September 7, 2010

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NCAA slaps postseason ban on Lincoln U. athletics

September 7, 2010 By staff Leave a Comment

The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA—The NCAA has found major and secondary violations in Lincoln University’s athletics program and is barring its teams from postseason play.

The NCAA Division III committee on infractions ruled Thursday the school violated eligibility rules in men’s track and field, cross country, basketball and soccer, along with women’s volleyball.

Besides three years of probation and the postseason ban, Lincoln’s basketball and track and field teams cannot appear on television. The NCAA says the school let 27 student-athletes compete, practice and receive travel-related expenses despite being ineligible between 2003-2009.

Michael B. Hill, the university’s executive vice president, says the school agreed with the findings. “It is a closed issue and we are moving forward,” he says in a memo sent to university faculty, staff, students and alumni on Friday.

Filed Under College, News Tagged With Lincoln University, postseason ban, probation

SIUE Track and Field Signs Two for 2011 Season

September 7, 2010 By staff Leave a Comment

EDWARDSVILLE, ILL. – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville head track and field coach Kareem Jackson announced the signing of two talented student-athletes, one male and one female, for the upcoming season.

On the men’s side, Braxton Klavins (Lake Zurich) comes to SIUE following an impressive summer where he won the 400-meter event at the 2010 USATF Regional held in Indianapolis, Ind., which qualified him for the Jr. Olympics National meet in Sacramento, Calif.

Klavins earned All-American honors by placing seventh at the national meet. Also an Illinois state qualifier in the 4×100 and 4×400 relay, Klavins placed eighth in the 4×100 at the state meet.

“We are excited to add Braxton to our men’s program,” said Jackson. “With only two years of track experience, we think the sky is the limit for Braxton. He will add speed and depth to the men’s sprints group, and I look forward to seeing him develop as a student-athlete in our program for years to come.”

Debonie Lofton (Detroit, Mich.) will add immediate depth to the Cougar women’s program in the mid-distance events. She competed at the 2010 USA Junior Outdoor Championships held at Drake University in June.

Lofton set a personal best time of 2:12.41 in the 800-meter run as a member of the Motor City Track Club at the event and later became a finalist at the AAU National Championships held in Virginia. At the Michigan State High School finals, Lofton placed sixth overall with a time of 2:15.00.

“Debonie comes to our program with a lot of experience,” added Jackson. “Her high school coach, Brandon Jiles, said that she is a tremendous athlete who works hard at getting better. Some good programs from across the country recruited her. Adding her to our team says that we are taking the right steps to continue to be successful.”

Filed Under College, News Tagged With Braxton Klavins, siu edwardsville

Boylan boys, girls give strong showings

September 7, 2010 By staff Leave a Comment

By Brenda Young

ROCKFORD — Two cross country meets, two second-place finishes.

Not a bad start to the season for Boylan, whose boys and girls teams combined to finish second at the Harlem Invitational under mild conditions on Saturday at Rock Cut.

On Wednesday, the teams finished second in their respective division at the Ben Newson Invitational at Searls Park.

Seniors Kayla Droessler and Matt Melloch led the Titans. Droessler finished second with a time of 15 minutes, 22 seconds in the girls junior/senior race, while Melloch took second at 16:14 in the boys senior race.

“We have started the season really well,” Droessler said. “We are all pretty excited.”
The 10-field meet was scored from the seventh lowest times from the boys and girls races. The top four overall team times went to Harlem at 229.32, followed by Boylan at 232.46, Burlington Central 234.41 and Freeport 254.14.

Burlington Central had won the meet for three straight years.

Harlem junior Leah Raffety won the girls junior/senior race with a time of 14.57 on the 2.5-mile course.

“I felt good,” said Raffety, who last year won the girls fresh/soph race. “It was a hilly course, but it was good. The cool weather was perfect for racing.”

Harlem’s team victory was also paced by a pair of brothers in Nick and Luke Miller, who both placed second in their respective races. Nick Miller finished second in the junior boys race at 15.41, while Luke Miller went 13:44 in the fresh/soph boys race.
Freeport sophomore B.J. Smith claimed the fresh/soph boys title at 13:39. Last year, he won the freshman race.

Christa Nordgren of Kirkland Hiawatha finished first in the fresh/soph girls race at 15:53.

Clint Kliem of Burlington Central followed up his sophomore win from last year, by taking the junior boys race at 15:23.

Ari Rothschild of Highland Park finished first in the senior boys race at 15:37.

Filed Under Cross, News Tagged With Rockford Boylan

Mattoon girls win Charleston Invitational for the first time

September 6, 2010 By staff Leave a Comment

By MIKE MONAHAN Staff Writer   

CHARLESTON – Saturday in the 12th annual Charleston Cross Country Invitational, the Mattoon girls’ team made history by winning the event for the first time. The Lady Wave won the six-team meet with 38 points, six better than Mount Zion, at Eastern Illinois University.

