hardy Invitational at Richmond. It is listed below.

The changes are significant for our athletes, and this will result in an early bus departure time: 6 a.m.

Repeat: Bus at 6 a.m. on Friday.


Spread the word. Don't be late.

Here's the schedule.

Friday, March 30
Track Events

5:00PM 3000 Steeplechase Women
5:15 3000 Steeplechase Men
5:30 5000 Meters Women
5:50 5000 Meters Men
6:10 400 Hurdles Women
6:35 400 Hurdles Men
7:00 1500 Meters Women
7:35 1500 Meters Men
8:05 10,000 Meters Men & Women Combined
Field Events
1:30PM Hammer Men followed by Women
2:00 Shot Put Women followed by Men
3:00 Pole Vault Women followed by Men
3:30 Triple Jump Women followed by Men
5:00 High Jump Women

Saturday, March 31
Track Events

11:00AM 100 Hurdles Women
11:15 110 Hurdles Men
11:30 800 Meters Inv Women
800 Meters Open
12:00 PM 800 Meters Inv Men
800 Meters Open
12:20 100 Meters Women
12:45 100 Meters Men
01:00 400 Meters Women
01:15 400 Meters Men
01:35 4X100 Relay Women
01:45 4X100 Relay Men
01:50 4X800 Relay Women
02:00 4X800 Relay Men
02:10 200 Meters Women
02:30 200 Meters Men
02:45 3000 Meters Women
03:10 3000 Meters Men
03:30 4X400 Relay Women
03:45 4X400 Relay Men
Field Events
09:00AM Discus Men followed by Women
10:00 Long Jump Women followed by Men
10:15 High Jump Men
11:45 Javelin Men followed by Women

Revisiting an old oval friend

There is the glass half-empty. And there is the glass half-full.

Half-empty: No track facilities on campus. Gotta jam into vans every day for practice off-campus. Do we need another car? Another driver? Will the bathrooms be open/available at the track? Welcome to our world!

Half-full: We have forged positive relationships with the local track community, and we have been blessed with extremely accommodating and friendly programs and venues at which to train – in all three seasons of competition.

As most know, the two tracks that we use on a daily basis are at Spackenkill High School and at Vassar College. Both venues are excellent and vital to the success and daily operation of our vagabond program.

We now reach back into our deep and storied past to add a third venue to our list: Poughkeepsie High School.

Yes! Poughkeepsie High School. Back in the early and mid 1980s, when I was an actual (somewhat) competitive collegiate runner, the majority of our workouts were done at Poughkeepsie High School. My teammates and I would run the 2.5 miles through the city to the track, where we would do gut-busting intervals on the old macadam, 440-yard track covered with debris and often broken glass. Coach Chuck remembers us using that very same macadam, 440-yard oval back in the 1990s as well.

We stopped going to Poughkeepsie in the past decade, after the track fell into disrepair, and we had other options at our disposal. But alas, the track has a brand-new, state-of-the-art red surface, which was installed last summer. It is soft and cushiony – great for our sprinters! And again, Poughkeepsie AD (and former Marist men’s lax coach Matt Cameron) has been exceedingly gracious in allowing us to return to the track.

The Poughkeepsie track coach, Kevin Rother, was a runner at Arlington High School under Coach Terry Horton many moons ago. I knew Kevin’s father, Bob Rother, through the local running community. Bob passed away a few years ago. Bob Rother was truly the epitome of a gentle man (two words) and a humble gentleman. Coach Rother encourages our presence there, and we are happy to be on the new track.

We’ll still be at our main venues of Spackenkill and Vassar on most days. But it’s nice to add an old oval friend to the rotation.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Monmouth: Men's splits

Monmouth Season Opener
Saturday, March 24, 2012
West Long Branch, NJ
Men’s splits
800-meter run

33. Kyle Havard 2:03.88 (opening 400, 61)
35. Bryan Buttigieg 2:03.91 (opening 400, 59)
53. Adam Osowski 2:09.17 (opening 400, 61)
1500-meter run
21. David Marthy 4:09.06
66, 2:17 (71), 3:22 (65), 4:09.06 (62.06 last 400m)
34. Kyle Havard 4:13.06
67, 2:17 (70), 3:23 (66), 4:13.06 (70.06 last 400m)
42. Ryan Scrudato 4:16.86
66, 2:18 (72), 3:25 (67), 4:16.86 (71.86 last 400m)
44. Mark Valentino 4:17.13
67, 2:16 (69), 3:26 (70), 4:17.13
50. Brian Townsend 4:19.93
68, 2:21 (73), 3:27 (66), 4:19.93
52. Nick Hughes 4:20.39
68, 2:21 (73), 3:28 (67), 4:20.39
64. Kyle Hannafin 4:22.19
67, 2:21 (74), 3:28 (67), 4:22.19
69. Ryan Brown 4:24.97
69, 2:21 (72), 3:32 (71), 4:24.97
88. Matt Flint 4:31.04
68, 2:17 (69), 3:34 (77), 4:31.04
5000-meter run
10. Nick Salek 15:24.07
71, 2:24 (73), 3:39 (74), 4:51 (72)
6:04 (73), 7:18 (72), 8:32 (74), 9:47 (75)
11:03 (76), 12:19 (76), 13:35 (76), 14:49 (74)
15:24.07 (35.07)
13. Billy Posch 15:32.52
71, 2:24 (73), 3:38 (74), 4:50 (72)
6:03 (73), 7:18 (75), 8:34 (76), 9:50 (76)
11:06 (76), 12:23 (77), 13:40 (77), 14:56 (76)
15:32.52 (36.52)
18. Mohamed Eid 15:44.37
71, 2:25 (74), 3:39 (75), 4:55 (76)
6:07 (72), 7:24 (77), 8:42 (78), 10:00 (78)
11:17 (77), 12:36 (79), 14:53 (77), 15:10 (77)
15:44.37 (34.37)
19. Billy Hild 15:44.67
73, 2:25 (72), 3:38 (73), 4:55 (77)
6:07 (72), 7:22 (75), 8:39 (77), 9:56 (77)
11:13 (77), 12:31 (78), 13:49 (78), 15:07 (78)
15:44.67 (37.67)
20. Justin Tampellini 15:45.19
74, 2:26 (72), 3:44 (72), 4:57 (73)
6:12 (75), 7:24 (72), 8:42 (78), 10:00 (78)
11:18 (78), 12:37 (79), 13:55 (78), 15:11 (76)
15:45.19 (34.19)
21. Mike Keegan 15:48.90
70, 2:24 (74), 3:38 (74), 4:51 (73)
6:09 (78), 7:24 (75), 8:42 (78), 10:00 (78)
11:18 (78), 12:37 (79), 13:55 (78), 15:12 (77)
15:48.90 (37.90)
25. Ryan Scrudato 16:00.63
72, 2:27 (75), 3:41 (74), 4:57 (76)
6:15 (78), 7:23 (78), 8:51 (78), 10:10 (79)
11:28 (78), 12:48 (80), 14:06 (78), 15:24 (78)
16:00.13 (36.13)
29. Brian Townsend 16:06.84
73, 2:26 (73), 3:43 (77), 5:00 (77)
6:17 (77), 7:35 (78), 8:54 (79), 10:13 (79)
11:31 (78), 12:51 (80), 11:41 (80), 15:29 (78)
16:06.84 (37.84)
30. Ryan Brown 16:08.80
74, 2:29 (75), 3:44 (75), 5:01 (77)
6:18 (77), 7:38 (80), 8:57 (79), 10:16 (79)
11:37 (81), 12:56 (79), 14:15 (79), 15:32 (77)
16:08.80 (36.80)
43. Patrick Deedy 16:36.51
79, 2:33 (74), 3:49 (76), 5:07 (78)
6:26 (79), 7:46 (80), 9:07 (81), 10:29 (82)
11:52 (83), 13:19 (87), 14:37 (88), 15:58 (81)
16:36.51 (38.51)
46. Mike Nicoletti 16:49.84
77, 2:36 (79), 3:56 (80), 5:16 (80)
6:39 (83), 8:02 (83), 9:26 (84), 10:48 (82)
12:09 (81), 13:29 (80), 14:51 (82), 16:13 (82)
16:49.84 (36.84)
50. Dominick Corradi 17:05.73
77, 2:36 (79), 3:56 (80), 5:16 (80)
6:39 (83), 8:02 (83), 9:26 (84), 10:49 (83)
12:14 (85), 13:39 (85), 15:04 (85), 16:27 (83)
17:05.73 (38.73)

