Tuesday, January 31, 2012

John Coghlan Joins Father Eamonn in the Sub 4:00 Miler Club



John Coghlan, Eamonn Coghlan's son who was briefly on Villanova's recruiting radar a few years ago before deciding to stay in Ireland and run at Dublin City University, has run a sub-4:00 mile, running 3:59.32 at the Terrier Classic in Boston. As a result, the father-son Coghlans now join the Browns, Centrowitzes, Keinos and Bairs as the only father-son sub-four minute milers in history. Interestingly, John ran his first sub-4:00 mile at Boston University's track, less than two miles from the track at Harvard University where his father Eamonn recorded his final sub-4:00 mile (at the age of 41).

The father-son sub-4:00 miler duos (with their initial sub-4:00 mile time listed) are:


3:54.16 Kip Keino 08/30/65
3:58.73 Martin Keino 06/04/94


3:58.7 Sam Bair 06/23/67
3:59.72 Sam Bair, Jr. 02/13/10


3:58.8 Barry Brown 05/13/72
3:59.99 Darren Brown 04/05/03


3:59.2 Matt Centrowitz 05/24/75
3:57.92 Matt Centrowitz, Jr. 02/14/09


3:56.2 Eamonn Coghlan 5/10/75
3:59.32 John Coghlan 01/28/12


Sheila Reid Wins Philly Outstanding Amateur Athlete Award (Again!)



Villanova’s Sheila Reid wins Outstanding Amateur Athlete at Philadelphia Sports Writers Banquet
By TERRY TOOHEY
ttoohey@journalregister.com

CHERRY HILL, N.J. — Neither a cold nor a late class could keep Villanova’s Sheila Reid from making it to the 108th annual Philadelphia Sports Writers banquet on time Monday night.

Reid and Villanova women’s coach Gina Procaccio arrived at the Crowne Plaza Hotel just in time for the start of the festivities. What else would you expect from an athlete who has become famous for her last-minute kick? Besides, being the first female to be named Outstand Amateur Athlete in back-to-back is a big deal to the 11-time All-American from Newmarket, Ont. She wasn’t about to miss the banquet for the world, even though she was in the infirmary at Villanova Sunday night and had a late Italian class Monday.

“I feel I’ve grown really close to the whole Philadelphia sports community,” said Reid, the first back-to-back winner of the award since golfer Jay Sigel in 1982-83. “While I won’t be able to represent Villanova after this year, it’s kind of nice to know that I can come back to Penn Relays and have some connection to Philadelphia.”

Reid will go down as one of the best runners in Villanova history and that’s saying something. She won her second straight NCAA individual cross country title last November. Five months earlier, Reid became the first woman to win the 1,500- and 5,000-meter titles in the same year at the NCAA Championships. Along the way, Reid has been named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Year twice, National Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a four-time Big East academic all-star.

Yet for all of her accomplishments and awards, one thing is missing from her resume. She has not won a Penn Relays title, either as an individual or as part of a relay team. She will get one last chance to break that drought when the 118th Penn Relays Carnival gets under way April 26 at Franklin Field.

“Oh man, it’s a monkey on my back,” Reid said. “It’s pretty crazy that with all the success that I’ve had an the team has had I still can’t seem to tie down a Penn Relay’s wheel, but we’re working on it this year and we’re going to get it together for sure this year.”

Reid has more than a Penn Relays wheel on her wish list. She’s also training for a spot on the Canadian Olympic team. She will get that opportunity at the Canadian Olympic team trials are June 27-30 in Alberta.

“I’ll be there,” she said. “I have to run really fast for them to want me on that team, but I’m looking forward to it. I think I’m setting myself up for a really good opportunity.”

Monday, January 30, 2012

McEntee & Ward Highlight Cats at Penn State National

The big news from the weekend meet at Penn State was the NCAA automatic qualifier in the mile for sophomore Sam McEntee. McEntee broke the 4:00 barrier, running 3:57.86 in only his fourth ever competitive mile (see video of race in previous post below). He did so 6 days short of his 20th birthday, becoming Villanova's 29th sub-4:00 miler (fellow Aussie Matt Gibney was the 28th on Villanova's list when he went 3:58 in Seattle last February). Among Western Australians, only the legendary Herb Elliott (3:54.5) has run a faster mile. McEntee's time places him #25 on the all-time Australian mile list, one spot ahead of John Landy. He is currently ranked #5 on the 2012 NCAA performance list at that distance.





All-Time Mile Performance List, Australia

1. 3.48.98 Craig Mottram Oslo, Norway 29 Jul 05
2. 3.49.91 Simon Doyle Oslo, Norway 6 Jul 91
3. 3.51.25 Jeff Riseley Oslo, Norway 3 Jul 09
4. 3.51.82 Mike Hillardt Koblenz, Germany 28 Aug 85
5. 3.52.24 Ryan Gregson London, GBR 13 Aug 10
6. 3.53.24 Mark Fountain Sheffield, GBR 21 Aug 05
7. 3.53.58 Pat Scammell Melbourne 7 Feb 91
8. 3.54.30 Collis Birmingham London, GBR 25 Jul 09
9. 3.54.5 Herb Elliott Dublin, Ireland 6 Aug 58
10. 3.55.05 Jeremy Roff London, GBR 25 Jul 09
11. 3.55.2 Ken Hall Goteborg, Sweden 12 Aug 75
12. 3.55.59 Graham Crouch Stockholm, Sweden 1 Jul 74
13. 3.55.75 Scott Petersen Melbourne 20 Feb 97
14. 3.55.9 Merv Lincoln Dublin,Ireland 6 Aug 58
15. 3.56.23 Youcef Abdi Eugene,USA 24 May 03
16. 3.56.27 Lachlan Chisholm Brisbane 6 May 05
17. 3.56.52 Andrew Lloyd London,GBR 27 May 90
18. 3.56.59 Steve Foley Dublin, Ireland 10 Jul 79
19. 3.56.8 Peter Fuller Melbourne 9 Jan 74
20. 3.57.12 Holt Hardy Melbourne 25 Feb 98
21. 3.57.27 Mitch Kealey London, GBR 25 Jul 08
22. 3.57.3 Chris Fisher Eugene, USA 18 May 75
23. 3.57.53 Peter Bourke London, GBR 11 Jul 86
24. 3.57.79 Steve Austin Melbourne 14 Jan 82
25. 3:57.86 Sam McEntee State College, USA 28 Jan 12


Also of note was senior Shericka Ward's PR in the 60 meter hurdles. Her time of 8.25 places her at #10 in the NCAA so far this season. The NCAA automatic qualifier in the 60H is 8.10 She is also currently ranked #27 in the NCAA at 200 meters.

Sam Ellison ran a 1:49.37 PR over 800 meters at Penn State, placing him at #16 on the NCAA performance list. In the same event, Chris FitzSimons continued his steady recovery of fitness after injury. His 1:51.06 (NCAA #42) over the weekend portends good things over the next two months.

Freshman Courtney Chapman and sophomore Emily Lipari both cracked the NCAA top 50 in the 3000 meters. Chapman ran 9:31.21 (NCAA #47), while Lipari's 9:32.05 sits at NCAA #50. Lipari's 4:42.35 mile from the January 20th Albany Great Dane meet at the Armory ranks her 21st in the NCAA at that distance.

The men's DMR team of Chris O'Sullivan (2:59), Cory Serfoss (50.5), Chris FitzSimons (1:52), and Brian Tetreault (4:06) was fourth at the Penn State meet, in 9:48.64 (almost 18 seconds slower than the NCAA auto qualifier). That time currently is the 9th fastest in the country. When push comes to shove, we expect Tetreault to replace O'Sullivan in the 1200 meter opening leg, and newly minted 3:57 miler Sam McEntee to be placed in the 1600 anchor.

Also on the men's side, four men competed over 3000 meters. Brian Long, running unattached, was the second fastest competitor of the day, running 8:11.12. Rob Denault (also unattached) went 8:23.51 to win his heat. Joe LoRusso ran 8:23.85 and Alex Tully came home in 8:26.92. The NCAA auto qualifier is 7:52.80.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Sam McEntee Goes Sub-4 with 3:57.86 at Penn State



Sam McEntee celebrated his 20th birthday a few days early today at the Penn State National Invitational by crushing the 4:00 barrier in the mile. In only his fourth mile race ever, McEntee, a sophomore from Perth, Australia, finished third in the invitational mile, in 3:57.86. That is an NCAA nationals automatic qualifier for McEntee. He is Villanova's 29th sub-4:00 miler and -- along with Matt Gibney -- the second Villanova runner from Australia to break that magical 4:00 barrier in the last 11 months.









