Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Oberlin Inter-Regional Rumble
On the men's side, the Gators were led by the effort of Chris Marker who finished in 2nd place, a step behind Ben Sathre (St. Thomas, Minn.), in 24:47. A sinus infection ladened Jeramie Parker pushed through his illness and finished in a respectable 25:06, placing him 7th. Ryan Sullivan was the next Gator across the line who finished in 11th place with a time of 25:29. Zac Ross (25:38) and Pat McLaughlin (25:50) rounded out the scorers in 19th and 27th place, respectively. Teamwise the gators finished first with 66 points well ahead of 2nd place Elizabethtown's 130 points. While a subpar day for the Gators, thoughts are still positive as they head into the championship season.
The women's team was led by the effort of sophomore Kelly Gallagher, who finished in 11th place with a personal best time of 22:35 over the 6k course. Freshman Kristina Martin finished in 19th place with a career best time of 22:46. Senior Katie Stancik was 37th in a time of 23:10. Amber Wetzel (23:48) and Sara Mitrano (23:56) were the final two scorers in 71st and 73rd place. The team finished in 9th place with 214 points. Case Western (83 points), Rhodes (117 points), and Grove City (160 points) rounded out with the top 3 teams.
Next up for the Gators is the NCAC Championship at Wabash College on October 30th.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Bill Sudeck Classic
The Lady Gators remained stubborn despite the loss of top 5 runner Samantha Zink due to illness moments before the race. Kelly Gallagher led the way for the Gators, placing 4th overall. 6th and 7th place belonged to Kristina Martin and Katie Stancik who followed shortly after Gallagher. The next runner for the Lady Gators was Amber Wetzel in 23rd place. Laura Heltman closed out the scorers for the Gators in 42nd place. In the team score, Nationally ranked Case Western (23rd) and Baldwin-Wallace (29th) claimed the top two spots with 34 points and 61 points, respectively. Impressively, the Allegheny women took the 3rd spot with 69 points, even without the aid of Zink.
The next meet for both teams is the Pre-Regional race at Cooper's Lake in Slippery Rock, PA at the end of September.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
New Beginnings
The woman's team looks to repair the loss of NCAA individual qualifier, Mia Symoniak, and set the pace for years to come. A solid top three have emerged led by Kelly Gallagher, Katie Stancik, and freshman Kristina Martin. The next pack of Sam Zink, Amber Wetzel, Lindsay Pugh, and Laura Heltman, look to shorten the distance between their pack and the front, as they continue to improve throughout the year and rebuild from last years injuries.
The season is long and uncertain, but the confidence from each of these teams make it seem a little more assured. Keep an eye at Allegheny's sport's homepage at http://www.alleghenysports.com/ as the Gators race their first of the season this saturday at Case Western Reserve.
Also, check out the Men's season preview here: Season Preview
and the Women's season preview here: Women's Preview
Monday, April 19, 2010
Bucknell Bison Classic
On the mens side, which was not as deep as the womens, featured some season bests and national qualifying times. Chris Marker led the way with a 14:37.52 finish in the 5,000 which qualified him for the NCAA meet at the end of the year and he is currently 10th on the list. Ryan Hanson was also in the race and finished with a time of 15:10.32. Pat McLaughlin finished his first 10k of the year with a time of 31:04. Matthew Brush continues to improve in the steeplechase finishing with a time of 9:39.5. Taylor "the Jet" Throckmorton ran well in both the 200 and the 400 at the meet, running 22.87 in the 200 and a season best of 49.75 in the 400. The ever consistent Andrew Mahone finished the 800, once again, in 1:55.76. Both Benjamin Eyer and Mike Vlah ran in the 800 as well as the 1500. Eyer finished the 800 in a PR of 1:56.62 and came back in the 1500 with a time of 4:01.28. Vlah ran a solid 800 finishing in 1:57.44, but the double proved to be a difficult beast as Vlah faded to a 4:12.01 in the 1500.
The gators will take those who did not compete at the Bucknell Bison Classic to IUP next weekend and hopefully produce some similar results.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
W&J April 3rd, 2010
The men's side showed a selective field of gators. Dante Briscoe won the triple jump with a leap of 42-11.50. Jakeb Zimmerman placed 2nd in the 10,000 meter and Garrett Gleeson was 4th, despite the extreme heat. Matthew Brush finshed 2nd to All-American Dee Salukombo from Denison in the 3000 meter steeplechase. Benjamin Richard Eyer won the 1500 meter sprint with a time of 4:02.82. Taylor "catch me if you can" Throckmorton finished 2nd place overall in the 400 meter dash with a time of 50.83. Andrew Mahone continued to build on his 800 speed and raced his way to 3rd with a time of 1:56.12.
In team results, the women tied for 1st place with Waynesburg and the men placed 4th overall.
The gators look forward to taking a select crew to the Bucknell Bison Classic, known for it's fast times over the past few years, next weekend.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Spring Break!
For the men on the first night, it was a night of PR's. Andrew Mahone and Michael Vlah both ran PR's in the 1500 meter run, running 4:01.93 and 4:02.11, placing 11th and 12th overall in a grueling heat where the race was determined by a strong kick by Mahone. Benjamin Eyer raced his way in the fast heat to a 4:01.38, while his brother, Gregory, in an earlier heat, finished with a time of 4:15.27. Next was the 5k. In the first heat, Mike Faix led the way, finishing with a time of 15:59.72, breaking the 16 minute barrier with a strong kick. Next across the line for the gators was Brennan "Hammies" Hamilton, finishing with a time of 16:15.55. And Steve "El Diablo" Cottington, crushing his previous PR by 20 some seconds, finished with a time of 17:00.53, barely missing his goal of breaking 17 minutes. The next heat featured Christopher Marker, a 2 time All-American, and Patrick McLaughlin. Christopher finished in 1st place overall, crushing the meet record, with a NCAA provisional time of 14:45.58, placing him 2nd on the NCAA qualifying list. And Pat McLaughlin finished in a PR of 15:16.08 with a strong finish. The final race of the night, Ryan "Rupert" Sullivan, in a grinding 10,000 meter run, finished in 3rd place overall, his first time running this race, with a time of 31:54.63.
