Monday, January 31, 2011

Reid to Face Top Pros at New Balance Boston Indoor



Sheila Reid will get a chance to compete against her fellow-Canadian (and fellow Villanovan) Carmen Douma-Hussar, a former world indoor silver medallist at 1500 meters, in Boston on Friday night in the New Balance Boston Indoor Elite Mile. Also in the race will be reigning World Indoor champion Kalkidane Gezahegne of Ethiopia. While Reid does not threaten to win the race, the fast pace could pull her to challenge the Villanova school record of 4:28.31 set by Vicki Huber in February 1988. Reid currently has the second fastest mile time in the NCAA this indoor season and an indoor PR of 4:37.70. Here is the press release from the folks at New Balance:

U.S. No. 1s Confirmed For New Balance Boston Indoor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


US #1’s Confirmed for Boston

NCAA Cross Country Champions to Race at the Reggie

BOSTON (Jan. 31) – Bershawn “Batman” Jackson, world #1 at 400m hurdles in 2010, won’t have any hurdles to clear at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix but he will be flying around the oval at the Reggie Lewis Center again in 2011. Leo Manzano has also been added to the Men’s Mile field. Sheila Reid and Sam Chelanga, both 2010 NCAA Cross Country Champions, will race in the Women’s Mile and Men’s 3000m, respectively. Tickets for the 16th annual Olympic-styled event are on sale now at www.nbindoorgrandprix.com or by calling 1-877-TIX-TRAC.

Jackson, the 2005 World Champion and 2008 Olympic Medalist, dominated the 400m hurdles last year, winning nine of his twelve finals, earning victories at the US Outdoor Championships and six Samsung Diamond League meets. Jackson not only posted the fastest time in the world last year, 47.32, but also recorded five of the top ten times run last year, and ended the season as the undisputed number one intermediate hurdler in the world. He won the 400m at this event in 2010, and will compete in the 600m this year.

Manzano, a 3-time NCAA Champion at the University of Texas, finished 2010 as the fastest outdoor miler in the US with his mark of 3:50.64. He won his first USA Indoor Championship title in 2010 at 1500m and was ranked #1 in the US by Track & Field News for the year. Manzano will face previously announced Olympic Silver Medalist Nick Willis and high school phenom Lukas Verzbicas. Alan Webb has scratched from the field.

Reid, who led Villanova to an NCAA Championship team title in Terre Haute, IN last November with her individual first place finish, could scare Villanova’s school’s record in the mile, 4:28.31, held by Vicki Huber. She will face, among others, fellow Canadian and Villanova alum, Carmen Hussar and previously announced World Indoor Champion Kalkidan Gezahegne from Ethiopia. Three-time NCAA Champion Sam Chelanga will compete in the 3000m against previously announced double European Champion Mo Farah and Ethiopian Dejen Gebremeskel.

The 16th-annual meet, the second stop in USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series, begins at 5:00 p.m. on Feb. 5 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College. Tickets and meet Information can be found on-line at www.nbindoorgrandprix.com or by calling 1-877-TIX-TRAC.

Sheila Reid Blisters 8:56 for NCAA #1 Time Over 3000 Meters || Lipari Debuts at the Mile



Sheila Reid ran a virtually solo 3000 meter race Saturday at the Armory, her winning time of 8:56.92 a new PR and 17.5 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. That NCAA #1 performance places Reid 5 seconds clear of the next best time in the nation so far this season. Reid currently sits #2 on the NCAA mile performance list as well.
Freshman Emily Lipari finished second over the mile this weekend, in 4:47.03, 26th best in the nation and #6 in the Big East. Bogdana Mimic was 4th in the mile, in 4:47.98, ranking #7 in the Big East and #40 nationally.
Also of note, freshman Nicky Akande ran 2:11.81 for 800 meters, 4th in the meet, but #7 in the Big East.

Gibney & Mackenzie Debut with Wins at the Armory || Beamish goes 8:03 over 3000 meters


Matt Gibney beat 29 other competitors in the mile on Saturday at the Armory. His 4:04.99 topped two other sub-4:10 mile efforts from Mathew Mildenhall (4:05.88) and Brian Long (4:08.91). On the national performance list, Gibney's time is 24th best and Mildenhall sits at 35th. Within the Big East conference, Gibney (#2), Mathew Mildenhall (#5), and Brian Long (#9) all sit among the top ten times this year.
The most noteworthy performance of the meet on the men's side, however, was the stellar 8:03.57 registered by Hugo Beamish in the 3000 meters. That time puts Beamish at 18th on the national performance list at that distance. Inside the Big East, Villanovans are now #2 (Beamish), #3 (Long), and #4 (Mildenhall) at 3,000 meters, trailing only the 7:53.33 of Providence's David McCarthy.
Other performances of note: Freshman Sam Ellison made his collegiate debut at 800 meters and ran 1:51.22, 40th best time in the NCAA and #3 in the Big East so far this season. Matt Wikler ran a PR in 1:52.08, putting him #8 in the Big East. Carl Mackenzie made his 2011 indoor debut, winning the 1000 meters in 2:25.59. Jason Apwah was a stride behind, in 2:26.22. Mackenzie and Apwah are now ranked #7 and #9, respectively, in the Big East over 1000 meters.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Jen Rhines Wins USA Half-Marathon Championship


The great career of Jen Rhines added another milestone yesterday in Houston as Rhines won the USA half-marathon title in a new PR of 1:11:14, three minutes faster than her half-marathon victory in Las Vegas last month. Here's how Letsrun.com described the race.

Jen Rhines capped her return to the half marathon distance by putting away strong challenges from Serena Burla and Nan Kennard to win the 2011 USATF Half Marathon Title in Houston and $12,000 in 1:11:14.

The thirty-six-year-old Rhines was the credentialed veteran in Saturday's race (she had made 3 Olympic teams, including one in the marathon, while the rest of the field combined had made one). However, despite making the Olympics in 2004 in the marathon, after subpar performances in the longer distances in 2006, Rhines abandoned the longer distances of the half marathon and marathon to return to the track. Until last month, when she won the Rock N Roll Las Vegas Marathon in a 1:14 tune-up, she had stayed away from the long distances on the roads.

How would she fare versus a more competitive field?

She returned in fine form, as her run on Saturday was a personal best. The course in Houston was billed as a preview of the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials course. Rhines, however, made it clear afterwards not to think her recent action in the half marathon means she is returning to the marathon. She mentioned the possibility of running a marathon, but said her plan is to make one more Olympic team on the track.

Runner-up to Rhines was the incredible Serena Burla. Burla was second last year as well, but in the year since has been diagnosed with and beaten synovial sarcoma (cancer in her thigh). Burla was rightfully emotional afterwards in talking about her amazing journey the last year.

Third place was Nan Kennard of Boulder. Kennard, a two time all-American at BYU, has been working with Darren and Colleen De Reuck (US Olympian in the marathon, former World XC medallist) since coming back to running after the birth of her 3 children. If there can be a 29-year-old novice in the field, she was it and perhaps it showed, as she was the one pushing the pace in the middle miles.