Event 25  Men 1 Mile Run Inv
================================================================
Facility Rec: F 3:57.97 2011 Cory Leslie, Ohio State
Meet Record: M 3:57.97 2011 Cory Leslie, Ohio State
NCAA Auto: A 3:57.90
PSU Record: * 3:58.49 2011 Ryan Foster
Name Year School Finals
================================================================
Finals
1 See, Jeff Saucony 3:56.51A
2 Leslie, Cory JR Ohio State 3:56.85A
3 McEntee, Sam SO Villanova 3:57.86A
4 Springer, Andrew SO Georgetown 4:01.17
5 Dawson, Owen Unattached 4:01.37
6 Mahoney, Travis JR Temple 4:02.40
7 Kostelac, Anthony SO Virginia 4:05.12
8 Fallon, Chris JR Ohio State 4:06.43
9 Gilland, Taylor SO Virginia 4:06.45
10 Peavey, Bobby SO Georgetown 4:07.12
11 Guarino, Nick Unattached 4:09.93
12 Kaddurah, Omar FR Georgetown 4:10.44
13 Guarino, Josh Unattached 4:11.67
14 Furcht, Ben SO Georgetown 4:11.76
15 Burnett, Clay Unattached 4:12.70
16 Fuller, Brian Unattached 4:14.33
17 Baker, Colin SO Penn State 4:17.90
18 Cunningham, Michael SR Penn 4:20.85
-- Endress, Wade FR Penn State DNF
-- Foster, Ryan P F G DNF

Friday, January 27, 2012

March 1980 Sports Illustrated Profile of Jumbo Elliott


Nobody's Bigger Than Jumbo
Sports Illustrated, March 10, 1980
Rick Telander

For 45 years, James Francis Elliott has been coach of track at Villanova, bringing home more silverware than he knows what to do with. And it's only a part-time job

This raw, wintry day James Francis (Jumbo) Elliott, 64, the Philadelphia millionaire, drives rather than walks through the yard of Elliott and Frantz, Inc. heavy-equipment sales company. A light snow has turned the back lot into a quagmire. "We plan to have it repaved next summer," Jumbo says apologetically. Elliott's car creeps past the monsters that are his stock-in-trade: fluorescent-green, 35-ton Euclid trucks, cherry-red Drott cranes, taxicab-yellow Fiat-Allis loaders— dense, inert vehicles nesting in the ooze. "The really big ones come on semis and are assembled here," says Jumbo. "Some of the tires alone are 10 feet high."

Elliott walks into his office, sits down at the desk and hums as he rubber-stamps his name on $26,000 worth of payroll checks. He comes in for only a few hours a day now, and signing checks is one of his duties. Nowadays the business runs largely on its own momentum, but that wasn't always the case. "God, no," says Jumbo, a gentleman in all things, but one who uses a dash of blasphemy for effect. Fifty years ago he was a stock boy in a grocery store in Philadelphia's Shanty-town; 35 years ago he was a foreman of a small construction company; 25 years ago he was a salesman for the company; later he became a partner in it; and eight years ago he bought out his partner. Now there are Elliott and Frantz franchises in three states, with 140 employees and annual sales of $25 million. On the walls of Elliott's office are photographs of athletes running and a painting of a great, somber, bearded man—God, obviously—peering out of the clouds and obviously displeased as a golfer moves his ball from behind a bush. Golf is one of Jumbo's passions. In 1934 and '35 he was captain of Villanova University's golf team. He was undefeated in his intercollegiate career, and he was urged to join the pro tour after graduation. Now Elliott belongs to several country clubs around Philadelphia and owns a condominium near the 13th hole of the Seminole golf course in Juno Beach, Fla.

A lean, almost gaunt man with a fleshy face that seems meant for a heavier frame, Jumbo is reputed to have a mighty tee shot still. "A friend of mine always said he'd bet I could outdrive anybody else who had wrists as skinny as mine," he says. Jumbo holds out his wrists and they are indeed narrow, delicate, decidedly un-Jumbo-like. (The "Jumbo" handle was not acquired for anatomical reasons. It was picked up in the 1930s; a man named Jumbo Jim Elliott pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies then. "Since I was a "Jim Elliott" too, I got the name and it stuck," he says.)

Jumbo's eldest son, James Elliott Jr., 33, vice-president/general manager of Elliott and Frantz, enters the office and pulls a pitching wedge from the bag of clubs behind his father's desk. Another son, Tom, 29, also works at Elliott and Frantz, as a vice-president. As James Jr. practices his backswing, he and his father discuss the political problems in Afghanistan and Iran.

World affairs are of more than passing interest to the Elliotts these days—one of their sales agents in Iran disappeared for a while during the revolution there. Upon resurfacing, the agent informed the company that $50,000 worth of their tractor parts were in the hands of the new government.

"Are we going to get caught on that?" Jumbo asks now.

"I already wrote it off," says Jim Jr., "but I've heard we might eventually get paid by some West German bank. You don't mind if we get it in Deutschmarks, do you, Dad?"

Jumbo chuckles. Such relatively small amounts of money are not terribly important to him at this stage in his career.

It is nearly three o'clock now and Jumbo is finishing work for the day. He gets into his Cadillac to drive the short distance to Villanova University, the small (enrollment 6,075), private, Catholic Church-affiliated university from which he graduated 45 years ago. It is at Villanova University, on Philadelphia's fashionable Main Line, that Elliott engages in what has been his "hobby" for four and a half decades. Like a comic book hero emerging from a phone booth, Jumbo, the successful businessman, family man, amateur golfer and lifetime Philadelphian, steps out of his car in the school's parking lot and takes on a new identity—that of the most successful collegiate track coach in history.

Indeed, if coaching achievement were measured in business terms, Jumbo Elliott would be no mere millionaire, but a Rockefeller, a Howard Hughes. In the last 25 years his Villanova track and cross-country teams have won almost 50 major championships, indoors and out: eight NCAA, three AAUs, one USTFF and 38 IC4As (the 105-member Eastern track association). During his tenure 300 Villanova athletes have won individual or relay championships at IC4A meets, 74 have won them at the NCAAs, 63 at the AAUs. Last spring Villanova won its 71st relay title since 1955 at the prestigious Penn Relays, far outdistancing the host team, the University of Pennsylvania, as the all-time leader.

Jumbo has coached 25 Olympians, who have won six gold and three silver medals. Either while at Villanova or afterward, 18 of his athletes have set outdoor world records and 44 have set world indoor marks. Last season alone, junior Don Paige set a world indoor record for an 11-lap track at 1,000 yards (2:05.3); sophomore Anthony Tufariello established an NCAA indoor mark in the 600 (1:09.5); sophomore Sydney Maree, from South Africa, set a national collegiate record in the 1,500 meters (3:38.2) and an outdoor NCAA mark in the 5,000 (13:20.7); and alumnus Eamonn Coghlan shattered the world indoor mile record with a time of 3:52.6. The record Coghlan broke (3:54.9) was held by another former Villanova runner, Dick Buerkle.

Jumbo admits to having a fondness for middle-distance men. Indeed, he has coached 16 Villanova athletes who have broken four minutes in the mile, a feat roughly akin to having coached 16 All-America halfbacks. One of those, Ron Delany of Ireland, won the Olympic gold in the 1,500 in 1956. Others, such as Marty Liquori, Frank Murphy, Buerkle and Coghlan, have been in the forefront of world-class miling over the last decade. The 1980 Villanova squad has four runners—Paige, Maree, Dean Childs and Amos Korir of Kenya—who have clocked sub-four-minute miles. Two others, Kevin Dillon from Canada and Carey Pinkowski, should break four minutes soon.

This is not to say that Elliott ignores his sprinters and field men. Eight of the nine Olympic medals won by Villanovans have been taken by sprinters (Charley Jenkins, Paul Drayton, Larry James), a hurdler (Erv Hall) and a pole vaulter (Don Bragg).

And the juggernaut continues to roll. Last year's Villanova team won the IC4A Indoor Championships for the 16th time and the NCAA Indoor Championships for the third time. In May, Villanova finished second to the University of Texas at El Paso in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. All but four members of that team are back this year. "Jumbo's had the horses before, but he's got depth now. This may be his best team ever," says James, gold medalist in the 4 x 400-meter relay and a silver medalist in the 400 in the 1968 Olympics and now the track coach at Stockton ( N.J.) State College, where Bragg is the athletic director.

Just as important to the school as Elliott's stats, however, is his very presence on campus. Without a man who could afford to coach for the love of it, Villanova quite possibly would not have a track program at all, let alone the success it enjoys. Like all private colleges today, the school is beset with financial problems.

"We're marginal," says the Rev. John M. Driscoll, Villanova's president. "To be honest, no sport is financially viable here. But in a competitive business like ours it is important to keep your school's name in the forefront. And the most fantastic press we get, year in and year out, comes from Jumbo and his teams. If it weren't for him and his peculiar genius, things would be very much different here."

