BU Terrier: Day 1, men's DMR qualifies for IC4As

The men's DMR had a strong performance in the last event of Friday night, qualifying for the IC4A Championships with a strong time of 10:06.75, good for fourth place overall. The IC4A standard is 10:19.00. We felt an IC4A standard was very attainable, after the season-opening mark two weeks ago at Yale, but these guys exceeded my pre-race expectations of around 10:10ish with some amazing legs. Nicely done, men!

John Thomas Terrier Invitational
Friday, January 27, 2017
Boston University
Men's distance medley relay
4. Marist (Brian Henderson 3:05.1, Drew Burns 50.4, Zachary Ropes 1:53.2, Stefan Morton 4:17.1) 10:06.75 *IC4A qualifier
Brian Henderson: 29, 60 (31), 1:31 (31), 2:03 (32), 2:33 (30), 3:05.1 (32.1)
Drew Burns: 23, 50.4
Zachary Ropes: 25, 54 (29), 1:23 (29), 1:53.2 (30.2)
Stefan Morton: 29, 61 (32), 1:34 (33), 2:07 (33), 2:39 (32), xx (missed split, too excited), 3:45, 4:17.1 (32.1)

BU Terrier: Day 1, women's results and splits

The Magic Carpet produced some stellar results. Here is what I wrote up for GoredFoxes.com, with the usual results and splits below ... 

--In the mile run, sophomore Emily Burns lopped more than eight seconds off her previous best and broke the 5-minute barrier for the first time, running 4:59.33. The time narrowly missed the ECAC qualifying standard of 4:59.04.

--In the 1,000-meter run, sophomore Shea Bohan trimmed five seconds off her previous best and broke the 3-minute barrier for the first time, running 2:56.98 for 14^th place – the highest individual finish on the day for the Red Foxes. The time narrowly missed the ECAC qualifying standard of 2:56.24.

--Sprinter Danisha Craig enjoyed a banner day, winning both sections of her races. In the 400-meter dash, she stormed to a personal-best time of 58.95 seconds. She followed that up with a winning performance in the 200-meter dash (26.32 seconds).

--In the 3,000-meter run, freshman Ali Bartolotta powered to a monster personal-best time of 10:13.97, finishing 31^st in the stacked field.

--In the 5,000-meter run, senior captain Bianca Luparello broke 19 minutes for the first time, demolishing that barrier with a personal-best time of 18:40.24.

We'll be back at the track on Saturday morning for the women's DMR and the remainder of the men's meet. 

John Thomas Terrier Invitational

Friday, January 27, 2017

Boston University

Women’s results and splits

60-meter dash

57. Lauren Adams 8.49

200-meter dash

70. Danisha Craig 26.32

95. Debbie Boerke 26.85

118. Lauren Adams 27.32

144. Abby Smith 28.72

400-meter dash

42. Danisha Craig 58.95

66. Debbie Boerke 1:01.17

67. Jenn Horner 1:01.20

87. Olivia Gage 1:03.09

88. Courtney Cartwright 1:03.75

92. Ericka Stewart 1:04.69

95. Eleni Nickolas 1:04.91

98. Emma Schweitzer 1:06.17

500-meter dash

43. Ashley Haynes 1:24.15

800-meter run

76. Kerry Gaye 2:21.11

35.13, 1:10.61 (35.48), 1:45.75 (35.14), 2:21.11 (35.36)

100. Molly Weeks 2:27.82

35.05, 1:13.14 (38.09), 1:50.62 (37.48), 2:27.82 (37.20)

1,000-meter run

14. Shea Bohan 2:56.98

33.62, 1:08.31 (34.69), 1:44.57 (36.26), 2:21.21 (36.64), 2:56.98 (35.77)

27. Denise Grohn 3:01.74

34.92, 1:11.51 (36.59), 1:48.26 (36.75), 2:25.97 (37.71), 3:01.74 (35.77)

48. Alyssa Lafave 3:11.94

35, 1:13 (38), 1:53 (40), 2:33 (40), 3:11.94 (38.94)

57. Shannon Gildea 3:41.46

37, 79 (42), 2:04 (45), 2:52 (48), 3:41.46 (49.46)

Mile run

30. Emily Burns 4:59.33

38.14, 1:14.60 (36.46), 1:51.77 (37.17), 2:29.23 (37.46), 3:07.47 (38.24), 3:44.77 (37.30), 4:22.71 (37.94), 4:59.33 (36.62)

69. Jenna Robinson 5:18.85

38, 77 (39), 1:57 (40), 2:37 (40), 3:16 (39), 3:57 (41), 4:38 (41), 5:18.85 (40.85)

79. Bryn Gorberg 5:22.26

38, 77 (39), 1:56 (39), 2:36 (40), 3:16 (40), 3:58 (42), 4:41 (43), 5:22.26 (41.26)

82. Emily Franko 5:22.92

38, 75 (37), 1:55 (40), 2:37 (42), 3:20 (43), 4:03 (43), 4:45 (42), 5:22.92 (37.92)

102. Alyssa Hurlbut 5:32.06

36, 73 (37), 1:54 (41), 2:36 (42), 3:18 (42), 4:02 (44), 4:46 (44), 5:32.06 (46.06)

126. Kerri-Anne Flynn 5:51.84

43, 84 (41), 2:07 (43), 2:51 (44), 3:35 (44), 4:20 (45), 5:05 (45), 5:51.84 (46.84)

3,000-meter run

31. Ali Bartolotta 10:13.97

40, 81 (41), 2:02 (41), 2:43 (41), 3:22 (40)

4:03 (41), 4:46 (43), 5:27 (41), 6:10 (43), 6:51 (41)

7:33 (42), 8:14 (41), 8:57 (43), 9:38 (41), 10:13.97 (35.97)

Kilometer splits: 3:22, 3:29, 3:22.97

34. Nicki Nesi 10:16.13

40, 81 (41), 2:02 (41), 2:44 (42), 3:24 (40)

4:05 (41), 4:47 (42), 5:28 (41), 6:10 (42), 6:51 (41)

7:33 (42), 8:14 (41), 8:57 (43), 9:38 (41), 10:16.13 (38.13)

Kilometer splits: 3:24, 3:27, 3:25.13

49. Jordan Casey 10:35.25

39, 81 (42), 2:03 (42), 2:45 (42), 3:28 (43)

4:11 (43), 4:54 (43), 5:36 (42), 6:19 (43), 7:02 (43)

7:47 (45), 8:30 (43), 9:14 (44), 9:56 (42), 10:35.25 (39.35)

Kilometer splits: 3:28, 3:34, 3:33.25

58. Brianne Vess 10:49.65

41, 83 (42), 2:05 (42), 2:48 (43), 3:31 (43)

4:14 (43), 4:58 (44), 5:40 (42), 6:24 (44), 7:08 (44)

7:52 (44), 8:36 (44), 9:22 (46), 10:07 (45), 10:49.65 (42.65)

Kilometer splits: 3:31, 3:37, 3:41.65

59. Christine Gambell 10:57.48

40, 81 (41), 2:02 (41), 2:43 (41), 3:23 (40)

4:04 (41), 4:48 (44), 5:33 (45), 6:18 (45), 7:05 (47)

7:52 (47), 8:39 (47), 9:26 (47), 10:12 (46), 10:57.48 (45.48)

Kilometer splits: 3:23, 3:42, 3:52.48

5,000-meter run

47. Bianca Luparello 18:40.24

42, 87 (45), 2:10 (43), 2:55 (45), 3:39 (44)

4:23 (44), 5:08 (45), 5:53 (45), 6:38 (45), 7:23 (45)

8:08 (45), 8:53 (45), 9:37 (44), 10:23 (46), 11:08 (45)

11:53 (45), 12:38 (45), 13:24 (46), 14:10 (46), 14:56 (46)

15:43 (47), 16:29 (46), 17:14 (45), 18:00 (46), 18:40.24 (40.24)

Kilometer splits: 3:39, 3:44, 3:45, 3:48, 3:44.24)

48. Elizabeth Wasserman 18:40.57

40, 82 (42), 2:05 (43), 2:49 (44), 3:32 (43)

4:15 (43), 4:58 (43), 5:42 (44), 6:26 (44), 7:09 (43)

7:53 (44), 8:37 (44), 9:22 (45), 10:07 (45), 10:52 (45)

11:39 (47), 12:26 (47), 13:14 (48), 14:01 (47), 14:49 (48)

15:36 (47), 16:23 (47), 17:09 (46), 17:55 (46), 18:40.57 (45.57)

Kilometer splits: 3:32, 3:37, 3:43, 3:57, 3:51.5751. Annie Gould 18:48.44

43, 87 (44), 2:10 (43), 2:55 (45), 3:39 (44)