Place Athlete Age Time Prize Money
1 Rhines, Jennifer 36 01:11:14 $12,000
2 Burla, Serena 28 01:11:38 $6,500
3 Kennard, Nan 29 01:12:03 $4,000
4 McGregor, Katie 33 01:12:13 $2,000
5 Moody, Tera 30 01:12:30 $1,500
6 Grandt, Clara 23 01:13:13 $1,250
7 Scherf, Lindsey 24 01:13:40 $1,000
8 Hastings, Amy 27 01:14:07 $750
9 Boulet, Magdalena 37 01:14:28 $500
10 White, Melissa 21 01:14:50 $200
11 Kilmer, Loretta 27 01:14:59
12 Houck, Jennifer 26 01:15:02
13 Westover, Heidi 30 01:15:16
14 Meyerhoff, Sally 27 01:15:24
15 Bracy, Addie 24 01:15:41
16 Gomez, Zoila 31 01:16:24
17 Storage, Kara 29 01:16:57
18 Moeller, Erin 33 01:16:59
19 Williamson, Kelly 21 01:17:00
20 Erb, Esther 24 01:17:08


Fromer Boston marathon winner Amby Burfoot had this to say about the race:

Jen Rhines Wins U.S. Half-Marathon Title With a Veteran's Strength
01/29/2011
by Amby Burfoot

Jen Rhines has made Olympic teams at an amazing range of distances (5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and the marathon), and has won national titles on the road (15K) and as a collegiate runner (cross country, indoor and outdoor 5,000m). Saturday morning in Houston, the 36-year old from Mammoth Lakes, Calif., added a new distance to her collection–the half-marathon. In the much heralded "preview" of next January's Olympic Trials Marathon, Rhines broke the tape in the Aramco Houston Half Marathon (and 2011 national championships) in 1:11:14.

Serena Burla finished second in 1:11:37 and Nan Kennard third in 1:12:03. The three athletes won $12,000, $6,500, and $4,000, respectively, for their efforts. All three immediately put themselves on the "serious contenders" list for next year's trials on Jan. 14. Rhines, however, says she won't be running that race. "I may try a marathon later this year," she said, "but I don't think I'll run the marathon next year. I'll probably focus on the 10,000." (She made the Olympic marathon team in 2004, then moved all the way down to 5,000m for the 2008 Games.)

While Rhines is as seasoned and well-known as any American distance star, Burla and Kennard are relatively unknown. Both have amazing recent running stories.

Burla, 28, from Ellisville, Mo., learned in February that she had a malignant tumor in her right hamstring. After surgery, she didn't know if she would ever run again. Yet by November, she was strong enough to finish the New York City Marathon in 2:37:06, her only marathon. Observed Rhines to Burla: "I remember standing at the finish line in New York last November, and seeing you come in. It was just so impressive, how you did that."

Kennard, 29, had three children in quick order after graduating from Brigham Young University, where she was an All-American in cross country and track. A year ago, after her youngest's first birthday, she felt the urge to begin running seriously again. She had moved to Boulder, and sought out Colleen and Darren DeReuck for training advice. A strict Mormon who won't run or race on Sunday, Kennard placed third last September in the national 20K championships, and ran a 2:35:49 for third in the Baltimore Marathon in October.

The women's field was deep and fast, with a group of seven or eight runners in a tight pack through the first half of the race. A relatively slow pace, including several miles in 5:32, made it easy for them to stick together. Then Kennard upped the ante. "My coach told me not to lead," she said, "but I wanted to keep all my miles under 5:30. So when no one else picked it up, I decided to take over. It might have been a tactical mistake. I did a lot of the wind breaking out there."

The next five miles were covered at a 5:23 to 5:29 pace. At nine miles, after Katie McGregor fell back, it came down to a simple contest of the veteran vs. the two newbies.

Score this one for the veteran. At 11 miles, Rhines made her first bold move of the race, and opened a gap that would never be closed. "I had been feeling antsy to pick it up, but I wanted to make sure to have a strong finish, so I waited until the right moment," she said.

The victory also meant a PR for Rhines, whose previous best half-marathon effort (1:11:45) dated to 2003. Not that she has spent much time running road races since then. "I probably feel most psychologically comfortable in the 5,000," she admitted, "but I think this year I'll be moving up to the 10,000. Last year was difficult, but now I'm healthy and able to do more mileage again."

Unable to match Rhines's finishing strength, Burla and Kennard fell back and then drifted apart. Burla was also second in last year's Half Marathon (won by Shalane Flanagan), even though she felt so much hamstring pain while warming up that she considered not starting the race. "At the time, I just thought it was one of those typical runner pains," she said. A month later, she thought it was probably the last race of her life.

She didn't have a hamstring pull. It was a malignant tumor. After surgery on Feb. 26, Burla had no idea what lay ahead. "The unknown can be very scary," she said. "The most I dared hope was that I could run and play again with my 2-year-old son." She added: "He's a pretty active kid."

How did she come back so far and so fast? "That's an unknown," she said. "My doctors, my PTs, they say they don't know. They say that some things just can't be explained. But I want everyone in the running community to know that all the support I received, all the prayers, they were so important in helping me stay positive and build back."

Many of the post-race press conference questions, both to the women and the men, focused on the new course with all its turns, and how the course might affect the trials marathons next year. Burla was having none of it: "For me, it's just such a blessing to be able to run. I try to appreciate every single run. It's an incredible feeling not to have a tumor in my leg any longer. A marathon is a marathon, and they're hard to compare. This course is what it is. We'll all have plenty of time to prepare for it. My attitude is: It's time to get on with it." Burla will probably run a late spring marathon this year, possibly Prague.

For Kennard, the race was a big confidence builder–a day when she proved she could run with some of America's best. "I was really happy to be able to run with the front pack the way I did," she said. "I laid it on the line today, and it was a big breakthrough for me. I owe a lot to Darren and Colleen DeReuck."

"She's been working with us for about a year," said Darren DeReuck. "She's very coachable. She's disciplined and she listens very well, and does what I ask for. A year ago, she was trailing Colleen in workouts. Now she's leading the way. She's going to focus on the roads–that's where I think she'll perform the best."

A 2:10 800-meter runner in high school, Kennard ran her first marathon between a couple of those pregnancies. She was just running a recreational 40 miles a week at the time, but she broke 3:00, and "I had a blast–I just loved it. I love running marathons."

Still training just 50 to 70 miles a week, due to her Sundays off, Kennard says the children remain the focus of her life. "I think they actually help my running," she said. "They force me to prioritize everything and to be super-organized about my schedule. They're also my biggest fans. I tell them that when I win some money at a race, that it's going into our Disney World fund. That gets them pretty excited."

Kennard hopes to run the Boston Marathon in April

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Pietrocarlo Wins 3000 at Haverford Seamus McElligott


Villanova freshman Chris Pietrocarlo led a small contingent of distance runners down Lancaster Pike to compete at Haverford's Seamus McElligott Invitational on Saturday, January 29th. He and fellow frosh Chris O'Sullivan competed in the 3000 meters. Pietrocarlo won outright, in 8:46.74, with O'Sullivan coming fourth in 8:51.75. The complete results are below. In other action at the meet, Richie Bohny won his heat and came 6th overall in the mile, in 4:31.56.