10000-meter run
12. Rob Gorski 34:14.89
82, 2:43 (81), 4:03 (80), 5:23 (80)
6:43 (80), 8:04 (81), 9:26 (82), 10:49 (83)
12:12 (83), 13:35 (83), 14:57 (82), 16:18 (81)
17:40 (82), 19:02 (82), 20:25 (83), 21:46 (81)
23:08 (82), 24:32 (84), 25:56 (84), 27:20 (84)
28:44 (84), 30:08 (84), 31:32 (84), 32:55 (83)
34:14.89 (79.89)
13. Tommy Lappas 34:20.82
82, 2:43 (81), 4:02 (79), 5:21 (79)
6:43 (82), 8:04 (81), 9:26 (82), 10:48 (82)
12:10 (82), 13:31 (81), 14:52 (81), 16:14 (82)
17:37 (83), 19:00 (83), 20:24 (84), 21:46 (82)
23:09 (83), 24:34 (85), 25:58 (84), 27:23 (85)
28:49 (86), 30:17 (88), 31:40 (83), 32:56 (76)
34:20.82 (84.82)
14. Mike Nicoletti 34:48.31
82, 2:42 (80), 4:02 (80), 5:20 (78)
6:42 (82), 8:03 (81), 9:25 (82), 10:47 (82)
12:09 (82), 13:31 (82), 14:54 (83), 16:18 (84)
17:42 (84), 19:07 (85), 20:31 (84), 21:55 (84)
23:20 (85), 24:45 (85), 26:11 (86), 27:39 (87)
29:07 (88), 30:33 (86), 32:00 (87), 33:26 (86)
34:48.31 (82.31)

19. Doug Ainscow 36:01.81
83, 2:43 (80), 4:03 (80), 5:24 (81)
6:46 (82), 8:09 (83), 9:32 (83), 10:56 (84)
12:22 (86), 13:48 (86), 15:15 (87), 16:40 (85)
18:09 (89), 19:38 (89), 21:06 (88), 22:35 (89)
24:05 (90), 25:35 (90), 27:04 (89), 28:34 (90)
30:04 (90), 31:33 (89), 33:04 (91), 34:34 (90)
36:01.81 (87.81)

3000-meter steeplechase
1-Mark Valentino 9:42.62
74, 2:30 (76), 3:48 (78), 5:06 (78), 6:26 (80), 7:45 (79), 9:02 (77), 9:42.62 (40.62)
6. Nick Hughes 9:57.82
75, 2:33 (78), 3:51 (78), 5:09 (78), 6:30 (81), 7:52 (82), 9:13 (81), 9:57.82 (44.82)
8. Ryan Fitzsimons 10:07.15
76, 2:35 (79), 3:54 (79), 5:14 (80), 6:37 (83), 8:01 (84), 9:24 (83), 10:07.15 (43.15)
11. Chris Reynolds 10:23.34
76, 2:36 (80), 3:57 (81), 5:20 (83), 6:44 (84), 8:11 (87), 9:36 (85), 10:23.34 (47.34)
1600-meter relay
19. Marist (David Marthy 53.4, Bryan Buttigieg 55.8, Adam Osowski 57.7, Kyle Hannafin 57.2) 3:44.29

Monmouth: Women's splits

Monmouth Season Opener
Saturday, March 24, 2012
West Long Branch, NJ
Women’s splits
800-meter run

5. Briana Crowe 2:23.51 (opening 400, 69)
17. Kara Lightowler 2:30.44 (opening 400, 70)
22. Katie Messina 2:32.49 (opening 400, 74)
29. Laura Lindsley 2:35.12 (opening 400, 75)
1500-meter run
9. Briana Crowe 4:51.88
78, 2:36 (78), 3:54 (78), 4:51.88 (77.88 last 400m)
11. Erin Thompson 4:53.68
76, 2:35 (79), 3:55 (80), 4:53.68 (77.68 last 400m)
13. Christine Coughlin 4:54.68
77, 2:35 (78), 3:54 (79), 4:54.68 (80.68 last 400m)
20. Katie Messina 5:00.54
78, 2:38 (80), 4:00 (82), 5:00.54 (81.54 last 400m)
26. Kara Lightowler 5:06.56
78, 2:38 (80), 4:00 (82), 5:06.56 (86.56 last 400m)
32. Brianna Freestone 5:10.71
79, 2:45 (86), 3:49 (84), 5:10.71 (80.71 last 400m)
33. Dayna McLaughlin 5:11.64
79, 2:45 (86), 4:10 (85), 5:11.64 (81.64 last 400m)
34. Rebecca Denise 5:12.07
80, 2:43 (83), 4:09 (86), 5:12.07 (83.07 last 400m)
45. Allyson O’Brien 5:24.81
82, 2:52 (90), 4:21 (89), 5:24.81 (83.81 last 400m)
48. Elizabeth O’Brien 5:25.99
81, 2:48 (87), 4:19 (91), 5:25.99 (91.99 last 400m)
52. Colleen Smith 5:27.61
82, 2:52 (90), 4:21 (89), 5:27.61 (86.71 last 400m)
5000-meter run
12. Kathryn Sheehan 18:53.60
84, 2:54 (90), 4:24 (90), 5:53 (89)
7:22 (89), 8:53 (91), 10:24 (91), 11:55 (91)
13:29 (94), 15:02 (93), 16:36 (94), 18:10 (94)
18:53.60 (43.60)
15. Kelley Gould 19:02.43
91, 3:02 (91), 4:33 (91), 6:05 (92)
7:37 (92), 9:10 (93), 10:43 (93), 12:17 (94)
13:49 (92), 15:20 (91), 16:51 (91), 18:20 (89)
19:02.43 (42.43)
24. Rachel Bremer 19:30.13
90, 2:59 (89), 4:28 (89), 6:00 (92)
7:30 (90), 9:01 (91), 10:34 (93), 12:07 (93)
13:43 (96), 15:22 (99), 17:02 (100), 18:41 (99)
19:30.13 (49.13)
30. Rachel Lichtenwalner 19:37.09
92, 3:03 (91), 4:35 (92), 6:08 (93)
7:44 (96), 9:19 (95), 10:53 (94), 12:29 (96)
14:06 (97), 15:43 (97), 17:18 (95), 18:51 (93)
19:37.09 (46.09)

Mudders and Grunters: The cup is retained!


We are proud to announce that the Marist Alumni Racing Team defended its title at the Taconic Road Runners Mudders and Grunters trail and mud race on Sunday down in Westchester County. The roughly 5-mile race includes tough terrain, a stream crossing and lots of mud. I did not get pictures of full race reports, but given this year’s mild and dry weather, maybe it was not as muddy?

Anyway, the team scoring goes four deep. As you see by the results below, our top 4 did quite well.

It was great to see Marist Running Alum Chris McCloskey also in the race, a strong 12th place. Chris was running for the Albany Running Exchange, the strong team that vies for the title each year as well. We consider the ARE our running friends; along with “Chomps,” recent grad Nick Webster runs for them, and our local running buddy and streak running legend Dick Vincent coaches with the ARE. Also, they have a killer Web site, perhaps one of the best running Web sites I have ever seen!

Below are results. Above is a brewpub photo from Saturday night, with this sleep-deprived coach holding his trusty mug of coffee.

Glad to be able to keep the Geronimo Cup – given to the Mudders team champs for safe keeping each year -- in the office for yet another year.