4:23 (44), 5:08 (45), 5:53 (45), 6:38 (45), 7:23 (45)

8:08 (45), 8:53 (45), 9:38 (45), 10:23 (45), 11:08 (45)

11:53 (45), 12:38 (45), 13:24 (46), 14:10 (46), 14:56 (46)

15:43 (47), 16:30 (47), 17:16 (46), 18:03 (47), 18:48.44 (45.44)

Kilometer splits: 3:39, 3:44, 3:45, 3:48, 3:52.44

1,600-meter relay

24. Marist A (Debbie Boerke 1:01.91, Molly Weeks 1:00.80, Courtney Cartwright 1:04.00, Jenn Horner 1:00.71) 4:07.64

30. Marist B (Olivia Gage 1:04.74, Ericka Stewart 1:05.33, Emma Schweitzer 1:06.25, Eleni Nickolas 1:05.43) 4:22.18

High jump

29. Fallon Quigley 1.55 meters (5 feet, 1 inch)

BU Terrier: Day 2 schedule and entries

BU Terrier, Saturday schedule and entries

All men’s events (except DMR)

Track events

11 a.m., women’s DMR (2 heats): Marist (Denise Grohn, Danisha Craig, Shea Bohan, Emily Burns)

11:30 a.m., 60 hurdles (8 heats): No entries

11:45 a.m., 800 run (17 heats): Drew Burns, Zachary Ropes, Josh Siegel, Tanner Senius, Nate Lungarini

12:35 p.m., 60 dash (12 heats): No entries

1 p.m., 400 dash (28 heats): Josh Hindle, Sean Patterson, Justin Muccio, Santosh Krishnan

1:50 p.m., hurdle finals: No entries

1:55 p.m., dash finals: No entries

2 p.m., 500 dash (12 heats): No entries

2:30 p.m., 200 dash (38 heats): Tim Johnson, Joe Cafaro, Josh Hindle, Sean Patterson

3:10 p.m., 1,000 run (6 heats): Brian Henderson, Stefan Morton

3:30 p.m., mile run (17 heats): Anthony Colasanto, Eamonn Beers, Zach Toner

5 p.m., 4x400 relay (10 heats): Marist A, Marist B, Marist C (squads TBA)

6:05 p.m., 3,000 run (7 heats): Joe Miller, Elias Platanias, Conor Stack, Connor Levins

7:30 p.m., 5,000 run (5 heats): Spencer Johnson, Dietrich Mosel, Steven Rizzo, Palmer Weimann, Riley Hughes, Mike Kennedy, Johnny Lee, Omar Perez, Chris Rivas

BU Terrier: Day 1 schedule and entries

BU Terrier, Friday schedule and entries

All women’s events (except DMR)

Field event

12 noon, high jump: Fallon Quigley

Track events

1 p.m., 60 hurdles (10 heats): No entries

1:20 p.m., 800 run (17 heats): Kerry Gaye, Molly Weeks

2:15 p.m., 60 dash (10 heats): Lauren Adams

2:35 p.m., 400 dash (22 heats): Debbie Boerke, Danisha Craig, Courtney Cartwright, Jenn Horner, Ericka Stewart, Olivia Gage, Emma Schweitzer, Eleni Nickolas

3:05 p.m., hurdle finals: No entries

3:10 p.m., dash finals

3:15 p.m., 500 dash (10 heats): Ashley Haynes

3:40 p.m., 200 dash (36 heats): Danisha Craig, Debbie Boerke, Lauren Adams, Abby Smith

4:15 p.m., 1,000 run (7 heats): Shea Bohan, Denise Grohn, Alyssa Lafave, Shannon Gildea

4:45 p.m., mile run (12 heats): Emily Burns, Bryn Gorberg, Jenna Robinson, Emily Franko, Alyssa Hurlbut, Kerri-Anne Flynn, Lauren Traina

6:05 p.m., 4x400 relay (7 heats): Marist A and Marist B (squads TBA)

6:50 p.m., 3,000 run (4 heats): Ali Bartolotta, Nicki Nesi, Christine Gambell, Jordan Casey, Brianne Vess

7:55 p.m., 5,000 run (4 heats): Mara Schiffhauer, Elizabeth Wasserman, Mariah Christian, Annie Gould, Bianca Luparello

9 p.m., men’s DMR (1 heat): Marist (Brian Henderson, Drew Burns, Zachary Ropes, Stefan Morton)

What's next: BU Terrier

We will be leaving Friday for the John Thomas Terrier Classic at Boston University. The women's meet (and men's DMR) is on Friday afternoon and evening. The men's meet (and women's DMR) is on Saturday afternoon and evening. A complete, updated schedule and list of entries is posted at lancertiming.com. Later today, I will post the schedule, along with our Marist entries in each event. This meet -- and the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at BU in two weeks -- are two of the longest meets of the year, but also among the best and most competitive meets we attend in our three-season cycle. We look forward to a return to the Magic Carpet.

Quite a cap to this flipping episode

This is what it sounds around our dining room table. In the morning and in the afternoon and in the evening.

Ka-PLUNK. Ka-PLUNK. Ka-PLUNK. James, stop.

Ka-PLUNK. Ka-PLUNK. Ka-PLUNK. James. Stop.

Ka-PLUNK. Ka-PLUNK. Ka-PLUNK. JAMES. STOP.

Ka-PLUNK. Ka-PLUNK. Ka-PLUNK. JAMES! STOP!!!!

Here’s the thing! If you have a male in your life -- oh, say, between the ages of 3 and 23 -- you know about the relatively new phenomenon called Bottle Flipping. Take a half-full (Sami) or half-empty water bottle. Flip it, so that it lands square on its bottom. Repeat. Endlessly. I know. Not exactly rocket science. For even more adventure and challenge, try “capping’’ the bottle. Flipping it so that it lands on its cap. This, my friends, is not easy. This requires arduous practice, rigorous repetition, and much annoying distraction to those who find little humor in this boyish activity (and, rest assured, this is a mostly gender specific activity; you don’t often see girls or women flipping bottles).

Being a maturity challenged boy, James loves bottle flipping. He flips anything he can find, in fact. His bottle of vitamins. A deck of cards. Chopsticks. You name it, he’s flipping it. Tuesday night, at dinner, however, he performed the ultimate flipping trick. He flipped a small water bottle, and capped it on the top of a gallon of milk. No really. See the picture? I swear. I witnessed this, along with my daughter. He did it! One keen blog follower noted that had I made of video of this, it would have gone viral. Of course! If I had the phone camera rolling, no way the little guy sticks that landing. It was, as they say, epic. James was thrilled; shrieked in delight. We were awed. My wife was neither. She just wants that Ka-PLUNK Ka-PLUNK Ka-PLUNK to stop already. And really. Who can blame her? She a well-adjusted, mature and beautiful woman. Not exactly the proper domain for the Ka-PLUNK Ka-PLUNK Ka-PLUNK world of bottle flipping. 

The AARP van

Well. January is finally acting like January around here, as there is a thick glaze of snow and ice outside this morning. Local schools are closed and Marist is delayed. In advance of the storm, we were able to have our normal sprint team practice at the Big Blue Doughnut (the indoor track at SUNY New Paltz). But because of schedule shifts and conflicts, there were only nine athletes at this practice. Since we are permitted to have a maximum of nine passengers in our vans, all the athletes scurried to the van being driven by team captain Tim Johnson.

That left the two old coaches – Coach Horton and myself – for the other van, which I jokingly dubbed the AARP Van. Terry is a card-carrying member; although I am eligible, I have not joined this fine organization. So there we were, two coaches with a combined 70-plus years of experience. The music and conversation was calm; we cannot vouch for such a placid atmosphere in the other van. Most importantly! The workout at the track was tough and it went well. Perhaps it was similarly calm on the way home in the non-AARP van – because of the workout directive from the AARP guy holding the clipboard!

