t-and-f: Hammer Throw on Friday, June 24, 5:00pm at Icahn Stadium, NYC
The USATF Association Championship scheduled for Sunday, June 26th at Icahn Stadium, Randall's Island, New York City, has a conflict with another event in the Hammer Throw area. The Throws are contested outside of the stadium on the horizontal jumps side of the track. The facility has therefore agreed that the Hammer Throw will be held on Friday 5:00pm - June 24, 2005. Any questions should be addressed to Adam Sanford at, [EMAIL PROTECTED] All other events will be held on Sunday, June 26th starting at 9:00am __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
t-and-f: Midwest Distance Gala
Full results and photos at: http://www.illinoisrunner.com/home.htm High school distance runners came from seven states to participate in the inaugural running of the Midwest Distance Gala held Saturday night in near perfect weather at Vernon Hills H.S., site of one of the finest prep track facilities in Illinois. Located about 30 miles northwest of Chicago, Rust-Oleum Field has a European-sized soccer field in the middle of the eight-lane, 400-meter Recortan track. It was hog heaven for distance-running fans with only four races on the evening. The first, the Craig Virgin Invitational Two Mile, run precisely at 8:40 p.m., followed by the Running Unlimited Girls' Mile at 8:58 p.m., the Donald Sage Invitational Mile at 9:12 p.m., and the Jim Spivey Invitational 800 at 9:25. Awards followed the last race and everybody was out of the stadium by 10 p.m. Each race had a rabbit, and techno rhythmic music was played during the two mile. Only one senior won a race while a freshman and a couple of eight graders served notice for next season. Charlie Jern, a coach at famed York High School, took the two milers through six laps with several lead changes happening behind him and some after he stepped off the track. At the tape, it was Jon Thomas, a senior from Des Moines, Iowa stopping the FAT system at 9:07.53. Next up under the lights was the the girls' mile that featured a sister's act with a couple of eight graders in the final mix. Jenny Morgan, a junior from Clarkston, Mich., made it look easy winning in 4:52. Her eight grade sister, Stephanie Morgan, followed at 5:01 (PR is 4:52), and the Illinois High School Association 1600m champ, Hailee Elmore, a junior from Springfield, was third at 5:06. A couple of ticks behind Hailee was another Haley, Haley Staples at 5:08. This Haley - from Crystal Lake, Ill. - just finished eight grade. The boys' mile featured freshman Andrew Perkins from Watertown, Wis. Perkins holds the national indoor freshman mile record at 4:16.58. Going into the bell lap, Perkins took the lead, lost the lead, took the lead again, but was past 30 meters from the finish by winner Matt Dettman, a junior at York H.S., in a time of 4:14. The last race of the evening, the boys' 800, saw Stephen Williams and his front-running style challenged, but only by the rabbit. Williams, a junior from Marion, Ill. and the IHSA state champion, cruised home in 1:52.87 and was followed by fast-closing Jack Sachse from Ottawa, Kan. finishing in 1:53.86. All in all, a great night of distance running and a great first show with a second Midwest Distance Gala planned for next June. - Mike Prizy
t-and-f: NCAA SID Round-Up
Ark Arkansas Claims National Title No. 41; Spearmon Defends NCAA 200 Crown SACRAMENTO, Calif. Arkansas reigned supreme once again as the Razorbacks captured their third-straight NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship and 12th outdoor national crown in front of a crowd of 10,200 at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex. Arkansas now owns an unprecedented 41 NCAA titles, the most of any NCAA Division I track program. The Razorbacks outstanding performances racked up 60 points for the first-place team trophy, while Southeastern Conference opponents Florida and LSU finished second (49) and third (36), respectively. BYU and Florida State rounded out the top five and tied with 34 points each. Its nice to have No. 41, Arkansas head coach John McDonnell said. Florida gave us