Men's 3000 meters

1 1 Pietrocario, Chris Unattached 8:46.74 -
2 2 Kubiak, Brett FR-1 Gwynedd-Mercy 8:47.50 -
3 3 Watts, John SR-4 Gwynedd-Mercy 8:48.56 -
4 4 O'Sullivan, Chris Unattached 8:51.75 -
5 5 Reynolds, Clay SR-4 Gettysburg 8:53.73 -
6 6 Hahn, Brandon SR-4 Johns Hopkins 8:57.52 -
7 7 Haneman, Pat JR-3 Haverford 8:59.41 -
8 8 Repack, Brenden JR-3 Gettysburg 8:59.95 -
9 9 Greco, Rich SR-4 Elizabethtown 9:00.27 -
10 10 Every, Ronald SR-4 Gwynedd-Mercy 9:01.34 -
11 11 Quinn, Michael FR-1 Widener 9:05.86 -
12 12 Narang, Jatin FR-1 Ursinus 9:07.96 -
13 13 Bregman, Avi FR-1 Haverford 9:08.25 -
14 14 Haswell, Ethan SO-2 Haverford 9:14.53 -
15 15 Budman, Josh SO-2 Johns Hopkins 9:15.78 -
16 17 Hilliard, Ian SR-4 Widener 9:17.72 -
17 18 Cutilli, Ben JR-3 Haverford 9:18.24 -
18 19 Koffer, Jake SO-2 Haverford 9:18.86 -
19 25 Cheng, Derek SR-4 Johns Hopkins 9:26.54 -

Hall Bests Douma-Hussar at Millrose 1500

Sara Hall defeated former Villanova ace Carmen Douma-Hussar on Friday at the Millrose Games Fred Lebow elite 1500. In winning the Fred Lebow 1,500 Meters at the 104th Millrose Games, Sara Hall completed a career double in that event.

Hall, who ten years ago captured the high school 1,500m at Millrose, won the elite version of that race this evening in 4:15.35, with former Villanova standout and World Indoor Champs silver medalist Carmen Douma-Hussar of Canada finishing as the runner-up in 4:16.73 and Heidi Dahl placing third in 4:16.99. It was Hall’s first victory after three runner-up finishes in the event at Millrose.
Fred Lebow Women's 1500

Place Athlete Name Yr Affiliation Time

1 Sara Hall USA 4:15.35
2 Carmen Douma-Hussar CAN 4:16.73
3 Heidi Dahl USA 4:16.99
4 Sara Vaughn USA 4:20.52
5 Lesley Higgins New York AC 4:21.70
6 Renee Tomlin USA 4:24.09
DNF Karen Shinkins IRL

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Rhines & Nicolini to Seek USA Half-Marathon Title Saturday




Former Villanovans Jen Rhines and Kristen Nicolini will be among the top competitors for the USA Half-Marathon title this Saturday in Houston. Rhines is a three-time Olympian, at 5000, 10,000, and marathon. She ran the Houston Half-Marathon back in 2006, coming 5th (first American) in 1:13:27. Rhines was 3rd (1:11:59) at the 2003 USA Half Marathon Championships. Nicolini last ran the race in 2008, finishing in 7th place in 1:12:41. If the past 4-5 years are any indication, it will take a sub 1:12:00 to win this event on Saturday. Here is the story from the USATF.


USA Half Marathon Championships kicks-off 2011 championship season


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INDIANAPOLIS - The USA Running Circuit (USARC) gets underway Saturday with the running of the 2011 USA Half Marathon Championships, presented by Aramco Services Company.


Returning to Houston for the first time since his American Record run in 2007, Ryan Hall (Big Bear Lake, Calif.), headlines a field that includes fellow Olympic marathoner Magdalena Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.) and a host of top U.S. athletes competing for a total prize purse of $59,500.

In addition to the national title, athletes will use 2011 as an opportunity to preview the course that will be used when Houston plays host to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon next January.

Joining Hall in his reconnaissance mission in Houston will be Jorge Torres (Boulder, Colo.), a 2008 Olympian at 10,000 meters; Patrick Smyth (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.), the 2010 Half Marathon Championships runner-up; 2004 Olympian Dan Browne (Chula Vista, Calif.); Jason Lehmkuhle (Minneapolis, Minn.), 2008 Half Marathon runner-up; and Sergio Reyes (Los Osos, Calif.) the 2010 USA Marathon Champion.

The women's race will see 2009 champion Boulet face a deep field that includes 2010 USA Running Circuit champion Katie McGregor (Saint Louis Park, Minn.); three-time Olympian Jen Rhines (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.); 2004 Olympic Trials Marathon champion Colleen De Reuck (Boulder, Colo.); 2010 runner-up Serena Burla (Ellisville, Mo.); and Zoila Gomez (Alamosa, Colo.) and Tera Moody (Colorado Springs, Colo.) the fourth and fifth place finishers from the women's 2008 Olympic Trials Marathon.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Douma-Hussar the 1500 Favorite at Millrose Games



Carmen Douma-Hussar at her best over 1500/mile is superior to Sara Hall, her main competitior at this Friday night's Fred Lebow 1500 at the Millrose Games in New York. Inasmuch as Carmen is running well (evidenced by a sharp five-year indoor best mile last weekend at the Armory), we make her the favorite to win the race. Here is the start list so far for the women's 1500, with indoor 1500 PR for each competitor listed.

Fred Lebow Women's 1500m Start List

Carmen Douma-Hussar (Canada) (1500i PR: 4:08.18 [2004]; SB: 4:12.4 [2011])
Sara Hall (1500i PR: 4:15.0 en route to 4:31.50 mile (2010) SB: na)
Karen Shinkins (Ireland)--pace
Renee Tomlin (1500 outdoor PR: 4:18.46 [2009]; mile indoor PR: 4:47.34 [2010])
Heidi Dahl (1500i PR: 4:17.6 en route to 4:36.99 mile [2010])

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Happy Birthday, Steve Prefontaine



Today would Steve Prefontaine's 60th birthday. Pre's dominance of US distance running during the early 1970s is well known. Perhaps it's bad form on his birthday to highlight two losses, but two ex-Villanova greats beat Prefontaine over 2 miles (Buerkle, 1974, in above photo) and 1 mile (Liquori, 1975) in back-to-back CYO meets at College Park, MD. While the latter might not be terribly surprising, given that Prefontaine was not noted as a miler, Buerkle's defeat of Prefontaine at the 1974 CYO 2 mile championship broke Pre's two-year undefeated streak decisively, 8:26.2 to 8:33.2. Buerkle went on to set an indoor world record over the mile and to make the 1976 (winning the trials) and 1980 US Olympic teams over 5000 meters. The next year, at the 1975 CYO meet in College Park, MD (by which time Liquori had moved up to 5000 meters), Liquori defeated Prefontaine over a mile, with a classic late move. Buerkle was the US #1 ranked 5000 meter runner in 1974 and 1976, while Liquori was US #1 at 5000 in 1975, 1977 (ranked #1 in the world), and 1978.