1-Steve Hicks 32:22.1
2-Justin Harris 32:23.6
3-Sean Hopkins 33:03.9
7-Mike Rolek 34:02.3
12-Chris McCloskey 35:12.1
37-Mike Schab 40:18.0
40-Matt Walsh 40:37.2

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Monmouth Season Opener: Men's results

Quick highlights:
--Freshman Mark Valentino wins the steeplechase and was not fresh (ran the 1500 earlier in the day)
--Freshman Julian DeZao bursts onto the scene with an excellent javelin performance
--Sophomore Nick Salek PRs in the 5km by about 30 seconds
--Sprinters perform well despite strong headwind most of the day
--Senior Ryan Fitzsimons debuts with a strong steeplechase

Monmouth Season Opener
Saturday, March 24, 2012
West Long Branch, NJ
Men’s results
100-meter dash

8. Jesse Aprile 11.41
34. Mike McCloskey 11.95
35. Tyler Schwarz 11.98
43. Darren Bushey 12.24
63. Neal Viets 13.29
200-meter dash
70. Neal Viets 26.68
800-meter run
33. Kyle Havard 2:03.88
35. Bryan Buttigieg 2:03.91
53. Adam Osowski 2:09.17
1500-meter run
21. David Marthy 4:09.06
34. Kyle Havard 4:13.06
42. Ryan Scrudato 4:16.86
44. Mark Valentino 4:17.13
50. Brian Townsend 4:19.93
52. Nick Hughes 4:20.39
64. Kyle Hannafin 4:22.19
69. Ryan Brown 4:24.97
88. Matt Flint 4:31.04
5000-meter run
10. Nick Salek 15:24.07
13. Billy Posch 15:32.52
18. Mohamed Eid 15:44.37
19. Billy Hild 15:44.67
20. Justin Tampellini 15:45.19
21. Mike Keegan 15:48.90
25. Ryan Scrudato 16:00.63
29. Brian Townsend 16:06.84
30. Ryan Brown 16:08.80
43. Patrick Deedy 16:36.51
46. Mike Nicoletti 16:49.84
50. Dominick Corradi 17:05.73
10000-meter run
12. Rob Gorski 34:14.89
13. Tommy Lappas 34:20.82
14. Mike Nicoletti 34:48.31
19. Doug Ainscow 36:01.81
400-meter hurdles
16. Mike Clifford 1:01.19
3000-meter steeplechase
1-Mark Valentino 9:42.62
6. Nick Hughes 9:57.82
8. Ryan Fitzsimons 10:07.15
11. Chris Reynolds 10:23.34
400-meter relay
8. Marist (Mike McCloskey, Tyler Schwarz, Darren Bushey, Jesse Aprile) 43.71
1600-meter relay
19. Marist (David Marthy, Bryan Buttigieg, Adam Osowski, Kyle Hannafin) 3:44.29
Sprint medley relay
14. Marist (Mike McCloskey, Darren Bushey, Connor Dodge, Chris Vanzetta) 3:39.71
Javelin
13. Julian DeZao 48.31 meters (158 feet, 6 inches)
21. Jake Akey 38.47 meters (126 feet, 2 inches)

Monmouth Season Opener: Women's results

Quick highlights:

--Senior captain Briana Crowe with an excellent 1500/800 double
--Junior Kelley Gould with an eye-popping PR at 5000 meters

Monmouth Season Opener
Saturday, March 24, 2012
West Long Branch, NJ
Women’s results
100-meter dash

21. Nicole Scicolone 13.54
33. Amanda Luccarelli 14.00
39. Taylor Mead 14.65
200-meter dash
41. Taylor Mead 29.76
45. Colleen Meenan 30.45
400-meter dash
23. Colleen Meenan 1:04.60
49. Katie McEvoy 1:11.51
800-meter run
5. Briana Crowe 2:23.51
17. Kara Lightowler 2:30.44
22. Katie Messina 2:32.49
29. Laura Lindsley 2:35.12
1500-meter run
9. Briana Crowe 4:51.88
11. Erin Thompson 4:53.68
13. Christine Coughlin 4:54.68
20. Katie Messina 5:00.54
26. Kara Lightowler 5:06.56
32. Brianna Freestone 5:10.71
33. Dayna McLaughlin 5:11.64
34. Rebecca Denise 5:12.07
45. Allyson O’Brien 5:24.81
48. Elizabeth O’Brien 5:25.99
52. Colleen Smith 5:27.61
5000-meter run
12. Kathryn Sheehan 18:53.60
15. Kelley Gould 19:02.43
24. Rachel Bremer 19:30.13
30. Rachel Lichtenwalner 19:37.09
100-meter hurdles
24. Alex McCahill 18.61
Long jump
7. Nicole Scicolone 4.96 meters (16 feet, 3.25 inches)
22. Brooke Kristensen 4.02 meters (13 feet, 2.25 inches)

Why I love my alumni boys ...

After a long day in the chilly wind down at Monmouth -- what else would we expect, weatherwise? -- the last thing I wanted to do or expected to be was at the Hyde Park Brewing Company on Saturday night.

But alas, later today is Mudders and Grunters -- a team-oriented, cross-country style race down in Westchester County -- and our Alumni Racing Team will have a presence there, as usual. And, as usual, the boys gathered last night for some pre-race socializing.

It was great to see Walsh and Schab (surprise guests!), Hopkins, Kirk and Hicks/Christine. Rolek and Harris will be racing as well, but they opted for an early evening. We spent most of the day with Justin, now an assistant coach at Vassar College, whose team was also at the Monmouth meet.

I love my boys. Without even asking, they knew that their old coach would not be unwinding with the usual, brewpub fare. No way. That's not my style. Rather, they promptly ordered me a black coffee with a chaser of ice water. NICELY DONE!

Naturally, the ensuing caffeine buzz is why I am typing this in the wee hours of the morning, despite a 4:30 a.m. alarm on Saturday.

Stay tuned for Monmouth meet results and other details later in the day ... and good luck to the Marist Alumni Racing Team at Mudders!

Why I miss Will Schanz ...

... did you see the book-length comment on my last, seemingly innocuous post/link to an article?

This is why I miss Will Schanz, and why he has to stop butchering the native language (according to my well-placed sources) over in Spain and get back to Poughkeepsie -- pronto.

The only problem with arguing with Schanz, other than the fact that he can be exasperating, is that he is usually right. Darn it! That drives me crazy!

All his points are accurate. Every one of them.

Of course.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Put your shoes on

Thanks to Fast Tony for sending me this link to a very interesting blog post on the New York Times.

Basically, it refutes the notion that barefoot running is more efficient than shod running.

This is a very thought provoking article. Check it out.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Hydration is key ... in MARCH?

Out at the track yesterday afternoon with the sprinters and the women's team, we were all wilting in the heat. On the last day of winter.

Oh trust me. This old coach was NOT complaining.

But really, the unusual warmth actually was a slight detriment to a quality track practice. Who woulda thunk it ... on March 19.

More sun and heat is on the way for the balance of the week, peaking on Thursday when it will feel downright mid-summer like.

My morning jogging partners (side note: shorts and a long-sleeve shirt, at 5:30 a.m.!) made the comment today that we may not have seen the last of the snow for the season. Given the volatile nature of spring in these parts, this could be true.

But for now, keep in mind that HYDRATION IS KEY.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Hopkins sizzles in N.C.

Congratulations to Marist Running Alum Sean Hopkins, who continues to run PR times the further removed he gets from his collegiate career. That is not an easy trick, and we are proud of him!

Hopkins placed 15th at the Wake Forest Open on Friday night at Kentner Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. Running for Sayville Runners, Hopkins notched a strong personal-best time of 15:20.58.

NICELY DONE!!!

Marist alums in Arizona

In an unusual bit of convergence several time zones away, two Marist Running record holders were in the same track race in Arizona on Friday night. Competing at the Willie Williams Classic at the University of Arizona in Tucson were 2011 alum Adam Vess and 2007 alum Justin Harris.

Vess placed fifth in the 5,000-meter run in 15:04.36. Vess is now running as a post-graduate for Northern Arizona. He is training hard at high altitude in Flagstaff and this was his first race back. After all that he has been through, we are proud to see Vess back on track, literally.

Harris placed 19th in the same race in 15:38.87. We most recently saw Jut at the AAU practice at Vassar, where he is now assistant coach to our good pal, head coach James McCowan, across town. Jut reported via text and email that it was an “amazing experience” and that he was happy to be at the level he is at based on his current training.

Missing Joel

It’s a classic good news/bad news scenario.

Well, it’s mostly good news: The Marist College women’s basketball team pulled another NCAA Tournament upset, knocking off SEC power Georgia down in Tallahassee, Fla. The Red Foxes advance to a second-round matchup in Tallahassee on Tuesday night.

So, where’s the bad news?

Well, our favorite tuba player – track team member Joel Moss – is down there as part of the Marist Band. So that means the Big Man will not be at practice for most of this week as he continues to support the women’s hoop team as part of the excellent Band. I’m sure Joel’s not complaining – although it should be noted that the weather this week in Poughkeepsie will not be much colder than it is on the Florida panhandle. Amazing!

Go Red Foxes!!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

From Conor: “Like” Polar, win stuff

Marist Running Alum Conor Shelley, who now works for the Polar heart-rate monitor company (side note: That cool Polar hat that I wear every day? That’s from Conor …), asked me to post about a raffle that Polar was having about a brand new product that is being released in the next month.

Apparently, Conor said all you have to do is “Like” their Facebook Page, and find their app and connect to it. Conor said there wasn’t a lot of participation in this contest last year, and he is hoping that this blog post will generate more interest for the product.

And hey, who knows, one of us might win something!?!?