a great meet and really pushed us with everything they had. I would rank this meet as a close second to the NCAA indoor meet (earlier this year). We were so well-balanced and everyone gave a 100 percent, but thats what Ive come to expect. We dont like to lose. Its a tradition thats been handed down by teams from the past. I think this team is one of the great ones and people will compare them to the squads from 1984-85 and 1994-95. The convincing victory came after the 200-meter dash when UAs trio of fantastic sprinters earned 17 points with a 1-3-8 finish and clinched the meet. Sophomore Wallace Spearmon Jr., led the crew as he successfully defended his 200-meter title and reclaimed the school record from senior Tyson Gay with a new world-leading time of 19.91. The winning time is seventh on the all-time collegiate list and is the third-fastest ever run at an NCAA meet. I knew I had to get out, so once I came around that turn I knew I had it, Spearmon said. I had to step up when it counted and help the team. On the straight-away I looked over and saw Tyson and (Xavier) Carter, so I knew I was in a good spot. I couldnt have asked for a better ending. Its like a Disney movie. It was awesome and it sealed the meet, Brauman exclaimed. Wallace has been banged up for the past month and he was able to put a good one together in the finals of the NCAA Championships. Spearmon is now a four-time NCAA champion and seven-time All-American. There is little doubt that the Fayetteville, Ark., native will leave an indelible mark on the University of Arkansas as he announced after his performance that he would more than likely turn professional based on the advice of his coaches, McDonnell and Brauman. Gay had recorded the previous school record on Thursday night when he put up a 19.93 in the semifinals, besting Spearmons 19.97 from April. During Saturday nights final he finished third with a time of 20.16, while LSUs Xavier Carter took second place (20.08). I wasnt shocked at all that Wallace won, Gay said. He has a tendency to put it together when it counts. Im happy for him. Senior Omar Brown was the next Hog to finish when he came in eighth. Brown turned in a time of 22.38 after he cramped up towards the end of the race. All three runners earned All-America honors by virtue of their finishes in their final races in an Arkansas jersey. Gay closed his career as a two-time NCAA champion and seven-time All-American, while Omar will go away as a member of the national championship relay team and a four-time All-American. That was terrific, McDonnell said. Ill remember those guys for a long time. They are great athletes and great friends. Senior Terry Gatson picked up Arkansas first two points of the day when he finished in seventh place in the 400-meter dash with a clocking of 45.68. It was Gatsons fourth-career All-American honor. In the semis he registered the second-fastest overall time and a career-best clocking of 44.93 and was hoping to carry that performance over to the finals, but it was Baylors Darold Williamson who took the tape with a time of 44.51. The 1,500 meters was next on the schedule and sophomore Adam Perkins was coming off a five-second personal-best time of 3:39.82 from the prelims on Thursday. The Liberty, Mo., native put up a strong performance down the final stretch and passed four runners to finish in fourth place with another career-best time of 3:38.54. More importantly, he crossed the line one place ahead of Floridas Shane Stroup (3:38.57), while the winning time of 3:37.13 was turned in by Texas freshman Leonel Manzano. Perkins time finally placed him in UAs all-time outdoor top list at ninth, slightly ahead of former Razorback great Alistair Cragg (3:39.24). I went out hard and I felt it, Perkins said. I saw the guys from Florida (Shane Stroup) and Florida State (Tom Lancashire) and knew I had to finish ahead of them, so I gave it one last lean at the end. I wanted to win, but the way the race was run it didnt work out. Perkins five points gave UA a total of 39, while Florida increas
t-and-f: M40s Willie Gault (10.60) and Aaron Thigpen (10.68) in 100s!