“We have come over here for so many years and this is a great race,” said Mattoon coach Eric Haslett. “I can remember a time where we were happy if one girl got a medal (top 25) and today we got five and six in the top 30. That is a credit to their work ethic. They want to keep working harder. We had so many girls that got a personal record today and we are young. They are very excited right now and they are just learning.”

On the boys’ side Mount Zion, the No. 7 preseason ranked team according to dyestat.com, won with 30 points, a whopping 34 better than second-place Mahomet-Seymour in the 10-team meet.

Individually, two Mattoon runners took the title, Whitney Maninfior, a freshman, won the girls’ race with a school-meet and personal record time of 19n minutes, 1 second, while senior Joe Calio defended his title with a time of 15:27, also a personal record.

“You can say Whitney did a great job, but when you look at Victoria Drake and Courtney Considine, it is a team effort and the kids realize that,” said Haslett. “They have very high goals for this season and they are very attainable. It is competitive, but in a very friendly way.”

Mattoon has never finished higher than third (1998, 1999 and 2000).

“It gives them a lot to smile about over the weekend,” said Haslett. “Still a lot to look forward to and I was very happy to hear the girls say ‘this is just the beginning. We are still working.’ I am excited. I feel like a little kid at Christmas time.”

Girls

Maninfior had been waiting to see what she could do in high school. Last year on the first-ever Mattoon Middle School cross country team she finished 74th overall in the Class AA state meet with a time of 13 minutes on the two-mile course as MMS finished 25th as a team. After running the 3.05 mile-course in 19 minutes, 56 seconds last Tuesday to lead all runners, she not only beat all 57 runners Saturday, but shattered the school record of 19:39 set last year by Cassy Shaffer, who is now a sophomore and finished third overall in a time of 19:45.

“I have been waiting to get here for along time,” said Maninfior. “It is so exciting for me. My goal was to get in the 19:20s so I am happy with my time and now my goal is to get in the 18’s. It is a pretty fast course (on grass and a bike trail).”

The race was run with temperatures in the mid 60s and a cool breeze.

“The weather wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” said Maninfior, who was ahead by 10 yards early before taking a 50-yard lead and winning by 30 seconds over second-place Meghan Houk of Urbana. “It was a pretty good day to run.”

Charleston finished fourth with 105 points and was led by Kristen Gisondi, who ran a 22:07, just three seconds faster than her sister Sarah Gisondi, a freshman. The two medaled earning 23rd and 24th place overall. It was Sarah’s first race.

“I am really exited for them to medal,” said Charleston coach Derrick Landrus. “It is a big confidence booster for them. I thought we ran pretty well.”

Shelbyville didn’t have enough runners to compete as a team, but Katelyn Duckett, the No. 6 (Class A) preseason runner in the state, placed fifth overall with a time of 19:56.

“My legs were really tired,” said Duckett. “Coach (Kevin Kramer) said it is probably because of the hard workout Friday and that made a difference as well as this was the first time we have run on the grass. I knew the Mattoon girls would be tough. I was going to try and stay with Whitney Maninfior, but she took off a lot faster than what I have been. Last year I ran a 20:15 (third) and this year I got under 20 so it is better than last year. I have room to improve. I need to get a better finish. It was a tough meet.”

Sullivan-Okaw Valley was led by Hannah Robinson’s 22nd (14th among scoring teams), who finished with a time of 22:00.

“Our times are getting a little better,” said S-OV coach Ted Walk. “We are still rebuilding a little this year (lost No. 1 runner Caitlyn Cordell, who moved) We have a couple new people out, two sophomores so we are getting there. I was happy with the time improvement.”

Boys

Calio was eight seconds faster than Mount Zion’s Caleb Abfall and 13 seconds faster than his time at last year’s meet.

“My goal was to get under 15:40 because that is what I ran last year and my other goal was to win it,” said Calio who was neck-and-neck with Abfall for over a mile. “I had been talking with Caleb Abfall about how we had had been running over the summer. When we were running I was thinking ‘wow, he is doing really well. OK, when do I get to break him?’ He ran great, but it was a good day for the entire team.”

Calio broke Abfall near the two-mile mark as the course began to get hilly.

“I knew that was where I break some people,” said Calio. “I worked at it and it was a good race. My goal now is to get into the 14s by the end of the season and this is one step closer to that goal. Another goal is to try and get the team to state. We ran spectacular today. We are working hard to get that goal.”

Mattoon was fourth overall with 93 points.

“Joe Calio didn’t run Tuesday (dual with Charleston) and it was just a minor thing,” said Haslett. “To see him come out today and win it for the second year in a row was wonderful. John Righter ran in the 15 minute range for the first time (15:59) and I know he was very excited about that. Chris Third finished in the 17 minute range for the second meet in a row. They are happy with where they are at, but they also know they still have more things they want to achieve.”

Charleston finished in seventh place and was led by Riley McInerny, who was third overall with a time of 15:44, a personal record.