1974 CYO meet: Buerkle defeats Prefontaine by 7 seconds over 2 miles


1975 CYO meet: Liquori downs Prefontaine over 1 mile

The photo below is from a 1974 meet in Germany, showing Marty Liquori, Tom Fleming, and Dick Buerkle.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Ex-Cat Pros go 2-3-5 at Elite New Balance Mile


Jenny Barringer (now Simpson) took the New Balance Grand Prix Elite mile on Saturday at the Armory, in a world-leading 4:28.60. Three former Villanova greats fared well in the race (see Douma-Hussar and Koons, above). Carmen Douma-Hussar, who has a world indoor silver over 1500 meters in her trophy case, finished second to Barringer (Simpson), running 4:30.88, her best indoor mile since 2006. Recent VU graduate Frances Koons was third in a new PR of 4:31.53, and Marina Muncan was 5th, also in a new PR, in 4:31.84. The race also marked the professional debut of 18-year-old Irish phenom Ciara Mageean (who was heavily recruited by Villanova until she signed an endorsement deal with New Balance earlier this month). Mageean finished in 7th place, in 4:38.81, but set two Irish Junior records in the process. Her en route 1500 time of 4:17.00 broke her own national junior mark by almost 4 seconds, and her mile finishing time broke Anita Philpott's 13-year-old indoor mile time of 4:41.76.


Women 1 Mile Run Elite

1 Simpson, Jen New Balance 4:28.60
2 Douma-Hussar, Carmen New Balance 4:30.88
3 Koons, Frances New Balance 4:31.53 (PR)
4 Stellingwerff, Hilary New Balance 4:31.72
5 Muncan, Marina New Balance 4:31.84 (PR)
6 Wright, Megan New Balance 4:32.51
7 Mageean, Ciara New Balance 4:38.81
8 Buchanan, Dana Speed River TC 4:41.70
9 Cliff, Rachel Speed River TC 4:45.00
10 Martinez, Branda New Balance 4:45.12
11 Green, Nikeya Reebok 4:53.95
-- Higgins, Lesley NYAC pace

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Cats Hit 13 Big East Qualifiers at The Armory



Thirteen Big East automatatic qualifiers were attained Friday night at the Armory's Great Dane Classic, nine on the men's side and four on the women's. The most noteworthy accomplishmsnt of the night belonged to the 1-2-3 finish in the men's 3000 meters. Brian Long (above), Mathew Mildenhall (below), and Hugo Beamish vaulted to the top three spots in the Big east rankings with times of 8:06.59, 8:06.96, and 8:08.58, respectively. The next best time among Big East men is some 13 seconds back. Currently, Long is ranked 6th nationally at 3000, Mildenhall 7th, and Beamish 12th.



Three Cats also qualified for the Big East meet in the mile. Brian Tetreault ran 4:09.99, bettering his previous indoor PR of 4:12.61 from 2010. Jason Apwah went 4:17.00 and Joe LoRusso came across in 4:17.26. They stand 5th, 16th, and 17th on the Big East performance list.
The much anticipated debut of freshman Chris FitzSimons took place in the 1000 meters. FitzSimons came third of 33 runners in 2:27.52, earning a Big East auto qualifier and the 11th best time in the conference so far this indoor season. Joe Capecci was 7th overall in 2:29.01.
The final two men's Big East qualifiers came in the 400 meters. Nicoy Hines (49.46) and Carlton Bowers (49.54) now sit in 7th and 9th places respectively in the conference performance list at that distance.

On the women's side, sprinter Christie Verdier (right) clocked 57.64 over 400 meters, earning an automatic spot in the conference meet. She sits in 11th place on the Big East list. Two automatic qualifier were attained in the women's high jump, with Samantha Yeats (1.75m) winning the event and Audrey Gariepy-Bogui (1.70m) coming third. They sit 4th and 9th in the conference right now. In the pole vault, Ashlyn Llerandi, Villanova's school record holder, won the event by getting over 3.90 meters. She is currently 5th on the conference list.

About one-quarter of the way through the indoor season, Villanova has qualified 37 athletes and 3 relays for the Big East meet. Not counting the relays, among the men, 17 individuals are qualified in 11 events (Hines is qualified at both the 200 and 400). For the women, 20 athletes in 13 events (Ward is qualified at 60, 60H, and 200 meters; Francis at 500 and 800 meters, and Gariepy-Bogui at 60H and the HJ).

Next up on the schedule for both the men and women is the Seamus McElligott meet at nearby Haverford College on Saturday the 29th.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Sam Ellison & Sheila Reid named BE Tracksters of the Week



Freshman Sam Ellison looks to be a rising star in the 800 and, potentially, over 1500. He ran a very nice 1:02.76 500 meters at the Armory last weekend, an auto qualifier for the Big East and IC4A. As posted here below, Sheila Reid ran an NCAA-leading mile at the Armory meet, in 4:41.14. Here is the official announcement from the Big East office.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Three schools were recognized in the latest BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field weekly honors as announced on Wednesday. Villanova swept the Track Athlete of the Week awards, with senior Sheila Reid claiming BIG EAST Female Athlete of the Week and freshman Samuel Ellison notching BIG EAST Male Athlete of the Week. Notre Dame senior Justin Schneider was named BIG EAST Male Field Athlete of the Week and Connecticut junior Victoria Flowers earned BIG EAST Female Field Athlete of the Week.

Ellison was named BIG EAST Male Track Athlete of the Week after finishing first in the 500-meter at the New York Armory on Jan. 15. The freshman finished with an IC4A-qualifying time of 1:02.76, ranking him first in the BIG EAST in the event this season. Ellison also helped the 1,600-meter relay team to a fourth-place finish with a time of 3:22.90.

Schneider garnered BIG EAST Male Field Athlete of the Week after winning the heptathlon at the Bob Eubanks Open on Jan. 13. He bested his own school record in the event, totaling 5,339 points which is also tops in the NCAA and the BIG EAST this season. Schneider won five of the six heptathlon events, placing second only in the 60-meter hurdles.

Reid earned BIG EAST Female Track Athlete of the Week by winning the mile race at the New York Armory on Jan. 15. The 2010 BIG EAST Cross Country champion ran an NCAA season-best time of 4:41.14 to take first-place in the event.

Flowers was named BIG EAST Female Field Athlete of the Week after being named Athlete of the Meet at the New York Armory on Jan. 15. Flowers won both the shot put (15.77 meters) and the weight throw (20.18 meters) to help Connecticut finish first at the meet. Her toss in the shot put was a personal best and ranks second in the BIG EAST and 11th in the nation this season. In the weight throw, her distance of 20.18 meters ranks her second in the BIG EAST and fifth in the nation.

Liquori and Ryun with One to Go



Lots of photos of the 1971 Dream Mile are in circulation. This one, however, is pretty rare. Liquori and Ryun are about to run a last lap of 54.6. Liquori stated afterward that they ran the last lap "like two kids running from the cops." The race went through two laps in 2:03 and Liquori, fearing a sit-and-kick scanario that would play into the hands of Ryun, took off at the start of the third lap. Liquori went 56.7 and 54.6 over laps three and four (1:51.3): one seasoned track fan at the race, upon seeing Liquori burst to the font after lap two, thought that Liquori had miscounted the laps.

click on the photo for a larger version.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

New Balance Grand Prix Women's Mile

Here the start list for the women's mile at this weekend's New Balance Grand Prix, including three former Villanova All-Americans: Carmen Douma-Hussar, Marina Muncan, and Frances Koons. Very deep field should produce a fast race.