The next day featured the field events of Darryl Overton, throwing the discuss 107 feet 5 inches and the shot put 38 feet 2 inches, placing 25th and 27th overall, respectively. On the track, Tim Hasset raced his way to 15th place overall in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 17.35. The gator men had a significant amount of bodies in the 800 meter run as well. First up was Jack Conant, with a time of 2:05.00, placing 41st. Next was Greg Eyer, placing 36th with a time of 2:02.90. His brother, Ben, was next on the list, placing 12th overall, with a time of 1:57.81. Mike Vlah, leading his heat from start and almost to the finish, placed 9th overall with a solid PR of 1:57.17. Andrew Mahone, having to take over the lead after a very slow first lap in :58 seconds, pushed the pace to finish 2nd in his heat (3rd overall), with a time of 1:55.48.
All-in-all, the meet at W&L was a memorable one filled with personal records, fast times, and even better, the best of times with other teammates.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Post Season Wrap-Up
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Kent State Tune-Up
This weekend, the Allegheny Gator men took advantage of superb competition and an oversized track and raced to their potential. Highlighting the meet was Andrew Mahone (class of 2011) in his 1:55.23 800 meter race which broke the indoor school record of 1:56.13 set in 2007.
Tony Dipre started strong in the 3000 meter run and finished a mere 4 seconds off the school record in 8:25.70, which placed him 3rd overall. Ryan Hanson followed shortly after in 8:45.19.
Benjamin Eyer led a strong troop of milers in 4:20.21, a new PR and 8th place, and finished a great double with an 800 time of 1:57.5, also a new PR. Zac Ross and Mike Vlah, each also running the mile/800 double, finishing in (4:21.70 / 2:01.59) and (4:24.96 / 2:02.9), respectively.
Christopher Marker, an outdoor all-american in the 5000 meter race, ran his first race of the indoor season after overcoming a knee injury in 15:21.04 for the 5000 meter, which placed him 9th overall. Ryan Sullivan and Pat McLaughlin also ran the 5000 meter and both of them set PRs in 15:29.88 and 15:32.72, respectively.
Also, Taylor "the rocket" Throckmorton sharpened his legs for the upcoming NCAC meet and ran a 50.20 400 meter race.
The Lady Gators also ran well, setting themselves up well going into the week before the NCAC meet. Mia Symoniak and Kelly Gallagher each ran the 3000 meter race. Symoniak finished strong in 10:22.01 in 5th place, while Gallagher, continuing her strong freshman year, finished in a PR of 10:51.59 in 19th place. Samantha Zink raced her way to an 11th place finish in 3:04.85 in the 1000 meter race and doubled strong with the 800 meter race in 14th place with a time of 2:22.15.
On the field, Lauren Butler launched the shot put 39 feet, 5 3/4 inches, placing her 11th place. While Holly Wilson steadily improving throughout her freshman year, took 15th place overall in the triple jump with a distance of 33-3 1/4.
The majority of the Gators are looking forward to a down weekend to rest up before the conference meet at Denison University on 3/5-3/6, while the men's DMR is looking to improve on their time and secure a spot on the national qualifing list at Anderson University this upcoming weekend.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Boston Valentine Invite
The first day of action started off on the right foot as the gator men qualified provisionally for the NCAA National Championship in the DMR (Zac Ross, Taylor Throckmorton, Ryan Hanson, Tony Dipre), finishing 6th overall with a time of 10:03.32 with a solid finishing leg by Tony Dipre. The rest of the day was filled with womans races.
Lauren Butler (last year an all-american in her specialty: the javelin) switched gears to the Shotput and heaved to a whopping 38-10.25 which led her to 9th place overall. Rallying once more for the Weight Throw shortly after the Shotput, Butler launched the heavy weight 41-01.5 placing her 23rd overall.
In the shotest race of the day, Beth Muller cruised to a 7.74 in the 55m dash which placed her 48th overall. Getting the most out of the day, Muller completed the one lap 200 meter dash in 26.66 which garnered her 65th place.
The meet picked up for the ladies One Mile race, the crowds favorite race of the day. Sam Zink finished with a killer kick, winning her heat, in 5:15.05 and the 4th fastest mile in the NCAC. Katie Stancik, despite being afflicted with bronchitis, finished with the 5th fastest time in the NCAC in 5:17.83. They were 46th and 56th overall, respectively.
The first day of action finished with the longest distance raced indoors, the 5000 meters. 25 laps of fun. Mia Symoniak, outdoor national qualifier in the 10,000, hoped for an indoor national qualifing time but fell just .88 sec away from the provisional mark, despite a strong finish, in 17:40.88. This time was fast enough for a 13th place overall finish. Kelly Gallagher also competed in this event. Her first time ever racing a 5000 meter race on a track, let alone indoors, she strode her way to an NCAC qualifing time of 18:48.77, which placed her 42nd overall.
The first day of track and field was over. Day two was left to the gentlemen and the ladies DMR.
The first event of the day was the women's DMR (Katie Stancik, Beth Muller, Sam Zink, Mia Symoniak) which placed 19th over in a time of 12:47.69.