“I ran a 16:25 last year (third) so to improve 41 seconds is great,” said McInerney. “The weather was beautiful, a little windy and there were a lot of guys here to push you and that got you motivated to do well. I just tried to stay up there in the top group. I kind of surprised myself by beating some of the Mount Zion runners.”

Landrus said, “Riley ran a very good race. I am real happy with him. He ran a smart race. He was in 12th to 14th place at the mile mark. He looked like he felt good. To try and catch Calio would be a good goal for him now. Taylor Garrett is really talented. His times are similar to what Riley ran last year. He ran a good race today. Those two I am pretty happy with. I don’t expect the No. 3, 4, 5 guys to run with them, but I don’t expect them to be as far back as they were today. We can’t have that big of a gap and I think they have the ability to move up.”

Sullivan was led by Cameron Harvey, who finished ninth overall in 16:11. Last year he was 12th in 16:59.

“The boys’ ran real well,” aid Walk. “Cameron Harvey’s goal was to finish in the top 10. We had a lot of people step up for us. Matt Garrelts ran No. 2 for us and everyone ran a great race. Micah Plank was third, Walker Herzog was fourth, which is a nice addition and Kent Hanson was fifth. Our times were a little better than I had hoped for and we finished about where I thought we would (fifth place).

Both Walker and Hanson also play football.

“The team was excited to race against Drew Bandelow, who moved to Mount Zion,” said Walk. “He was our No. 2 most of the time last year. The guys are excited to see him and it is a little extra rivalry.”

Bandelow finished 20th overall in 17:02.

“This was the first test and there is nothing like testing yourself against big schools,” said Walk. “That way when you go against schools your own size you are ready for it. It is good to get a big invite out of the way and get some jitters out.”

Shelbyville was led by Clayton Baker, who was 24th with a time of 17:20.

“We will be a lot better by November than Sept. 4,” said Kramer. “We had a bunch of personal records. We are so young with only one senior with any kind of experience and the rest of them are two years or less, but they all beat their times from last year and beat their goal time so overall it was a pretty good day. It was a good day to run. We are kind of the small fish in a big pond over here with all of the big schools, but the kids competed hard and that is what we are looking for. I told the kids our goal this year is to run our best race the last race and that is what we are working for.”

Mattoon is to travel to Springfield for a 9 a.m. Springfield Lanphier Invitational Saturday, while Charleston is to travel to Peoria Woodruff Saturday. Shelbyville is to play host to its won invitational Saturday at 10 a.m., while Shelbyville is to travel to Argenta-Oreana Tuesday for a 4:30 p.m. meet.

BOYS’ TEAM RESULTS

1. Mount Zion 30; 2. Mahomet-Seymour 64; 3. Danville 83; 4. Mattoon 93; 5. Sullivan-Okaw Valley 161; 6. Champaign Central 161; 7. Charleston 187; 8. Effingham 195; 9. Shelbyville 202; 10. Paris 223; no team scores for Decatur Eisenhower, Springfield Lanphier, Urbana

Top 25 results

1. Joe Calio, Mattoon 15:27; 2. Caleb Abfall, Mount Zion 15:35; 3. Riley McInerney, Charleston 15:44; 4. Joe Fritzsche, Mount Zion 15:50; 6. John Righter, Mattoon 15:59; 7. Lucas Prather, Mahomet-Seymour 16:02; 8. Jake Brown, Mount Zion 16:07; 9. Cameron Harvey, Sullivan-Okaw Valley 16:11; 10. Taylor Fatheree, Effingham 16:23; 11. Elijah Johnson, Mahomet-Seymour 16:28; 12. Alex Goodland, Champaign Central 16:31; 13. Jonathan Schaap, Mahomet-Seymour 16:32; 14. Taylor Garrett, Charleston 16:34; 15. John Butcher, Mahomet-Seymour 16:34; 16. Javon Shaw, Danville, 16:41; 17. Matt Cleveland, Danville 16:50; 18. Forrest Smoes, Mahomet-Seymour 16:51; 19. Devante Robinson, Danville, 16:53; 20. Drew Bandelow, Mount Zion 17:02; 21. Nick Toohtman, Mount Zion 17:03; 22. Kyle Hammel, Champaign Central 17; 09; 23. Chris Third, Mattoon 17:15; 24. Clayton Baker, Shelbyville 17:20; 25. Ethan Russell, Mahomet-Seymour 17:26

Other Mattoon results

27. Cooper Collings, 17:33; 36. Adam Sowers, 18:06; 42. Jacob Perry 18:33; 72. Colton Dodson 20:38

Other Sullivan-Okaw Valley results

29. Matt Garrelts 17:42; 35. Micah Plank 18:01; 39. Walker Herzog 18:20; 52. Kent Hanson 19:00; 57. Bill Brown 19:12; 68. Cody Carman 20:11