For the record, Elliott now receives $10,000 a year from Villanova. When he first started coaching, as an undergraduate scholarship quarter-miler in 1934, he, of course, did not receive a paycheck. (He also coached the golf team as an undergrad because "there was nobody to do that, either.") After graduation his salary was established at $200 for six months of coaching—indoor and outdoor track and golf. "You've got to remember that this was only something I was doing after work," Jumbo points out.

After World War II, in which Elliott became a lieutenant commander in the Navy, his fee leaped to $2,500. For this he coached track, golf and cross-country and served as the trainer for the Villanova football team. "I got by fine," he says. "I'd found that in the heavy-construction business a lot of managers were in their offices at 6:30, 7 in the morning. By starting early I could make four good calls before the average salesman even got on the road. My territory was the Main Line, with two or three accounts in the city—nothing farther than 25 miles from Villanova. I never had any trouble making it to school by three in the afternoon."

In the late '40s the young businessman's track teams began to be noticed. Jumbo's first stars were George Guida and Browning Ross, both of whom qualified for the 1948 Olympics—Guida in the 400, Ross in the steeplechase. In 1950 Elliott coached a witty, balding youth named Fred Dwyer, now the track coach at Manhattan College in New York, who ran a 4:00.8 mile. In 1954 Jumbo coached his first black runner, Jenkins—who would win two gold medals (4 x 400 relay and 400) at the 1956 Olympics while only a sophomore at Villanova.

A dynasty was beginning, and Elliott decided it was time to look for on-the-job help. He went to the university to see about hiring an assistant. Money, as always, stood in the way. Undaunted, Jumbo went out and hired an assistant coach at $5,000 a year, double his own salary. The assistant, Jim Tuppeny, later became track coach at Penn. "I was making big goddamn bucks selling, then," Jumbo explains. "So I just paid the assistant myself. It was a tax write-off, nothing."

Finally, in 1969, the university, perhaps out of embarrassment at having what was probably the lowest-paid major-power track coach in the nation, demanded that Elliott accept a salary of $10,000. The move was made largely to set a precedent. "In case," as Jumbo puts it, "they might have to hire another coach after I'm gone."

But Elliott did not need, or particularly want, the extra cash. As an officer of the Villanova Development Council he promptly gave all (much more than all, is the rumor) of the raise back to the school. "If I ever had to quit coaching it would tear my heart out," he says. "I like people. I love track men. Obviously, I didn't get into it for the money."

It is this generosity toward his alma mater that annoys some of the other coaches. "The man has a name like Lombardi in football," groans Frank Sevigne, the track coach at the University of Nebraska. "But what's really so irritating is that Jumbo is that successful, and it's only part time."

Jumbo walks down the hall of the aging Villanova field house, one of those drafty brick and tile structures that undoubtedly looked modern back when basketball players wore high-tops and the running one-hander was considered radical. Clad in a three-piece business suit, white shirt, dark tie and black wingtips, he is himself a throwback to another, less jivey era. Medallions, flowered disco shirts and leisure suits will remain the province of other, hipper coaches. Elliott, the old-school Irish Catholic, believes in dignity as he knows it. "Do you remember how John Wooden used to coach at UCLA?" he asks. "Every now and then he'd stand up, and once or twice he'd say something. I understand that. These new coaches—particularly in basketball—my God, they're madmen."

At times—such as when he is standing still, deep in thought—Jumbo looks older than he is, somewhat pale and fragile. But his speedy, long-limbed gait is an indication that youth still lurks within. Split high, like a good hurdler or quarter-miler (he ran a 47.4 in 1935 and probably would have made the 1936 Olympic team except for an injury), the 5'11", 160-pound Elliott claims it is "the working with the lads" that keeps him young. "I know men in their 60s who are so old I don't even want to be around them," he says. For the last decade or so recruiters from other colleges have warned high school athletes that if they went to Villanova they would end up running for a different coach, the implication being that Elliott was due for retirement. But Father Driscoll has said Jumbo can coach "as long as he wants."

"Those retirement stories," says Jumbo, shrugging. "I've heard them every spring for 20 years. All I can say is, retire to what—a hole in the ground?"

Even the crowded, dingy confines of the field house (it is not a field house in the true sense of the word since there is no indoor track or field area; Villanova's wooden "indoor" track is outside) seem to put life into Elliott's stride. "People jog all through this building," he says. "The other day I was coming out of the men's room and some great big guy hit me and knocked me flying. This has to be the best-used facility in the world."

He says this with amusement and pride. For years he has asked the university for a new track, perhaps even a real locker room (the dressing room is also a hallway), but it's not imperative that he get them. The contrast between Villanova's archaic athletic facilities and the success of his teams appeals to Jumbo's sense of humor and his up-by-the-bootstraps philosophy. Visitors usually ask what his teams do when snow blankets the "indoor" track. "We just give the boys shovels and put them to work," he replies. "It's good for them."

In his office, which he shares with two assistant coaches, Jack Pyrah and Elliott Baker, Jumbo stretches out and puts his feet up on his desk. Pyrah and Baker are also part-time coaches, having full-time jobs elsewhere—Pyrah with the university, Baker in the Philadelphia school system. Jumbo looks over his head to where a large brown stain has discolored the ceiling. He stares at it a while, pondering its significance.

"What's that?" he asks.

The room, which invariably gets crowded once Jumbo arrives, now includes all three coaches, student manager Ray Engler (dispensing the mint candy that Jumbo calls "vitamins"), a secretary, several Villanova runners and two at-large students who have wandered in to use the phone.

"It's a leak," says Baker. "Relax, Jumbo, we'll get it fixed." Behind his hand he adds, "Next year."

The talk is loud and lively. Jumbo thrives on talk, in pubs, restaurants, arenas, everywhere. " Mr. Elliott will not go to lunch by himself," says Paige, his latest star. "If he hasn't found anybody to go with him by noon, he'll come over to campus and grab an athlete and say, 'Come on, let's eat.' "

Freshman sprinter Carlton Young, who is nursing a muscle pull, enters the chaos and, finding all the chairs taken, lies down on Jumbo's desk to talk with the coach about schoolwork. Considered one of the best young runners in the nation—he had a 9.4 100 and a 20.9 220 as a Philadelphia high school junior—Young is also a top student, with a first-semester 3.9 average in pre-med courses. Though it might appear otherwise, there is nothing disrespectful about Young's posture. It reflects expediency, informality and friendship, all of which Jumbo understands and advocates.

The office is chockablock with trophies and plaques—on window ledges, on the walls, under papers, piled up, buried, forgotten. Jumbo is asked if these comprise all the Villanova track trophies. "God, no," he cries in mock chagrin. "They're all over campus. I don't know how many of them there are. Too many." One recent night Jumbo returned home and was greeted by his 85-year-old uncle, Lou, who lives with Jumbo's family in nearby Haverford. "Here, Jim, look what I found in the basement," Lou said, holding up a tarnished metal plaque proclaiming Ron Delany to be a member of eight winning Penn Relays teams.

"Where the hell did you find that!" cried Jumbo, pretending to back up, as if Villanova's victory hardware were pursuing him, even perhaps multiplying like seedpods gone wild somewhere in his cellar.

Not for a minute, however, should anyone believe that Jumbo Elliott doesn't like to win. He loves to clown around. "They fired that Arizona football coach for slapping a kid's helmet," he says one day in the office to Pyrah, who is busy on the phone, "but can they fire you for slugging an assistant coach? For beating on this fat S.O.B.?" And Jumbo pummels Pyrah's midsection while the beleaguered assistant, still talking on the phone, struggles for calm. But his concern for his runners and their victories is not so lighthearted.

He prides himself on doing what's best for his boys and, more often than not, that means getting them home in first place. He'll fight for those wins. In 1970 Villanova won the NCAA Cross-country Championships by one point over Oregon after an irate Elliott used film to prove that one of his runners finished 62nd, not 67th, as the officials had ruled. Near the end of the 1978 IC4A Outdoor Championships, Jumbo realized that Villanova could win the meet if his runners finished 1-2-3-4 in the 1,500 (an unprecedented feat), finished first in the 5,000, and then won the 4 x 400 relay, the final event. Jumbo made some lineup changes, explained the situation to his boys, and Villanova beat Maryland 99-98 for the title.

Believing that hard work followed by just reward builds character, Elliott worries now about his boys not being able to participate in the 1980 Olympics. He figures he has a dozen former or current athletes who could qualify for the Moscow Games. "But it hasn't changed anything for me, really," Jumbo adds. "I'll still try to get the boys in the best shape I can."

This approach is shared, as one would expect, by Elliott's athletes. "It's not going to kill me if the United States doesn't compete," says Paige. "There are a lot of meets in Europe after the Olympics and everybody will be at those. If you can beat an Olympic medalist then, well, that's not too bad."