Taylor, the two lap specialist, Throckmorton was the first of the men up for the day with the 400 meter dash which he completed in 50.73 which placed him 78th place overall.
The rest of the men competing were all entered in the mile. First up was Tony Dipre. After watching a sub-4 minute mile by a sophomore from the University of Maine, Tony took the line in heat 3. Negative splitting from the first half of his race, and closing in a 60 second last lap, Tony powered his way to the 4th fastest time in the country for Division III in a 4:10.28 which placed him 15th overall, improving upon his 35th ranked seed time. Ryan Hanson and Benjamin Richard Eyer set the hot pace early in their race, distancing themselves from the rest of the field and finishing in 4:21.5 and 4:22.16, respectively, improving 60 places from the seed time in 73rd and 75th overall. Zac Ross finished out the day in 96th place overall in 4:24.78.
With another day comes another dollar and the Allegheny Gators, finished with an exhausting weekend of racing, headed back to the hotel to rest up for one more night only to rise early and head back home to Meadville, Pennsylvania early in the morning to get back on the academic and athletic grind.
(Watch Tony Dipre's 4:10.28, 4th fastest mile time in NCAA Div. III here!)
http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/236483/298297
Track and Field Videos on Flotrack
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Jim Wuske Invitational
The distance events were dominated by blue and gold. Zac Ross and Mia Symoniak won the 3k's and qualified for the conference championships. Ryan Sullivan (3rd place) and Pat McLaughlin (4th) also ran fast enough in the 3k to qualify for conferences. In the mile, Tony Dipre won by more than 4 seconds. Mike Vlah (3rd place), Ryan Hanson (4th), and Ben Eyer (5th) all improved on their season bests, with Ben adding his name to the others on the conference qualifiers list. In the women's race, Sam Zink ran a huge season best to finish 2nd and qualify for the conference meet. Andrew Mahone continued his steady improvement by cutting another 2.48 seconds off this season's 800m time. In the 5k, Katie Stancik and Emily Dunn went 1-2, while Matt Lacombe finished 3rd for the men. Also in the race, senior Mike Faix set a new PR.
If the weather cooperates, the Distance Medley Relays and Lauren Butler will compete at Boston on Friday and Saturday. The whole team returns to action at Kent State in 2 weeks.
Watch Beth Muller (lane 3) run the 55m trials at the Jim Wuske Invitational:
Thursday, February 4, 2010
NCAC Relays
Last Saturday, the teams traveled to Denison University for the North Coast Athletic Conference relay meet. The men's team showed their power up front by winning the 5,000m relay and the Distance Medley Relay (DMR). In the longest relay, Zac Ross won the individual event and the relay by running the 5k in a time of 15:28.81, which is currently the fastest time in the conference. Relay teammate Pat McLaughlin also ran a 5k time that qualifies him for the conference championships. The DMR team of Ben Eyer, Taylor Throckmorton, Ryan Hanson, and Tony Dipre ran the 5th fastest time in the country to set a new meet record.
While the men's team had great star power, the women demonstrated their depth by placing well in a huge variety of events. Mia Symoniak (pictured above) ran comfortably in the first mile of the 5k before dropping her competition. Her time of 18:33.28 won the event by more than 30 seconds and is currently the fastest in the conference. In the shot put relay, Kristen Collins and Lauren Butler both threw season bests to finish second as a relay. Lauren also finished 2nd individually. The 55m hurdle relay of Emily Norton and Hannah Smith finished 2nd. Hannah returned later to help power the triple jump relay to a 2nd place finish. She was joined by freshman Holly Wilson, who had her first conference qualifying performance. Two other freshman showed promise in the distance events. Hannah Serlin and Sara Mitrano were joined by veterans Sam Zink and Katie Stancik in the 4x 800m, which finished 2nd overall.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Baldwin-Wallace
The women's program also had standout performances in sprint, distance, and field events. Consistent performers Beth Muller and Becca Lendyak qualified for the finals in the 55m dash, where they finished 5th and 7th respectively. Both athletes have already qualified for the conference championship in the event. Mia Symoniak and Katie Stancik qualified for the conference meet in the mile, while finishing 5th and 6th respectively. They returned to finish 2nd and 4th in the 1000m. Lauren Butler came in 2nd in the shot put to qualify for the conference meet.
The team will run at the NCAC Relay meet next weekend at Denison.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
'74 Alum Picture
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
WVU
After a long fall of hard preseason training, the track and field athletes finally had their chance to shine. The day began with trials in the 55m dash and 60m hurdles. Junior Tim Hassett set a new PR in the 55m and tied his previous PR in the hurdles. Juniors Becca Lendyak and Beth Muller advanced to finals, where they were the top Division III runners. In the finals, Becca set a new PR and both women qualified for the NCAC championship meet. Becca returned later in the day to qualify for the NCAC meet in the 200m. Sophomore Taylor Throckmorton (pictured above) won the 400m by passing Rashard Adams of Lynchburg College in the final few meters. While few distance athletes chose to compete in the meet because of the length of the cross country season, Anthony Hessel represented the Gator distance squad well by winning the 3,000m.
Athletes competing in the field events had some of the most spectacular performances of the day. Sophomores Kristin Collins and Lauren Butler both had massive improvements in the weight throw. Lauren threw 10 feet further than her previous best to place third. Kristin stepped up to the challenge and improved by 9 feet. Lauren also qualified for the NCAC meet in the shot put. Her throw can be seen in the video below. Freshman Kerri Morgan qualified for the NCAC meet in the pole vault before withdrawing with a knee injury.
