Summer and Cross Country, 2009

-- On July 4, 2009, several Alums ran the Marlton Mayor's Cup 5K and defended the honor of the team! Marc Pelerin, '02, Kevin "Ted" Schickling, '08, Chris Applegate, '09, and Matt Mueller, '02, took 2nd through 5th; with Kyle Miller, '09 and Kyle Muench, '09 in 15th and 16th; Steve McCarroll, '08 in 20th; Adam Henriksen, '09 in 29th; and Evan Stone in 36th! Complete results at: Mayor's Cup.

-- On July 18 and 19, 2009, Alum Joe Halin, '00, participated in one of those "What the hell?!" running events that can only be explained by noting that it was for charity! The Back on My Feet 20in24 Relay Challenge, gave 5-person relay teams 24 hours to complete 20 loops of the East-Kelly and West-King River Drives along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia! Imagine the fun! Joe and his team each ran four 8.4 mile loops in relay fashion, from Noon on Saturday until 4:00 AM on Sunday. Joe reported his average pace per mile on each loop: 6:26, 6:08, 6:47, and 8:23; and his total time of 3:54! The team finished 3rd in the event, racking up 169.12 miles in 20:03:20!

By the way, Back on My Feet is a nonprofit organization that uses running as a vehicle to promote the self-sufficiency of Philadelphia and Baltimore's homeless population.

Race details at: 20in24 Results

Here's a picture of the team: Joe is second from the left.

-- On September 5, 2009, Alum Chris Applegate, '09, of Bucknell University, made his college Cross Country debut at the 15th Annual Harry Lang Invitational at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. Chris completed the 6400m race in 22:28, finishing 38th out of 89 in the race, pace around 5:39. GO CHRIS! Results at: Bucknell Bison. By the way, Bucknell is way ahead of the curve on Freshman team pictures . . . your tuition dollars in action! See Chris' mugshot at: mugshot.

-- On September 5, 2009, Alum Marc Saccomanno, '09, of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, opened his college running career at the Delaware Valley Invitational in Doylestown, PA. Marc completed the 8K course in 28:28 around 5:41 pace), finishing 12th out of 160 runners from 17 teams! GO MARC! Details at: Stockton Ospreys.

-- On September 5, 2009, Alum Evan Stone, '09, of Rowan University, began his college racing career at the Sea Gull Invitational at Salisburg University in Salisbury, Maryland. Evan finished the 8K race in 30:24 (around 6:07 pace), taking 52nd out of 81 racers. GO EVAN! Details at: Rowan.

-- On September 12, 2009, Alum Kevin "Ted" Schickling, '08, of The College of New Jersey, opened his 2009 Cross Country season at the Trinity College Invitational in Manchester, Connecticut. Ted finished the 5K course in 28th place, 6th on his team, in 17:08 (around 5:31 pace). GO TED! Details at: TCNJ Athletics.

-- On September 5, 2009, Alum Evan Stone, '09, of Rowan University, competing under the unlikely name of "Evan Stoner," raced the 8K in the ill-named Fordham Fiasco on the challenging college course at VanCortlandt Park in New York City. Evan finished the race in 31:56 (pace around 6:25), taking 148th place in a field of 173. Complete results at: Rowan Athletics.

-- On September 19, 2009, Alum Chris Applegate, '09, of Bucknell University, raced his first College 8K (5 Miles) race at a dual meet against Duquesne University. On the Schenley Oval course in Pittsburg, Chris crossed the finish line in 28:09, 36th in the race, pace around 5:38. Details at: Bucknell Bison.

-- On September 20, 2009, Alum Joe Halin, '00, competed in the ING Philadelphia Distance Run - Half Marathon, taking 90th overall, while completing the race in an impressive 1:14.17! Details at: ING Distance Run. There's actually a link that allows you to watch individual runners cross the finish line -- Joe looks really . . . ah . . . cool! Check it out by entering his bib Number 1558. Also, here are some commercial thumbnails:

-- On September 24, 2009, Alum Kevin "Ted" Schickling, '08, of The College of New Jersey, raced against some top local competition in the Mainline Invitational at Haverford College! Ted finished the 4 Mile course at Haverford in 22:17 (pace around 5:34), good enough to place 58th in a field of 123 runners. Details at: Haverford Results.

