November 2009 Track and Field Articles

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Southern Illinois Saluki senior Jeff Schirmer is heading into his second NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. Action kicks off on Monday, November 23, with races starting at 11:45 a.m. Schirmer was a qualifier in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter runs this past outdoor season and took 25th overall last year at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. He's got his eyes set on a top-10 finish after finishing second to Minnesota's Hassan Mead at the Regional Championships last weekend. Let's see how… more »

INDIANAPOLIS - Tyson Gay and Sanya Richards on Thursday were named winners of the 2009 Jesse Owens Awards by USA Track & Field. This marks the second time in their careers that Gay and Richards have earned this prestigious distinction. Gay initially won the award in 2007, and Richards was the recipient in 2006. Established in 1981, the Jesse Owens Award is USA Track & Field's highest accolade, presented annually to the outstanding U.S. male and female track and field performers. This year's awards will be presented on Saturday, December 5 at the Jesse Owens Awards and Hall of Fame… more »

INDIANAPOLIS - Stanford's Chris Derrick has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after winning the NCAA West Regional Cross Country Championship on Saturday in Eugene, Ore.The American junior record holder over 5,000m, Derrick won the men's title in 30 minutes 38.84 seconds to remain undefeated on the season. Derrick's win led the Stanford men's sweep of the top three places and helped his team to win the West Regional team title.Now in its eighth year, USATF's Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a… more »

The FloNetwork just got a little more international flavor. Runner's Tribe, based in Perth, Australia, is now capturing the best in Aussie Running. Headed up by a couple of running die hards, Ross and Sam, Runners Tribe has been the biggest running site in Australia for a number of years. The mission of their site is pretty awesome too:  "The Runner's Tribe believes, quite simply, that running is the most pure form of physical endeavor known to humans. Being the first and foremost true world sport, the basic process of running occurs daily the world over wherever there are people."… more »

INDIANAPOLIS - Some of the greatest athletes of their generations, including track & field legends Joetta Clark Diggs, Andre Phillips, Randy Williams and Willie Steele, are joined by coach Dr. Ken Foreman as the 2009 inductees into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame. The Class of 2009 was announced Tuesday by USA Track & Field.  The Class of 2009 will be inducted Saturday evening, December 5, at the Jesse Owens Awards and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held in conjunction with USATF's 2009 Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Ind. "All of us at USA Track & Field congratulate these… more »

November 08, 2009Armando Siquerios will join successful coaches Scott Raczko, BradHudson, Nike legend Jeff Johnson, Zap Fitness’ Pete Rea and others atthe Super Distance Summit in January 2010. Mando talks about thesummit and his approach to coaching in high school.Q: Armando, you have made it clear that in coaching Jordan Hasay toall of her high school accomplishments that your larger concern waswith her ultimate future. To what do you attribute this way ofthinking?I have had the opportunity to see and know many success stories. Ihave also had the opportunity to see those who perhaps didn't live upto expectations. Why? Now… more »

  Bobby Unser, a retired car racer, once said, “Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” Runners this weekend will be looking to apply this quote at the DII cross country national championships in Evansville, Indiana to achieve success. The Evansville course appears to be the perfect setting for the culmination of this 2009 season. The weather is shaping up to have a high 62 degrees with only a 20% chance of rain. Likely, the course will be damp due to rain earlier in the week. Lively debate and commentary is always encouraged. Flotrack is a community. The course is… more »

  Men’s Automatic Qualifying Teams Alabama-South Region Arkansas-South Central Region Brigham Young-Mountain Region Colorado-Mountain Region Florida State-South Region Georgetown-Mid-Atlantic Region Iona-Northeast Region Michigan State-Great Lakes Region North Carolina State-Southeast Region Oklahoma-Midwest Region Oklahoma State-Midwest Region Portland-West Region Stanford-West Region Syracuse-Northeast Texas-South Central Region Villanova-Mid-Atlantic Region William and Mary-Southeast Region Wisconsin-Great Lakes Region     Men’s At-large Teams Arizona State Auburn Duke Iowa State Louisville Minnesota New Mexico Northern Arizona Ohio State Oregon Providence Virginia Washington     Women’s Automatic Qualifying Team Baylor-South Central Region Colorado-Mountain Region Duke-Southeast Region Florida-South Region Florida State-South Region Illinois-Midwest Region Minnesota-Midwest Region Notre Dame-Great Lakes Region Ohio… more »

Nationals Qualifiers by Round QUALIFIER #1 is SYRACUSE (#1 NE) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is VILLANOVA (#1 Md-At) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is DUKE (#1 SE) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is NORTE DAME (#1 Gr-Lk) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is MINNESOTA (#1 Mid-W) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is SOUTHERN METHODIST (#1 S-Cen) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is COLORADO (#1 Mtn) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is WASHINGTON (#1 West) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is FLORIDA (#1 South)… more »

Nationals Qualifiers by Round QUALIFIER #1 is SYRACUSE (#1 NE) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is GEORGETOWN (#1 Md-At) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is WILLIAM AND MARY (#1 SE) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is WISONSIN (#1 Gr-Lk) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is OK STATE (#1 Mid-W) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is ARKANSAS (#1 S-Cen) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is BYU (#1 Mtn) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is STANFORD (#1 West) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is ALABAMA (#1… more »