One afternoon not long ago. Jumbo watched Maree run some stretch-out laps. Maree wouldn't be going to the Olympics regardless of a boycott—South Africa is banned because of its apartheid policy—nor is he allowed to compete in international meets or in any meets in which foreigners not enrolled in U.S. schools are involved. The tragic irony is that Maree is black.

Last season Maree ran several of the best middle-distance times in the world. He would like to become a U.S. citizen, but to be eligible he must reside in this country five years and he has been here only three. For an athlete whose skills could peak at any moment, two years is a long time to wait. Barring an Act of Congress or a change in South Africa's racial policies, that is what he must do. "It breaks me in a way," Maree has said. "But it builds me in a way. I'm able to take punishment."

Jumbo steps onto the splintering board track. A few hundred yards away is Goodreau Stadium, in which the school's quarter-mile outdoor track is situated. In a time when many high schools have expensive all-weather tracks, the one at Goodreau is still cinders.

Villanova doesn't belong to a conference in track and has no dual meets, so its inadequate facilities are not as great a liability as they might seem. Indeed, they are of virtually no concern to the middle-and long-distance men. "Facilities just aren't that important," says Liquori. "A miler can run anywhere. Kenyans get by without any tracks whatsoever."

It's harder on the field men, of course, which is why Villanova usually does poorly in those events. "When Don Bragg was here, we had a sawdust pole-vault pit that used to freeze solid in the winter," says Jumbo. " Bragg used to get a shovel and chop it up so he could jump. Of course, you don't get many kids like Bragg anymore."

Which probably is all right with Elliott. Some speculate that it was because of the excitable Bragg—who gave Tarzan yells before he charged down the runway and, according to Jumbo, could eat "fifteen barbecued chickens and out-arm-wrestle any football player at Villanova"—that Elliott began concentrating on runners. At any rate, Baker now handles the field men.

Jumbo watches as Maree circles the track. The troubled young man is a patterned, precise runner. If a glass of ice cubes were placed on his head there wouldn't be a clink as he glided down the straightaways. Still, Jumbo sees flaws.

"Hey, Syd, twist your arms just a little on the turns," he yells.

Maree circles the track again.

"Like this?" he yells, without moving his head or changing expression.

"Yeah! Good!" cries Jumbo as the dark figure runs on.

People in the track world are always asking for the secret of Elliott's coaching success. In fact, his training concepts are simple and mundane—too basic for those who desire an exotic formula. "Run, eat, sleep," says Jumbo. Liquori says, "At clinics, people can't believe he's being truthful. But he is."

Elliott doesn't care for fancy, "scientific" approaches to the sport. "I don't measure lung capacity or any of that stuff," he says. "What can I do about it? The only special technique I have is my own personal psychology. I stress the efficient operation of body movement, and I have my runners do a lot of repeat work—repeat quarters or 220s or halves. But each person is different. If you have a runner as naturally gifted as, say, that hurdler, Nehemiah, the way you coach him is to not foul him up. Mostly you try to keep the boys' frames of mind up."

Jumbo's vast experience—the fact that he has seen it all—comes into play here. He knows when to push a runner and when to lay off. This is the psych business, closing the sale. "A typical coach will say, 'Give me 15 repeat quarters in 60 seconds,' " says Liquori. "And of course nobody can do it, so afterward you feel down. Jumbo, on the other hand, will say, 'O.K., we're doing 10 quarters in 60 today.' Everybody does it and they say, 'Hey, let's do more.' Jumbo will say, 'No, go on in,' but maybe one day he'll say, 'O.K., give me two more,' and everybody will do those two and go in feeling great, like world-beaters. He'll do things like that, sacrifice a litle physical conditioning for mental conditioning."

One thing Elliott tries not to do is to get greedy, push runners into places where they don't belong. For two years he had Mark Belger, a 1978 graduate, and Paige on his team at the same time. Both were world-class half-milers, yet he never ran them head to head. "Why force the issue?" he says, knowing that a loss by either one might have been ruinous to that runner's development.



"It's like my business," says Jumbo. "Sometimes I'll talk to a manager who isn't being straight with me, who says yes, definitely, he wants to buy one of our tractors. Then I'll go back to finish the deal, and he says he went out and bought a Caterpillar instead. I don't force the issue. I keep myself from getting mad. I say, 'I hope it works out real well for you.' You have to think about the long run."

"The thing I remember most about Jumbo's practices is that they were a lot of fun," says Dwyer, who as a rival coach is still one of Elliott's good friends. "Jumbo used to stutter a little, and in practice I'd be on my way to a 60-second lap in the mile and he'd want me to slow down or sprint and he'd call out, 'Si-si-si....' I'd stop and say, 'Si-si-si what?' And then he'd chase me around the track. You need light moments like that, because running itself requires so much discipline."

Elliott has always understood the need for occasional levity, in life as well as running. One of his catch phrases is "stop and smell the roses." He once advised the intense Liquori to spend 20 minutes a day smiling into a mirror.

Of course, a major reason for Elliott's success is the sheer amount of rare talent he has brought to Villanova, getting the great ones and letting them help each other. "Practices were always like races," recalls James. Elliott admits that track recruiting is simple: "You just look for the best times." For a man of Jumbo's stature, getting the blue-chippers to enroll is a breeze, too. "Well, let me say that it's much easier than selling a quarter-million-dollar truck to a man who doesn't want one," he says.

In the last two decades, Elliott remembers only one Villanova track man flunking out, and none has transferred to another school. He doesn't try to recruit athletes from the South or the West because he knows they won't enjoy the Pennsylvania winters. "I want my runners to be happy," he says.

However, foreign students from a variety of climes have seemed happy enough at Villanova. Ever since Guida and Ross met quarter-miler Jim Reardon at the 1948 Olympics and persuaded him to attend the school, Villanova has had a link with the best Irish runners. The Africans go to Villanova because of the school's international reputation.

"You know, I didn't make a single phone call to South Africa to get Maree," says Jumbo. "He was in the U.S. the summer after high school and his sponsor suggested Villanova to him, and the next thing I knew, he was here."

Once at Villanova, regardless of race or nationality, no runner can fail to respond to Elliott's genius for perfect timing and shrewd motivation. Nobody gets athletes up for meets like Jumbo.

As a freshman James was a frustrated intermediate hurdler. His steps were inconsistent and his concentration was poor. When he was a sophomore, Elliott had him training for the 600 as well as the hurdles, which only compounded his dissatisfaction. Then, just before that year's NCAA Indoor Championships, Jumbo approached him and said, "Forget it, champ. You're running the 440."

"He made me so happy I could have kissed his feet," recalls James. "I exploded from those blocks." Even though running from the outside lane, James shattered Theron Lewis' national record by nearly a second. His NCAA-record 47 flat, set 12 years ago, still stands.

Elliott also stresses discipline. Not the boot-camp discipline of a Woody Hayes, but the conservative discipline of a businessman. "They need some," Jumbo says, "for the years after school, when they have to submit to the whims of a boss."

"He likes you to have that nice clean 'American' look," says senior Keith Brown, a black sprinter from the Baltimore ghetto. "I like a 'stache-and-'burns look, but when I came in as a freshman, he said, 'Shave!' And no long socks or anything like that, either. I said, 'What!' But now I understand. He knows employers come to our meets, too, and he wants us to be respected as athletes and students."

When Jumbo is in doubt, he pauses and ponders. As he watched Delany set a world mile record 25 minutes after eating a hot dog. Jumbo realized there was a limit to his knowledge. "The great thing is, he knows there are things he doesn't know," is the way Paige puts it. That coachly humility may contribute to the fact that so many of Elliott's athletes continue to perform well once they are out of school.

"A lot of coaches want to be the guru," says Liquori. "But by the end of your sophomore or junior year Jumbo expects you to be able to coach yourself. And you can. European and Communist coaches can't believe that people like Eamonn and I actually coach ourselves."

There is a certain uniformity, a sedate, genteel quality about virtually all of Elliott's athletes, past and present, as though the navy blue and white Villanova track uniforms are the pupal stages of Brooks Brothers suits. In exciting times one could almost call it a dullness. But that would imply that the athletes lack intelligence or enthusiasm, which isn't true, either. Villanova runners can be wild and crazy guys when the mood strikes them. Paige, who lists "girls" as his favorite hobby, recalls that when he was being recruited, Jumbo had to leave for a while to bail some of his track men out of jail, where they had been immured for some minor offense.

"Everybody has Mr. Elliott's phone number memorized or in his wallet," says Paige. "He always says, 'If you get thrown in jail, call me first.' "

Overall, though, Jumbo's athletes are quality people who do well. The track team's grades are always above the Villanova average, and Villanova is a strong school academically. The list of former runners who are now successful lawyers, doctors and businessmen is impressive. "That is something the mothers who send their kids to school think about," says Liquori, now the president of a large athletic-store chain.