-- On September 27, 2009, Alum Steve McCarroll, '08, attending the University of Pittsburgh, ran Pittsburgh's Great Race, a 10K, finishing in 37:36 (a little over 6 minutes per mile) for 95th place out of over 7,000 runners! No pictures because his father and mother were cheering and not taking care of business! Details at: Great Race.

-- On October 2, 2009, Alum Chris Applegate, '09, of Bucknell University, ran well at the Paul Short Run on the Goodman Campus of Lehigh University! Competing in the Open/JV 8K race against 406 other finishers, Yaps covered the first mile in 5:15 and crossed the finish line in 27:08 (about 5:28 race pace). A nice improvement over his last 8K! Results at: Paul Short.

-- On October 17, 2009, Alum Kevin "Ted" Schickling, '08, of The College of New Jersey, traveled to Oberlin, Ohio for the 2009 Inter-Regional Rumble on the campus of Oberlin College. Ted finished the 8K course in 27:12 (about 5:29 race pace), taking 7th on his team, and 119th in a field of 245! TCNJ finished 10th out of 28 teams in the race. Details at: Go Yeomen.

-- On October 23, 2009, Alum Alex Yersak, '08, of The College of New Jersey, made his first appearance this season, as he works his way back from injury, at the Haverford College Junior Varsity T-Shirt Invitational. Alex finished 25th in the 4 mile race in 21:55.35 (around 5:29 pace). GO ALEX! Results at: Haverford Athletics

-- On October 23, 2009, Alums Evan Stone, '09, of Rowan University, and Sean Hartnett, '09, of Monmouth University, stopped by the Olympic Conference Championships to watch their former team win their third consecutive team title, something they were a part of when they were at Cherokee! Sean seems to have grown even taller but Evan is still the same shrimp . . . ah, Napoleonic type . . . we've known for years!

-- On October 23, 2009, Alum Marc Pelerin, '02, in an effort to strike terror in the minds of high school cross country and track teams across New Jersey, and perhaps the east coast of the United States, announced that he has accepted a salaried position to assist in coaching both cross country and track at St Augustine College Preparatory School in Richland, NJ. And, while that might be frightening to some, it has no doubt brought joy to the hearts of his long-suffering parents! GO MARC!

-- On October 24, 2009, Alum Chris Applegate, '09, of Bucknell University, competed in the Bloomsburg Open at Bloomsburg University in what is listed as a 7006 meter cross country run, among three teams: Bucknell, Bloomsburg, and Susquehanna. Yaps finished 21st in the race, crossing the line in 26:35.03 (should be a 6:06 pace, which really sounds off unless the course is like the Himalayas). His team swept the first 12 places in what was a nice preparation for their up-coming league championships on the 31st of this month! Results at: Bucknell Bison

-- On October 31, 2009, Alums Kevin "Ted" Schickling, '08, of The College of New Jersey, and Evan Stone, '09, of Rowan University, competed in the 2009 New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship contested at Stockton College! Ted played an important role in his team's victory by taking 9th place overall and 4th on his team, with a time of 27:25.22 (around 5:30 miles)! This was TCNJ's 16th straight NJAC title, and Ted was named "All-Conference, Second Team!" Freshman Evan Stone's role on his team was less significant as he finished in 64th place overall, clocking a 32:11.93 (about 6:28 miles). Results at: NJAC

-- On November 1, 2009, Alum Marc Pelerin, '02, demonstrated once again that he isn't just another pretty face by competing in the 2009 Cooper Norcross Bridge Challenge, a 10K race using the Benjamin Franklin Bridge between Camden and Philadelphia. In a field of some 3,000 runners, Marc finished the race in 13th place, clocking 32:34 (about a 5:15 pace)! To hear him talk, he accomplished this with a relatively light training schedule, strengthening once again the "nature" side of the argument: "Nature Vs. Nurture!" Thanks Mom and Dad! Further details at: Active.

-- On November 7, 2009, Alum Marc Pelerin, '02, took to the roads again in the Family Service 5K Run in Lumberton, NJ. Last year, you'll remember, Marc took 1st in 16:10, after a torrid battle with an aggressive senior citizen . . . the guy was in his 40s, or crips sake! This year, he took 2nd in a much faster race, behind an obvious "ringer" brought in from Baltimore, finishing in 15:19 (around 4:55 pace). Check out the pictures below and see who is wearing Number 1! That's never good luck! Details at: L and M Sports.