Women's Mile

1. Jen Simpson (Barringer) (USA)
2. Carmen Douma-Hussar (Canada)
3. Hilary Stellingwerff (Canada)
4. Lindsay Gallo (USA)
5. Frances Koons (USA)
6. Ciara Mageean (Ireland)
7. Brenda Martinez (USA)
8. Marina Muncan (Serbia)
9. Megan Wright (Canada)
10. Elizabeth Maloy (USA)
11. Nikeya Green (USA)
12. Rachel Cliff (Canada)
13. Dana Buchanan (Canada)
14. Lesley Higgins (USA)

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Curtis and Rhines End 2010 in USA Top 10



The final 2010 rankings are out, via Track and Field News. Bobby Curtis (shown above winning the 2008 NCAA title at 5000 meters) finished 2010 as the #4 ranked US runner at both 5000 and 10,000 meters. In 2010, Curtis went 27:33.38 over 10,000 meters on May 1 at Stanford. Five weeks later, he ran 13:18.97 for 5000 meters in Paris. Jen Rhines, who has been a yearly top-5 US runner at several distances from 3000 to the marathon, was ranked #7 in the US at 5000 meters. She finished 4th over 5000 meters at the USATF outdoor championships in June and ran 15:22.05 in Eugene on July 3. On the roads, Jen finished 2nd at both the US 10K (October in Boston) and 15K (March in Jacksonville) championships. In December, Jen won the Las Vegas Rock 'n Roll half marathon.

Here are the top-10 lists for each relevavnt event.

US Men's 5000 meters
1. Bernard Lagat
2. Chris Solinsky
3. Galen Rupp
4. Bobby Curtis
5. Ed Moran
6. Tim Nelson
7. Dan Huling
8. Brent Vaughn
9. Aaron Braun
10. Matt Tegenkamp

US Men's 10,000 meters
1. Chris Solinsky
2. Galen Rupp
3. Tim Nelson
4. Bobby Curtis
5. Patrick Smyth
6. David Jankowski
7. Scott Bauhs
8. Brent Vaughn
9. Brett Gotcher
10. Ed Moran

Women's 5000 meters
1. Molly Huddle
2. Shalane Flanagan
3. Amy Begley
4. Shannon Rowbury
5. Lisa Koll
6. Lauren Fleshman
7. Jen Rhines
8. Jenny Barringer
9. Desiree Davila
10. Angela Bizzarri

Monday, January 17, 2011

Reid runs NCAA Leading Mile at The Armory



Sheila Reid's opening salvo for the indoor season was an easy vistory in the mile at the New York Road Runners' Saturday Night at the Races - I, held Saturday night in New York. Reid's time of 4:41.14 is the best time in the nation so far in the early stages of the indoor season. The NCAA automatic qualifier for the mile is 4:37.00. Reid's PR over the mile is 4:37.70, set at the Alex Wilson Invitational at Notre Dame in March 2009.

Villanova women in the NCAA Top-50 in their events:

60 meter hurdles (NCAA Auto: 8.14)
38. Shericka Ward....8.54

200 meters (NCAA Auto: 23.20)
45. Shericka Ward....24.60

Mile (NCAA Auto: 4:37.00)
1. Sheila Reid....4:41.14
40. Amanda Marino....4:55.59

High Jump (NCAA Auto: 1.85m)
20. Samantha Yeats....1.74m

Pole Vault (NCAA Auto: 4.30m)
36. Ashlynn Llerandi....3.85m

Friday, January 14, 2011

Sheila Reid One of Ten on Bowerman Award Watch List



Elite Upperclassmen Make Up Bowerman Preseason Women’s Watch List
Courtesy: Tom Lewis, USTFCCCA
January 13, 2011

NEW ORLEANS – A full slate of upperclassmen are represented in the preseason women’s watch list for The Bowerman, the award’s women’s watch committee announced Thursday. The three finalists for collegiate track & field’s top award in 2010 were seniors, and, over the next several months, three different names will come to the forefront, showing themselves as the nation’s elite.

Of the ten final candidates for the award in 2010, only two – Semoy Hackett and Brianne Theisen – return for the initial watch list of the year. In what should be a very interesting year in many event areas, the sprints are seemingly the most intriguing as five of the ten on the watch are sprinters.

THE BOWERMAN OFFICIAL WATCH LIST, PRESEASON 2011 WOMEN
(updated January 13, 2011, listed in alphabetical order)

NAME....YEAR....SCHOOL....EVENTS....HOMETOWN

Joanna Atkins....SR....Auburn....Sprints....Stone Mountain, Ga.

Jessica Beard....SR....Texas A&M....Sprints....Euclid, Ohio

Ti’erra Brown....JR....Miami (Fla.)....Hurdles....Hampton, Va.

Semoy Hackett....JR....LSU....Sprints....Scarborough, Trinidad & Tobago

Amber Kaufman....SR....Hawai’i....Jumps....San Jose, Calif.

Gabby Mayo....JR....Texas A&M....Sprints/Hurdles....Raleigh, N.C.

Sheila Reid....JR....Villanova....Distance....Newmarket, Ontario

Jeneba Tarmoh....JR....Texas A&M....Sprints....San Jose, Calif.

Brianne Theisen....SR....Oregon....Combined Events....Humboldt, Sask.

Kim Williams....SR....Florida State....Jumps....Kingston, Jamaica


Joanna Atkins, Auburn
Senior, Sprints, Stone Mountain, Ga. (Stephenson HS)

Atkins was the 2009 NCAA outdoor champion in the 400-meter dash where she ran a personal best 50.39, a time that stood as a top-12 time in the world for the year. In the 2010 season, Atkins finished fourth indoors and third outdoors in respective NCAA Championships at 400 meters, was SEC outdoor champion in the event, and also scored in the NCAA outdoor meet with Auburn’s 4×100 and 4×400 relay squads.

Jessica Beard, Texas A&M
Senior, Sprints, Euclid, Ohio (Euclid HS)

Beard, who mainly specializes in the 200 and 400 meters, helped the Aggies to a second-straight NCAA team title outdoors in scoring second-place national finishes in the 400 as anchor of the squad’s 4×400. Beard accumulated four Big 12 titles in 2010 and an all-time collegiate best as a member of the Aggie 4×200 that clocked 1:29.42 at the Penn Relays. Beard’s star has shined the brightest on the international stage as she lays claim to four world-championship medals. Most notably, Beard was the third leg of Team USA’s 4×400-meter relay squad that won gold at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin. Beard has also been on two gold-medaling IAAF World Junior Championship 4×400 teams to go with a silver medal won individually in the 400 in 2008.

Ti’erra Brown, Miami (Fla.)
Junior, Hurdles, Hampton, Va. (Hampton HS)

Queen Harrison, 2010 women’s winner of The Bowerman, was the first female in NCAA Division I history to sweep national tiles in both the 100- and 400-meter hurdles. Brown could be the early favorite to be the second. Only Harrison, also an ACC foe, stood in Brown’s way for both titles last year as the then-sophomore was national runner-up in both events last year. Brown sent a call to action after running a then-world leading 54.74 in the NCAA’s 400 hurdle quarterfinals – the time would stand as the 13th best in the world in 2010. Over the summer, Brown, along with a NACAC title, would win each round on the way to a USATF 400-meter hurdle title where she put more than a full second ahead of the rest of the field in the final.