I’m not on Facebook, but I guess you could say I “like” the idea of this …

Foreign wide

OK! I get it. Our program is spread far and wide during Spring Break.

From the aforementioned Dominican Republic, Hawaii, South Carolina and who knows where else, how could I forget our Shaker Bros – Schanz, studying abroad, and Vanzetta, visiting him in Barcelona – in a foreign country? Silly me!

So, I guess you could say our program is spread far and wide. Or foreign wide.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Erichson Memorial results

Congratulations to members of the Marist Running family who participated in Sunday’s Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club Ed Erichson Memorial Run. This is a great race put on by my friends at the MHRRC.

Marist cross country runner and senior team member Luke Shane won the 10-mile race in 58:16. Luke is training hard for the upcoming Boston Marathon, where his goal is a sub-2:40:00 clocking. Luke has a PR of 2:42. He has been cranking high mileage and high-quality long runs. Nicely done, Luke!

Marist Running alumni and school record holder Liza Grudzinski was fifth overall, second woman and first in the 30-39 division in the 5-mile race in 30:06. We saw Liza cooling down on the course with Marisa Strange (who was third woman in the field) after the race.

Marist coach emeritus Phil Kelly was also on hand, running the 5-miler with family members (daughter, sons-in-law).

It was a bit chilly out there in the morning, by Winter 2012 standards. Great job to all involved.

Rolek at New Jersey 20km

A hearty NICELY DONE to Marist Running Alum Mike Rolek, who was third overall out of 460 finishers in the Miles for Music 20-kilometer race, held at Johnson Park in Highland Park, N.J. Rolek ran 1:05:21, an average of 5:16 per mile.

What makes Rolek’s run amazing is that he was sidelined for most of the fall and early winter with major injury issues. For him to bounce back so quickly, and so well, is truly remarkable.

Check out these excellent mile splits:

1. 5:19
2. 5:19
3. 5:13
4. 5:15
5. 5:23
6. 5:17
7. 5:13
8. 5:14
9. 5:13
10. 5:11 (52:41)
11. 5:16
12. 5:08
0.46. 2:12

Great stuff, and great to have you back on the roads!

Outdoor track schedule

For those keeping score at home (and I KNOW you are …), here is the outdoor track schedule for 2012, along with relevant comments and descriptions …

Saturday, March 24: Monmouth University Invitational, West Long Branch, N.J. Full squad of men and women

Friday/Saturday, March 30-31: Fred Hardy Invitational, University of Richmond (VA). Full squad of women, partial squad of men
Wednesday, April 4: Stony Brook Invitational. Partial squad of men.

Friday, April 6: Sam Howell Invitation, Princeton University (NJ). Limited squad of qualifying distance runners.

Saturday, April 14: Vassar Invitational, Poughkeepsie, NY. Partial squad of men and women.

Saturday/Sunday, April 14-15: Bison Outdoor Classic, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pa. Partial squad of men and women.

Thursday/Friday, April 19-20: Mt. SAC Relays, Walnut, Calif. Very limited squad

Friday/Saturday, April 20-21: Larry Ellis Invitation, Princeton University (NJ): Partial squad

Thursday/Friday/Saturday, April 26-28: Penn Relay Carnival, Philadelphia, PA: Very limited travel squad

Sunday, April 29: Yale Springtime Invitational, New Haven, CT: Full squad of men and women.

Friday, May 4: Matthew Vassar Open, Poughkeepsie, NY: Partial squad

Saturday/Sunday, May 5-6: MAAC Outdoor Track Championships, Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ: Full squad

Qualifiers only …

Friday/Saturday/Sunday, May 11-13
: IC4A Championships, Princeton University (NJ)
Thursday/Friday/Saturday, May 24-26: NCAA East Regional, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL
Wednesday-Saturday, June 6-9: NCAA Championships, Drake University, Des Moines, IA
Friday-Sunday, June 15-17: USATF Junior Championships, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

Who needs Myrtle Beach?

We have members of the Marist Track Family spread far and wide this Spring Break Week: A big group down in Myrtle Beach; some in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; even a few intrepid freshmen in Hawaii!; others simply home in the tri-state area and beyond.

One thing is in common this week, and that is uncommonly warm weather. In fact, the forecast high today of 71 in Poughkeepsie is WARMER than the forecast high today in Myrtle Beach! How very, very unusual!

The fact of the matter is, it’s going to be warm here all week. Again, this is a stark departure from the usual, late-winter weather of March. But then again, I’ve been saying this for months. I heard on the radio that this is the mildest winter Poughkeepsie has seen since 1948 – in other words, in most people’s lifetimes. It is easy to believe. Enjoy it while it lasts …

Friday, March 9, 2012

The logic of the Mets' fan

This one’s for Bambi, Marty and all other Mets fans out in the blogosphere …

Check out today’s Op-Ed piece in the New York Times by columnist David Brooks. Brooks is one of my favorite contemporary journalists and authors. His latest book, “The Social Animal,” is an excellent and fascinating read into human behavior. I strongly recommend it.

In today’s column, he wrestles with the notion of practicality (he SHOULD be a Washington Nationals fan) vs. sentimentality (he WAS BORN a Mets fan and cannot shed those allegiances).

Most of you know that I am a diehard Yankees fan. However, when the Yankees are not on, I watch and root for the Mets. Who will be terrible this year, struggling to win 75 games. (Oh! Sorry Bambi!)

The following excerpt describes it best:

There’s a core American debate between “On the Road” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” “On the Road” suggests that happiness is to be found through freedom, wandering and autonomy. “It’s a Wonderful Life” suggests that happiness is found in the lifelong attachments that precede choice. It suggests that restraints can actually be blessings because they lead to connections that are deeper than temporary self-interest.

The happiness research suggests that “It’s a Wonderful Life” is correct and “On the Road” is an illusion. So I’ll die a Mets fan, exaggerating their potential, excusing their deficiencies.


Anyway, click on the link to read the full column. You will enjoy it.

Let’s go Mets?

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Women's indoor track school records: Through 2012

WOMEN’S TRACK INDOOR SCHOOL RECORDS
Updated through 2012

Track events

55-meter dash: Dominique Pino 7.38 1997
60-meter dash: Danielle Asaro 8.19 2012
55-meter hurdles Chrissy McDevitt 8.32 2007
60-meter hurdles Chrissy McDevitt 9.03 2007
200-meter dash Chrissy McDevitt 26.02 2007
300-meter dash Holly Burns 42.56 2010
400-meter dash Holly Burns 59.08 2010
500-meter dash Kate Pieper 1:18.21 1999
800-meter run Susan Golden 2:11.42 2003
1000-meter run Susan Golden 2:52.58 2003
Mile run Michelle Gaye 4:55.95 2012
3,000-meter run Michelle Gaye 9:47.77 2012
5,000-meter run Liza Grudzinski 17:24.14 2003

Relays
4x200m McTurk, Knapp, Pieler, Golden 1:50.61 2000
4x220y Artiano, LeMoine, Schlittler, Keller 1:51.76 2003
4x400m Pieper, Knapp, Rhorer, Golden 4:02.49 2000
4x800m Crowe, Coughlin, Meenan, Gamboli 9:20.43 2012
DMR Gamboli, Harnett, Crowe, Burns 11:54.75 2011
SMR Bruno, Pieper, Pino, Bolingbroke 4:33.94 1999

Field events
Shot put Jen Stewart 9.73 1998
High jump Nicole Donadio 1.55 2007
Long jump Nicole Scicolone 5.45 2012
Triple jump Brooke Kristensen 10.69 2011
Pole vault Justine Colabraro 3.10 2007

Men's indoor track school records: Through 2012

MEN’S INDOOR TRACK SCHOOL RECORDS
(Updated through 2012)

Track events

55-meter dash Rob DeAngelo/Everett Butler 6.63 2004/2007
60-meter dash Jesse Aprile 7.13 2012
55-meter hurdles Eli Bisnett-Cobb 7.72 2004
60-meter hurdles Eli Bisnett-Cobb 8.28 2004
200-meter dash Brian DeMarco 22.75 2007
400-meter dash Brian DeMarco 49.14 2007
500-meter dash Brian DeMarco 1:03.35 2007
800-meter run Mike Bamberger 1:52.96 2005
1000-meter run Bryan Quinn 2:28.56 2006
Mile run Adam Vess 4:08.66 2009
3000-meter run Adam Vess 8:05.82 2009
5000-meter run Girma Segni 14:18.42 2009

Relays
1600-meter relay Bamberger, Carroll, Quinn, DeMarco 3:20.04 2007
3200-meter relay Harris, Prinz, DeMarco, Bamberger 7:45.62 2004
DMR Griffin, Frederickson, Lipari, Vess 10:04.20 2009

Field events
Shot put Adam Waterbury 14.58 2004
35-pound weight Adam Waterbury 13.92 2003
High jump Eli Bisnett-Cobb 2.01 2002
Long jump Tim Murphy 6.78 1973
Triple jump Jamie Palmer 13.82 1994
Pole vault Max Carow 4.26 2009

Indoor track performance lists: Women

Here are the complete performance lists for indoor track, 2011-2012. For our first winter season without on-campus facilities, I would have to say there were plenty of things of which to be proud.