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; Penn State senior Bridget Franek is fresh off her first World Championship team this past summer where she qualified in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She's now got a personal-best time of 9 minutes, 36.74 seconds in the steeplechase but is competing in her last collegiate cross country season. Last year in Terre Haute, Franek finished 15th overall. In her last race, the Big Ten Championships, Franek defeated Illinois' Angela Bizzarri, who finished sixth overall last year, to indicate where her fitness is. Let's see how well… more »

Copyright – 2009 – Christopher Kelsall   In 1968 at the age of 21, Amby Burfoot won the historic, B.A.A Boston Marathon. John J. Kelley, who at that time, was the most recent American to win Boston, 11 years prior, happened to be his coach at Robert E. Fitch High School in Groton, Connecticut. Therefore Amby’s win at Boston held personal significance on several levels. December of that same year Amby ran the prestigious Fukuoka Marathon in Fukuoka, Japan and finished 1 second off the American marathon record with his 2:14:29. Amby added:  “Fifth in 2:14:29, one second off Buddy… more »

Little Man SyndromeBy Danny Mackey M.S. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity of meeting the best male marathoner in the world, Sammy Wanjiru.  As a distance running fan, a lot of thoughts went through my head.  The first thought was; how many times will I get the chance to meet someone who is arguably the best in the world at their job?  That is a cool question in itself because you may meet tons of amazing athletes, a colleague gifted with intelligence, that person whom is relentlessly hard working…….but are they the best at what they do?  Who… more »

The competition for the 2009 DII Cross Country championships is heating up. This past weekend the Region qualifying meets was held. For many the 2009 Cross Country season came to an end but for a handful of hard working individuals and teams, however, there is one last opportunity for sweat and glory: The DII Cross Country National Championships, being held at Evansville, IN on November 21, 2009. Below is a recap of last weekend’s regional championship races.  As usual, I encourage readers to supplement the information below. Atlantic -Edinboro’s Ben Hahn won the 10k men’s race with a course record… more »

The FloNetwork just got a little bit faster. Wallace Spearmon Jr., 100 and 200 meter specialist, and multiple World Champ Medalist, is now on the FloNetwork. Wallace, located just north of the Flotrack HQ in College Station, TX, has been a regular on Flotrack, showing what it takes to be one of the best sprinters in the world. Wallace is an alum of Arkansas and most recently got a bronze in Berlin at the 2009 World Champs in the 200.  Check out Wallace's videos, results, bio, and more on his new site: FloNetwork WallaceSpearmonjr.com   Track and Field Videos on… more »

Binghamton's Erik Van Ingen had a stellar 2009 outdoor track season. The underclassman made it all the way to the USA Championships, where he failed to make the final, but still locked down a 1,500-meter personal-best time of 3 minutes, 43.18 seconds in his sophomore outdoor season. At the America East Cross Country Championships this past weekend, Van Ingen took the individual title. With his eyes set on making it to the NCAA Championships at Terre Haute, let's see if Van Ingen can reach his goal! What are your individual goals for this season? Originally the plan was to get… more »

Nationals Qualifiers by Round QUALIFIER #1 is SYRACUSE (#1 NE) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is VILLANOVA (#1 Md-At) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is DUKE (#1 SE) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is MICHIGAN (#1 Gr-Lk) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is ILLIONIS (#1 Mid-W) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is SOUTHERN METHODIST (#1 S-Cen) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is COLORADO (#1 Mtn) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is WASHINGTON (#1 West) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is FLORIDA (#1 South) (PLACED… more »

Nationals Qualifiers by Round QUALIFIER #1 is IONA (#1 NE) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is GEORGETOWN (#1 Md-At) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is WILLIAM AND MARY (#1 SE) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is WISONSIN (#1 Gr-Lk) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is OK STATE (#1 Mid-W) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is ARKANSAS (#1 S-Cen) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is NORTHERN ARIZONA (#1 Mtn) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is STANFORD (#1 West) (PLACED TOP 2 AT REGIONALS) QUALIFIER #1 is ALABAMA… more »

For many this weekend it will be their last meet of 2009 cross country season, and for seniors including myself, it will be the last meet of their college cross country careers. For a few, this weekend is the only the last step towards the 2009 DII Cross Country Championships hosted by Southern Indiana University on November 21. DII regions work differently then DI; there are no at-large bids, but rather a straight qualification system.  Each region sends at least two automatically qualifying teams and two individuals to the national meet. The top five individuals who are not part of… more »

  INDIANAPOLIS--- The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Committee has selected College Station, Texas, and Nampa, Idaho, to serve as hosts for the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships, respectively. The 2011 Indoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by Texas A&M University, will be held at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium at McFerrin Athletic Center. This will mark the second time Texas A&M will host the event, with its first occurring in 2009. Boise State University, who will host for the first time in championship history, will hold the 2012… more »

  © Copyright – Christopher Kelsall - 2009 There is a stirring of athletes and involved personalities, gently rustling the jib of the Canadian cross-country scene. This is happening right now at a well-known Canadian running forum. The parties appear to be organizing, in their attempts to sway Athletics Canada (AC) brass to hand over management of the national cross-country team to them, at least for one year. The proposal? Well it is in the works as they say, swirling in virtual dialogue. The athletes, coaches and interested parties appear to be developing their mission schematics  in ad-hoc discussions; the… more »