Gotham Cup: Men's results and splits

NYC Gotham Cup

Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex

Friday, January 20, 2017

Men’s results and splits

200-meter dash

38. Tim Johnson 23.10

400-meter dash

58. Joe Cafaro 51.89

66. Drew Burns 52.27

68. Zachary Ropes 52.46

88. Josh Hindle 53.81

800-meter run

8. Steven Morrison 1:58.04

28.0, 57.8 (29.8), 1:27.9 (30.1), 1:58.04 (30.14)

20. Brian Henderson 1:59.76

29.0, 60.2 (31.2), 1:29.7 (29.5), 1:59.76 (30.76)

47. Josh Siegel 2:04.80

28.2, 59.1 (30.9), 1:31.6 (32.5), 2:04.80 (33.20)

Mile run

9. Steven Rizzo 4:22.69

34.2, 68.3 (34.1), 1:42.4 (34.1), 2:15.5 (33.1), 2:47.7 (32.2), 3:19.7 (32.0), 3:50.9 (31.2), 4:22.69 (31.79)

42. Connor Levins 4:46.96

35.0, 69.4 (34.4), 1:45.1 (35.7), 2:21.5 (36.4), 2:58.5 (37.0), 3:35.5 (37.0), 4:12.6 (37.1), 4:46.96 (34.36)

3,000-meter run

8. Dietrich Mosel 8:41.47

33.3, 68.2 (34.8), 1:41.4 (33.4), 2:15.8 (34.4), 2:50.1 (34.3)

3:25.4 (35.4), 4:01.4 (36.0), 4:37.4 (36.0), 5:12.6 (35.2), 5:47.1 (34.5)

6:23.1 (36.0), 6:58.9 (35.8), 7:34.1 (35.2), 8:08.9 (34.8), 8:41.47 (32.57)

Kilometer splits: 2:50.1, 2:57.0, 2:54.37

24. Elias Platanias 9:04.56

37, 73 (36), 1:49 (36), 2:25 (36), 3:01 (36)

3:37 (36), 4:13 (36), 4:49 (36), 5:25 (36), 6:01 (36)

6:37 (36), 7:14 (37), 7:52 (38), 8:29 (37), 9:04.56 (35.56)

Kilometer splits: 3:01, 3:00, 3:03.56

30. Omar Perez 9:14.95

36, 72 (36), 1:48 (36), 2:24 (36), 3:00 (36)

3:37 (37), 4:13 (36), 4:49 (36), 5:27 (38), 6:04 (37)

6:42 (38), 7:21 (39), 7:59 (38), 8:38 (39), 9:14.95 (36.95)

Kilometer splits: 3:00, 3:03, 3:10.95

1,600-meter relay

15. Marist (Sean Patterson 52.86, Josh Hindle 53.14, Joe Cafaro 52.39, Santosh Krishnan 54.25) 3:32.93

Distance medley relay

9. Marist (Connor Levins 3:23.6, Nate Lungarini 54.3, Tanner Senius 2:01.9, Anthony Colasanto 4:30.7) 10:50.90

Connor Levins 31, 63 (32), 1:35 (32), 2:10 (35), 2:47 (37), 3:23.6 (36.6)

Nate Lungarini, 25, 54.3

Tanner Senius 27, 57 (30), 1:29 (32), 2:01.9 (32.9)

Anthony Colasanto 30, 62 (32), 1:35 (33), 2:09 (34), 2:45 (36), 3:21 (36), 3:58 (37), 4:30.7 (32.7)

Gotham Cup: Women's results and splits

NYC Gotham Cup

Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex

Friday, January 20, 2017

Women’s results and splits

60-meter dash

26. Danisha Craig 8.06

56. Lauren Adams 8.48

400-meter dash

56. Olivia Gage 1:02.65

67. Ericka Stewart 1:04.50

77. Eleni Nickolas 1:06.43

80. Emma Schweitzer 1:06.75

800-meter run

30. Jenn Horner 2:30.05

33.5, 69.5 (36.0), 1:48.9 (39.4), 2:30.05 (41.15)

35. Alyssa Hurlbut 2:30.83

35, 73 (38), 1:51 (38), 2:30.83 (39.83)

36. Alyssa Lafave 2:31.67

35, 73 (38), 1:53 (40), 2:31.67 (38.67)

1,000-meter run

12. Kerry Gaye 3:03.50

34.4, 71.5 (37.1), 1:49.1 (37.6), 2:27.0 (37.9), 3:03.50 (36.50)

27. Boushra Belkhir 3:22.53

36.1, 73.9 (37.8), 1:52.5 (38.6), 2:36.0 (43.5), 3:22.53 (44.53)

36. Shannon Gildea 3:43.60

38.1, 80.7 (42.6), 2:06.9 (46.2), 2:55.5 (48.6), 3:43.60 (48.10)

Mile run

6. Emily Burns 5:08.01

38, 74 (36), 1:53 (39), 2:32 (39), 3:10 (38), 3:50 (40), 4:30 (40), 5:08.01 (38.01)

11. Nicki Nesi 5:18.60

38, 76 (38), 1:55 (39), 2:36 (41), 3:17 (41), 3:59 (42), 4:40 (41), 5:18.60 (38.60)

32. Jackie Bunce 5:55.30

42.0, 83.6 (41.6), 2:06.9 (43.3), 2:52.3 (45.4), 3:37.9 (45.6), 4:24.4 (46.5), 5:10.9 (46.5), 5:55.30 (44.40)

3,000-meter run

17. Annie Gould 11:04.64

41, 86 (45), 2:09 (43), 2:53 (44), 3:36 (43)

4:19 (43), 5:02 (43), 5:45 (43), 6:29 (44), 7:14 (45)

7:59 (45), 8:45 (46), 9:31 (46), 10:18 (47), 11:04.64 (46.64)

Kilometer splits: 3:36, 3:38, 3:50

22. Hannah Albert 11:22.68

42, 87 (45), 2:12 (45), 2:56 (44), 3:40 (44)

4:25 (45), 5:10 (45), 5:55 (45), 6:41 (46), 7:28 (47)

8:14 (46), 9:01 (47), 9:49 (48), 10:37 (48), 11:22.68 (45.68)

Kilometer splits: 3:40, 3:48, 3:54.68

1,600-meter relay

6. Marist (Danisha Craig 58.98, Ashley Haynes 60.88, Debbie Boerke 60.32, Courtney Cartwright 62.44) 4:02.97

3,200-meter relay

5. Marist (Emily Franko 2:26.4, Kerry Gaye 2:26.4, Emily Burns 2:27.3, Alyssa Lafave 2:34.6) 9:54.89

Emily Franko 33, 70 (37), 1:47 (37), 2:26.4 (39.4)

Kerry Gaye 35, 71 (36), 1:49 (38), 2:26.4 (37.4)

Alyssa Lafave 35, 73 (38), 1:53 (40), 2:34.6 (41.6)

High jump

18. Fallon Quigley 1.50 meters

Gotham Cup: Time schedule, order of events, with Marist entries

NYC Gotham Cup

Ocean Breeze, Staten Island

Time schedule and order of events

Friday, January 20, 2017

All events women then men, unless noted

Track events

1:30 p.m.: 60-meter hurdles (final on time): No entries

1:55 p.m.: Women’s 3,000-meter run: Annie Gould, Kim Schwartz, Hannah Albert

2:20 p.m.: 60-meter dash (final on time): Ashley Haynes, Danisha Craig, Lauren Adams

3:05 p.m.: Men’s 3,000-meter run: Dietrich Mosel, Omar Perez, Elias Platanias

3:45 p.m.: 400-meter dash: Olivia Gage, Ericka Stewart, Eleni Nickolas, Emma Schweitzer; Drew Burns, Zach Ropes, Josh Hindle, Joe Cafaro

4:20 p.m.: Mile run: Emily Burns, Nicki Nesi, Jackie Bunce; Steven Rizzo, Connor Levins

5:08 p.m.: 1,000-meter run: Kerry Gaye, Boushra Belkhir, Shannon Gildea

5:39 p.m.: 800-meter run: Jenn Horner, Alyssa Hurlbut, Alyssa Lafave; Steven Morrison, Brian Henderson, Josh Siegel

6:20 p.m.: 200-meter dash: Tim Johnson

7:00 p.m.: 5,000-meter run: No entries

7:39 p.m.: 4x800 relay: Women’s and men’s teams

8:10 p.m.: DMR: Men’s team

8:45 p.m.: 4x400 relay: Women’s and men’s teams

Field event

Women’s high jump: Follows dash and men’s HJ: Fallon Quigley

Office move: A new view in McCann

After more than 20 years in the same office space, I’ve been moved! Don’t worry: I won’t be sending out “I’ve moved” letters or postcards in the mail with a new address, because the address is the same. It’s just a few strides and a turn or two down the hall in the Coaches Complex in the McCann Center. Here’s the deal: Back in the fall, the athletic department expanded its sports information/multimedia space with an excellent, large office and studio near where the McCann classroom is located. The sports info/multimedia assistants’ office, where 3-4 young professionals crammed in on a daily basis, became vacant. Athletic administration asked if I would be willing to move into their old office (which is actually a bit larger than my original office) so that the lacrosse team assistants (men’s and women’s, crammed into one small space) could expand into my old office while remaining close to the lax head coaches. Does this make sense?