Greetings, all Willie Gault is just warming up. So is Aaron Thigpen. Both M40 sprinters crashed the 10.70 barrier for the 100 Saturday at the Southern California USATF Association Masters Championships at West Los Angeles College in Culver City. For reasons I don't yet know, they ran in separate heats. First Thigpen ran 10.68 -- under the pending American M40 record of 10.73 that Willie ran at Occidental College on May 10. Then Willie won HIS heat in 10.60! I didn't stay long enough to check the wind readings, but I'm pretty sure they were legal. Willie said he didn't get a good start (despitge using MY Newton blocks). About an hour earlier, Aaron led off a Speedwest TC 4x1 relay team, handing off to Kettrell Berry, who powered through a backstretch headwind, who handed the baton to M45 200 WR man Kevin Morning who connected with Willie Gault, who finished strong despite a two-hour wait. (The relay was supposed to have started at 2:30 p.m. It wasn't contested until 4:06 p.m. for a variety of reasons that I hope meet director Andy Hecker wille explain). The final clocking? A hand-timed 41.4 -- well under the American record of 42.20 set by SpeedWest's Frank Strong, Cornell Stephenson, Kettrell Berry and Willie Gault in May 2004. The timing system didn't work for the relay. The same team will try again for the AR -- and maybe the world M40 record in the low 41s (which Kettrell sez the Dutch have, although the WMA Web site lists the 42.20 as the world M40 record) at a meet in mid-July in Los Gatos, near San Jose, California. I'm also waiting on results of the triple jump, held late in the meet after I began a two-hour drive home. The likely winner in the M45 age group was one Willie Banks, who recently lost his M45 world record in the TJ to a German who went 49-7 3/4. Willie told me before the event that his speed is much better (even at age 49!) than it was was when he went 47-9 in 2001 (off two weeks of training). He expected to jump off a 12-step approach today, testing a weak knee. Also, I learned Saturday that the men's masters exhibition race at the Carson USATF nationals in two weeks will be over 39-inch (masters) high hurdles. So expect a breakthrough there. Willie Gault plans to run. Roger Kingdom is possible. But forget about Renaldo Nehemiah and Greg Foster -- names dangled by event organizer Mark Cleary. Ken Stone http://www.masterstrack.com
t-and-f: M40s Willie Gault (10.60) and Aaron Thigpen (10.68) in 100s!
Greetings, all Willie Gault is just warming up. So is Aaron Thigpen. Both M40 sprinters crashed the 10.70 barrier for the 100 Saturday at the Southern California USATF Association Masters Championships at West Los Angeles College in Culver City. For reasons I don't yet know, they ran in separate heats. First Thigpen ran 10.68 -- under the pending American M40 record of 10.73 that Willie ran at Occidental College on May 10. Then Willie won HIS heat in 10.60! I didn't stay long enough to check the wind readings, but I'm pretty sure they were legal. Willie said he didn't get a good start (despitge using MY Newton blocks). About an hour earlier, Aaron led off a Speedwest TC 4x1 relay team, handing off to Kettrell Berry, who powered through a backstretch headwind, who handed the baton to M45 200 WR man Kevin Morning who connected with Willie Gault, who finished strong despite a two-hour wait. (The relay was supposed to have started at 2:30 p.m. It wasn't contested until 4:06 p.m. for a variety of reasons that I hope meet director Andy Hecker wille explain). The final clocking? A hand-timed 41.4 -- well under the American record of 42.20 set by SpeedWest's Frank Strong, Cornell Stephenson, Kettrell Berry and Willie Gault in May 2004. The timing system didn't work for the relay. The same team will try again for the AR -- and maybe the world M40 record in the low 41s (which Kettrell sez the Dutch have, although the WMA Web site lists the 42.20 as the world M40 record) at a meet in mid-July in Los Gatos, near San Jose, California. I'm also waiting on results of the triple jump, held late in the meet after I began a two-hour drive home. The likely winner in the M45 age group was one Willie Banks, who recently lost his M45 world record in the TJ to a German who went 49-7 3/4. Willie told me before the event that his speed is much better (even at age 49!) than it was was when he went 47-9 in 2001 (off two weeks of training). He expected to jump off a 12-step approach today, testing a weak knee. Also, I learned Saturday that the men's masters exhibition race at the Carson USATF nationals in two weeks will be over 39-inch (masters) high hurdles. So expect a breakthrough there. Willie Gault plans to run. Roger Kingdom is possible. But forget about Renaldo Nehemiah and Greg Foster -- names dangled by event organizer Mark Cleary. Ken Stone http://www.masterstrack.com