After the semester break, the Gators return to action at Baldwin-Wallace's January invitational.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
NCAA Championships
The race was won by North Central, who has been the #1 ranked team the entire season. Williams College finished in second with 181 points, 14 points ahead of Allegheny. This was Allegheny's second time finishing in third place at nationals under the direction of head coach Bill Ross, and it marks the fourth consecutive year that the men have been in the top ten at nationals.
The success of the team this year can not be mentioned without including the contributions of the Gator fans. Gator parents, alumni, teammates, and friends came out in droves to form one of the largest and most vocal groups of supporters at the meet.
Unfortunately, the team loses both Zimmerman and Dipre (pictured below) next year, but they will remain strong contenders because of the experienced runners who will be returning. Not only do Parker, Marker, and Ross have another season of eligibility, the men will also retain junior Ryan Sullivan, who has competed in the last two national championships, junior Matt Lacombe who competed in his first national championships this season, and sophomore Pat McLaughlin who traveled with the team as the alternate. There are also many underclassmen at home, training hard and fighting for a spot in the top 7.
The track and field athletes begin the indoor season next weekend at West Virginia University. The distance runners, including the men who ran at nationals, will wait until January to compete.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Mideast Regional
With their first Mideast regional title, the Allegheny men showed why they are ranked so high in the national polls. Led by region champion Chris Marker (24:54) and runner-up Jeramie Parker (25:00), the men defeated 44 teams, including 4 nationally-ranked programs. Showing they have both speed up front and great depth, the Gators placed 6 men on the All-Region team this year. Also receiving All-Region awards were Zac Ross (15th place, 25:31), Tony Dipre (16th, 25:34), Jake Zimmerman (25th, 25:56), and Ryan Sullivan (31st, 26:04).
As one of the strongest regions in the country, the Mideast received five bids to the national championships next weekend. The Mideast teams that will join Allegheny on the starting line are Carnegie Mellon (2nd place at the regional championship), Haverford (3rd), Dickinson (4th), and Elizabethtown (5th). The 2009 NCAA Championship will be held in Cleveland, OH on Saturday, November 21st.
Although the women's team did not advance to the national championship, the day contained many successes. Senior Mia Symoniak continued to pace the team, placing 25th in a time of 22:48. Joining her on the All-Region team for the first time was junior Katie Stancik (31st, 23:07).
As a team, the women improved one spot on last year's finish, coming in 8th this year. The region was won by Johns Hopkins, who is currently ranked second in the nation.
With only two seniors competing on this year's championship team, the women have a positive outlook for the future. Those returning next year include Stancik, freshman Kelly Gallagher (50th, 23:40), sophomore Hallie Dilley (89th, 24:13), junior Sam Zink (97th, 24:22), and freshman Hannah Serlin (148th, 25:13).
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
NCAC Championships
After a night of heavy rain, Ohio Wesleyan's home course was more like a swamp for the conference championship meet on Saturday, October 31st. In poor conditions, many teams fold under the pressure, but the Gators showed up ready to run hard. The women slogged through a muddy stream and over a flooded bridge twice, but never gave up. For their efforts, they finished third as team, improving on their fifth place showing last year. The team championship was won by Oberlin College (ranked #21 in the nation). Wittenberg came in second, defeating Allegheny by a mere 6 points. Senior Mia Symoniak (pictured below) was the women's first finisher in 24:12. She was followed closely by Katie Stancik (24:17) and Kelly Gallagher (24:19). Sam Zink was the fourth runner in 25:00. On a day when conditions prevent even the best athletes from running fast, senior Emily Dunn surprised her competitors by stepping up to finish fifth on the team and almost setting a new PR.
While the conditions prevented the men from running the times that would be expected from a national caliber team, the team score reflected their dominance. The Gator men won with a low score of 25, well ahead of runner-up Wabash (82) and third place finisher Oberlin (85). Juniors Jeramie Parker and Chris Marker (pictured below) finished in the top two spots with times of 25:53 and 25:57. Rounding out the team score were Zac Ross in 6th place (26:30), Tony Dipre in 7th (26:39), and Jake Zimmerman in 9th (26:50).
On November 14th, the Gators will compete in the Mideast Regional Championships at Lehigh University. The top team and individual finishers at the meet earn a spot at the NCAA championships in Cleveland, OH.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Inter Regional Rumble
Last Saturday, the men and women slogged through the mud at Oberlin College in the Inter Regional Rumble. The women got the day off to a great start with 6 of the top 7 runners running new PR's, with sophmore Hallie Dilley finishing just 4 seconds slower than her previous PR in only her second meet back from a summer injury. The team was led by senior Mia Symoniak, who finished in 22:26. Also running in the varsity race were Kelly Gallagher (FR, 23:10), Hannah Serlin (FR, 23:29), Sam Zink (JR, 23:44), Laura Heltman (JR, 24:36), and Emily Dunn (SR, 24:40). In addtion, senior Lynn Simonton and sophmore Amber Wetzel (both pictured above) ran new season's bests. Despite the absence (due to illness) of junior Katie Stancik, Allegheny finished close behind fellow Mideast Region teams Grove City and Carnegie Mellon, and ahead of Elizabethtown and Westminster. The women also beat conference opponents Kenyon, Wooster, and Hiram.
In the men's race, junior Chris Marker ran away from the field early in the race and held on for the individual win in a time of 24:46. Teammate Jeramie Parker finished second in a new PR of 24:54. Unfortunately, the men lost a close battle with nationally-ranked NYU, finishing a mere 3 points behind them, but the Allegheny men soundly beat numerous other nationally ranked teams, including Carnegie Mellon (#21), University of St. Thomas (#33), Ohio Northern (#20), and Johns Hopkins (#31). By the time the men finished, the sloppy course had been torn apart, but several men improved upon their previous bests, including Matt Brush, John O'Neil, Steve Cottington, and Ryan Hanson, who dropped 25 seconds to finish 32nd in the loaded field.