Semoy Hackett, LSU
Sprints, Scarborough, Trinidad & Tobago (Bishop’s HS/Lincoln (Mo.))

In 2010, Hackett won five NCAA Division II titles, set three championship records, and added an all-time Division II best in the 200 with Lincoln University of Missouri. It was quite a year for the Caribbean native. And, with a move to Division I with the transfer to LSU, the stage lights are now a little brighter. At the NCAA DII outdoor meet, Hackett took titles in the 100, 200, and 4×100, all for the second-straight year. In the 200, she ran a championships-meet record and an all-time division best 22.75 in the final to break a 17-year-old standard. The time also stood as the third-best among all collegians in 2010, trailing only 2009 Bowerman finalist Porscha Lucas and current watchlister Jeneba Tarmoh.

Amber Kaufman, Hawai’i
Senior, Jumps, San Jose, Calif. (Branham HS)

Kaufman became Hawai’i’s first national track & field champion in 26 years in winning the high jump at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene. Kaufman was the only to clear 6-1¼ (1.86m) at the national meet to clinch the title. Kaufman was second at the NCAA indoor meet and cleared a season-best 6-3¼ (1.91m) once in each indoor and outdoor seasons. Kaufman’s all-time best is a 6-4 (1.93m) clearance claimed in winning the WAC title in 2009.

Gabby Mayo, Texas A&M
Junior, Sprints/Hurdles, Raleigh, N.C. (Southeast HS)

Mayo is a multi-dimensional athlete, having claimed conference titles and national acclaim in both the short sprints and high hurdles. Last year, Mayo swept Big 12 indoor titles in the 60 dash and 60 hurdles for the second straight year and finished second and fifth, respectively, in those events at the NCAA meet. Outdoors, Mayo was an NCAA qualifier in the 100, 100 hurdles, and in 4×100. However, upon arriving to Eugene for the national finals, Mayo suffered an injury to her quad muscle resulting in her withdrawal. In 2009, she helped A&M claim a collegiate record in the 4×100 (42.36) en route to an NCAA title.

Sheila Reid, Villanova
Junior, Distance, Newmarket, Ontario

Reid is coming off the fall cross country season with individual and team NCAA titles. Reid led the Wildcats to a second-straight NCAA cross country crown with her own national individual title, becoming the first since 1994 to win the individual NCAA title while leading their team to victory. On the track in 2010, Reid finished third in the 3000 at the national indoor meet and followed with a fourth-place showing in the 1500 at the NCAA outdoor meet. Indoors, Reid won Big East titles in the 1000 and mile and added a conference crown in the 800 outdoors.

Jeneba Tarmoh, Texas A&M
Junior, Sprints, San Jose, Calif. (Mt. Pleasant HS/Tennessee)

Tarmoh is another of a number of talented sprinters to watch in 2011. Tarmoh was a top-three finisher at the NCAA indoor meet at 60 meters and at the NCAA outdoor meet in the 100 and 200 in 2010. In addition, Tarmoh led off the NCAA champ Aggie 4×100 squad most of the season in 2010 and was a member of the 4×200 team that set a new collegiate record at the Penn Relays. In addition, Tarmoh swept 100 and 200 titles at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships in May, was a USATF finalist in the 100 in June, and won the NACAC 100-meter title in July. Tarmoh is a three-time international medalist which includes a 100-meter gold earned at the IAAF World Junior Championships in 2008.

Brianne Theisen, Oregon
Senior, Combined Events, Humboldt, Saskatchewan (Humboldt Collegiate Institute)

Theisen won the NCAA heptathlon title for second-straight time in 2010, topping the field by over 400 points for a personal-best and school-record score of 6,094. In addition to also winning the NCAA pentathlon crown indoors, Theisen would lead off the Oregon 4×400-meter squad to a NCAA title last year. Theisen’s all-time best pentathlon score of 4,396, set in 2010, sits as the fourth best among collegians all-time. Theisen has twice won the Pac-10 heptathlon crown, and, in 2009, Theisen was 15th in the same event at the IAAF World Championships.

Kim Williams, Florida State
Senior, Jumps, Kingston, Jamaica (Vere Technical HS)

Williams made quite a mark during the 2010 indoor season in the triple jump. At the NCAA Championships, Williams won her second-consecutive title in the event and could become only the second (Yvette Bates, USC, 1986-88) to win a third with a national crown this March. In winning the ACC indoor crown for a third time, her best leap of 46-8¼ (14.24m) placed her just two centimeters shy of the collegiate record of 46-9 (14.25m). Overall, Williams has won eight ACC crowns and four NCAA titles, which included triple jump indoor-outdoor sweeps in 2009 and a long jump-triple jump outdoor sweep in the same year.

The Bowerman Advisory Board appointed four of its members to comprise The Bowerman Women’s Watch Committee and another four of its members to make up The Bowerman Men’s Watch Committee. The committee will release their next women’s update on Thursday, February 11. The three men and three women finalists will be named late June.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Villanovans Galore at New Balance Boston Meet



Stacked middle distance races highlight the New Balance Grand Prix meet in Boston. Former Villanova stars like Carmen Douma-Hussar, Marina Muncan, Frances Koons (pictured above) will be competing in the invitational mile, as will the one who got away: Irish phenom Ciara Mageean in her lucrative New Balance singlet. Here is the blurb from the Race Results Weekly's David Monti:


NEW BALANCE GAMES TO FEATURE TOP TALENT IN INVITATIONAL EVENTS: The New Balance Games, scheduled at the Armory for Saturday, January 22, will include six invitational events in addition to the central high school program, according to Ian Brooks who coordinates elite athletes for the meeting. "I've got to tell you that this year I've been inundated (with athlete requests)," Brooks, an Englishman, told reporters. Brooks has 14 women lined up for the invitational mile, led by former NCAA star Jenny Simpson, the former Jenny Barringer, who will be making her Armory debut. Others entered in the women's mile include Canadian Olympians Carmen Douma-Hussar and Megan Wright; Ireland's Ciara Mageean, the reigning IAAF World Junior Championships silver medallist at 1500m; Serbia's Marina Muncan, the 2009 World University Games 1500m champion; and Americans Frances Koons, Lindsay Gallo and Brenda Martinez. Brooks will also have an 800m invitational for women, a new event, led by two of the seven USA women who broke two-minutes for that distance last year, Maggie Vessey (1:57.84 PB) and Phoebe Wright (1:58.22). "The new event may be the race of the day," Brooks asserted. The meet will also have invitational 400m races for both men and women, and an invitational mile and 1500m for men.

Happy Birthday, Anthony Tufariello

Anthony Tufariello, a three-time NCAA champion for Villanova in the late 1970s, is 52 years old today.