There were school records in every discipline: sprint, jump, relays, distance. Amazing! Again, without on-campus facilities, this is truly a tribute to the dedication of our athletes.

The additions of freshman sprinter Danielle Asaro and sophomore transfer jumper/sprinter Nicole Scicolone certainly added variety and quality to our team.

The emergence of freshman distance runner Michelle Gaye was a revelation, but not a total surprise as it came on the heels of a strong debut collegiate XC season. Still, to significantly lower two strong school records – and get ECAC marks in both events – is pretty amazing and was fun to watch.

And it was great to get the 4x800 relay record and ECAC qualifier as well, highlighting the strong middle distance crew that has been a trademark of all Coach Chuck teams.

For team members: These lists will be printed out and posted in the racquetball court that doubles as our practice home.

Onward and upward to outdoor track …

Women’s track, indoor performance list, 2011-2012

60-meter dash

Danielle Asaro, 8.19, school record, GOTH
Danielle Asaro, 9.27, ties school record, YALE
Amanda Luccarelli, 8.35, GOTH
Danielle Asaro, 8.36, METS
Amanda Luccarelli, 8.40, MAAC
Nicole Scicolone, 8.42, METS
Nicole Scicolone, 8.43, YALE
Amanda Luccarelli, 8.45, YALE
Nicole Scicolone, 8.49, GOTH
Alex McCahill, 8.62, MAAC
Alex McCahill, 8.65, METS
Alex McCahill, 8.67, YALE
Alex McCahill, 8.70, BUVAL
Taylor Mead, 8.78, MAAC
Taylor Mead, 8.97, BUVAL

200-meter dash
Danielle Asaro, 28.05, YALE
Amanda Luccarelli, 28.38, YALE
Alex McCahill, 28.52, YALE
Christina Turigiano, 28.93, BUVAL
Christina Turigiano, 29.01, YALE
Taylor Mead, 29.13, BUVAL
Taylor Mead, 29.18, METS
Christina Turigiano, 29.24, METS
Taylor Mead, 29.27, MAAC

400-meter dash
Christina Turigiano, 1:05.45, BUVAL
Taylor Mead, 1:09.84, GOTH

500-meter dash
Colleen Meenan, 1:22.01, BUVAL
Colleen Meenan, 1:22.70, GOTH
Colleen Meenan, 1:22.97, BUTER

800-meter run
Briana Crowe, 2:18.15, MAAC
Briana Crowe, 2:18.15, BUVAL
Christine Coughlin, 2:19.15, MAAC
Christine Coughlin, 2:19.30, BUTER
Briana Crowe, 2:19.52, BUTER
Christine Coughlin, 2:20.64, GOTH
Jackie Gamboli, 2:22.38, MAAC
Colleen Meenan, 2:23.14, MAAC
Kim Bartlett, 2:23.21, METS
Kim Bartlett, 2:23.83, BUVAL
Kim Bartlett, 2:24.36, MAAC
Christine Coughlin, 2:26.58, YALE
Kim Bartlett, 2:26.89, GOTH
Megan Brady, 2:27.09, BUVAL
Kara Lightowler, 2:29.33, BUVAL
Kara Lightowler, 2:29.39, ARMC
Megan Brady, 2:29.60, METS
Laura Lindsley, 2:32.20, BUVAL
Rachael Peterson, 2:34.48, YALE
Rachael Peterson, 2:34.52, GOTH
Rachael Peterson, 2:35.43, BUVAL
Laura Lindsley, 2:37.02, METS

1,000-meter run
Christine Coughlin, 2:58.36, BUVAL
Jackie Gamboli, 2:58.44, BUVAL
Jackie Gamboli, 3:02.87, BUTER
Briana Crowe, 3:04.35, GOTH
Rachael Peterson, 3:18.70, METS
Colleen Smith, 3:18.85, GOTH
Laura Lindsley, 3:27.01, GOTH

Mile run
Michelle Gaye, 4:55.95, school record, ECAC qualifier, BUVAL
Michelle Gaye, 5:07.25, GOTH
Erin O’Reilly, 5:16.38, BUTER
Erin O’Reilly, 5:16.49, MAAC
Erin O’Reilly, 5:19.19, BUVAL
Kara Lightowler, 5:19.50, ARMC
Rebecca Denise, 5:21.28, MAAC
Kara Lightowler, 5:22.19, BUVAL
Rebecca Denise, 5:23.27, BUVAL
Erin O’Reilly, 5:24.88, GOTH
Rebecca Denise, 5:25.49, BUTER
Erin Thompson, 5:25.59, BUVAL
Dayna McLaughlin, 5:25.65, BUVAL
Erin Thompson, 5:27.51, METS
Kathryn Sheehan, 5:31.06, GOTH
Kara Lightowler, 5:35.07, BUTER
Colleen Smith, 5:56.16, METS

3,000-meter run
Michelle Gaye, 9:47.77, school record, ECAC qualifier, NEWB
Addie DiFrancesco, 10:22.81, ARMC
Katie Messina, 10:28.53, BUVAL
Katie Messina, 10:37.38, MAAC
Kathryn Sheehan, 10:44.15, BUVAL
Katie Messina, 10:44.35, GOTH
Katie Messina, 10:46.56, NEWB
Brianna Freestone, 10:48.57, MAAC
Dayna McLaughlin, 10:49.50, MAAC
Brianna Freestone, 10:52.24, BUVAL
Kathryn Sheehan, 10:55.20, MAAC
Dayna McLaughlin, 11:06.18, METS
Brianna Freestone, 11:08.76, BUTER
Jackie Gamboli, 11:12.60, GOTH
Kathryn Sheehan, 11:16.29, BUTER
Brianna Freestone, 11:31.65, GOTH
Kelley Gould, 11:33.93, METS

5,000-meter run
Addie DiFrancesco, 17:55.01, MAAC
Rachel Bremer, 19:27.12, MAAC
Rachel Lichtenwalner, 19:31.07, MAAC
Rachel Lichtenwalner, 19:48.56, METS
Rachel Lichtenwalner, 20:02.83, GOTH
Kelley Gould, 20:07.73, MAAC
Kelley Gould, 20:37.06, GOTH

60-meter hurdles
Alex McCahill, 10.17, MAAC
Alex McCahill, 10.30, GOTH
Alex McCahill, 10.56, METS
Alex McCahill, 10.79, BUVAL

1,600-meter relay
Marist (Coughlin, Crowe, Meenan, Gamboli), 4:11.68, BUVAL
Marist (Crowe, Coughlin, Meenan, Gamboli), 4:12.59, MAAC
Marist (Crowe, Meenan, Luccarelli, Coughlin) 4:17.95, GOTH

3,200-meter relay
Marist (Crowe, Coughlin, Meenan, Gamboli) 9:20.43, school record, ECAC qualifier, NEWB
Marist (Crowe, Coughlin, Meenan, Gamboli), 9:23.57, ECAC

Distance medley relay
Marist (Gamboli, Meenan, Crowe, Gaye) 12:09.55, BUTER
Marist (O’Reilly, Turigiano, Brady, Lightowler), 12:52.72, MAAC
Marist (McLaughlin, Turigiano, Lightowler, Denise), 13:11.37, GOTH

Long jump
Nicole Scicolone, 5.45 meters (17 feet, 10.75 inches), school record, MAAC
Nicole Scicolone 5.28 meters (17 feet, 4 inches), YALE
Nicole Scicolone, 5.21 meters (17 feet, 1.25 inches), GOTH
Nicole Scicolone, 5.06 meters, (16 feet, 7.25 inches), METS
Nicole Scicolone, 5.00 meters (16 feet, 5 inches), BUVAL
Brooke Kristensen, 4.77 meters (15 feet, 7.25 inches), GOTH
Brooke Kristensen, 4.65 meters (15 feet, 3.25 inches), MAAC
Brooke Kristensen, 4.62 meters, (15 feet, 1.75 inches), METS
Brooke Kristensen, 4.51 meters (14 feet, 9.75 inches), BUVAL

Triple jump
Brooke Kristensen, 10.58 meters, (34 feet, 8.5 inches), METS
Brooke Kristensen, 10.22 meters (33 feet, 6.5 inches), MAAC
Brooke Kristensen, 10.09 meters (33 feet, 1.25 inches), BUVAL

High jump
Siobhan Pokorney, 1.45 meters, (4 feet, 9 inches), METS

Meet key
YALE = Yale, 12.3.2011
GOTH = Gotham Cup, 1.13.2012
METS = Mets Championships, 1.27.2012
BUTER = BU Terrier, 1.27.2012
NEWB = New Balance Collegiate, 2.3/2.4.2012
BUVAL = BU Valentine, 2.10.2012
MAAC = MAAC Championships, 2.17.2012
ARMC = Armory Collegiate, 2.23.2012
ECAC = ECAC Championships, 3.3.2012

Indoor track performance lists: Men

Here are the complete performance lists for indoor track, 2011-2012. For our first winter season without on-campus facilities, I would have to say there were plenty of things of which to be proud.