Anyway! It made no sense to move Coach Chuck, who has an actual, viable office with a nice couch and is very well organized. So I said sure, why not? For the past several years, my “office” has really morphed into a repository for large boxes, old sneakers, the team tent, the team tarp, etc. In other words! It wasn’t an office but rather a large storage space; there were times where forging a path to my desk was akin to a technical hike on the Appalachian Trail. You think I’m kidding? Ask Coach Horton, or anyone else who dared to navigate this hazardous space (much to the dismay of CUESTA, who spent the better part of a week two summers ago organizing my office … only to see the Old Man have it returned to the haphazard disarray that it has been for a while). Because of this, a whole generation of Marist athletes – the current team – has known that the last place to look for Coach Pete was in Coach Pete’s office. When I recruited them, we met in conference rooms; when we have individual meetings, we do that in conference rooms or the Enhancement Center. Not my office. Never in my office.

Well. This may change! The new office is, shall we say, neat. Maybe not literally neat, but we’ll try to keep it that way (I can hear Cuesta snickering already). The upshot of the move was that I filled up two huge garbage bags of stuff I didn’t want or need anymore – detritus of decades of coaching a large team. We moved the boxes of team gear to their rightful place, our storage area in the bowels of the McCann Center. The new office has counter space – not really a desk – which is excellent as there is storage below that and more open space for when the office inevitably does get cluttered again. Here’s the thing! We’re going to try to keep it uncluttered (shut up, Cuesta) and useful as a meeting place and space – for recruits, team members, etc. In other words? Actual work may get done in my office. Don’t hold your breath … but it’s possible. Stop by and check it out, if you can find me. OK!  

Yale Invitational: Busting some rust

The first meet after a long holiday layoff is often referred to as “rust buster” because athletes are shaking off the “rust” from lack of competition and lack of team-oriented practices, the intensity of which is difficult to match when training solo or in small groups. And while Saturday’s meet at Yale showed a little bit of rust in some events, overall it was an above-average – by “rust buster” standards – meet with some top finishes, season- and personal-best performances. Not bad for January 14. Here are some of the highlights, while it is still fresh in my mind.

Men’s highlights

--In the 200-meter dash, senior Joe Cafaro blitzed to a section victory and a second-place overall mark of 23.08 seconds, just 0.01 off his all-time best. And he did that from lane 4 of the tight, four-lane track, not known to produce sizzling sprint times. Great start to 2017!

--In the 400-meter dash, senior captain Tim Johnson ran a perfectly executed race and wound up in first-place overall. Tim wasn’t totally pleased with the finishing time, but we can find no fault in the effort. Nicely done! Also in the event, freshman Justin Muccio powered to a section victory and wound up fifth overall in 53.12 seconds.

--In the 800-meter run, freshman Matthew Hawker ran a personal-best time of 1:59.56 and did so with an aggressive second lap of 28.3 seconds. He hung on strong for a third-place finish. Nice work.

--In the mile run, although he wasn’t pleased with the time and the effort, Joe Miller powered his way to a second-place finish, holding off the majority of the field from start to finish. A solid start to 2017.

--In the 3,000-meter run, the field went out in mid- to late-season form, blitzing through the first kilometer in 2:51. Junior Steven Rizzo hung tough with a strong PR and second-place finish in 8:42.59, including a 32-second last lap. Senior captain Spencer Johnson similarly hung tough for a near-PR and third-place finish in 8:47.01.

--In the distance medley relay, which started the day, the men came tantalizingly close to an IC4A qualifying mark in their first-place finish of 10:20.25. The IC4A standard is 10:19.00. Sophomore Brian Henderson started off with a relatively slow time but perfectly executed 1,200-meter leg. He battled for the lead and eventually handed off in first place, closing like a champ in 30.0 seconds. Freshman Zachary Ropes had two excellent baton passes and ran a solid 51.9-second 400-meter leg. Junior Steven Morrison was the star of the relay, posting a masterful 1:55.8 in the 800-meter leg, extending the team lead to an insurmountable margin. Senior captain Stefan Morton grabbed the baton and took off hard (too hard?) in 29 seconds for 200 meters and 61 seconds for 400 meters. He hung on gamely for a solid, early-season split of 4:21.2, but we just missed. Oh well.

Women’s highlights

--The day started out with a strong distance medley relay, with freshman Denise Grohn closing hard for a 3:47.7 split at 1200 meters. Danisha Craig (60.4) and Shea Bohan (2:19.8) had strong middle legs, and Mara Schiffhauer brought it home for a team second-place finish.

--In the 1,000-meter run, Shea Bohan (3:01.82) and Kerry Gaye (3:07.38) started the season off with personal-best times – Shea doing it on a double! Good stuff.

--Speaking of strong doubles, Denise Grohn came back in the 800-meter run with a second-place finish in 2:25.17, including a strong closing lap.

--In the mile run, freshman Ali Bartolotta (5:12.13), junior Christine Gambell (5:16.62) and senior Bryn Gorberg (5:23.95) all started the season with strong times and equally strong last laps. Closing speed this early in the season is an excellent sign of future success.

--In the 3,000-meter run, Mara Schiffhauer and Elizabeth Wasserman worked together for much of the race, with Mara posting a solid double in fourth place and Elizabeth running a decent season-opener. Mariah Christian and Jordan Casey similarly worked together, running mostly consistent splits with Mariah closing hard (38.69 seconds in the last lap) and edging out Jordan, who celebrated her 20^th birthday with a really strong effort. Happy birthday, kid!

Yale Invitational: Men's results and splits

Yale Collegiate Invitational

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Coxe Cage, Yale University

New Haven, CT

Men’s results

200-meter dash

2. Joe Cafaro 23.08

31. Santosh Krishnan 25.00

400-meter dash

1-Tim Johnson 51.30

5. Justin Muccio 53.12

7. Sean Patterson 54.00

9. Santosh Krishnan 54.78

800-meter run

3. Matthew Hawker 1:59.56

29.8, 58.1 (28.3), 1:27.9 (29.8), 1:59.56 (31.66)

6. Josh Siegel 2:02.63

30.1, 61.2 (31.1), 1:31.1 (29.9), 2:02.63 (31.53)

1,000-meter run

6. Anthony Colasanto 2:39.54

28, 58 (30), 1:32 934), 2:03 (31), 2:39.54 (36.54)

10. Nate Lungarini 2:42.67

29, 60 (31), 1:30 (30), 2:06 (36), 2:42.67 (36.67)

Mile run

2. Joe Miller 4:30.60

32, 65 (33), 1:38 (33), 2:12 (34), 2:46 (34), 3:22 (36), 3:56 (34), 4:30.60 (34.60)

6. Dan Hillman 4:36.11

33, 67 (34), 1:40 (33), 2:16 (36), 2:53 (37), 3:28 (35), 4:04 (36), 4:36.11 (34.11)

9. Eamonn Beers 4:46.46

34, 69 (35), 1:43 (34), 2:17 (34), 2:54 (37), 3:28 (34), 4:07 (38), 4:46.46 (39.56)

10. Zach Toner 4:51.54

35, 69 (34), 1:44 (35), 2:20 (36), 2:58 (38), 3:37 (39), 4:14 (37), 4:51 (37.51)

3,000-meter run

2. Steven Rizzo 8:42.59

33, 66 (33), 1:41 (35), 2:15 (34), 2:51 (36)

3:27 (36), 4:02 (35), 4:37 (35), 5:13 (36), 5:48 (35)

6:24 (36), 6:59 (35), 7:35 (36), 8:10 (35), 8:42.59 (32.59)

Kilometer splits: 2:51, 2:57, 2:56.59

3. Spencer Johnson 8:47.01

34, 67 (33), 1:41 (34), 2:15 (34), 2:51 (36)

3:27 (36), 4:02 (35), 4:37 (35), 5:12 (35), 5:48 (36)

6:24 (36), 6:59 (35), 7:35 (36), 8:12 (37), 8:47.01 (35.01)

Kilometer splits: 2:51, 2:57, 2:59.01

6. Palmer Weimann 9:02.20

34, 68 (34), 1:43 (35), 2:18 (35), 2:54 (36)

3:31 (37), 4:08 (37), 4:45 (37), 5:22 (37), 5:59 (37)

6:36 (37), 7:14 (38), 7:51 (37), 8:28 (37), 9:02.20 (34.20)

Kilometer splits: 2:54, 3:05, 3:03.20

7. Chris Rivas 9:13.37

37, 72 (35), 1:46 (34), 2:23 (37), 3:01 (38)

3:37 (36), 4:13 (37), 4:49 (36), 5:26 (37), 6:03 (37)

6:40 (37), 7:18 (38), 7:56 (38), 8:34 (38), 9:13.37 (39.37)

Kilometer splits: 3:01, 3:02, 3:10.37

9. Conor Stack 9:23.21

35, 71 (36), 1:48 (37), 2:25 (37), 3:02 (37)