In truth, Elliott has merely been molding men in his own image. His father, who read meters for a gas company, died when Jumbo was 3, leaving him to work his way up and out of Shantytown. "Nothing was given to me," he says. He still recalls the Depression days with dread. "Young people don't know what it was like," he says often. Even his track career started at the bottom. He ran his first quarter mile as a high school junior in 56 flat, and then was violently ill the rest of the day.

Elliott is conscious of money and material things, but primarily as markers, objects good to acquire and to have somewhere—like those damned trophies—but not to attach special meaning to. He'll show you his new white Continental Mark VI and his lovely three-fireplace, slate-roofed home and the blue Eldorado in the garage. But ask him how many rooms there are in the house and he says he has no idea.

Early in life Jumbo found his salvation—sales. "No matter what you do, life is selling," he says. "Selling yourself, selling a program, selling this, selling that." He brought the concept to track and it has paid off handsomely for him. Twice he was asked to coach at USC, a school with a lavish athletic budget, but he refused because he felt his salesmanship was better suited to Villanova. He has been there longer than any teacher, coach or dean. Three of his four children have graduated from Villanova. In 1977 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the school. He is Villanova track. Athletes perform for him.

Not that everything has always gone right for him. There were times in the turbulent late 1960s when his business approach did not go over well with some of the more activist athletes. But it seemed almost nobody over 30 was right then. There have been times when Jumbo hasn't completely understood some of his young men. One of those was Bragg, who set a world record in the pole vault and then went to Hollywood to try out for Tarzan. Bragg didn't get the part, and Elliott didn't understand his ambition, although he was well aware of it.

"When did I first realize Bragg was interested in Tarzan?" says Jumbo. "Well, the day we recruited him he was in his backyard in New Jersey with a lot of ropes up, swinging from tree to tree. I guess that was a good indication."

The only goal that has eluded Elliott is the post of head U.S. Olympic track and field coach. Several times he seemed likely to get it, but was passed by. "Politics," Jumbo says.

But for the most part, nary a cloud worth mentioning shadows the sweet, structured life of Jumbo Elliott. At track meets he usually sits up in the stands, sometimes with his wife and children, sometimes reading a golf magazine, mentally sharpening his swing. He knows everybody, and young coaches and runners continually stop by to chat. "Jumbo is more than a coach," says Father Driscoll. "He's an educator."

At the U.S. Olympic Invitational at Madison Square Garden in late January, Jumbo sat quietly in the first deck of seats with a group of friends. Like the other spectators, he became more animated as the time for the 1,000-meter run, featuring Paige and Belger, approached. The two had met only once before, in a 1,000-yard race in last year's Millrose Games. Paige won, setting his world record.

"They may be the two best indoor runners ever at this event," Jumbo said. "You have mixed emotions but, of course, you're for the kid you've got now."

As the race began, both Paige and Belger hung back; then they surged ahead with two laps to go. Belger kicked, but Paige kicked harder and came home first in 2:21.6, .4 second ahead of his former teammate. Jumbo smiled. It was a nice race. Jumbo likes nice races, particularly those with slam-bang, come-from-behind finishes—especially those that involve relays, groups of runners, the whole Villanova team. Such a feast occurred at last year's NCAA Indoor Championships in Detroit.

Twenty-fifth in the team standings with only two points after the first day of competition, Villanova began to make its move with six events to go on the second and final day. Tufariello won the 600, the Villanova distance medley team placed third, Paige won the 1,000. Then, in the mile, Maree and Korir finished second and third behind meet-leading UTEP's Suleiman Nyambui. But their combined 14 points were five more than UTEP got for Suleiman's first. With only the mile relay to go, it was apparent that if Villanova won that event, the Wildcats would win by a point.

Jumbo, sitting on a folding chair outside one of the turns, did not gather his mile-relay team together for a pep talk. There wasn't time and, besides, he seldom does that anyway. The last time he had called a team meeting it was for an entirely different reason. "He told some jokes, and then he got serious," recalls Paige. "First he said, 'Why don't you guys smile more?' Then he told us to please say 'yes' or 'yessir' instead of'yeah.' "

The relay team held a meeting of its own, at which there was a brief, silent prayer, and then won the race by half a second.

The four relay runners whooped and hollered, but in a subdued way. One by one they came over to Jumbo, shook his hand and said, "Congratulations, Mr. Elliott." Jumbo, perhaps wondering where to put yet another trophy, was outwardly subdued, too, but his eyes were damp.

Les Wallack, the Rutgers track coach, tells this story: "There was an incident last year during the indoor season, not long before that same NCAA meet. A quarter-miler—I won't mention his name or his school—beat Villanova in a relay, and as he crossed the finish line he made an Obscene gesture at Tim Dale, the Villanova anchor man. Tim said nothing, just walked away. Then at the IC4As it was reversed. Villanova beat the other team easily. After the race, the Villanova guys said nothing to the other kid. They hugged each other for a moment—you could see how happy they were—and then they just walked away. Wow, it gave me chills. What class."

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Louie Quintana into Eagle Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame

After winning the 1990 Kinney (now Foot Locker) high school cross country national championship, Louie Quintana was a 9-time All-American at Villanova from 1991-1995. He finished 4th (1992), 14th (1993), and 16th (1994) at the NCAA Cross Country Nationals. While at Villanova in 1993, Quintana ran 7:58.73 over 3000 meters (third fastest of any Villanovan at the time, bested only by Sydney Maree and Gerry O'Reilly). He ran 4:40.37 for 1500 meters, was the 1993 IC4A indoor mile champion (4:00.19), and won back-to-back IC4A 1500 meter titles outdoors in 1992 and 1993. He won two individual (1500 and 5000 meters) and three relay (two DMRs and a 4x800) Big East championships. At the Penn Relays, Quintana was part of the winning 1992 4 x 800 meter relay team, and anchored the 1993 4 x 1500 meter Championship of America relay squad. The latter performance earned Quintana the meet's Outstanding Meet Performer award and the cover of Track and Field News.

Here's a news story about Quintana's imminent induction into his high school athletic foundation's hall fo fame, and an August 2010 interview by the folks at Cross Country Express, available HERE as well.

Eagle Athletic Foundation set to host Hall of Fame Dinner
By TPR Staff

Four Arroyo Grande High School alumni will be honored when the Eagle Athletic Foundation holds its fourth annual Hall of Fame Dinner on Saturday at the South County Regional Center.

Inductees include Arroyo Grande High School graduates Jim Skaggs, Edmund Alarcio, Louie Quintana and Velma Harris.

Skaggs distinguished himself in football and wrestling at his alma mater and graduated in 1958.

Skaggs played football and wrestled at the University of Washington. He played in two Rose Bowls and was an All-American in 1961.

The NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles drafted Skaggs, and he became the first professional athlete from AGHS. He played 11 years for the Eagles before he retired in 1971.

Alarcio was referred to as “one of the greatest all-around athletes in school history” in a news release put out by Lucia Mar Unified School District.

He was a letterman in football, baseball and track.

Alarcio continued his athletic career at Cuesta College and Cal Poly, playing for the latter’s national championship football team in 1980.

As a coach, Alarcio later helped lead several Arroyo Grande teams to a variety of league and CIF Southern Section championships.

He earned the Lucia Mar Unified School District Teacher of the Year Award in 2009.

Quintana graduated from AGHS in 1991. He finished his high school career as “the most accomplished runner in school history,” according to the district’s news release.

He was undefeated his senior season and won the league, CIF Southern Section, state and national championships.

During his track career, Quintana set numerous records and won several individual championships.

He ran at Villanova, earned multiple All-American honors and is now the head cross country coach at Arizona State.

Harris graduated from AGHS in 1959 and has served with the school’s booster club and the Eagle Athletic Foundation.

She has been a fixture on campus during sporting events and has been active in fundraising for AGHS and the Five Cities communities.

Saturday’s event will begin with cocktails from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dinner will be served from 7:30 p.m. through 8:15 p.m., with the induction program beginning immediately after.

========================================

Here's an August 2010 interview with Louie from crosscountryexpress.com

Today we chat with former high school phenom, college All-American and current Arizona St. coach, Louie Quintana

(1) Going back to the beginning of your running career, how did you get your start with cross country and track and field?

LQ: I got my start in running when I was in junior high school. I was in 7th grade and my PE class had a 6 week cross country unit. Every day we would run a 1.5 mile course and our times got recorded. My PE teacher kept a top ten list and it was posted on a huge board in the locker room…it was a very big deal to get on the board. I wanted to be on the top of the list and when I got to the top I wanted to run so fast that no one else could beat my time.