Perhaps the most notable progressions were made in the sprinting events, and this is doubly remarkable since this group of athletes was most severely affected by the removal of the McCann Track. It is a tribute to their hard work, the hard work and innovation of Coach Horton (hills are our friends!), and also Mother Nature for allowing us to practice outside with little difficultly much more than one would expect.

There were some excellent performances on the mid- and long-distance side as well. The emergence of freshman David Marthy was a true revelation (Note to Schanz: I KNOW! YOU SAID HE WAS GOING TO BE GOOD! YOU ARE ALWAYS RIGHT! Thank you.). But seriously, you never know how these things will work out. And it worked out well.

Also not to be overlooked was the sub-15:00 5km race by junior Joel Moss. After a rough XC season, the Big Man came up Big indeed.

If I were to hand out Coaches MVP Awards, they would go to sprinter Jesse Aprile and the aforementioned Mount Marthy.

For team members: These lists will be printed out and posted in the racquetball court that doubles as our practice home.

Onward and upward to outdoor track …

Men’s track, indoor performance list, 2011-2012

60-meter dash

Jesse Aprile, 7.13 (school record), MAAC
Jesse Aprile, 7.23, BUVAL
Tyler Schwarz, 7.27, MAAC
Jesse Aprile, 7.27, JASP
Jesse Aprile, 7.29, GOTH
Mike McCloskey, 7.31, MAAC
Mike McCloskey, 7.31, YALE
Tyler Schwarz, 7.31, METS
Tyler Schwarz, 7.32, BUVAL
Tyler Schwarz, 7.32, GOTH
Tyler Schwarz, 7.33, YALE
Mike McCloskey, 7.35, GOTH
Darren Bushey, 7.37, YALE
Mike McCloskey, 7.39, BUVAL
Darren Bushey, 7.39, GOTH
Darren Bushey, 7.41, MAAC
Mike McCloskey, 7.43, METS
Darren Bushey, 7.45, BUVAL
Darren Bushey, 7.51, METS

200-meter dash
Jesse Aprile, 22.89 (DQ), BUVAL
Jesse Aprile, 22.95, MAAC
Tyler Schwarz, 22.93, METS
Tyler Schwarz, 22.98, BUVAL
Tyler Schwarz, 23.23, MAAC
Mike Clifford, 23.39, BUVAL
Mike Clifford, 23.42, MAAC
Mike McCloskey, 23.81, BUVAL
Mike McCloskey, 23.83, MAAC
Mike McCloskey, 23.83, YALE
Darren Bushey, 23.95, BUVAL
Tyler Schwarz, 24.08, YALE
Darren Bushey, 24.15, YALE
Mike McCloskey, 24.17, METS
Mike Clifford, 24.27, YALE
Darren Bushey, 24.40, METS
Darren Bushey, 24.42, MAAC

400-meter dash
Chris Vanzetta, 51.53, BUVAL
Chris Vanzetta, 52.12, MAAC
Dan Conklin, 52.19, MAAC
Connor Dodge, 53.07, YALE
Mike Clifford, 53.51, BUVAL
Dan Conklin, 53.66, METS
Connor Dodge, 54.03, METS
Mike Clifford, 54.23, METS
Mike Clifford, 54.55, YALE

500-meter dash
Andrew James, 1:09.51, GOTH

800-meter run
David Marthy, 1:54.57 (IC4A qualifier), ARMC
David Marthy, 1:55.36, BUVAL
David Marthy, 1:55.79, MAAC
David Marthy, 1:56.24, BUTER
Matt Panebianco, 1:56.34, ARMC
Matt Panebianco, 1:56.80, MAAC
Matt Panebianco, 1:56.95, NEWB
Andrew James, 1:58.48, BUTER
Kyle Havard, 1:59.58, MAAC
Andrew James, 2:00.70, MAAC
Matt Panebianco, 2:00.99, GOTH
Andrew James, 2:00.99, NEWB
Bryan Buttigieg, 2:01.76, BUVAL
Bryan Buttigieg, 2:02.09, MAAC

1,000-meter run
Arquimedes DelaCruz, 2:31.11, ARMC
Matt Panebianco, 2:31.46, BUVAL
Matt Panebianco, 2:31.47, BUTER
Kyle Havard, 2:34.81, BUTER
Bryan Buttigieg, 2:37.53, BUTER
Bryan Buttigieg, 2:40.79, GOTH
Ryan Fitzsimons, 2:42.35, GOTH
Bryan Buttigieg, 2:44.46, YALE
Adam Osowski, 2:45.10, BUTER (unattached)
Adam Osowski, 2:48.05, YALE (unattached)

Mile run
Arquimedes DelaCruz, 4:12.43, (IC4A qualifier) BUTER
Arquimedes DelaCruz, 4:15.77, MAAC
Tom Lipari 4:16.84, BUVAL
Tom Lipari, 4:16.94, ARMC
Arquimedes DelaCruz, 4:17.81, NEWB
Tom Lipari, 4:18.49, NEWB
Tom Lipari, 4:19.63, GOTH
Tom Lipari, 4:22.18, YALE
Nick Salek 4:28.94, BUVAL
Tom Lipari, 4:29.07, MAAC
Billy Posch, 4:29.65, NEWB
Ryan Fitzsimons, 4:30.26, MAAC
Ian Dorset 4:30.56, BUVAL
Ryan Fitzsimons 4:31.54, BUVAL
David Marthy, 4:33.19, YALE
Ryan Fitzsimons, 4:33.73, BUTER
Matt Panebianco, 4:33.88, GOTH
Patrick Rynkowski, 4:36.01, BUTER (unattached)
Tommy Lappas 4:37.73, BUVAL
Brian Townsend 4:38.02, BUVAL
Billy Hild 4:38.45, BUVAL
Brian Townsend, 4:40.67, MAAC
Billy Posch, 4:42.03, YALE
Andrew James, 4:42.31, YALE
Brian Gordon, 4:45.97, YALE
Billy Hild, 4:48.23, YALE
Chris Reynolds, 4:49.30, BUTER (unattached)

3,000-meter run
Arquimedes DelaCruz, 8:17.11, IC4A qualifier, BUVAL
Ken Walshak, 8:36.14, GOTH
Tom Lipari, 8:38.98, BUTER
Billy Posch, 8:42.77, ARMC
Ken Walshak, 8:43.95, MAAC
Billy Posch, 8:44.69, BUTER
Arquimedes DelaCruz, 8:45.54, IC4A
Billy Posch 8:46.12, BUVAL
Ian Dorset, 8:48.77, BUTER
Billy Posch, 8:50.04, MAAC
Joel Moss 8:50.48, BUVAL
Nick Salek, 8:55.04, BUTER
Ian Dorset, 8:56.01, MAAC
Ryan Scrudato, 8:59.24, GOTH
Joel Moss, 9:03.15, JASP
Kevin O’Sullivan, 9:03.20, GOTH
Nick Hughes, 9:04.80, BUTER
Ryan Scrudato, 9:10.76, MAAC
Nick Salek, 9:13.83, MAAC
Isaiah Miller, 9:16.94, JASP
Rob Gorski, 9:19.51, JASP
Ryan Brown, 9:20.15, BUTER
Mike Clausen, 9:21.47, BUTER
Kevin O’Sullivan, 9:22.24, JASP
Tommy Lappas, 9:39.03, BUTER