3:40 (38), 4:18 (38), 4:56 (38), 5:35 (39), 6:13 (38)

6:52 (39), 7:32 (40), 8:12 (40), 8:46 (34), 9:23.21 (37.21)

Kilometer splits: 3:02, 2:11, 3:10.21

1,600-meter relay

4. Marist A (Josh Hindle 52.5, Tim Johnson 51.5, Joe Cafaro 53.2, Nate Lungarini 54.6) 3:32.08

6. Marist B (Sean Patterson 53.8, Justin Muccio 51.9, Anthony Colasanto 54.5, Matthew Hawker 52.8) 3:33.17

Distance medley relay

1-Marist (Brian Henderson 3:11.0, Zachary Ropes 51.9, Steven Morrison 1:55.8, Stefan Morton 4:21.2) 10:20.25

Brian Henderson 32, 64 (32), 1:36 (32), 2:09 (33), 2:41 (32), 3:11.0 (30.0)

Zachary Ropes 25.0, 51.9 (26.9)

Steven Morrison 28, 57 (29), 1:26 (29), 1:55.8 (29.8)

Stefan Morton 29, 61 (32), 1:33 (32), 2:06 (33), 2:40 (34), 3:14 (34), 3:47 (33), 4:21.2 (34.2)

Yale Invitational: Women's results and splits

Yale Collegiate Invitational

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Coxe Cage, Yale University

New Haven, CT

Women’s results

60-meter dash

6. Ashley Haynes 7.99 (8.12 in preliminary)

19. Lauren Adams 8.42

200-meter dash

12. Lauren Adams 28.35

17. Ericka Stewart 28.56

20. Emma Schweitzer 29.58

400-meter dash

2. Debbie Boerke 1:01.13

9. Courtney Cartwright 1:04.37

10. Olivia Gage 1:04.84

12. Eleni Nickolas 1:06.85

500-meter dash

8. Jenn Horner 1:23.73

800-meter run

2. Denise Grohn 2:25.17

34, 71 (37), 1:49 (38), 2:25.17 (36.17)

5. Molly Weeks 2:27.37

35, 71 (36), 1:49 (38), 2:27.37 (38.37)

6. Emily Franko 2:28.71

35, 72 (37), 1:50 (38), 2:28.71 (38.71)

7. Alyssa Lafave 2:29.92

34, 73 (39), 1:51 (38), 2:29.92 (38.92)

13. Lauren Traina 2:48.88

39, 81 (42), 2:04 (43), 2:48.88 (44.88)

1,000-meter run

3. Shea Bohan 3:01.82

36, 73 (37), 1:50 (37), 2:27 (37), 3:01.82 (34.82)

7. Kerry Gaye 3:07.38

37, 74 (37), 1:52 (38), 2:30 (38), 3:07.38 (37.38)

9. Jenna Robinson 3:10.56

36, 74 (38), 1:54 (40), 2:32 (38), 3:10.56 (38.56)

12. Alyssa Hurlbut 3:16.50

37, 75 (38), 1:54 (39), 2:33 (39), 3:16.50 (43.50)

15. Boushra Belkhir 3:20.11

38, 77 (39), 1:57 (40), 2:37 (40), 3:20.11 (43.11)

Mile run

2. Ali Bartolotta 5:12.13

38, 75 (37), 1:53 (38), 2:34 (41), 3:12 (38), 3:54 (42), 4:35 (41), 5:12.13 (37.13)

6. Christine Gambell 5:16.62

39, 76 (37), 1:54 (38), 2:34 (40), 3:13 (39), 3:55 (42), 4:36 (41), 5:16.62 (40.62)

8. Bryn Gorberg 5:23.95

40, 76 (36), 1:55 (39), 2:36 (41), 3:17 (41), 4:00 (43), 4:43 (43), 5:23.95 (40.95)

13. Bianca Luparello 5:34.91

43, 81 (38), 2:03 (42), 2:46 (43), 3:29 (43), 4:12 (43), 4:55 (43), 5:34.91 (39.91)

3,000-meter run

4. Mara Schiffhauer 10:30.56

39, 80 (41), 2:01 (41), 2:43 (42), 3:25 (42)

4:07 (42), 4:50 (43), 5:32 (42), 6:15 (43), 6:58 (43)

7:41 (43), 8:24 (43), 9:06 (42), 9:49 (43), 10:30.56 (41.56)

Kilometer splits: 3:25, 3:33, 3:32.56

7. Elizabeth Wasserman 10:37.78

40, 80 (40), 2:02 (42), 2:43 (41), 3:26 (43)

4:08 (42), 4:50 (42), 5:33 (43), 6:15 (42), 6:59 (44)

7:42 (43), 8:27 (45), 9:11 (44), 9:56 (45), 10:37.78 (41.78)

Kilometer splits: 3:26, 3:33, 3:38.78

8. Mariah Christian 10:42.69

43, 83 (40), 2:06 (43), 2:48 (42), 3:31 (43)

4:14 (43), 4:57 (43), 5:42 (45), 6:25 (43), 7:08 (43)

7:53 (45), 8:37 (44), 9:21 (44), 10:04 (43), 10:42.69 (38.69)

Kilometer splits: 3:31, 3:37, 3:34.69

9. Jordan Casey 10:44.56

43, 83 (40), 2:06 (43), 2:48 (42), 3:31 (43)

4:14 (43), 4:57 (43), 5:42 (45), 6:25 (43), 7:08 (43)

7:53 (45), 8:37 (44), 9:21 (44), 10:04 (43), 10:44.56 (40.56)

Kilometer splits: 3:31, 3:37, 3:36.56

10. Brianne Vess 11:00.40

43, 83 (40), 2:06 (43), 2:48 (42), 3:31 (43)

4:16 (45), 4:59 (44), 5:44 (45), 6:30 (46), 7:15 (45)

8:00 (45), 8:46 (46), 9:33 (47), 10:19 (46), 11:00.40 (41.40)

Kilometer splits: 3:31, 3:44, 3:45.40

1,600-meter relay

3. Marist A (Courtney Cartwright 65.9, Debbie Boerke 61.5, Molly Weeks 61.4, Danisha Craig 60.6) 4:09.69

7. Marist B (Jenn Horner 62.8, Eleni Nickolas 67.7, Alyssa Hurlbut 70.3, Olivia Gage 64.3) 4:25.25

Distance medley relay

2. Marist (Denise Grohn 3:47.7, Danisha Craig 60.4, Shea Bohan 2:19.8, Mara Schiffhauer 5:27.2) 12:35.31

Denise Grohn 36, 74 (38), 1:53 (39), 2:31 (38), 3:10 (39), 3:47.7 (37.7)

Danisha Craig 27, 60.4 (33.4)

Shea Bohan 34, 70 (36), 1:45 (35), 2:19.8 (34.8)

Mara Schiffhauer 37, 78 (41), 2:00 (42), 2:42 (42), 3:22 (40), 4:03 (41), 4:44 (41), 5:27.2 (43.2)

High jump

8. Fallon Quigley 1.50 meters (4 feet, 11 inches)

Long jump

16. Ashley Haynes 4.37 meters (14 feet, 4 inches)

Yale Invitational: Time schedule and order of events

Yale Collegiate Invitational

Order of events and time schedule

Track events

11:30 a.m.: Women’s DMR

11:45 a.m.: Men’s DMR

12 noon: Women’s mile

12:20 p.m.: Men’s mile

12:30 p.m.: Women’s 400-meter dash

12:45 p.m.: Men’s 400-meter dash

1:05 p.m.: Men’s 60 hurdle trials

1:15 p.m.: Men’s 60 hurdle trials

1:20 p.m.: Women’s 60 dash trials

1:30 p.m.: Men’s 60 dash trials

1:40 p.m.: Women’s 60 hurdle finals

1:45 p.m.: Men’s 60 hurdle finals

1:50 p.m.: Women’s 60 dash finals

1:55 p.m.: Men’s 60 dash finals

2 p.m.: Women’s 1,000-meter run

2:10 p.m.: Men’s 1,0000meter run

2:15 p.m.: Women’s 500-meter dash

2:20 p.m.: Men’s 500-meter dash

2:25 p.m.: Women’s 800-meter run

2:35 p.m.: Men’s 800-meter run

2:45 p.m.: Women’s 200-meter dash

3:05 p.m.: Men’s 200-meter dash

3:25 p.m.: Women’s 3,000-meter run

3:40 p.m.: Men’s 3,000-meter run

3:55 p.m.: Women’s 4x400 relay

4:10 p.m.: Men’s 4x400 relay

Field events

10 a.m.: Women’s long jump

Women’s high jump: Follows men’s high jump

New workout, venue

Sometimes, you have to think outside the box. We tried out a new workout idea on a few of the long-distance 10km guys, who will be racing sparingly during the winter season; we're calling it a "segment run" workout. I won't bore you with the details, but it's a mish-mash of speed, tempo, recovery, and lots of volume. The default/original plan was to have the guys do it on the Hudson Valley Rail Trail in Highland, but alas it was covered with a fine sheen of snow and ice. In the "give credit where credit's due" department, Kennedy suggested the road along the Hudson River on the Highland side (fun fact! It's called Oakes Road, not River Road as you would suspect). It's about a mile, mostly straight and mostly flat. Back and forth they (Baffuto, Riley, Kennedy) went, doing the "segment" workout to perfection. They were willing and excellent guinea pigs for this new idea at this new venue. Nicely done!