In another positive move, both teams improved on their finishes from last year, where the men came in 5th and the women came in 13th. The Inter Regional Rumble represents the end of cross country's regular season meets. The next competition will be the North Coast Athletic Conference championship on October 31st at Ohio Wesleyan.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Paul Short Run
In a change from past years, the Paul Short Run on Friday, October 2 was divided into 4 divisions. The Allegheny College men competed in the Gold race, the fastest race of the day. In a preview of this year's regional championship course, 6 of Allegheny's top 7 men ran new PR's, leading them to finish second among Division III teams behind Cortland, who is currently ranked third in the nation, and ahead of nationally ranked rivals Dickinson (#9), St. Lawrence (#11), Haverford (#21), and Plattsburgh (#28). They also defeated the varsity squads of numerous local Division I and II teams including Duquesne, Shippensburg, Lock Haven, Pitt, and Lehigh. The top teams in the Gold race were Indiana, Iona (ranked #7 in Division I polls), and N.C. State (#19 in Division I). Allegheny's scorers were Chris Marker (24:42), Zac Ross (25:01), Tony Dipre (pictured above, 25:03), Jeramie Parker (25:03), and Jake Zimmerman (25:30).
The women competed in the Brown race where they finished 26th, a mere four points behind regional rivals Messiah, and ahead of regional teams Misericordia, Swarthmore, and Elizabethtown, as well as Pennsylvania schools Temple and Pitt. The race was won by Division II teams Kutztown and Bloomsburg. With a change in faces from the Calvin Invitational, Katie Stancik (pictured above) led the way (23:07), followed closely by freshman Kelly Gallagher (23:16) and Hannah Serlin (23:30) in their first 6k's ever. In their seasonal debut after suffering from summer injuries, Hallie Dilley finished fourth for the team (24:19) and Lynn Simonton ran 6th (25:20). Senior Emily Dunn ran a new PR of 25:11 to finish in fifth for the Gators.
The next meet for both teams will be Interregional Rumble at Oberlin on October 17th.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Calvin Invitational
The women entered the meet ready to prove themselves. With great weather and a fast course on their side, they stepped up their game. Senior Mia Symoniak led the way with a fifth place finish and a new PR of 18:10.3. Katie Stancik (JR) followed in 18:54. The next four athletes were a mix of freshmen and returners, but all set new PR's. They included Kelly Gallagher (FR, 19:00), Sam Zink (JR, 19:29), Hannah Serlin (FR, 19:45), and Angie Dyer (JR. 20:05). As a team, the women were fourth behind Calvin (#2 in the nation for NCAA Division III), Case Western Reserve (#13 in NCAA), and Baldwin-Wallace (#35 in NCAA), and ahead of Aquinas (#15 in the nation in NAIA), Spring Arbor (#17 in NAIA) and conference rivals Ohio Wesleyan.
As a result of their fine races, Mia Symoniak and Chris Marker were named NCAC Runner's of the Week. The next meet on the schedule is the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Presque Isle
Monday, August 31, 2009
3k time trial
The women started the night off with a run that will cheer up any Gator fan. Veterans Mia Symoniak and Katie Stancik led the way with their typical strong performances. Four of the next 6 finishers were newcomers, with freshman Kelly Gallagher finishing in the 18th fastest time ever run by an Allegheny woman in the time trial. With the newcomers setting the bar high, and with only three seniors on the team, the future looks bright for this fall and for years to come.
While the women are on the verge of taking off, the men have already arrived at the top. The Gator men lost two of the top 7 runners from last year's nationally-ranked team, but they reloaded with new talent and the returning athletes have taken a step up to the next level. Three of the top 4 finishers in the time trial ran more than 25 seconds faster than last year. Freshman Mike Vlah was able to break into the group of seasoned upperclassmen, finishing in 7th place and running the 20th fastest time out of the ten years of recorded performances. In another notable performance, sophmore Garrett Gleeson ran 30 seconds faster than his best run last year. With experience at the front and superior depth, the men seem poised for another victorious season.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
XC Preseason Polls
The top two teams in each region advance automatically to the national championships, with additional bids given to teams who have competed well during the last part of their season.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Ryan Place '08 tearing it up - in Boston!