Other Charleston results

59. Jay Daniels, 19:14; 61. Tristan Grayling 19:16; 65. Austin Heise 19:28; 66. Grant Olson 19:51; 67. Zach Steidl 19:51

Other Shelbyville results

43. Aaron Thomas 18:34; 45. Seth Applegate 18:44; Zach England 18:45; Alex Matlock 18:46; 58. Myles Foor 19: 14; 62. Matt Bagwell 19:18

GIRLS’ TEAM RESULTS

1. Mattoon 38; 2. Mount Zion 44; 3. Champaign Central 78; 4. Charleston 105; 5. Effingham 107; 6. Sullivan-Okaw Valley 141; no team scores for Urbana, Shelbyville

Top 25 results

1. Whitney Maninfior, Mattoon 19:03; 2. Meghan Houk, Urbana 19:33; 3. Cassy Shaffer, Mattoon 19:45; 4. Kelsey Cramsey, Effingham 19:56; 5. Katelyn Duckett, Shelbyville 19:56; 6. Kim Carter, Danville 20:10; 7. Taylor Green, Mount Zion 20:24; 8. Nicole Choquette, Urbana 20:30; 9. Sarah White, Mount Zion 20:33; 10. Hannah Wright, Champaign Central 20:44; 11. Victoria Drake, Mattoon 20:44; 12. Alicia Pizzo, Shelbyville 21:03; 13. Jenna Bingham, Effingham, 21: 16; 14. Julia Smith, Champaign Central 21:18; 16. Ashlee Jackson Perry, Decatur Eisenhower 21:31; 17. Alisha Larrison, Mount Zion 21:33; 18. Kara Anderson, Danville 21:38; 19. Courtney Considine, Mattoon 21:44; 20. Malorie Harder, Mount Zion 21:59; 21. Madeline Gierach, Mount Zion 21:59; 22. Hannah Robinson, Sullivan-Okaw Valley 22:00; 23. Kristen Gisondi, Charleston 22:07; 24. Sarah Gisondi, Charleston 22:10; 25. Michaela Drake, Mattoon 22:14

Other Mattoon results

30. Carinne Mausehund, Mattoon 22:43; 55. Brittney Tipsword, Mattoon 27:05

Other Charleston results

31. Peyton Sledge 22:49; 38. Missa Borah, 23:23; 40. Codi Martin 23:50; 46. Rachel Miller 24:57; 51. Miranda Randall 25:48

Other Sullivan-Okaw Valley results

41. Hayley Harshman 24:00; 47. Haley Edwards 25:08; 48. Abbey Buxton 25:37; 52. Meredith Murphy 26:04; 56. Emma Adkinson 27:06; 57. Ali Beard 27:47

Other Shelbyville result

34. Kayla Brown 23:17

BOYS’ OPEN RESULTS (top 15)

1. Patrick Tharp, Mount Zion 17:42; 2. Chris Coulton, Mahomet-Seymour 18:05; 3. Noah Gingerich, Mount Zion 18:34; 4. Kyle Appleghist, Mahomet-Seymour 18:37; 5. Dhairan Vahil, Mahomet-Seymour 18:59; 6. Max Collins, Decatur Eisenhower 19:04; 7. Scotter Ellenburg, Springfield Lanphier 19:05; 8. Juwan Lee, Decatur Eisenhower 19:13; 9. Dan Lewis, Mahomet-Seymour 19:17; 10. Logan Seevers, Mount Zion 19:22. 11. Ryan Johnson, Sullivan-Okaw Valley 19:22. 12. Andrew Bell, Mattoon, 19:25; 13. James Williams, Mahomet-Seymour 19:30; 14. Syler Written, Danville 19:33. 15. Tuelcar Viljee, Danville 19:36

Other Sullivan-Okaw Valley results

18. Brock Bales 19:43; 19. Nick Shields 19:44; 28. Aaron Wood 20:13; 29. Patrick Miller 20:20; 33. Bryce Miller 20:42; 36. Hunter Perrine 20:59; 38. Garrett Sparks 21:06; 42. Jordan Waldhoff 21:29; 46. Shane Atchison 21:40; 47. John Manck 21:45; 50. Brody Sparks, 21:52; 64. Riley Wisely 22:59; 25. Josh O’Brien 23:21; 26. Garrett Griffin 23:28; 27. Dalton Williams 23:28; 73. David Puyear 24:46; 76. Wyatt Grohler 25:07

Other Shelbyville results

22. Diennion Martin 19:58; 26. Kyle Brown 20:08; 35. Cory Powers 20:52; 43. Braxton Lape 21:30; 54. Pete Mosley 22:15; 69. Dakota Prazha 23:46

Other Mattoon results

48. Luke Young 21:47; 52. Austin Sherman 22:04

GIRLS’ OPEN RESULTS

1. Jakeenya Evans, Champaign Central 21:51; 2. Nikki Dentzman, Springfield Lanphier 22:23; 3. Sophie Ruiz, Urbana 23:50; 4. Morgan Lowell, Urbana 23:58; 5. Brittany Irwin, Charleston 24:13; 6. Kathryn Gunderson, Champaign Central 24:34; 7. Sara Sunderland, Champaign Central 24:48; 8. Niallan O’Brien, Champaign Central 24:50; 9. Cierra Zimmerman, Champaign Central 24:56; 10. Courtney Health, Paris 25:13; 11. Shasta Bryant, Springfield Lanphier 25:17; 12. Jenna Collins, Sullivan-Okaw Valley 25:42; 13. Hunter Worthey, Mattoon 25:48; 14. Val Lau, Paris, 26:03; 15. Sarah Fritz, Charleston 26:27