(2) When did you first realize your talents in the two sports? What were some of your successes during your first two years in high school?

LQ: I felt that early on I had the potential to be pretty good. Running was effortless in many ways for me growing up. I was always the fastest on my baseball and basketball teams and was always singled out for being the “fastest.” Naturally, I gravitated towards cross country as a freshman and experienced immediate success. 1987 was the first year of the California High School State Cross Country Meet and there was a lot of buzz around the sport that year…I finished 7th in 15:30 at Woodward Park and the rest was history.

(3) What are some of your proudest accomplishments in high school in both sports? Who were some of the more notable competitors?

LQ: I had a couple of moments that really stood out in high school. Ironically, both coming during my sophomore year of high school. First, our team won the 2A CIF Cross Country Title…it was one of the most exciting moments of my career. It was the first and is still the only title my high school ever won in Boys cross country. Second, a few weeks later I PR’d by 25 seconds and ran 15:02 at Woodward Park to finish 5th at the Kinney (Now Footlocker) West Regionals to make the national meet. I was stunned after the race…I can still remember how much that race hurt…it seemed like I was red-lining the whole way…I was determined not to break.




(4) Looking back at your high school training, what do you feel really worked for you and what do you think you could have done differently?

LQ: I think that my training was really sound. We were a moderate mileage team and I think physiologically we had a good plan. If I could have done anything different I would have been more disciplined with the little things. I ate like crap and was very inconsistent with my long run. Sometimes I would run on Sunday and sometimes I wouldn’t.


(5) How did you end up choosing Villanova and what were some of your accomplishments there?

LQ: I had a lot of options during my Senior year. Looking back on it, I was pretty naïve about the recruitment process and have a very narrow scope when looking at schools. That’s not to say that I was looking at bad programs, it’s just that I didn’t do a lot of research and was quick with saying no to some schools. I definitely liked my recruiting trip to Villanova and was hosted by Terrence Mahon (Team USA California Coach Now). He was a big influence on my decision to attend Villanova. He was a fellow Californian who was having success as a student-athlete and he was helpful with me making the transition across country. I had a moderately successful career at Villanova, but maybe not as successful as many would have projected. I was an All American 9 Times and finished 4th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships when I was just 19. I was banged up quite a bit during my career, but managed to string together some memorable performances.

(6) What was the biggest positive change for you in terms of your training?

LQ: The biggest positive change was the long run and that really didn’t come into play until my 2nd year at Nova. I ran 3:41 as a freshman for 1500m and I was really doing a lot of speed work. My coach, Marty Stern and I, starting to reflect on my disappointing freshman cross country season and we made some adjustments in the training. Mainly, adding a 15-18 mile long run on Sunday. I was real consistent in my training and my confidence just grew. I began to dream everyday that I would win the NCAA Title that fall. Every run I envisioned racing side by side with Bob Kennedy. I progressed fantastically that fall and finished 4th at the big dance.

(7) Who inspired you to get in coaching and when did you realize this was what you wanted to pursue?

LQ: I think that I secretly always wanted to get into coaching. My Dad was always a coach while I was growing up and I really respected his ability to reconstruct bad teams and get them to believe. I’ve always been that way I guess. I never wanted to be on the “IT” team, I always liked to play for the underdog. It was probably my biggest reason for choosing Villanova. They hadn’t made the NCAA in cross country for over 10 years and I was adamant to change that. I think that was my biggest attraction to Arizona State in the beginning. I wanted to work with Walt Drenth who was known for turning programs around…that really excited me about ASU.

(8) Who have been your coaching mentors?

LQ: Walt Drenth and Greg Kraft at ASU have really showed me the way. I spent many an afternoon and early morning just soaking everything in from Coach Drenth. He is one of the best college coaches in the country. I admire Coach Kraft’s ability to construct a well rounded track and field program. He has really been the most influential coach that I have come across in my career.

(9) How did you end up at Arizona St? How long have you been the head cross country coach? What are some of your proudest achievements for your teams?

LQ: I started at ASU in the Winter of 2002 and really was the product of fantastic timing. ASU is known for its mentoring of Graduate Assistants and I called Walt Drenth that fall to put my name into the hat to be the next GA. They currently had a GA (Corey Ihmels – now the Head Track Coach at Iowa State and Coach of Lisa Kohl). Corey got offered the Cross Country job at Iowa State that Fall and Walt called me immediately. I packed up and moved to Tempe with my wife who just happened to be from Phoenix. It really was just great timing. In 2004, I took over the duties of Coaching the Cross Country and Distance team. So I’m going into my 7th season as the Head Cross Country Coach. We have been fortunate to really have some great moments and achievements these past few years, but one of the achievements I’m most proud of was the 2007 Women’s Cross Country team that finished 4th at the NCAA Cross Country meet. That team defied expectation that day. They just believed they could do anything.

(10) Since your days of competing in high school, what do you feel have been the most important changes in how runners train today?

LQ: Biggest change is access to information. There is great info out there that is easily accessible that has really helped how young distance runners train. We are seeing our great distance runners develop a greater aerobic foundation that is beginning to pay off at the international level. I think we’ll see several more distance runners from the US run under 13 minutes for 5K over the next 5 years. It will be extremely difficult to make US National teams.

(11) What is your advice for high school coaches who want to have competitive teams year in, year out and have students who have a positive experience in cross country?

LQ: I think at the end of the day we want the students to really come to enjoy running. We want them to continue to pursue running as an integral part of their lives. It doesn’t matter if they continue competing in college, but if they enjoy running it will change their life.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Emily Lipari Garners Big East Athlete of the Week Award


Cincinnati, DePaul, Syracuse and Villanova Win BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field Weekly Awards

Four schools have been represented in the BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field weekly awards. Cincinnati, DePaul, Syracuse and Villanova each had student-athletes cited by the conference office on Tuesday. Senior Tim Nedow of DePaul was named Men’s Field Athlete of the Week for the third time this season, while Cincinnati senior Jasmine Cotten was named Women’s Field Athlete of the Week. Syracuse senior Jarret Eaton was named BIG EAST Men’s Track Athlete of the Week, while Villanova sophomore Emily Lipari earned BIG EAST Women’s Track Athlete of the Week honors.

With his 20.01 meter shot put throw, Nedow broke his own DePaul record that he previously set last week. For the second time this season, Nedow was the only competitor at the meet to notch an NCAA automatic qualifying mark. The shortest of his five counted throws was measured at 19.28 meters. No other competitor in the event broke the 19 meter mark with the next closest competitor coming in at 18.77 meters.

Cotton won the high jump and was the top collegian in the long jump at the Gladstein Invitational in Bloomington, Ind. In her high jump win, she cleared 1.79 meters remaining the top jumper in the BIG EAST and ranked No. 7 in the NCAA. In the long jump, Cotton had a top leap of 5.84 meters, the fifth-best mark in the BIG EAST Conference this season.

Eaton broke the Syracuse school record, and had the fastest time in the nation this season, with a 7.61 performance in the 60-meter hurdles to earn a spot in the BIG EAST, IC4A an NCAA Championships later this season. Eaton won the event by 0.43 seconds, and also held the SU record in the same event, which he set in 2010 at the New Balance Invitational. Eaton also has the facility record at Barton Hall, which he set last year.

Lipari ran the fastest mile of any BIG EAST runner this season with a mark of 4:42.35 at the Great Dane Classic at the New York Armory. She finished first out of 33 runners, including 10 other BIG EAST athletes, and matched her personal best time in the event. She also ran the second leg of the 4x400 meter relay as Villanova won its heat.

The next BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field Weekly Awards will be released on Jan. 31, 2012.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Solis, McEntee & Denault Race Footage from Great Dane Classic



Here's some footage from last Thursday's Albany Great Dane Classic at the Armory. First up is the latter stage of the 1000 meter heat won by Villanova's Dusty Solis in 2:32.69. It is followed by the final 1800 meters of the 3000 meter race, where Sam McEntee (8:13.93) and Rob Denault (8:15.72) finish 1-2. Denault is running unattached, in a yellow and black singlet.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Video Vault: Tom Parlapiano's 3:41.51 at Haverford



Here's a video from May 14, 2004 at Haverford College. Jason Jabaut and Adrian Blincoe rabbit Tom Parlapiano to his metric equivalent of a sub 4:00 mile. El T went 3:41.51, dipping below the magic 3:42.2 equivalent.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Marcus O'Sullivan's April 1988 Interview in T&F News



Track and Field News has just made its April 1988 interview with Marcus O'Sullivan available at its website. You can click HERE to go to that interview.

The interview took place when Marcus was 26 years old, and one year after he had won his first of three World Indoor Championships in the 1500 meters. Just prior to the interview, Marcus has gone 3:50.94 indoors -- at the time the second fastest indoor mile ever run (his 1500 split in that race was faster than the existing world record at that distance).