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Men's team wins Bridge of Flowers 10km
Ryan Place ran his first race in a GBTC uniform.On the day before the race Dan Smith took the team on a tour of the Shelburne Falls 10 km course. The key to this race is knowing and understanding the monster hill called Crittendon. The road rises from the valley where the Deerfield River flows over the falls up and around tree canopied turns that conceal the pitch each runner will confront in the next minute. Crittendon raises 400 feet in a mile. The running speeds change tremendously in the race because of these contours. David Bedoya who placed 10th averaging 5:21 per mile for the 10 km ran up the monster in 6:40 and down in 4:50. New GBTC member Ryan Place who hadn't raced in months ran cautiously with the following pack up the hills. Eric Blake and Justin Freeman led to the crest. Place wanted to be intact for the downhills. At the top they ran threw a cooling spray from garden hoses and past a seated musician playing a jolly accordion. On this picture post-card perfect day the runners all cooled and wet flew down the dirt road and back into the valley. Ryan Place came alive with speed.Place won the race in 32:10 followed by Dan Smith in 9th at 33:08, Bedoya in 33:15, Jon Korhonen in 33:16, and Kevin Somers in 33:21. These five in the top 12 clinched the team title for GBTC and the $350 in prize money for the club. Place won $250 for first and Smith and Bedoya collected some cash too.Interviewed after the race Place said this to Bill Wells of The Republican:"I've never run a course like this. I'm not a great hill runner. To be honest I was hoping just not to get annihilated. I was trying to conserve as much energy as I could on that hill."As soon as we hit the flats, I was feeling pretty good. I found my stride, and I was pulling in the two guys ( Eric Blake and Justin Freeman). I hit the last mile, got excited, got a little bit of an adrenaline rush and carried it home."David Hantman in his debut ran 36:40 for 21st place. The club's only female entrant, Beth Harlow, ran 18th among women in 44:25.Dan Smith, who grew up in Shelburne Falls, arranged a sumptuous barbecue for the team as well as lodging on the night before. There really is a bridge over the Deerfield River that was once a railroad and is now a flower garden.Full results here.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
USATF Championships
For Allegheny College, summer is a chance to see our athletes compete against the nation's best. This year, two athletes competed at the USATF Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, OR. Freshman Lauren Butler qualified for junior nationals in the javelin, while Allegheny graduate Jeremy Scott competed against other elites for the national title in the pole vault. Jeremy finished tied for second and advanced to the World Championships in Berlin. Qualifying rounds in the pole vault begin on August 20th.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The End of April
At the same time, several athletes were competing at Oberlin College. Lauren Butler continued her domination of the javelin with another win. Caileigh Hughes improved in the triple jump by several inches. Greg Eyer and Jamie Drab both ran 1:59 in the 800m to squeek under the conference qualifying time. In the 400, Jacob Seigh and Andrew Glod ran new PR's. Perhaps the most impressive performance for the team, Glod returned half an hour later to also run a PR in the 400 hurdles.
On Saturday, the conference championships began with the heptathlon and decathlon competitions. Emily Norton set a new personal best in five of the seven events in the heptathlon. Caileigh Hughes was entering her first ever heptathlon, and had never previously competed in the hurdles or shot put. Cedric Gamble tied his PR in the pole vault, an event in which he is now ranked #1 in the conference, but had his highest point total in the 1500, where he ran an outstanding 4:37. Darryl Overton, who was also competing in his first multi-event, took first in the discus and shot. At the Sunday conclusion, Cedric Gamble was fourth and Darryl Overton seventh for the men. Emily Norton finished in fifth for the women with Caileigh Hughes coming in seventh.
The remaining events in the NCAC Championship will be held this Saturday and Sunday at Ohio Wesleyan.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Sparky Adams Invite
The team splits in multiple directions in the upcoming week. A handful of distance runners will travel to Michigan for the Gina Relays. On Friday, several athletes will compete at Oberlin College. The heptathletes and decathletes compete in their conference championship on Saturday and Sunday.
Bison Classic
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Marv Frye Invite
The women were led by Lauren Butler, who remains undefeated in the javelin after three meets. Lauren has surpassed the NCAA provisional mark each time, and has also qualified for the USATF Junior National meet in June at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. To start the running events, Kate David and Lynn Simonton both ran new PR's in the steeplechase, with Lynn qualifying for thte conference meet. Beth Muller finished third in the 100m and fifth in the 200m in her first meet of the season. She is currently ranked second in the conference in both events.
The next meet on the schedule will be a Bucknell's Bison Classic, where a limited roster will compete. The whole team will be travelling to Baldwin-Wallace in two weeks.
Monday, March 30, 2009
The Start of Outdoor
The indoor season came to a spectacular conclusion with multiple awards, PR's, and records. At the conference meet, sophmore Jeramie Parker was named distance runner of the meet after setting a new conference record and qualifying for nationals in the mile. Sophmore Beth Muller was named sprinter of the meet for pulling off a phenomenal triple, in which she won the 55m, 200m, and 400m, while setting new school records in the 55m and 200m. The next weekend, 5 members of the men's team travelled to Rose-Hulman for the national championships. Tony Dipre and Joe McMahon earned All-American awards in the mile and the triple jump respectively.
The national championships also marked the start of spring break for Allegheny College. This year, the track and field team went to San Diego for break. The week consisted of normal practices, but the team also spent time visiting famous locations like the Gaslamp district, the San Diego Zoo, and Old Town. At the end of the week, the athletes competed at Point Loma Nazarene. Despite a week of sunburns, lots of Yogurtland trips, and adjusting to the time zone change, the men and women posted some great early season performances. Fresh off her conference championship in the shot put, Lauren Butler qualified for nationals in javelin. Lauren also finished second in the shot, with the top throw in the conference. Becca Lendyak finished second in the 100m, posting a conference leading time. Sam Zink and Katie Stancik qualified for the conference championships in the mile, while Claire LeMasters qualified in the steeplechase. Mia Symoniak won the 5k, with Rachel Hutchinson finishing in third. In the triple jump, Emily Norton jumped a new PR to place second and qualify for the conference meet.