Other Sulllivan-Okaw Valley results

17. Heather Clements 27:22; 22. Katie Devore 28;54; 23. Cheyenne Creek 29:00; 28. Elizabeth Priest 31:52

Shelbyville results

18. Allie Paisley 27:28; 25. Megan Martin 30:17

Other Mattoon result

24. Telsey Kinnaman 29:50

Filed Under Cross, News Tagged With Joe Calio, mattoon, Whitney Maninfior

QUITE THE CRU — Team philosophy works wonders for runner-up Marquette

September 6, 2010 By staff Leave a Comment

SENECA — This season is all about team for Marquette. With that, the Crusaders knew Seneca’s Twilight in the Woods would provide the perfect gauge as to how they match up against the state’s best.

They can’t argue with the results.

In a strong field with state title contenders, Marquette finished second overall at Friday’s meet with 64 points. The Cru fell four points shy of champion Yorkville, but still beat out Beecher, which is ranked No. 1 in Class 1A early in the year, by one point.

“This year our whole goal is team-oriented toward state,” said Marquette’s Evan Darm. “With this, we knew coming in that we’d have the No. 1 team in the state in Beecher. We were interested to see how we matched up with them. I don’t think they ran their No. 1, but we still wanted to see how we matched up as a team. We’re preparing ourselves for the bigger meets we have coming up in the season, and hopefully this will set us up for a good run in the state series and get us down state.”

Darm was leader of Marquette’s first pack of runners. He was a very strong third in 16 minutes, 9.4 seconds.

He was one of three MA runners to finish in the top 10. James Weissensel was sixth overall in 16:29.4. Luke Hill beat his older brother Buck’s best time at the Seneca FFA course by 10 seconds, allowing him to claim eighth place in 16:38.0.

“We’re stressing pack-running this year, and we had three guys who were pretty close,” Darm said. “Then our next three or so were in a pack together. But I think once we move our pack times closer together, I think we’ll be looking like a real solid team this year. We’re looking at the pack, and they all ran great races.”

Drew Gama was 27th overall in 17:56.7 for the Crusaders. Dave Finn completed the Marquette scoring with a 46th-place time of 18:50.7.

In his second year with cross country, Sandwich’s Mike Gaydos has proven his talents. The talented distance runner claimed fourth place in 16:22.3, leading the Indians to sixth place as a team.

“As I learned from one of my coaches, you can be happy but never really satisfied,” Gaydos said.

“I have big goals for myself, but it takes time to achieve them. This is only my second year in cross country. I’m getting up there and trying to press myself.”

Seneca’s Ray LaFree also earned a medal at the meet. He finished 11th overall in 19:02 as the Irish placed seventh as a team.

Elsewhere for the Irish, Ben Barnett was 35th overall in 18:31 and Miguel Williams placed 54th in 19:02. Travis Koetz (67th place/19:42) and Patrick Sandness (80th place/20:20) also scored for Seneca.

Cristian Martinez has been nursing an ankle injury, but still mustered enough strength to lead Streator to 11th place. Martinez finished 29th overall in 18:15.

Tre Wade dropped 30 seconds from his time at last year’s Seneca meet and placed 69th overall in 19:47. Cristian Russell and Gavin Reed, both newcomers to the Bulldogs team, claimed the Nos. 3 and 4 spots. Russell was 79th in 20:19 and Reed 83rd in 20:24.

Nate Welch was 88th overall in 20:40.

“Our boys team is deep; we just need to get more training under our belts,” said STHS coach Brad Brittin. “To finish 11th out of 16 teams, I’ll take that. I’m real happy with the boys, and we’re only going to get better because our No. 2 runner, Willie Clark, has been out with mono. Willie is the difference of 30-40 points tonight.”

Ottawa finished right behind Streator in 12th place despite another strong outing from T.J. Draper. A rookie in the sport, he claimed 31st place in 18:21.

“T.J. Draper is a very hard worker and a very smart runner,” said OTHS coach Doug Hearn. “He’s just really coming along, especially for a guy who’s never run cross country before.”

Matthew Maunu finished 57th overall in 19:05 and Eddie Weber was 78th in 20:17. Joaquin Santoy claimed 90th place (20:49), and Thomas Wolfe was 124th overall in 22:47.

Fieldcrest did not accumulate a team score, but it did receive a solid performance from James Leigh. He finished 23rd overall in 17:31.