Tufariello entered Villanova as the New York state high school record holder over 400 meters when he ran 46.09 in 1977 for Hewlett High School on Long Island. While running for Villanova, Tufariello was a five-time champion at the Penn Relays (4 x 800 meters in 1978 and 1979, the DMR in 1978 and 1980, and the sprint medley relay in 1980). He was a four-time IC4A champion (4 x 400 meter relay in 1978 and 1979 outdoors, and the mile relay in 1978 and 1979 indoors). At NCAA outdoor nationals in 1978, it was a Keith Brown-to-Anthony Tufariello-to-Glenn Bogue-to-Tim Dale relay squad that captured the national title in the 4 x 400 meter relay. At the 1979 NCAA indoor championships, Tufariello added two more national titles. Individually, Tufariello won the 600 yard dash in 1:09.41 and was part of the Keith Brown-to-Derek Harbour-to-Anthony Tufariello-to-Tim Dale mile relay national championship quartet.

Tufariello graduated from Villanova as part of the school record mile relay team (along with Brown, Bogue and Dale). At that time, he was the school record holder at 500 meters, was second on the deep list behind Larry James at 600 yards, fourth all-time (behind Mark Belger, Don Paige, and Ken Schappert) over 800 meters, and 5th all-time (behind Larry James, Tim Dale, Charlie Jenkins, and Glenn Bogue) over 400 meters/440 yards.

After Villanova, Tufariello earned his MBA degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and worked for twenty-one years at Morgan Stanley bank. Since 2008 he has been a Managing Director at Fortress Investment Fund in New York City.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Blincoe is Poster Boy for New Balance Boston Meet



Four ex-Villanova aces -- Adrian Blincoe, Frances Koons, Carmen Douma-Hussar, and Marina Muncan -- are sponsored by New Balance, which is now the title sponsor for what used to be the Boston Indoor Games. The meet's new title is the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix (see poster above, with Blincoe at bottom right) and is scheduled for the weekend of February 5. Look for Blincoe, Koons, Douma-Hussar, and Muncan to be among those on the start lists.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Vaulters Llerandi and Logoyda get Big East Qualifiers



Villanova sent a small contingent of field athletes to the Delaware Invitational in Newark on Friday last. School record holder Ashlyn Llerandi (Ridgewood, NJ) won the polevault competition, getting over at 12' 1.5". Soph Kim Logoyda (Randolph, NJ) was second (11' 5.75"), matching her PR. Both vaults were Big East conference meet qualifers.

Frosh Samantha Yeats (Califon, NJ) won the high jump, at 5' 5".

Next up for both men and women is a Friday indoor meet at the Armory in NYC.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Happy Birthday, Tom Donnelly




Tom Donnelly, Villanova great and famed coach at Haverford College, is 64 years old today. He is the reigning NCAA Division III cross country coach of the year, as his Fords won the NCAA cross country team championship in November.

Donnelly was a key to three cross country national titles for Villanova in 1966, 1967, and 1968. He was an all-american twice in cross (when the criteria were more onerous than they are today), and achieved all-american status on the track as well (he was an NCAA finalist three times in the steeple: 1967: 8th, 1968: 4th, and 1969: 3rd). He guided the professional running careers of, among others, Sydney Maree (who at one point after running 13:01 had the third fastest 5000 meter time in history) and Marcus O'Sullivan (who won three world championships over 1500 meters and ran 101 sub-4:00 miles).

As a prep star, Donnelly ran for LaSalle College High School in Philadelpia and won three Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) individual cross country titles (1962, 1963, and 1964) at 33rd and Dauphin. He won Eastern States as a high school senior, and in so doing set a course record at famed Van Cortlandt Park. After his Villanova career, Donnelly entered coaching and led Archbishop Wood to a Catholic League cross country title in 1969. He then returned to his alma mater LaSalle High School and promptly led the Explorers to two PCL cross titles (1971 and 1972). I had the honor of being the worst runner on one of Donnelly's last teams at LaSalle. One of Donnelly's former Haverford runners (Greg Bielecki) is now head coach at LaSalle.

Donnelly left LaSalle and filled the opening at Haverford College 36 years ago. His program at Haverford (see video below) has produced the only Division III sub-4:00 miler (Karl Paranya: 3:57.6 in 1997), 25 individual NCAA champions, an NCAA champion relay team, and his recent NCAA champion cross country squad of 2010. Over 120 All-American certificates have been won by his runners. He invests his coaching talents evenly, from those at the head of his teams to those at the back.




Thanks to Walt Chadwick of www.runmoremiles.com for permission to use the photo on Donnelly at the head of this post. It shows Donnelly en route to winning the 1969 IC4A steeple. Click on the photo for a super-sized version.

Preseason Indoor T&F Rankings: Women #11, Men #59



The USTFCCA has released its preseason indoor track national rankings. These rankings are performance estimates -- based on last season's PRs. Given the methodology, at this stage the rankings do not accommodate any contributions that may be made by freshman (such as Emily Lipari, Chris FitzSimons, and Sam McEntee), or transfers (such as Ryan Sheridan). The Villanova women are ranked #11 overall, based on the national rankings of these individuals:

Sheila Reid (9:01.13): #1 at 3000 meters
Bogdana Mimic (9:07.96): #3 at 3000 meters
Ali Smith (9:16.62): #10 at 3000 meters
Amanda Marino (9:27.05): #31 at 3000 meters
Christie Verdier (54.20): #34 at 400 meters
Shericka Ward (23.85): #31 at 200 meters
Sherika Ward (8.30): #13 at 60 meter hurdles
Ashlyn Llerandi (4.11m): #16 at polevault
DMR (11:02.83): #4

The Villanova men are ranked 59th, generating points only from its #8 DMR team.

Here is where the Big East Conference teams are pre-season ranked:

Big East Men
43. Syracuse
59. Villanova
60. Georgetown
63. Louisville
75. Connecticut
77. Seton Hall
86. Notre Dame
105. DePaul
115. Rutgers
117. Providence
138. Pittsburgh

Big East Women
8. West Virginia
11. Villanova
18. Louisville
21. Georgetown
42. Connecticut
61. St. John's
95. DePaul
99. Syracuse
100. Notre Dame
116. South Florida
129. Cincinnati
132. Seton Hall
137. Pittsburgh

For the complete team-by-team rankings and assessments, click the title of this post.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

The Ciara Mageean Sweepstakes are Over | Irish Ace Inks Mega-Deal with New Balance

The so-called "next Sonia O'Sullivan" will not be coming to the States for university. Today the Irish phenom signed a three-year six-figure sponsorship deal with New Balance. Here is the BBC story posted today.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

The Villanova Women at NCAA Cross Country Nationals: A Complete History



The NCAA initiated women’s national competition in Cross Country only in 1981. Since the introduction of this sport at the NCAA division 1 level, Villanova has been the most dominant program in the nation. It has more team champions (9) and more individual national champions (8) than another other school. The first Villanova woman to cross a finish line at the NCAA national meet was Jan Yerkes, running at-large in 1982. The Villanova women qualified its first team to compete at cross nationals in 1983, when it finished 14th. Who has been the best Villanova woman harrier in the history of the program? Consider these four women:
(1) Carole Zajac won two individual titles (1992 and 1993), was national runner-up in 1991 – behind O’Sullivan – and was 14th overall as a frosh. In 2005, the NCAA selected Zajac as the Most Outstanding Student-Athlete in cross country for the past quarter century. Four years at Nationals: 14-2-1-1
(2) Sonia O’Sullivan is Villanova’s only other two-time individual national champion (1990 and 1991) and was 26th overall in 1989. Three years at Nationals: 26-1-1
(3) Jen Rhines won the individual title in 1994 and has two additional top 3 finishes (2nd overall in 1993 – behind Zajac – and 3rd overall in 1995). Four years at nationals: 98-2-1-3
(4) Carrie Tollefson won an individual title in 1997 and has three additional top 11 finishes. Four years at Nationals: 7-5-1-11

Below is a complete history of every Villanova woman to compete at the NCAA cross country national meet (individual places are overall, not team, places).