In the interview, O'Sullivan identifies his anchor leg in the 4 x 1500 meters at the 1984 Penn Relays as a major turning point in his career. The foursome of Sean O'Neill, Brian O'Keefe, John Keyworth, and Marcus O'Sullivan that day set an NCAA record (14:52.81) in the event. The photos below shows O'Sullivan hitting the finish line in that race and its aftermath. Click on each image for a much larger version.













Saturday, January 21, 2012

Muncan & Schappert Run New Balance Games Mile


Villanova alums Marina Muncan and Nicole Schappert competed today in the elite mile at the New Balance Games held at the Armory in New York City. Muncan, the Serbian national record holder at both the 1500 meters and the mile, finished 6th, while Nicole Schappert, running for the New Jersey-New York Track Club and NYAC was 9th in the 13-person race.

Women's Mile

Place Athlete Country Mark
1. Brenda Martinez USA 4:39.37
2. Hilary Stellingwerff Canada 4:39.82
3. Liz Maloy USA 4:40.32
4. Lauren Centrowitz USA 4:40.60
5. Maggie Infeld USA 4:41.81
6. Marina Muncan Serbia 4:42.11
7. Ashley Higginson USA 4:43.01
8. Stephanie Reilly Ireland 4:43.83
9. Nicole Schappert USA 4:44.65
10. Cat Beck USA 4:45.02
11. Melissa Salerno USA 4:46.66
12. Dana Buchanan Canada 4:46.88
13. Rachel Cliff Canada 4:54.17
DNS Jesse Carlin USA DNS

Emily Lipari's NCAA #5 Mile Leads Nova Women at Armory



Emily Lipari won the mile at yesterday's Albany Great Dane Classic at NYC's Armory. Her time of 4:42.35 is the NCAA's 5th fastest mile on the books so far this indoor season, and is 4.5 seconds faster than her 2011 indoor best. In the same race freshman Courtney Chapman ran a new PR of 4:49.08 (over 13 seconds faster than the mile she ran last weekend at this same venue); it was also good for a ticket to the Big East championships. Other noteworthy efforts came from Nicky Akande, who finished 2nd in the 1000 meters in 2:50.37 (two seconds off her 2011 season best) and a Big East qualifier. Frosh Stephanie Schappert came third in the 800 in 2:12.74. Eight other Villanova women attained Big East championship qualifying marks.

60 meters
5. Varonica Johnson 7.66 BE

200 meters
11. Varonica Johnson 25.35 BE
27. Qualitra Brown 25.68

400 meters
17. Qualitra Brown 58.50
38. Fafavie Lumax 1:00.44

500 meters
5. Leanne Tucker 1:17.17 BE
6. Erin Ryan 1:17.44
13. Mary Bohi 1:18.32

800 meters
3. Stephanie Schappert 2:12.74 BE
12. Amanda Borroughs 2:17.75

1000 meters
2. Nicky Akande 2:50.37 BE
13. Shannon Browne 3:06.04

Mile
1. Emily Lipari 4:42.35 BE NCAA #5
5. Courtney Chapman 4:49.08 BE
7. Ali Smith (alum) 4:54.79
9. Ariann Neutts 5:03.56

3000 meters
8. Meghan Venables 10:11.53
10. Sydney Harris 10:12.61
24. Meghan Smith 10:58.91

60 meter hurdles
7. Emerald Walden 8.78 BE
33. Katherine Petruzzelis 9.42

4 x 400 meters
7. Akande, Bohi, Browne, Borroughs 3:57.41
12. Schappert, Ryan, Neutts, Lipari 4:02.21

High Jump
3. Samantha Yeats 5'7" BE

Pole Vault
2. Alex Wasik 12'3.5" BE
3. Kathleen McPhillips 12'3.5" BE
6. Melissa Meggiolaro 11'9.75" BE
9. Erica Litvak 11'3.75"
16. Kimberly Logoyda 10'10"

Long Jump
26. Alexandria Reo 16'3.75"

Triple Jump
6. Samantha Francis 38'10.25" BE
22. Marie Minasi 36'0.75"
27. Victoria Profit 35'5"

Friday, January 20, 2012

McEntee, Sheridan, and Denault Post Fast Times in Big Apple

A large contingent of Marcus O'Sullivan's men's team competed tonight at the Albany Great Dane indoor meet at the Armory in New York. The most noteworthy result of the meet from the Villanova perspective was the NCAA #4 performance of Sam McEntee in the 3000 meters. McEntee, a sophomore from Perth in Western Australia, won the race and came home in 8:13.93. In the same race, Rob Denault, running unattached, finished 2nd in 8:15.72, a mark that currently is the 8th fastest time in the NCAA so far this season. Also providing a win for the Wildcats was graduate student Ryan Sheridan (pictured left battling former Nova teammate Hugo Beamish). He won the 5000 meters by a whopping 18 seconds in 14:18.66, #6 in the NCAA to date. Greg Morrin (14:37.33), Matt Kane (14:38.50, and Brian Basili (14:38.68) also ran well, gaining Big East championship qualifying times.

Big East qualifying times were hit by Alex Tully (4:12.88), Joe LoRusso (3:13.69) Richie Bohny (4:18.80), and Danny Harris (4:15.83) in the mile, by Sam McEntee (8:13.93) and Rob Denault (8:15.72) in the 3000 meters, Ryan Sheridan (14:18.66), Greg Morrin (14:37.33), Matt Kane (14:38.50), and Brian Basili (14:38.68), and Frank Anuszewski (54'1") in the weight throw.



Here are the complete Villanova results on the men's side:

400 meters
39. Cory Serfoss 52.07

800 meters
21. Phil O'Connell 1:57.56
34. Juan Castillo 2:00.46

1000 meters
8. Dusty Solis 2:32.69
21. Chris FitzSimons 2:40.92 (tripped & fell)

Mile
6. Alex Tully 4:12.88
9. Joe LoRusso 4:13.69
11. Danny Harris 4:15.83
14. Richie Bohny 4:18.80
19. Chris Pietrocarlo 4:19.88
21. Charles Bates 4:20.54
37. Dan Norman 4:32.71

3000 meters
1. Sam McEntee 8:13.93 NCAA #4
2. Rob Denault 8:15.72 NCAA #8
8. Tom Trainer 8:26.51
16. Brian Tetreault 8:39.61

5000 meters
1. Ryan Sheridan 14:18.66 NCAA #6
3. Greg Morrin 14:37.33
4. Matt Kane 14:38.50
5. Brian Basili 14:38.68
12. John Pickhaver 15:16.33

High Jump
8. Matthew Sydney 6'5"
20. Elbert Maxwell 6'3.25"

Pole Vault
8. Chris Dougherty 14'9"

Long Jump
17. Elbert Maxwell 21'7.25"

Weight Throw
6. Frank Anuszewski 54'1"
17. Chris McLeod 43'6"

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Marina Muncan in Loaded Wanamaker Metric Mile Field


An International Wanamaker Metric Mile
by Brett Hoover, Millrose Games
1/18/2012

Reigning 1,500m World Champion Jenny Simpson and 2008 Olympic finalist Shannon Rowbury headline an international field in the Women's Wanamaker Metric Mile — sponsored by the New York Road Runners — at the Millrose Games on Feb. 11.

Simpson, the only woman in the field to run sub-four in the metric mile, and Rowbury, a two-time U.S. champion, will face emerging Ethiopian star Kalkidan Gezahegne, Canadian Nicole Edwards Sifuentes and Spain's Isabel Macias, all of whom have run personal bests in the last two years.

Also in the field is Serbian record holder Marina Muncan, who ran at Villanova, and New Zealander Lucy Van Dalen, who still runs at Stony Brook and has the fastest indoor time among all collegians so far this winter.

The remainder of the field is a 'who's who' of former college All-Americans, including Gabriele Anderson (Minnesota), Katie Follett (Washington), Liz Maloy and Maggie Infeld (Georgetown) and Lauren Centrowitz (Stanford).

Centrowitz visited The Armory for a workout just after the New Year with her brother Matthew and father Matt. While she is ready to run in the Wanamaker Metric Mile, Matthew will be competing in the Wanamaker Mile at Millrose as well.

The 1,500 field:

Jenny Simpson
The 2011 World Champion in the 1,500-meter run in South Korea, Simpson closed her breakout season with a victory in the NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile. Last year she had opened her year with victory in the women's mile at the New Balance Games at The Armory.

1,500m Best: 3:59.90, Eugene, Ore., 2009

Shannon Rowbury
A two-time U.S. champion and 2008 Olympic finalist, Rowbury is familiar with the track at The Armory as she ran here while competing for Duke University. Over the summer Rowbury made the U.S. World Championships team with a third-place finish at Nationals.