Filed Under Cross, News Tagged With ottawa marquette

Hassaan Stamps Named Assistant Coach for SIUE Track and Field

September 3, 2010 By staff Leave a Comment

Will Focus on Jumping Events for Cougars

EDWARDSVILLE, ILL. – Hassaan Stamps has been named an assistant coach for the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville men’s and women’s track and field program.

SIUE Head Coach Kareem Jackson said Stamps will be an asset to the coaching staff. His main focus will be on the jumping events.

“We are very pleased to have Coach Stamps join our staff. He brings a lot of experience and knowledge in the jumps area. He is a young, high energy coach with an impeccable background as both an athlete and coach. We plan to utilize all his talents to help our program reach national exposure and national levels,” said Jackson.

Stamps holds a varied and experienced coaching resume. He has been an assistant coach most recently at Florida International University. His experience also includes stints at the University of Miami, the University of Vermont, and Cal State University Los Angeles.

“I feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to work with a program and a staff, that through their efforts, has shown the right steps to be highly successful. I am also very excited about working with an administration that is committed to excellence both on and off the track,” said Stamps.

As the recruiting coordinator at Florida International, Stamps helped gather one of the largest and strongest incoming classes in school history. He also helped coach the school’s pentathlon and heptathlon school record holder.

Stamps coached three All-Atlantic Coast Conference performers at Miami. He also helped Vermont to 17 school records in 2007. While at Cal State, he oversaw 14 All-Americans, including a national champion.

His coaching career began after a stellar collegiate career at the University of Tennessee. He earned five All-American certificates and helped the Vols to the 2001 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships and the 2002 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships. Tennessee also won back-to-back outdoor Southeastern Conference (SEC) titles in 2001 and 2002 with Stamps as a team captain.

A four-time All-SEC selection and Academic All-SEC honoree, Stamps earned a bachelor’s degree with a double major in sports management and psychology from Tennessee in 2003.

He is a USA Track and Field Level I Certified Coach and a USATF Level II Certified Coach for jumps, sprints, hurdles and multi-events. From 2007 to 2009, he was a jumps coach for the junior national team in Canada. Stamps also is a USATF Level I ITC (Instructor Training Course).

-siue cougars-

Filed Under College, News Tagged With Hassaan Stamps, Southern Illinois Edwardsville

Running smart

September 3, 2010 By staff Leave a Comment

Sycamore, DeKalb happy with Invite

BY STEVE NITZ – sports@daily-chronicle.com

MALTA – Desa Diedrich was so tired after finishing her race at the Sycamore Invite, that she fell down.

That’s understandable, as the DeKalb junior and first-year cross country runner, who ran some two-mile races in track, was running her first three-mile race.

“My legs were just absolutely exhausted,” Diedrich said.

Diedrich was no slouch at the invite. She took sixth place with a time of 20:17.98, one spot behind Sycamore’s Tessa Strack (20:01.01). Wheaton St. Francis’ Kelly McShea finished first (19:01.64), despite taking a wrong turn at one point.

“I was happy with (Diedrich). She ran a really smart race,” DeKalb coach Mike Wolf said. “She put herself in position early. Stepping up to three (miles) is a little bit of a change for her.”

Diedrich started off well, but lost some ground as the race went on. Being able to pace herself is something she knows she’ll get better at as the year goes on.

“I did pretty well for the most part. For my first race my time was pretty good, top 10,” she said. “Cross country’s a lot harder than track so it’s definitely a lot more work that you have to put in. The distance is a lot harder, so I have to pace myself. As the season progresses I think I’ll be able to handle the longer distance better.”

Irisa Hecott had the Barbs’ next best time (22:08.22), finishing in 18th place. Alex Wade (24:47.94) took 30th for DeKalb, who didn’t have enough runners to qualify as a team, as Wolf likes to keep all of his younger runners at the frosh/soph level the first few races of the season.

Sycamore took third place as a team, two spots behind first-place Dixon.

Maggie Lalowski (20:59.91) finished in 11th place for the Spartans, with Corinne Ruff (21:59.47) taking 16th. Morgan Morreale (22:14.60) was 20th while Shekinah Bergmann (23:04.98) came in 25th.

In the boys race, Sycamore finished third while DeKalb was sixth. Riley Powers was Sycamore’s top finisher, coming in 12th place with a time of 17:27.25.

“I thought it was really important for our team to get out like this. We’ve got a lot of younger guys out,” Powers said. “It was overall I think a good experience for them, coming to a first meet like this and performing the way they did. Especially in this heat, it worked out really well.”

Zach Aase (17:44.65) finished 14th for the Spartans, with Mark Stice (18:22.77) taking 20th. Henry Weberpal (19:21.81) was 29th while Stephen Grimson (19:32.80) was 32nd.

Matt Phanenbecker (19:34.56) was DeKalb’s top finisher, taking 34th place. Chris Meyers (20:03.68) finished 41st for the Barbs.