5,000-meter run
Will Griffin, 14:42.66, BUVAL (unattached)
Ken Walshak, 14:47.78, BUVAL
Joel Moss, 14:54.57, BUTER
Ken Walshak, 14:59.68, BUTER
Arquimedes DelaCruz, 15:07.46, YALE
Will Griffin, 15:18.46, BUTER (unattached)
Joel Moss, 15:20.38, MAAC
Ryan Scrudato, 15:32.37, BUTER
Kevin O’Sullivan, 15:34.65, BUTER
Mohamed Eid, 15:36.05, BUTER
Billy Posch, 15:36.50, GOTH
Justin Tampellini, 15:37.36, BUTER
Billy Hild, 15:43.48, MAAC
Kevin O’Sullivan, 15:44.21, BUVAL
Mark Valentino, 15:46.33, GOTH
Billy Hild, 15:49.05, BUTER
Justin Tampellini, 15:59.03, MAAC
Mohamed Eid, 15:59.36, MAAC
Rob Gorski, 16:00.83, BUTER
Nick Hughes, 16:04.81, BUVAL
Rob Gorski, 16:19.57, MAAC
Mark Valentino, 16:28.62, BUVAL
Mohamed Eid, 16:29.03, YALE
Mike Nicoletti, 16:30.32, BUTER

1,600-meter relay
Marist (Conklin, Vanzetta, Clifford, Panebianco), 3:32.80, MAAC
Marist (Conklin, Dodge, McCloskey, Bushey), 3:36.85, YALE

3,200-meter relay
Marist (Marthy, Posch, James, Lipari), 8:14.17, YALE

DMR
Marist (Marthy, Conklin, Panebianco, Lipari), 10:04.86, IC4A
Marist (Panebianco, Conklin, Marthy, DelaCruz) 10:13.68, IC4A qualifier, NEWB
Marist (Lipari, Marthy, Panebianco, DelaCruz), 10:38.15, MAAC
Marist (James, Conklin, Fitzsimons, Havard), 10:57.75, GOTH

Long jump
Jesse Aprile, 6.31 meters (20 feet, 8.5 inches), MAAC
Jesse Aprile, 6.13 meters, (20 feet, 1.25 inches), METS
Jesse Aprile, 6.11 meters (20 feet, 0.5 inches), BUVAL
Jesse Aprile, 5.91 meters (19 feet, 4.75 inches), GOTH
Jesse Aprile, 5.83 meters, (19 feet, 1.5 inches) JASP

Triple jump
Jesse Aprile, 12.14 meters, (39 feet, 9.75 inches), JASP
Jesse Aprile, 11.93 meters (39 feet, 1.75 inches), GOTH
Jesse Aprile, 11.75 meters, (38 feet, 6.5 inches) METS

Weight throw
Sean Ellman, 10.68 meters (35 feet, 0.5 inches), GOTH
Sean Ellman, 10.21 meters, (33 feet, 6 inches) JASP
Sean Ellman, 8.54 meters (28 feet, 0.5 inches), YALE

Meet key
YALE = Yale, 12.3.2011
JASP = Brother Jasper, 12.9/12.10.2011
GOTH = Gotham Cup, 1.13.2012
METS = Mets Championships, 1.27.2012
BUTER = BU Terrier, 1.27.2012
NEWB = New Balance Collegiate, 2.3/2.4.2012
BUVAL = BU Valentine, 2.10.2012
MAAC = MAAC Championships, 2.17.2012
ARMC = Armory Collegiate, 2.23.2012
ECAC = ECAC Championships, 3.3.2012

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

AAU in pictures




Thanks to Justin Harris for sending along the post-workout team picture (alert readers will notice the outdated, cheesy singlets on many of the men), as well as Quimes DelaCruz most likely gloating en route to his predictable victory.

Conor Shelley checked in via text this afternoon, saying Quimes' AAU record should have an asterisk because it was run on an outdoor track instead of the tight-turned former McCann track. Hey! What is this, Roger Maris beats out Babe Ruth?

How about this: Conor has the indoor AAU record (which he will hold, in theory, FOREVER). Quimes has the outdoor record; or rather, he established the outdoor record, since was the first-ever outdoor AAU workout.

It was a fun day in the sun and the wind.

AAU 2012 results

After crunching the numbers, it appears that Quimes did indeed set a new AAU workout mark, edging Conor Shelley's 2011 mark by 1 second! Amazing.

Some pretty solid numbers here, considering the conditions ...

Photos to follow from Justin Harris, will post them when they are received ...

AAU Championships Workout
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Location: Vassar College track
Conditions: Sunny and very windy, temperatures in the low 50s

AAU Championships

Arquimedes DelaCruz: 9:20*, 9:44, 19:04**
Billy Posch: 9:51, 9:53, 19:44
Joel Moss: 9:54, 9:52, 19:46
Ken Walshak: 9:55, 9:52, 19:47
Mark Valentino: 10:11, 10:14, 20:25
Ryan Fitzsimons: 10:05, 10:23, 20:28
Ian Dorset: 10:17, 10:17, 20:34
Ryan Brown: 10:18, 10:23, 20:41
Mohamed Eid: 10:10, 10:32, 20:42
Justin Tampellini: 10:13, 10:32, 20:45
Kevin O’Sullivan: 10:23, 10:26, 20:49
Ryan Scrudato: 10:30, 10:21, 20:51
Billy Hild: 10:08, 10:50, 20:58
Nick Salek: 10:23, 10:45, 21:08
Nick Hughes: 10:16, 10:52, 21:08
Michael Keegan (Meegan): 10:35, 10:41, 21:16
Pat Deedy: 10:39, 10:50, 21:29
Doug Ainscow: 10:40, 10:52, 21:32
Rob Gorski: 10:49, 10:59, 21:48
Tommy Lappas: 10:47, 11:15, 22:02
Dom Corradi: 11:17, 11:32, 22:49
Mike Clausen: 10:33, DNF
Chris Reynolds: 10:51, DNF
Brendan Green: 11:02, DNF
*(Note: Tom Lipari paced Quimes through first 1600 of first interval in 4:39)
**AAU workout record, beats Conor Shelley’s 2011 mark by 1 second!

Middle-distance workout
Bryan Buttigieg: 4:53, 4:55
Adam Osowski: 4:59, 5:05
Kyle Hannifin: 5:03, 5:00
Andrew James: 5:05, 5:11
Kyle Havard: 4:59, DNF

Special Alumni/AAU Founder Division
Justin Harris: 10:05, 5:01, 15:06 for 4800 meters

AAU: A quick update

I know many followers of this fancy blog are waiting with baited breath for results from today's AAU Championships at the Vassar Track. Complete results will follow in a subsequent post.

Here is the quick report:

--Times were slowed dramatically by a stiff southwest wind. The wind was a MAJOR factor today. Not uncommon for outside in early March.

--A special guest appearance from one of the AAU workout founders, Marist Running Alum Justin Harris! Jut rode his fancy triathlon road bike over to Poughkeepsie from his home in New Paltz -- quite a warmup! -- and then did the workout with the guys. He did the first 3,200 (10:05) and then opted for the 1,600 interval (5:01). He reported that his times were very similar to the first time he attempted such activities, back about 8 years ago.

--Quimes DelaCruz won both 3,200-meter intervals in an unplanned workout. As tends to happen with these things, his housemate and teammate Mike Nicoletti (who has excellent AAU workout history, by the way) baited him into a friendly wager that he could not run 9:10. Never one to back down from a challenge, Q spiked up and went for it -- with the help of pacer Tommy Lipari. He did not come close, but did run 9:20 in the wind -- pretty impressive. Tommy took him through 1600 in 4:39; so it was essentially an even-paced effort (although the first 200 with the tailwind was ridiculously fast!). Nicely done from our IC4A boys. Quimes came back with a 9:44 on the second one.

--Cheesy high school (and other) uniforms were in full force, as per standard AAU workout tradition. Side note: Thanks to loyal blog follower Marty McGowan for emailing some classic road race T-shirt photos in the spirit of the day. We took a group photo with Jut's fancy iPhone. If they came out, they will be posted with the results later.

--By my quick count, a whopping 22 men completed both 3,200-meter intervals. Surely, this is an AAU workout record. There were only a handful of DNFs on the second 3,200-meter interval. Great to see such a large finishing group!

--The middle-distance group did 2x1,600 as their workout today, followed by some 200s.

So in all, we had more than 30 men out there on the track today, for the first-ever outdoor AAU Championship of America in March.

Check back later for complete results and hopefully a photo or two ...

Visit from an old friend


As I was preparing to leave for home last night, my phone buzzed with a text from Marist Running Alum Ned Kenyon. He is "old" by modern standards (class of 1999), but young by most other real-world standards.