On the men's side, Josh Brannan had an impressive day in only his third meet of the year. Josh was second in the 100m with a time of 11.12 and first in the 200m, running 22.33. Both performances lead the conference currently. He also qualfied for the conference meet in the javelin, along with decathlete Pete Sotherland and thrower Shane Hennessy. The 5k men were dominant, as always, with Jakeb Zimmerman, Zac Ross , Pat McLaughlin, and Ryan Sullivan all finishing in the top 8 in the field and qualifying for the conference meet. Senior distance runner Chris Corkins qualfied for the conference meet in his first steeple in five years. With little time to recover from nationals, Joe McMahon won the triple jump, landing just short of the outdoor track national standard.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Kent State #3
The next meet will be the conference championships on March 6-7 at Denison. Please come out and support the Gators!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Academic Honors
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Baldwin Wallace and Boston
The Boston University Valentine's Invitational on the following week was a showcase for some of the great talent at Allegheny. Some of the best Division III athletes in the nation competed alongside schools like Army, Boston College, Iona, Syracuse, and Providence. Our athletes took advantage of the opportunity and set numerous new records. Mia Symoniak dropped several more seconds from her 5000, finishing in 17:51.39. Sam Zink and Katie Stancik ran new PR's in the women's mile. The men's DMR of Jeramie Parker, Taylor Throckmorton, Ryan Hanson, and Tony Dipre finished in second place, running one of the fastest times in the nation. Taylor Throckmorton followed it up with a 50.21 in the open 400m, which is a new PR and the number one time in the conference. Tony Dipre was 12th in the mile with a new PR of 4:09.63, which is currently the second fastest time in the country by a Division III athlete. Jeramie Parker also ran a new PR of 4:17.65, narrowly missing a national qualifying time. Ryan Hanson finished the 5000m in a new PR and national qualifying time of 14:46.67. In the same event, Jakeb Zimmerman dropped 10 more seconds off his time to finish in 15:18.58. Senior Joe McMahon jumped 47'2.5" to finish third in the triple jump and qualify for nationals.
The team returns to Kent State this Saturday for one final tune-up before the conference championships.
Monday, February 2, 2009
A New Record at NCAC Relays
The Gators showed up firing on all cylinders. In the first running event of the day, Ryan Hanson and Chris Marker both ran new PR's in the 5,000 to win the relay in a time of 30:27.52, breaking the old meet record by 3.57 seconds. Pete Sotherland and Cedric Gamble went 1-2 to dominate the pole vault relay. The future looks strong on the women's side, as several underclassmen shone. Sophmores Emily Norton and Laura Heltman combined for first place in the triple jump relay and second place in the long jump relay. Freshman Lauren Butler broke the 40' barrier for the first time to win the shot put.
The next meet will be a Friday evening meet at Baldwin-Wallace on February 6th.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
West Virginia University
Coming up, the team will travel to the NCAC Relay meet at Denison.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Kent State #2--January 17th
For the distance runners, Mia Symoniak ran a new PR and conference qualifying time of 10:32.4. Other women dipping under their previous bests in the event were Sam Zink, Katie Stancik, Angie Dyer, and Kate David. Allegheny women currently have the top 4 times in the conference. Tony Dipre, Ryan Hanson, Jakeb Zimmerman, Chris Marker, Jeramie Parker, and Zac Ross all qualified for the men's conference 3k. In the same race, Greg Eyer ran a new PR, as did Matt Lacombe in his first race back after a cross country injury. Allegheny has the top 7 times on the conference 3k list.
The sprinters added several solid performances. Matt Yurky qualified for the conference meet in the 60m. Freshman Jacob Seigh ran new bests in both the 200 and 400. Taylor Throckmorton, Beth Muller, and Becca Lendyak all qualified in the 200m, with Muller and Lendyak leading the list of conference qualifiers. A limited squad will compete this weekend at West Virginia University, with most of the team returning to the NCAC Relays in two weeks.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Kent State: First Track Meet of Indoor
The women also kicked off their indoor season with the 5000m on Friday. Mia Symoniak showed her fitness and experience with a 6th place finish and a fabulous new PR of 17:57.75. Lynn Simonton and Claire LeMasters also set new bests in the event. On Saturday, Katie Stancik finished 9th in the mile with a time of 5:34.64, while Andrea Patterson also set a new PR in the same event.
In addition to the numerous personal bests, many other athletes hit the conference qualifying marks in their events. In the sprints, Rebecca Lendyak and Taylor Throckmorton met the 200m standard. Taylor also qualified in the 400m. Alex Rowland and Alex Gorski slipped under the 800m time. Sophomore Andrew Mahone joined the list in the mile. The 5k's produced several conference qualifiers, along with the aforementioned PR's, including Rachel Hutchinson, Amber Wetzel, Pat McLaughlin, Chris Corkins, and Jakeb Zimmerman. Vaulter Erich Wittmer and decathlete Pete Sotherland met the pole vault mark. Finally, Joe McMahon also qualified for NCAC's in the long jump.
The team will revisit Kent State for their next meet on January 17th. Meanwhile, athletes will be taking final exams and returning home for the semester break.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Men are Top Ten in the Nation
After a second place showing at regionals, the Allegheny men were ranked eleventh in the national polls during the week preceding the NCAA championship. Tough running at Hanover gave the men the edge over all of their regional rivals, who were 13th, 14th, and 16th at nationals.
Coming up next, the team will compete at Kent State in their first indoor meet of the season. The cross country athletes will compete in the 5k on Friday night. The long jump will also take place on Friday, followed by the remainder of the events on Saturday.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Women finish season with Regional Meet
WAYNESBURG, Pa. –Allegheny’s women placed ninth of 44 squads with 291 points. Johns Hopkins was first, followed in order by Dickinson, Messiah, Elizabethtown, Grove City, Haverford, Swarthmore, Susquehanna and then Allegheny.