Defending Class 2A state champion Belvidere North ran away with the title, as four of its runners finished in the top five. Paul Zeman, who finished first at the Class 2A state meet a year ago, had no problem winning his first race of the year, finishing 38 seconds ahead of Sandwich’s Mike Gaydos, who came in second.

“I used to run with a lot of those guys in club,” Powers said. “They’ve got a really good team this year and they had a good team last year. They didn’t lose a whole lot of people, they’ll be great this year.”

Filed Under Cross, News Tagged With Desa Diedrich, Sycamore Invite

Runners make first impression

September 3, 2010 By staff Leave a Comment

BY CHAD DARE Commercial-News

DANVILLE — Being a first-time varsity cross country runner proved to be a good thing on Tuesday.

Danville freshman Johnny Leverenz and Schlarman sophomore Jesse Hahne both recorded top-10 finishes in the Kickapoo Kickoff Klassic.

Leverenz, who did run cross country in middle school, was fourth with a time of 16 minutes, 59 seconds.

“I think I did pretty decent,’’ he said. “I ran a smart race.

“I was just hoping for a top-10 finish and I was in the top-five.’’

Hahne, who had been a football player until this fall, was seventh, completing the 3-mile course in 17:08.

“I pushed myself further than I thought I could and I did better than I thought I could,’’ he said. “This is the best that I’ve done.

“I was hoping for a top-10 finish and I got it.’’

Hahne, a state qualifier in the 3,200-meter run last spring, said his success on the track led him to switch from football to cross country.

“It was a very difficult decision,’’ he said. “I started running in junior high to help with my football and I found out that I was a pretty good runner.’’

Not only did Leverenz finish fourth, but he was also the top finisher for the Vikings, beating seniors Jovon Shaw (fifth) and Matt Cleveland (10th).

“I was expecting it to be fast, but once it started, I felt tired and got too nervous,’’ said Shaw, whose time was 17:03. “John ran well. He ran with a lot of confidence and that is good have.’’

But can a senior accept a freshman beating him?

“It’s going to push me a lot harder,’’ Shaw admitted. “I thought I was the No. 1 guy.’’

Danville finished second in the team standings behind the Unity Rockets (53-57).

“We didn’t back off for this meet. This was just the first meet of the year,’’ Danville coach Todd Orvis said. “I was pretty happy with the way the team ran, and I’m sure the two senior guys are disappointed, but we still have a full season.

“The end of the year is the important time to run well.’’

That is the same philosophy that Oakwood/Armstrong-Potomac’s Ciara Pierce is running with this season.

Pierce was second in the girls’ race with a time of 20:43, finishing behind Chelsea Blaase of St. Joseph-Ogden.

“I was really pretty happy with my race,’’ she said. “Last year, I came out running hard and peaked too early.

“This year, I’m concentrating on the end of the season. So, for this being the first race of the year, it felt good.’’

Danville’s Amy Carter ws fifth with a time of 21:24, while teammate Kara Anderson was 18th.

Filed Under Cross, News Tagged With Jesse Hahne, Johnny Levernz

Bolt to lead Puma & Global Sportslifestyle into 2013.

August 29, 2010 By staff Leave a Comment

Usain BoltJamaican sprint superhero, world record holder, Olympic and World triple gold medalist, Usain Bolt, announced today that he has renewed his contract with Global sportslifestyle brand and long-term sponsor PUMA, until the end of 2013. 

While the specific terms of the contract are undisclosed, the figure is by far the largest ever given to a Track & Field athlete, positioning Bolt as a top earner in the world of sport, a further acknowledgement of his astonishing achievements over the past two years.
trackalerts.com sources said, the deal could earn Bolt well over US$250 million…most of which will come from his new clothing and personal accessories line.

Until the end of 2013, PUMA will continue to be the official supplier of performance, training, lifestyle apparel and footwear for Usain Bolt.  Bolt will play a pivotal role in PUMA’s global marketing campaigns and serve as the central figure in the sportslifestyle company’s London 2012 Olympic program, expected to be launched early in 2011. 
PUMA and Bolt will continue to collaborate on the development of key product lines, building on the 2010 “Bolt Collection” launch, (a range of apparel, footwear and accessories that the sprinter helped to develop) which includes graphic elements, representative of Bolt and his beloved Jamaica.
Compelling new product initiatives will be launched in 2011 and the years that follow.

Bolt and PUMA have forged a close relationship over his formative years.  When the World’s Fastest Man was just a 16 year old in 2003, PUMA signed the junior sprinter. The brand and the athlete have matured together and Bolt, now 24, has emerged as the one of the world’s most talented Track and Field athletes, winning three gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and smashing two world records in the 100m (9:58) and 200m (19:19) at the World Championships in Berlin in 2009. 
PUMA, like many Bolt enthusiasts, believes the best is yet to come.