Ned and his girlfriend were in the area for the day and wanted to stop by. So, a quick U-turn in the parking lot, and it was back in the building to show him the spiffy new McCann Arena and the spiffy new coaches complex. He was very impressed.

Above is a photo taken with Ned in the middle, his old coach to one side and his old teammate (women's coach Chuck Williams) on the other side.

It was great to see Ned, now a proud NYPD officer.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

AAU revisited

Ah yes. It is midterm week. Spring is in the air. Spring break is next week.

This means it's time for ... the AAU Championships of America!

A longstanding Marist Running Tradition must continue, despite the venue being snatched away from us -- ironically, shortly after the 2011 AAU a year ago.

For those that do not know or do not remember, the "AAU" is a workout. A really, really hard workout. And it was always held on the McCann Indoor Track. Which, of course, no longer exists. It was always held on the Wednesday of midterm week, right before spring break. But it won't be inside this year.

Not to worry! The forecast for Wednesday calls for sunny and mild conditions. Who wants to be inside, anyway?

And so, for the first time in program history, the "AAU" will be held on an outdoor track -- most likely, at Vassar College.

The workout goes like this:

Run a 3,200-meter as hard as you can. Rest for 10 minutes. Repeat.

That's right: 2x3200 with full recovery.

I am certain there will be old, cheesy high school singlets coming out of the closet. I am also certain there will be some "spiking up." It will be fun and it will be competitive.

And yes, we will keep score, and post the results for the world to see, at some point on Wednesday.

Stay tuned ...

Saturday, March 3, 2012

IC4A/ECAC results

Our program competed in two events at the IC4A meet at BU and one event at the ECAC meet at Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, wrapping up our indoor season. Here are how the events went for us:

Men’s DMR: This was a thrilling race with a bittersweet ending for our team. We missed the school record by less than 1 second with a time of 10:04.86 (school record is 10:04.20). When you come that close, it is excruciating. But, just to have come that close was a huge accomplishment for this group.

David Marthy, the freshman mid-distance sensation fresh off his school record in the 800 last week at the Armory, moved up to the 1,200-meter leg. This was a roll-of-the-dice, risky proposition as David had not raced above 800 meters this season, except for the mile at the season-opening meet at Yale in December (and, let’s face it, that really doesn’t count). We were hoping for, at best, 3:05. David cranked a stellar 3:03.62, handing off in the race to …

Dan Conklin in the 400-meter leg. Conklin wasn’t supposed to be here. Chris Vanzetta was our 400 leg for the DMR, but Chris got very sick with the flu toward the end of the week. Conklin stepped in as a late replacement, canceling plans to visit a friend down in the Philly area for the weekend. I had faith he could fill in admirably. We were hoping, realistically, for a 51-mid. Dan did us much better, splitting 50.6, and handing off to …

Matt Panebianco in the 800-meter leg. This is Matty P’s sweet spot, and he did the job, running 1:55.1. Realistically, we were hoping for 1:55.xx. And the “x” was as low as you can go, so we were set up, handing off to …

Tommy Lipari on the anchor. Tommy went out hard. This happens all the time in the relay. He battled with the St. Joseph’s anchor leg, exchanging places with him and working very hard. He came up just a little short on the final two laps, but it was not for a lack of trying. He felt terrible that we just missed the school record.

Truth be told, it was disappointing and a missed opportunity. But such is life. It is a rare moment when every leg of a relay nails it. Tommy anchored in 4:15, about the level he has been racing at all winter; it was not a bad leg at all, it just wasn’t enough on this day. He gave it his all. We are disappointed with the result, but proud of the effort, and proud that Tommy stuck his nose in there and raced his heart out.

So yeah. The DMR was the event of the weekend for us.

Men’s 3km: Quimes DelaCruz had a bad race. That’s all there is to say. He went out hard, battled through multiple surges and just ran out of gas, for a variety of reasons. In his eight seasons of racing to date at Marist, Quimes has had almost no “bad” races. This was one of them. It happens, and we move on.

Women’s 4x800: I was not over at the Reggie Lewis Center, but Coach Chuck reported that this was a deflating effort and much less than we had hoped for. Again, it happens. We are proud of our ladies for qualifying and setting the school record. On Saturday, the relay did not go as planned. See splits below for this relay.

And so ends our first indoor track season without an indoor track on campus. It was a long and memorable season with many highlights. The biggest highlight to me, by far, is the continued level of effort in practice and at meets, despite our obvious logistical hardships on a daily basis. It makes me proud to be the coach of this program.

On to outdoors …

IC4A Championships
Boston University
Saturday, March 3, 2012

Distance medley relay
13. Marist 10:04.86

1,200: David Marthy: 29, 59 (30), 1:31 (32), 2:02 (31), 2:33 (31), 3:03.62 (30.62)
400: Dan Conklin 50.6
800: Matt Panebianco 26, 55 (29), 1:24 (29), 1:55.1 (31.1)
1600: Tom Lipari 28, 59 (31), 1:31 (32), 2:04 (33), 2:37 (33), 3:09 (32), 3:42 (33), 4:15 (33)

3,000-meter run
30. Arquimedes DelaCruz 8:45.54

31.9, 66.5 (34.6), 1:39.2 (32.8), 2:12.1 (32.9), 2:45.6 (33.5)
3:20.1 (34.5), 3:54.4 (34.3), 4:28.2 (33.8), 5:01.6 (33.4), 5:35.5 (33.9)
6:11.2 (35.7), 6:49.7 (38.5), 7:29.4 (39.7), 8:05.9 (36.5), 8:45.54 (39.64)
Kilometer splits: 2:45.6, 2:49.9, 3:10.04

ECAC Championships
Reggie Lewis Center
Saturday, March 3, 2012

3,200-meter relay

Marist 9:23.57
Briana Crowe 2:17.5, Christine Coughlin 2:20.2, Colleen Meenan 2:24.3, Jackie Gamboli 2:19.2

Push-button fitness

The plan was to try and do a slightly longer than normal jog from the hotel this morning, given our somewhat leisurely travel schedule. Normally, we are rushing off to breakfast with the team and a meet relatively early. Not so today.

So I slept in till 7 a.m. (downright slothful, given my usual schedule), looked out the window and saw something quite unusual for this winter: Snow, slush and ice all over everything. So much for that slightly longer than normal jog today!

It was off to the treadmill room. I am not a big fan of the treadmill, or DREADmill as team member Luke Shane likes to call it. So I played around with the buttons, adjusted the speed and incline every few minutes and jogged on there with my earbuds in, for an hour. Not as long as I wanted to go, but on this day it will have to do.

Temperatures have warmed up outside so now it’s just a cold rain. Glad we are inside for today’s meet; one last time, before we have to brave the elements of outdoor track, in a mere few weeks!

Check back late tonight or Sunday for updates.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Tower on steroids


Thanks to Walsh and CT for sending me this picture, and the following information to go with this picture, courtesy of Walsh:

I wanted to share with you a picture that I thought you would like. You might recognize these tired looking lads as Matt "Walsh" Walsh and Matt "CT" Szymaszek, former residents of Gartland D4...God knows how long ago that was. . . ...What's that? What could have made these two young men, both in shape and entering the prime of their lives, so beautifully delirious?

THIS! (Click link for some crazy thing called the Manitou Incline, in Colorado, where CT currently lives and where Walsh was visiting this past week).

This was like Tower on steroids! We were only able to "run" for 1 minute and 12 seconds, and then only in 15 step bursts after that. Apparently, Apolo Anton Ohno has the record for the ascent in something nonsensical like 18 minutes...yeah, we weren't even halfway at that point. I thought it would make you happy to know that we chose to rep our program as we toiled our way to the top and grimaced through a photo opportunity.


Yes INDEED. Always happy to see my boys repping Marist around the globe and at all altitudes …

Greetings from Boston …

We are here for the indoor season ending IC4A (BU, men) and ECAC (Reggie Lewis, women) meets.

The women will have a 4x800 relay running on Saturday, with the goal of lowering the school record set by this same foursome a few weeks ago.

The men will have a DMR running on Saturday, with the goal of lowering the school record set several years ago. In addition, junior Arquimedes DelaCruz will be competing in the 3,000-meter run.

Check back for updates later on Saturday or early on Sunday.

Prepackaged penances

Please read this post from the Dominicana blog, written by Marist Running Alum Brother Jacob Bertrand Janczyk. As has been well documented, we are very proud of Brother J as he pursues the priesthood through the Dominican order.

This blog is thought provoking and well-written. Check it out