Chilly, fun day at Norrie

Well. The holidays are now officially over! On Saturday, we (my good pal Charlie Sprauer and I) hosted the Recover from the Holidays (Fat Ass) 50km ultramarathon up at Norrie Point in Staatsburg. Hard to believe, but this was the 22nd running of this race since we came up with the idea way back in 1995. Several years ago, we got the bright idea to bring a fire pit to keep us warm during the many hours while the runners do their 5km laps; good move today, as the temperatures were in the high teens and it was a snowy day.

Jason Friedman of New Paltz (photo above) won the race for a record fourth time -- all odd-numbered years, 2011, 2013, 2015, and now 2017, and he did it in negative-split fashion (1:50:00/1:49:20). Jason was a top finisher at the USATF 24-hour championships last summer, and he's had a great ultra career. This race signals the end of the holiday season for me and a cue to return to the live action as the team returns to campus over the next few days, with practice resuming on Monday. Here are the results from today up at Norrie:

Recover From the Holidays (Fat Ass) 50-kilometer race

Norrie Point, Staatsburg, NY

Saturday, January 7, 2017

1-Jason Friedman (New Paltz, 41) 3:39:20

2-Brian Hickey (Kerhonkson, 44) 4:16:14

3-Matt Kane (Beacon, 41) 4:37:11

4-Christopher Regan (Wappingers Falls, 37) 4:57:40

5-David Walker (Salt Point, 48) 4:59:57

6-Donna Graham-Finan (Goshen, 50) 5:13:50

7-Tiffany Sivco (Wappingers Falls, 36) 5:14:52

8-Stewart Dutfield (Delmar, 61) 5:20:20

9-Jeanine Armbrust (Staatsburg, 50) 5:21:30

10-Sheryl Wheeler (Rhinebeck, 53) 5:33:18

11-Faithe Anderson (Saugerties, 52) 5:48:02

Happy Noon Year

At the assisted living place where my mom lives in New Jersey, they celebrate New Year at noon on New Year's Eve, with a countdown and ball drop in the dining room before lunch. My youngest son James and I went down there for the celebration, as you can see. It was quieter, warmer and a lot older crowd than Times Square was 12 hours later, but it was good to be there and hopefully the start of a new New Year's Eve tradition. Happy 2017, everyone.

A new breeze in the coaching community

As referenced in this morning's post, here is a photo of some Forever Foxes who are now coaching the high school ranks. Mark Valentino (Roslyn), Kelley Gould (your FDR Presidents!), Nick Hughes (Albertus Magnus). At Ocean Breeze. Stopwatches and clipboards in hand. Nicely done!

Hall of a neat tradition

For the second year in a row, during the week between Christmas and New Year's, my youngest son James and I made a pilgrimage to Cooperstown for a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame. We love it there, and James has become a student of baseball history (geez, wonder where THAT came from?). It was a cold and snowy day up in Cooperstown -- perfect to spend indoors looking at plaques and displays about baseball. OK!

The holidays

As is usually the case, the posts have been infrequent during this time of year. Not much to report from a team standpoint, and we have been busy with family and holiday activities. Santa was good to me this year. The theme: Making the old coach’s life easier. In fact, that seems to be the trend in electronics gifts this year, right? Anyway! Heidi splurged and got me a remote car starter, something I have avoided getting for myself out of guilt. I already love it. Another gift, one that is sure to save me a lot of money throughout the year: a Keurig coffee machine. The basic model. That’s all I need. My stops at Stewart’s (small coffee = $1.30) will be far less frequent now. That’s OK!

In other news! Talk about worlds colliding: I just got a text from Tino, who is down at Ocean Breeze today coaching his high school team. Who did he run into? Hughes, also coaching his high school team. Former teammates and friends, Forever Foxes, joining the expanding list of former Foxes who now coach their own teams. And oh yeah: A skinny senior captain from FDR’s track team will also be at the meet. Pretty neat. 

This swim parent's right at home

For years, I internally sneered at them. Them. Crowded in sweaty masses on aluminum bleachers outside my office. Huddled around power outlets to keep their various devices charged and ready. Folding chairs of various complexity, splayed out for the long mornings and afternoons at the swim meets. They overtake our beloved racquetball court, made it into a snack bar and a swimwear swap shop. Swim parents! They have inhabited my world in the McCann Recreation Center for the past quarter century or more – countless youth swimmers invading my lockerroom space, back when I was a competitive runner training from McCann, even more countless parents and restless siblings, waiting impatiently on or around those metal bleachers, endlessly, for heat after heat, section after section, age group after age group, to watch their child swim for a minute or less, maybe a bit more if they are older and in a longer event. Club swimming. Swim parents. Them. Sheesh.

Guess what. Oh. You know. You know! I’m one of them now. That’s right. A swim parent. Perhaps I have made reference to this. Maybe not. Here’s the thing! This weekend, my worlds collided head-on, at the Red Fox Aquatic Club Holiday Invitational. Those swim parents -- whose gauntlet I had to run through, bobbing and weaving around the maze of team T-shirts, folding chairs, laptops, iDevices, etc., to get to my office – became my ranks this weekend. Them. Me. It was a surreal feeling, going from the sneer-er to the sneer-ee. Boy. It does get warm up there. Crowded. What event is James in? Natalie’s in event 97? What heat? Is it fast to slow? What lane? Hey. How come that guy is standing there, in my way, when clearly he hasn’t had a kid in a race in the past 10 events? Pete. Dude. Bro! Listen to your inner voice. Listen! You WORK here, man. These are the people who, for years, have baffled you because of their intense fervor. Yeah. Them. Now, I’m one of them. I’m one with the masses, nudging my way to the front to get splits for my children. Sneer no more, my friends. Swim parents are humans too. And, all joking aside, I love it. Love it! It’s warm. It’s inside. It’s my KIDS. And, it’s at Marist, so I can defy the “this area closed” sign and indeed go into my office to drop off my coat and hat and gloves, and maybe get some peace and quiet between event 33 and event 107. Again, before I get flooded with swim parent hate mail from the half-dozen or so followers of this blog: I like being a swim parent. I have a “swim dad” car magnet on my driver’s side door. Long, endless meets with a lot of down time between events of interest. Hey. I’m a track coach. I’m uniquely qualified for this. Especially if there is coffee at the snack bar. 

Convention week: Reflections on three days in Orlando

First of all, in a rare moment of brilliant thinking (OK, maybe I’m overstating this), I was able – with the help of our super travel agent – to switch my original flight home from Saturday morning to Friday night. A stroke of genius foresight, as I beat the nasty weather and watched with smug satisfaction at home as that original Saturday morning flight was, indeed, canceled as predicted. Sometimes, being a weather geek can be useful – although the Saturday morning snowstorm we got here was definitely on the high end of expectations, as it dumped about 6-7 inches on top of our existing snow pack. Yes, it’ll be a White Christmas – and, I predict, a long, cold, snowy, icy winter. If you are believer in regression to the mean, as I am, we are up for some serious payback from last year’s non-winter.

Anyway, here are some final thoughts after three days in Orlando for the USTFCCCA Convention. Apparently, it was a record turnout of coaches, with more than 1,500 of us in attendance. I guess I was one small drip on that record attendance, having been a first-time attendee. Several coaches who go to the convention every year noted to me that I picked a good year to attend. The debates were vigorous and at times contentious, and the legislation was much more important than the usual, run-of-the-mill stuff. I won’t bore you with the details of legislation and what was voted on, but I was pleased with all the outcomes. The various symposiums were definitely worth attending, if only as a healthy exchange of ideas and to pique interest in trying out and expanding on training paradigms. My fellow MAAC coaches and other Northeast coaching friends were pleased to have me there, as they have been lobbying for years to me to attend. Was the trip worth it? Yes. Will I go every year? Probably not. I will let the issues guide my decision; if I feel there are important things that are on the table, I’ll be there. Next year’s convention is in Phoenix. I’ve never been there. So, that’s a possibility. We’ll see. One year at a time. I will say THIS: It’s nice to be home.   