1,500m Best: 4:00.33, Paris, 2008

Kalkidan Gezahegne
The fifth-place 1,500m finisher at the 2011 World Championships, Gezahegne is the reigning indoor world champion in the event. The Ethiopian was second at the 2009 African Juniors to Caster Semenya. Her indoor 4:03.28 from Stockholm, Sweden, in 2010 is the fastest indoor mark of all the entrants.

1,500m Best: 4:00.97, Hengelo, Netherlands, 2011

Nicole (Edwards) Sifuentes
A standout at the University of Michigan, the native of Canada has run a sub-4:30 mile at The Armory.

1,500m Best: 4:06.34, Los Angeles, Calif., 2010

Isabel Macias
Macias had a breakout year in 2011, lowering her 800m personal best by more than 2.5 seconds (to 2:03.49) and her 1500m best by 6.5 seconds (to 4:06.50). She also competed in her first World Championships.

1,500m Best: 4:06.50, Barcelona, Spain, 2011

Gabriele Anderson
A 2010 NCAA runner-up in the 1,500m run, Anderson is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. Third in the U.S. Mile Road Championships in 2011, she now runs for Brooks. She is a cancer survivor.

1,500m Best: 4:06.77, London, 2011

Katie Follett
An All-American at the University of Washington, Follett lowered her 1,500m personal best twice in 2011.

1,500m Best: 4:07.44, Los Angeles, Calif., 2011

Marina Muncan
A multiple All-American and Big East champion at Villanova, Muncan is the Serbian record holder in both the 1,500m and mile runs.

1,500m Best: 4:08.02, Osaka, Japan, 2007

Liz Maloy
A New York native from Loudonville's Academy of Holy Names, Maloy was a four-time All-American at Georgetown University. Now representing New Balance, she has lowered her 1,500m PR to under 4:10.

1,500m Best: 4:09.24, Brasschaat, Belgium, 2010

Lauren Centrowitz
A five-time All-American at Stanford, Centrowitz comes from a running family. Her brother Matthew is a headliner in the Wanamaker Mile at Millrose this year while her father Matt was an Olympian. Lauren was also a member of the American record holding 4x1500m relay at Stanford.

1,500m Best: 4:10.23, Brasschaat, Belgium, 2009

Maggie Infeld
A Georgetown University All-American, Infeld registered personal bests in both the 800 (2:03.47) and the 1,500 (4:10.57) in 2010.

1,500m Best: 4:10.57, Lapinlahti, Finland, 2010

Lucy Van Dalen
The native of New Zealand remains a student-athlete at Long Island's Stony Brook University. She is actually the NCAA's current national leader in the mile for this indoor season (4:36.90) — by 15 seconds!

1,500m Best: 4:11.59, Padua, Italy, 2011

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

How the Results of the USA Marathon Trials Hurt Bobby Curtis

Ritzenhein, Bauhs, and Curtis: last three on the right at 2010 USA XC Nationals

Bobby Curtis' odds of making the USA Olympic team just took a bit of a hit as a result of the Olympic Marathon Trials last weekend. One prominent competitor at those Trials -- Dathan Ritzenhein -- finished 4th and off the Olympic team. Ritzenhein will now enter the fray at the 10,000 meters at this summer's track and field Trials, thereby adding another formidable competitor standing in the way of Bobby Curtis' quest to make the team. Indeed, Ritzenhein seems to have now drawn the conclusion that the marathon is not his optimal distance and that he's really best suited for the 10,000 meter distance. Curtis need not have worried very much about Meb Keflezighi or Abdi Abdirahman at the 10,000 meter distance (both made the marathon team), and Ryan Hall was as sure a bet to make the team as anyone in recent years. It was precisely Dathan Ritzenhein (married, by the way, to former Villanova distance runner Kalin Toedebusch) who posed a 10,000 meter threat to Curtis' bid, and it was therefore best for Curtis's own chances for Ritzenhein to make the marathon team, keeping hinm out of the mix at 10,000 meters.

As it stands now, Curtis will have to finish in the top three at the Trials in a field that is composed of such figures as AR holder Galen Rupp, form AR holder Chris Solinsky, Dathan Ritzenhein, Matt Tegenkamp, Scotty Bauhs, and others. Rupp, Tegenkamp, and Bauhs all beat Curtis at the 2011 USATF championships, knocking him off of the USA World Championships team, and that race did not include either Solinsky or Ritzenhein.

Adding more worries is the fact that Curtis is rehabing a foot injury which forced him to scratch out of two high-profile races over the past month (in Italy and Scotland) and to put his European training and racing plans on hold. Curtis had the second-fastest 10,000 meter time among Americans in 2011, but was 4th at Nationals. He needs to run his perfect 2012 race at the Trails (and not at an early season meet such as Stanford or Mt Sac) if he wants to make the 2012 Olympic team. Ritzenhein's 10,000 meter PR is 27:22.28, two seconds faster than Curtis' 27:24.67. Adding him to the 10,00 meter mix means that there is one more top competitor who must be beaten.

Here's a nice article by Kevin Liao at Spiked Up Psyched Up on Ritzenhein's situation after the marathon trials:

10k The Best Distance For Dathan Ritzenhein

I’ve got a confession to make.

Prior to Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, I was secretly rooting for Dathan Ritzenhein not to finish in the top three and not qualify for his third Olympic team.

Why? Not for any sort of malicious reason but because I felt he would be better off in the 10,000 meters rather than in the marathon.

Ironically, the race in Houston showed exactly why the 10k distance fits Ritzenhein the best and why the marathon may not be his strongest event.

Ritzenhein has struggled to master the marathon despite five previous attempts at the distance. Earlier on, it had to do with leg cramps and other fueling challenges that hampered him at his debut in New York City in 2006 and at the Beijing Olympics.

Despite difficulties with the marathon, Ritzenhein has continually stuck with the event, perhaps due to outside pressure to succeed in the event.

Americans have always been entrenched with the marathon going back to Olympic gold medals claimed by Frank Shorter in 1972 and Joan Benoit in 1984. Despite a lull throughout the late 1980′s and 1990′s, the thirst for success at the 26.2 mile distance was reborn when Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor each won medals at the 2004 Athens Games.

It’s clear that the U.S. obsession with the marathon had something to do with Ritzenhein’s decision to stick with the event.

On Saturday, different problems arose – hamstring spasms that forced him to drop from the lead pack. A series of slower miles in the 5:10′s that followed put Ritzenhein out of contention for the coveted top three spots.

The vent up frustration finally caused Ritzenhein to admit the 26.2 mile distance may not be for him.

“Maybe I’m forcing it. Everybody wants me to be a marathoner and I want to be a marathoner but maybe it’s not in the cards [right now],” Ritzenhein told reporters shortly after finishing in Houston.

I agree. A forced return to the shorter distances is a good thing for Ritzenhein.

After all, this is a man who showed prodigal talent on the track at a young age, running 13:44.70 for 5k shortly after graduating high school and setting the NCAA record of 27:38.50 in the 10k while at the University of Colorado.

Ritzenhein experienced a bit of a lull in his career with the marathon as his focus from 2006 to 2009 but used the endurance gained in those years to have a spectacular summer and fall of 2009 when he set the American record at 5000 meters and claimed a medal at the World Half Marathon Championships.

In the end, the 10k is the event that best complements Ritzenhein’s strengths at the moment and gives him the best chance at reaching the Olympic podium in London.

Barring injury, Ritzenhein will have much more time to prepare for the Olympic Trials in late June than he did for the marathon due to three surgeries in early 2011 that forced him into a limited training cycle.

Ritzenhein will also have the added benefit to pairing with his training partners leading up to the Trials.

Prior to Houston, his marathon preparations did not coincide much with the training of fellow Nike Oregon Project members Mo Farah and Galen Rupp who were coming off their break from the track season. This spring, Ritzenhein will have the advantage of doing full training with his teammates under the watchful eye of coach Alberto Salazar.

Plus, Ritzenhein in the 10k provides more drama for fans. Imagine the last mile in the 10,000 meters at the Olympic Trials with Ritzenhein, Rupp and Chris Solinsky duking it out for the national title before heading off to London and taking on the world’s best on the biggest stage in track and field.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Post-Olympic Trials Race Comments from Jen Rhines

Jen finished 64th at the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, running 2:43.35. She will attempt to make her fourth USA Olympic team later this year in the 10,000 meters. In these short comments, Jen suggests that since the 10,000 race at the Trials come before the 5000, if she fails to make the 10,000 meters squad at the Trials, she'll double down and try to make the team at 5000 meters. Jen was one of six former Olympic marathoners not to make the 2012 women's team (the others were Colleen de Reuck, Deena Kastor, Blake Russell, Linda Somers Smith, and Magdalena Lewy-Boulet).