Mia Symoniak (East Snyder, N.Y./Amherst) earned All-Region honors as the Gators’ top finisher. She placed 26th in 23:32. Also, Katie Stancik (South Russell, Ohio/Chagrin Falls) was 44th in 24:03 and Rachel Hutchinson (Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin) claimed 48th in 24:07.Claire LeMasters (Shadyside, Ohio/Saint John Central) finished 71st in 24:41, Annie Ginty (Valley City, Ohio/Our Lady of the Elms) ran to 102nd in 25:14, Amber Wetzel (Sewickley, Pa./North Allegheny) placed 114th in 25:23 and Hallie Dilley (Meadville, Pa./Meadville) was 128th in 25:39. Ginty, a senior, participated in her final cross country event as a Gator.
The Gator women will not be eligible for Nationals. Only the top five teams in each region receive consideration from the selection committee.
“On the women’s side,” Ross said, “we’re disappointed that we didn’t in the top five. But, I told the team that if we finish in the top 10 this year, we will be in serious contention next year.
“We have every runner but one returning, so we can honestly say that we have a chance. That’s going to motivate us.”
ResultsFriday, November 14, 2008
Women Finish 5th at NCAC's
LORAIN, Ohio -- The Allegheny College Lady Gators battled to claim a fifth-place finish after winning the team title a year ago.
The Gator women were led by Mia Symoniak (East Snyder, N.Y./Amherst), with the junior taking eighth-place in 22:43.2 on the 6K course. Katie Stancik (South Russell, Ohio/Chagrin Falls) added a 14th-place finish with her time of 23:06.1 while Rachel Hutchison (Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin) contributed an 18th-place showing (23:17.5). Claire LeMasters (Shadyside, Ohio/Saint John Central) and Amber Wetzel (Sewickley, Pa./North Allegheny) rounded out the scoring five with 27th- and 36th-place finishes in 23:41.5 and 24:08.6, respectively.With their efforts, three Gator women were named to the NCAC All-Conference teams.
Symoniak and Stancik earned second-team honors for the women while Hutchison captured an honorable-mention nod.
The Gators are next in action at the NCAA Mideast Regional on Nov. 15 at Waynesburg College, with the NCAA Championships taking place the following weekend, Nov. 22 at Hanover College in Hanover, Ind.
NCAC CHAMPS 5 years running for Men
LORAIN, Ohio -- The Allegheny College men's cross country team stretched its conference championship streak to five as they captured the 2008 North Coast Athletic Conference title.
The men's team had four runners place in the top 10, led by Zac Ross (Meadville, Pa./Meadville) and his second-place finish (25:09.9) in the 8K race. The spread among Allegheny's scoring unit was 32.1 seconds as Jeramie Parker (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) placed 13th with a time of 25:42.1. Matt Hoy (Moon Township, Pa./Moon) crossed the line in 25:15.4 to finish fourth while Tony Dipre (Twinsburg, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) and Jakeb Zimmerman (Leechburg, Pa./The Kiski School) added sixth- and ninth-place finishes in 25:24.9 and 25:35.8, respectively.
The men now own eight conference titles, the most of any members.
With their efforts, seven Gator men were named to the NCAC All-Conference teams.
Ross, Hoy and Dipre earned first-team accolades with their top-seven placements while Zimmerman, Parker and Ryan Sullivan (Homer, N.Y.) garnered second-team selections. Also earning all-conference honors were Devon Flynnperrault (Lafayette, Calif./Campolindo), as he finished 15th, and Pat McLaughlin (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) with his 20th place finish, to receive an honorable-mention nod.
The Gators are next in action at the NCAA Mideast Regional on Nov. 15 at Waynesburg College, with the NCAA Championships taking place the following weekend, Nov. 22 at Hanover College in Hanover, Ind.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Dynamic warmup and Marathon Pace Tempo
Here is a video of one of our workouts out at the Ernst Trail.....
Thursday, October 9, 2008
DiPre and Stancik named athlete of the week
Allegheny College cross country athletes Tony Dipre (Twinsburg, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) and Katie Stancik (Russell, Ohio/Chagrin Falls) have been named the North Coast Athletic Conference male and female runners of the week for their efforts at Pre-Nationals.
At Hanover College in a field that consisted of nationally and regionally ranked competition, the No. 17 Gator men had five runners place within the top 21, led by second-place finisher Dipre who covered the 8K course in 25:33.03.
Stancik helped paced the Gator women to an eighth-place finish as she covered the six-kilometer course in 23:50 en route to a 26th-place finish out of 172 runners.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Tail "Gator"
Monday, October 6, 2008
Pre-Nationals Meet: October 4th
Last weekend, the men’s and women’s cross country teams travelled to Hanover, Indiana to preview the course where they will compete for the national championship. The men dominated the event, beating their closest competitors by 44 points. Allegheny’s top seven finished in front of the fifth man for every school in attendance, including nationally-ranked Trinity of Connecticut and Mount Union. They also improved their 1-5 spread to an outstanding 43 seconds. The top finishers for the team were Tony Dipre (2nd, 25:33), Zac Ross (5th, 25:45), Matt Hoy (16th, 26:11), Chris Marker (18th, 26:13), Jeramie Parker (21st, 26:16), Devon Flynnperrault ( 29th, 26:28), and Ryan Sullivan (40th, 26:44). The future also looks bright for the Gators, as freshman Pat McLaughlin and sophomore Matt Brush finished in new PRs of 27:03 and 27:04 respectively.
Unfortunately, the women’s team raced in the middle of a bright, hot day. Several athletes from Allegheny and other colleges succumbed to the heat. Even without three of their usual top-seven runners, the Allegheny women still finished eighth behind several nationally ranked teams. Mia Symoniak was the top finisher in 20th place with a time of 23:33, followed closely by Katie Stancik (26th, 23:50), Claire LeMasters (57th, 24:54), Amber Wetzel (66th, 25:11), and Annie Ginty (79th, 25:35).