Convention week: Hopkins

First of all: I apologize for this horrendous selfie, complete with my arm sticking out to take the photo. I know. I'm terrible at this. Anyway! There are more than 1,000 coaches here in Orlando this week, but how cool was it to run into and spend a lot of time with Sean Hopkins, a 2005 alum and now a grad assistant at West Virginia. Hopkins is a true student of the sport, so exchanging ideas with him and just hanging out with him has been a blast. He is a loyal Forever Fox, and consistently follows our team. He knows our athletes' PRs and meet performances. After 11 years away from Poughkeepsie, he still follows us. How cool is that?

Convention week: Not there

Yeah. So. I guess it's cold back home? Not here in Orlando. Oh sure. Last night, at the Mondo Dinner outside, some folks were complaining about the cool, stiff breeze -- all 65 degrees of it. Meanwhile! I'm hearing of dangerous wind chills and ominous snow forecasts back home. And this morning, my good pal Ken posted this frosty beard photo on Facebook and tagged me, saying my own frosty beard was missed on the usual Friday morning run from Marist up to College Hill. Yeah. I was NOT THERE, for sure. But, I'll be back soon enough. OK!

Convention week: In the air tonight

For the first time in my coaching career, I am attending our sport governing body’s national convention – the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Convention in Orlando, Florida. The bulk of the convention will be Wednesday through Friday. I am currently on a half-empty Jet Blue flight from Westchester County Airport to Orlando, with a return flight scheduled very early Saturday morning. I am not a frequent flier, but I will give you my opinion: There is no better airline to fly than Jet Blue. The seats are roomy, the flights are generally smooth and on time, and there is on-board Wifi. And, they offer direct flights from relatively small, easy-to-navigate airports to major hubs like Orlando. What’s not to like?

So anyway. It was with great reluctance that I decided to make this trip to the convention. I operate from a feeling of extreme guilt: My job forces me to be away from home and family for many weekends through three seasons, so why should I tack on another few days away from home? I revel in the mundane aspects of life: Going to the deli to get a gallon of milk, transporting my kids to their varying activities, attending their sporting and other events … you get the idea. Jetting off to a convention for a few days has always seemed gratuitous at best. However! For many years, my coaching brethren have urged me to attend. It’s worth it, they said. It’s fun, they said. It’s IMPORTANT, they implored. Finally, I listened, relented and away we go. What spurred me from my usual, home-based inertia into action? Well, this: There is a lot of important, groundbreaking legislation on the table this year, much of which could have a direct impact on our program and our athletes. The only way to vote on this legislation is to attend the convention. Since our interests generally align well with those of our friends and rivals (in many cases, synonymous) in the Northeast region, it’s important to have our collective voices heard and not be drowned out by the Big Fish of our world. And so, I go.

This is a working trip. Other than an occasional early-morning jog or walk, I do not plan to be outside or to go anywhere; I'm not even renting a car! I will be attending sessions, meetings and the like. I will be schmoozing with other coaches. I will not, under ANY circumstances, be taking a side trip to Disney World. No way! I will be avoiding the polar vortex/Arctic blast of the Northeast for a few days, and I will be wearing short-sleeve shirts for the last time in many months. I will post here if there is anything to report, but I suspect the subject matter will be of very narrow interest to those who read this blog. If there is anything worth summarizing, we’ll do it. Otherwise, I’ll do my best to listen, to learn and to cast informed votes on topics of importance to our athletes and our sport. OK!

Forever Foxes in Tallahassee

Very proud to have Marist Running represented at the USATF Club Cross Country Championships, held Saturday morning at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida. Katie Messina was the third finisher for the Boston-based Battle Road Track Club, which finished 14^th with 372 points. Katie ran her usual even-paced race and placed 82^nd in 21:49 for the 6km course, an average of 5:52 per mile. A pair of Albany Running Exchange runners completed the race, although ARE did not field complete teams. Christine Coughlin was 160^th overall in 24:00 (6:27 pace). Nick Webster ran 34:37 (5:35 pace) for the 10km pace. As always, we are proud of our Forever Foxes and we are grateful for the pictures that accompany this post. 

Wagner Seahawk Shootout: Men's results and splits

Ever since the sprint medley relay school record was tied -- TIED, to the hundredth! -- a few winters ago, our athletes have been staring longingly at that record, wanting to take it down. It was not an easy record to break -- mostly because the SMR is a rarely run event during the indoor season. Well, today, the men got the job done in a big way, obliterating the previous record by nearly nine (9!) seconds with some excellent splits (see below). Oh yeah. THEY WON THE RACE, TOO. Sprinkle in a few nice PR times, and this was an excellent way to cap off the 2016 calendar year. On to 2017, men!

Wagner Seahawk Shootout

Friday, December 9, 2016

Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex

Staten Island, NY

Men’s results and splits

300-meter dash

12. Tim Johnson 36.26

1,000-meter run

5. Anthony Colasanto 2:36.93

30, 60 (30), 1:31 (31), 2:04 (33), 2:36.93 (32.93)

6. Matthew Hawker 2:37.63

31, 61 (30), 1:32 (31), 2:05 (33), 2:37.63 (32.63)

Mile run

13. Nate Lungarini 4:39.47

34.8, 68.5 (33.7), 1:43.1 (34.6), 2:16.9 (33.8), 2:51.4 (34.5), 3:26.7 (35.3), 4:02.6 (35.9), 4:39.47 (36.87)

14. Eamonn Beers 4:39.74

36.1, 70.9 (34.8), 1:46.6 (35.7), 2:21.2 (34.6), 2:56.0 (34.8), 3:30.2 (34.2), 4:04.1 (33.9), 4:39.74 (35.64)

3,000-meter run

9. Dan Hillman 9:09.05

35, 70 (35), 1:47 (37), 2:22 (35), 2:58 (36)

3:36 (38), 4:13 (37), 4:50 (37), 5:28 (38), 6:04 (36)

6:42 (38), 7:20 (38), 7:58 (38), 8:36 (38), 9:09.05 (33.05)

Kilometer splits: 2:58, 3:06, 3:05.05

10. Connor Levins 9:16.53

36, 72 (36), 1:48 (36), 2:24 (36), 3:01 (37)

3:38 (37), 4:15 (37), 4:52 (37), 5:28 (36), 6:05 (37)

6:44 (39), 7:23 (39), 8:03 (40), 8:42 (39), 9:16.53 (34.53)

Kilometer splits: 3:01, 3:04, 3:11.53

11. Elias Platanias 9:17.99

35, 71 (36), 1:46 (35), 2:21 (35), 2:58 (37)

3:36 (38), 4:13 (37), 4:51 (38), 5:28 (37), 6:05 (37)

6:44 (39), 7:23 (39), 8:02 (39), 8:40 (38), 9:17.99 (37.99)

Kilometer splits: 2:58, 3:07, 3:12.99

Sprint medley relay

1-Marist (Tim Johnson 22.8, Drew Burns 23.6, Brian Henderson 51.5, Zachary Ropes 1:55.9) 3:33.93 *school record, old record 3:42.82 set by Krupka, McCloskey, Frederickson, Vanzetta, 2010, and T. Johnson, Dodge, Taylor, Buttigieg, 2014

1,600-meter relay

9-Marist (Drew Burns 53.1, Brian Henderson 53.2, Nate Lungarini 54.7, Anthony Colasanto 53.7) 3:35.02

Wagner Seahawk Shootout: Women's results

Another week, another record for senior captain Ashley Haynes. This time, it was in the rarely-run 300-meter dash. Ashley won her section and tied Holly Burns' mark, which was set in 2010. On to 2017!

Wagner Seahawk Shootout

Friday, December 9, 2016

Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex

Staten Island, NY

Women’s results and splits

300-meter dash

16. Ashley Haynes 42.56 *ties school record, Holly Burns, 2010

600-meter run

12. Jenn Horner 1:44.75

32.4, 67.2 (34.8), 1:44.75 (37.55)

Wagner Seahawk Shootout: Old men by the sea

Thanks to Marty McGowan for sharing this photo of an old coach doing some old coaching during the mile run on Friday afternoon at Ocean Breeze. Speaking of OLD: Our most loyal alum, Marty spent a few hours with us -- cheering on the guys, telling stories of the old days and generally being our most loyal alum. There are many reasons why we are grateful for the opening of Ocean Breeze -- none more than the proximity to Marty's house. Nicely done!