Villanova Women’s NCAA Championship XC Teams
1. 1989
2. 1990
3. 1991
4. 1992
5. 1993
6. 1994
7. 1998
8. 2009
9. 2010

Villanova Women’s NCAA Individual XC Champions (6 women with 8 titles)
1. Vicki Huber: 1989
2. Sonia O’Sullivan: 1990 and 1991
3. Carole Zajac: 1992 and 1993
4. Jen Rhines: 1994
5. Carrie Tollefson: 1997
6. Sheila Reid: 2010 and 2011

Villanova at the NCAA XC Nationals

1982
Team: n.a.
46. Jan Yerkes
67. Mary Ellen McGowan

1983
Team: 14th (337 places)
21. Mary Ellen McGowan
86. Lauren Searby
108. Melissa Grub
112. Kathleen Redden
116. Lisa Polzinetti
131. Patty Bradley

1984
Team: 9th (256 places)
30. Lauren Searby
51. Mary Ellen McGowan
68. Vickie Brown
95. Melissa Grub
106. Coleen Gallagher
110. Lisa Polzinetti
125. Mary Pat Parducci

1985
Team: 16th (341 places)
52. Lauren Searby
75. Vicki Huber
98. Lisa Polzinetti
108. Dolores Carapella
118. Maureen Breen
128. Jennifer Rahn
DNF. Kathy Franey

1986
Team: 13th (279 places)
29. Vicki Huber
45. Gina Procaccio
94. Dolores Carapella
102. Lauren Searby
113. Ruth Lockbaum
117. Dina Alborano
123. Meg Moisen

1987
Team: n.a.
9. Vicki Huber
55. Kathy Franey

1989 ** National Champions **
Team: 1st (99 places)
1. Vicki Huber ** Individual Champion **
12. Kathy Franey
26. Sonia O’Sullivan
50. Kim Certain
56. Cheri Goddard
83. Kate Fonshell
182. Nnenna Lynch

1990 ** National Champions **
Team: 1st (82 places)
1. Sonia O’Sullivan ** Individual Champion **
14. Carole Zajac
25. Kate Fonshell
28. Cheri Goddard
38. Nnenna Lynch
42. Carol Haux
98. Michele Torelli

1991 ** National Champions **
Team: 1st (85 places)
1. Sonia O’Sullivan **Two-Time Individual Champion **
2. Carole Zajac
12. Nnenna Lynch
31. Cheri Goddard
68. Carol Haux
92. Michele Torelli
104. Chris Gentile

1992 ** National Champions **
Team: 1st (123 places)
1. Carole Zajac ** Individual Champion **
3. Nnenna Lynch
7. Cheri Goddard
60. Becky Spies
87. Megan Flowers (transfers to Arkansas; 8th in 1993 and 4th in 1994)
98. Jennifer Rhines
111. Irene Ruopoli

1993 ** National Champions **
Team: 1st (66 places)
1. Carole Zajac ** Two-Time Individual Champion **
2. Jennifer Rhines
7. Becky Spies
31. Tosha Woddard
48. Emer Molloy
155. Stacy Robinson

1994 ** National Champions **
Team: 1st (75 places)
1. Jennifer Rhines ** Individual Champion **
3. Becky Spies
21. Krestena Sullivan
23. Tosha Woddard
54. Emer Molloy
69. Stacy Robinson
173. Cara Salibrici

1995
Team: 3rd (151 places)
3. Jennifer Rhines
7. Carrie Tollefson
20. Krestena Sullivan
26. Kristine Jost
125. Stacy Robinson
179. Kathleeen Kelly
182. Samra Lee

1996 ** National Runners-Up **
Team: 2nd (106 places)
4. Kristine Jost
5. Carrie Tollefson
11. Krestena Sullivan
44. Carmen Douma
81. Jurga Marcinkeviciute
134. Sarah Brandy
155. Tamieka Grizzle

1997
Team: n.a.
1. Carrie Tollefson ** Individual Champion **
6. Carmen Douma

1998 ** National Champions **
Team: 1st (106 places)
11. Carrie Tollefson
12. Sarah Goodman
17. Kristen Nicolini
21. Carmen Douma
69. Kristine Jost
81. Ann McGranahan
245. Lony’e Johnson

1999
Team: 21st (462 places)
24. Carmen Douma
55. Liz Awtrey
108. Kristen Nicolini
193. Ann McGranahan
197. Sheila Klick
244. Lony’e Johnson
249. Geraldine McCarthy

2000
Team: 20th (482 places)
65. Liz Awtrey
108. Ann McGranahan
140. Rebecca Mitchell
155. Renee Gunning
171. Geraldine McCarthy
202. Carre Joyce
216. Meghan Courtney

2001
Team: 24th (560 places)
95. Kalin Toedebusch
103. Renee Gunning
110. Rebecca Mitchell
180. Carre Joyce
209. Ioana Parusheva
240. Claudine Evangelista

2002
Team: 8th (256 places)
35. Marina Muncan
44. Ioana Parusheva
67. Kalin Toedebusch (transfers to Colorado; 38th in 2003 and 85th in 2005)
83. Rebecca Mitchell
116. Liz Gesel
217. Carre Joyce
227. Kirsty Smith

2003
Team: 11th (380 places)
17. Marina Muncan
19. Ioana Parusheva
128. Rebecca Mitchell
136. Juliette Kenny
174. Colleen Taylor
194. Kirsty Smith
235. Carre Joyce

2004
Team: 7th (277 places)
8. Marina Muncan
37. Ioana Parusheva
82. Liz Gesel
93. Kirsty Smith
162. Colleen Taylor
177. Frances Koons
227. Bridget Akard

2005
Team: 21st (497 places)
23. Marina Muncan
65. Frances Koons
164. Akilah Vargas
183. Liz Gesel
196. Ellen Dougherty
239. Bridget Akard
242. Casey Nelson

2006
Team: n.a.
87. Frances Koons

2007
Team: n.a.
148. Sheila Reid

2008
Team: 6th (248 places)
20. Frances Koons
35. Amanda Marino
67. Bogdana Mimic
92. Kaitlyn Tallman
101. Callie Hogan
134. Sarah Morrison
220. Ali Smith

2009 ** National Champions **
Team: 1st (86 places)
6. Amanda Marino
13. Sheila Reid
22. Bogdana Mimic
24. Ali Smith
30. Nicole Schappert
60. Brooke Simpson
98. Kaitlyn Tallman

2010 ** National Champions **
Team: 1st (120 places)
1. Sheila Reid ** Individual Champion **
10. Amanda Marino
24. Ali Smith
27. Bogdana Mimic
94. Emily Lipari
239. Sarah Morrison
243. Callie Hogan