“Usain Bolt has been a revelation for Track & Field athletics,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA AG.  “He’s shined a global spotlight on the sport; his winning personality and phenomenal physical prowess are a unique combination. The way he both engages his fans and is energized by them has helped his popularity escalate to extraordinary levels over the past two years.”  Zeitz continues, “Usain has been a tremendous force for the PUMA brand. He embodies the joy, playfulness and irreverence that are the cornerstone of our brand.  His Lightning Bolt ‘To Di World’ pose from the Beijing Games in 2008 is now one of the most recognizable symbols in sport. He’s obviously a lot of fun to work with.  From a performance standpoint, he has reset the bar for speed on the track, and we’re not sure he’s even hit his top gear yet.  It’s going to be an exciting few years ahead and we’re thrilled to be along for the ride.”

PUMA’s been by my side since the beginning, before anyone knew what I was capable of achieving,” said Usain Bolt. “They saw potential in me and they took a chance, supporting me all the way, especially when things weren’t easy for me, due to injuries I suffered in my teens. We’ve been partners in the truest sense of the word since day one, and so it’s an easy decision to re-sign with them,” continued Bolt. “PUMA gets me; we fit together. They take the business of running seriously, but we also know how to have fun, to be spontaneous. We both bring a lot of personality to the sport.”

While Usain Bolt is undeniably one of the brand’s greatest ambassadors, PUMA’s investment in Track & Field in Jamaica is far more extensive than supporting him alone. 
Since 2002, PUMA has also sponsored the Jamaican Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA), which is the governing body for Track and Field in Jamaica, and the Jamaican Olympic Association. 
In addition to this, PUMA helps to foster young talent through sponsorship of 7 high school track and field programs.  This partnership also drives the annual ISSA Boys & Girls Track and Field Championships, dubbed “Champs” which is lauded as the most popular sporting event in Jamaica and the place where many of the world-renowned sprinters get their start. 
Additionally, PUMA is a partner of pre-Champs meets, including the Gibson Relays and various Invitationals.  Outside of the high school sphere, PUMA is the main partner of the Reggae Marathon, which takes place each December in Jamaica and draws distance runners from all over the world.

http://www.puma.com/running or www.puma.com,

Filed Under News Tagged With Puma, Usain Bolt

Bernard Lagat Gets The American 3000m Record As Solinsky PRs And Rupp Struggles

August 29, 2010 By staff Leave a Comment

Bob Kennedy’s American 3,000-meter record of 7:30.84 had survived for more than 12 years, but it couldn’t survive a second assault in a week from 12:54 man Bernard Lagat, who after failing to get the record last week in Berlin, got it today in Rieti.

Lagat became the first American to break 7:30 as he ran 7:29.00 to finish second in Rieti. In the process, Lagat also reaffirmed that he is still America’s best man at the 3,000/5,000 distance, as the expected battle between him and Chris Solinsky ended up being a rout. Lagat got the American record but came up just short of winning the race, as Tariku Bekele ran a world-leading 7:28.70 to win.

Kennedy’s unofficial American-born record survived another day, however, as Chris Solinsky ran 7:34.32 and Galen Rupp struggled home in 7:50.46 (American steeplechaser Dan Huling ran 7:46.97 as well). The 7:34.32 time was a personal best for Solinsky, who had run 7:36.90 in 2007. It also moves him up to #4 all time in the US – ahead of Adam Goucher, who ran 7:34.96 in 2001 (#5 if you covert Matt Tegenkamp’s American record of 8:07.07 for 2 miles to 3,000).

As compared to last week in Berlin, the pace this week was a bit faster, as the opening 1,000 was covered in 2:27.03 (versus 2:29.87) and 2,000 was hit in 5:01.25 (versus 5:02.27).

All-Time US At 3,000
1. Bernard Lagat – 7:29.00
2. Bob Kennedy – 7:30.84
3. Sydney Maree – 7:33.37
4. Chris Solinsky – 7:34.32
5. Adam Goucher – 7:34.96
Note: Matt Tegenkamp has run 8:07.07 for 2 miles, which Track and Field News converts to 7:31.00 for 3,000.

3000 Metres – Men                                         

  •     1 Bekele , Tariku                  ETH    7:28.70 WL
  •     2 Lagat , Bernard                  USA    7:29.00 AR
  •     3 Soi , Edwin Cheruiyot            KEN    7:29.75 PB
  •     4 Kipkoech , John                  KEN    7:32.72
  •     5 Solinsky , Chris                 USA    7:34.32 PB
  •     6 Tahri , Bouabdellah              FRA    7:35.50
  •     7 Birmingham , Collis              AUS    7:38.77 PB
  •     8 Rashed , Essa Ismail             QAT    7:39.61 PB
  •     9 Blincoe , Adrian                 NZL    7:46.38 PB
  •    10 Huling , Daniel                  USA    7:46.97
  •    11 Longosiwa , Thomas Pkemei        KEN    7:48.67
  •    12 Simotwo , Suleiman Kipses        KEN    7:49.41
  •    13 Lebid , Serhiy                   UKR    7:49.45
  •    14 Rupp , Galen                     USA    7:50.46
  •    15 Songok , Isaac Kiprono           KEN    7:52.59
Filed Under News
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