Wagner Seahawk Shootout: Updated time schedule

An updated time schedule for Friday's meet was emailed today. Here it is (note: field events are not listed since we do not have any athletes in those events):

2 p.m.: 60-meter hurdles (final on time)
2:25 p.m.: 60-meter dash (final on time)
2:55 p.m.: Mile run
3:45 p.m.: 300-meter dash
4:25 p.m.: 1,000-meter run
4:45 p.m.: SMR (200-200-400-800)
5:05 p.m.: 800-meter alumni race
5:15 p.m.: 600-meter dash
5:50 p.m.: 3,000-meter run
6:30 p.m.: 4x400 relay

Wagner Seahawk Shootout: What's next

Our final competition of the 2016 calendar year is another indoor meet at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island -- the Wagner Seahawk Shootout on Friday. We added a second December meet with the idea of giving athletes an additional competition before the semester break. Well, given that Friday is the last day of classes before finals, most of our student-athletes cannot miss class and/or are swamped with end-of-semester academic responsibilities. As a result? We will have a very small group of athletes traveling to the meet. How small? Between 10 and 15 athletes ... total. Which is fine with us, we'll have some fun with it and then start focusing on the 2017 calendar year. Here is an order of events for Friday's meet, which starts at 2 p.m.

60-meter hurdles (final on time)
60-meter dash (final on time
Mile run
300-meter dash
1,000-meter run
SMR (200-200-400-800)
800-meter alumni race
600-meter dash
3,000-meter run
4x400 relay

You'll note some rarely run events for indoor college meets -- the 300, 600 and SMR. Hope to see you there. OK!

The dash between the dates

He was a friend, a mentor and a role model. No one did more for local road running and road racing than Pete Sanfilippo, who passed away at age 84 on Saturday morning, just hours before he was set to direct the 37^th annual Knights of Columbus Holiday Run in his beloved hometown of Wappingers Falls. I’ve known Pete for more than 30 years. His handshake was firm, his staccato way of talking left you no doubt about his passion for everything in his life -- especially his directing road races. The man was loyal and loving to his family, his Knights of Columbus brothers, the Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club (he was a “founding father”), his church and the village in which he lived his entire life. If the dash between the dates is indicative of the time you have on this earth, Pete maximized his 84 years. His was a truly great American life. There will never be another guy like him. Anyone who has run, or will run, a MHRRC race owes a debt of gratitude for the man in the Dodgers cap who was at hundreds and hundreds of finish lines through the years – including our very own Red Fox Trot 5km. Rest in peace, Pete. Long may you run. 

The student part of student-athletes

On Sunday night, as I was trying to get to the bottom of where a prospective student-athlete was with our current student-athletes, I was texting the men and this group selfie from Spencer revealed a hard-working study group of fine young student-athletes. Emphasis on student. Nicely done.

Metro Holiday Opener: Men's results and splits

Freshman Zach Ropes starts college career with a victory in the 800-meter run

Metro Holiday Season Opener

Friday, December 2, 2016

Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex

Staten Island, NY

Men’s results and splits

200-meter dash

4. Tim Johnson 22.64

10. Joe Cafaro 23.07

27. Josh Hindle 24.56

27. Santosh Krishnan 24.56

29. Justin Muccio 24.64

800-meter run

1-Zach Ropes 1:57.60

3. Brian Henderson 1:59.03

6. Nate Lungarini 2:02.20

7. Anthony Colasanto 2:02.47

10. Sami Ellougani 2:03.91

Mile run

15. Omar Perez 4:43.90

34.7, 67.9 (33.2), 1:40.9 (33.0), 2:15.5 (34.6), 3:28.9 (37.3), 4:06.3 (37.4), 4:43.90 (36.90)

18. Eamonn Beers 4:44.62

36.9, 71.2 (34.3), 1:46.9 (35.7), 2:23.0 (36.1), 2:58.7 (35.7), 3:34.7 (36.0), 4:10.7 (36.0), 4:44.62 (32.92)

3,000-meter run

6. Dan Hillman 9:08.73

33, 68 (35), 1:46 (38), 2:23 (37), 2:59 (36)

3:35 (36), 4:11 (36), 4:47 (36), 5:23 (36), 6:01 (38)

6:38 (37), 7:17 (39), 7:55 (38), 8:34 (39), 9:08.73 (34.73)

Kilometer splits: 2:59, 3:02, 3:07.73

10. Connor Levins 9:28.56

33, 69 (36), 1:47 (38), 2:24 (37), 2:59 (35)

3:37 (38), 4:14 (37), 4:52 (38), 5:30 (38), 6:09 (39)

6:50 (41), 7:30 (40), 8:11 (41), 8:49 (38), 9:28.56 (39.56)

Kilometer splits: 2:59, 3:10, 3:19.56

1,600-meter relay

4. Marist A (Josh Siegel 51.7, Zach Ropes 52.2, Nate Lungarini 53.5, Tim Johnson 52.9) 3:30.25

6. Marist B (Joe Cafaro 52.8, Sean Patterson 54.2, Santosh Krishnan 55.1, Justin Muccio 53.6) 3:36.21

3,200-meter relay

3. Marist (Drew Burns 1:59.8, Tanner Senius 2:03.3, Brian Henderson 2:05.4, Matthew Hawker 2:07.0) 8:15.80

Metro Holiday Opener: Women's results and splits

Metro Holiday Season Opener

Friday, December 2, 2016

Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex

Staten Island, NY

Women’s results and splits

60-meter dash

4. Ashley Haynes 7.92 *school record, old record 7.95 by Danielle Asaro in 2015

15. Lauren Adams 8.30

21. Abby Smith 8.48

200-meter dash

8. Ashley Haynes 26.16

12. Danisha Craig 26.49

20. Olivia Gage 27.46

21. Lauren Adams 27.55

28. Ericka Stewart 28.49

33. Emma Schweitzer 29.40

500-meter dash

10. Olivia Jaquith 1:21.20

800-meter run

3. Molly Weeks 2:27.93

35, 72 (37), 1:50 (38), 2:27.93 (37.93)

6. Jenn Horner 2:30.16

37, 71 (37), 1:50 (39), 2:30.16 (40.16)

11. Lauren Traina 2:42.37

36, 75 (39), 1:57 (42), 2:42.37 (45.37)

Mile run

10. Alyssa Hurlbut 5:27.88

40.8, 79.4 (38.5), 2:40.2 (40.9), 3:20.9 (40.7), 4:02.5 (41.6), 4:44.9 (42.4), 5:27.88 (42.98)

3,000-meter run

3. Nicki Nesi 10:18.65

37, 79 (42), 2:00 (41), 2:42 (42), 3:23 (41)

4:04 (41), 4:45 (41), 5:27 (42), 6:09 (42), 6:51 (42)

7:32 (41), 8:14 (42), 8:57 (43), 9:38 (41), 10:18.65 (40.65)

Kilometer splits: 3:23, 3:28, 3:27.65

4. Annie Gould 10:56.16

39, 81 (42), 2:04 (43), 2:47 (43), 3:30 (43)

4:13 (43), 4:57 (44), 5:41 (44), 6:25 (44), 7:10 (45)

7:55 (45), 8:40 (45), 9:27 (47), 10:12 (45), 10:56.16 (44.16)

Kilometer splits: 3:30, 3:40, 3:46.16

1,600-meter relay

6. Marist A (Danisha Craig 59.6, Debbie Boerke 62.5, Jenn Horner 62.9, Molly Weeks 62.1) 4:07.09

10. Marist B (Ericka Stewart 64.3, Olivia Jaquith 61.3, Emma Schweitzer 66.1, Abby Smith 66.2) 4:18.14

Metro Holiday Opener: School record for Ashley Haynes!

Ashley Haynes had a fast start to her senior year -- literally! In the first event of the first meet of the season, Ashley darted out of the blocks and sprinted to a time of 7.93 seconds in the trials of the 60-meter dash. This time eclipsed the school-record mark of 7.95 seconds set by Danielle Asaro two years ago. Then, in the finals, Ashley bolted from the blocks again, led for much of the race and wound up fourth overall in the finals with a time of 7.92 seconds, which knocked another 0.01 off her newly minted school record. And then! In the 200-meter dash, she placed eighth overall in a personal-record time of 26.16 seconds. Fast times for our super senior captain. Nicely done, Ash!

Metro Holiday Opener: Time schedule

Metro Holiday Opener
Ocean Breeze
Order of Events and Time Schedule
3 p.m.: 60-meter dash trials
3:25 p.m.: 60-meter hurdle trials
3:45 p.m.: Mile final
4 p.m.: 60 hurdle final
4:12 p.m.: 60 dash final
4:20 p.m.: 400 dash
4:45 p.m.: 500 dash
5 p.m.: 800 run
5:20 p.m.: 1,000 run
5:30 p.m.: 200 dash
6 p.m.: 3,000 run
6:30 p.m.: 4x800 relay
6:55 p.m.: DMR
7:15 p.m.: 4x400 relay

Hope to see you there.