-- On November 9, 2009, Alum Alex Yersak, '08, of The College of New Jersey, competed in the 2009 ECAC Division III Cross Country Championships near Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Alex was the first TCNJ finisher, placing 48th out of 296 runners in 28:11.1 (around 5:40 pace). The team placed 9th out of 43 teams. The picture below accompanied this story on the TCNJ website but, judging from the leaves on the trees, this is a file photo and not from this weekend. Details at: Finish Right.

-- On November 9, 2009, Alums Alex Yersak, '08, and Kevin "Ted" Schickling, '08, both of The College of New Jersey, visited Letchworth State Park, the so-called "Grand Canyon of the East," in Mount Morris, New York, to compete in the 2009 NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional Cross Country Championships. Apparently, the name, "Grand Canyon," is a little misleading because the course is further described as having "long, open stretches with flat gradual up-hill and gradual downhill running along the way." Well, that doesn't sound bad! Anywho, Alex took 4th on the team, and 89th overall, finishing the 8K race in 27:21.0 (around 5:30 pace); while Ted took 7th on the team, finishing in 27:53.7 (around 5:37 pace). TCNJ finished 10th out of 38 teams. Details at: Leone Timing.

-- On November 22, 2009, Alum Joe Halin '00, competed in the Philadelphia Marathon through the streets and parks of the city. Joe did very well in his first marathon, crossing the line in 2:35.21 and taking 25th place overall! The timers indicate his overall pace at 5:55.6, with intermediate times of 37:54 (10K, 6:05 pace), 1:18.12 (1/2 Marathon, 5:58 pace), and 1:50.07 (30K, 5:54 pace). Hey, check out the negative splits as he gained confidence throughout the race! Details at: Philadelphia Marathon, and results at: Marathon Results.

-- On the same day, November 22, 2009, and at the same site as the Philadelphia Marathon, Alum Adam Henriksen '09, accompanied his father to the Marathon but ran in the Rothman Institute 8K where he, let's say, took a more leisurely approach to the race! Adam finished the 8K in 90th place overall, crossing the line in 34:35 (around 6:57 pace). Results at: 8K Results.

Winter Track, 2009 - 2010

-- On December 4, 2009, Alum Kevin Merrigan '08, of Monmouth University began his second competitive year as a college athlete at the inaugural MAC Classic in their new facility at the college. Kevin competed in and won the 300m Dash in 35.45, giving some the impression that the new $57 million building, now known as the "Multi-Purpose Activity Center," will be re-named The Kevin Merrigan Center upon his graduation! GO KEVIN! Results at: Go MU Hawks

-- On December 5, 2009, Alum Justin Turner '09, of Gwynedd-Mercy College, made a big impression at his first collegiate meet, the Ursinus Indoor Track Classic in Collegeville, PA! Justin took 2nd in the competition -- and set a new school record -- by clearing 2.05m (6' 8 - 3/4"), and now stands second in the nation among NCAA Division III competitors! The height also exceeded the NCAA Division III Provisional Qualifying Standard of 2.02m, and allows him to participate in the NCAA Div III Nationals at the end of the season! As an aside, if you were thinking "the Nats" might be in Honolulu or San Diego this year, think again: DePauw University, in Greencastle, Indiana, the boondocks, about 40 miles from Indianapolis, will host the Championships! GO JUSTIN! Results at: Ursinus Results.

-- On December 12, 2009, Alum Kevin Merrigan '08, of Monmouth University competed in the New Year's Invitational at Princeton University. Kevin ran the 600m Dash in 1:24.90, finishing 13th in the event. Results at: Go Tigers.

-- On December 27, 2009, Coach Shaklee and Coach Callinan met with a number of Alums in the first of what they hope will not be the last Annual Alumni Reunion at a local restaurant. There they shared old and new stories about their illustrious careers in running and in life! Among the attendees were older -- meaning pre-website -- guys such as Aaron Boucher, Mike and Matt Urbanovich, Greg Robinson, Ben Werbos, Joe Halin, Mike Caputi, Steve Ridenour, and Jeff Podolak; and "slightly" younger guys, whose exploits can be viewed here on our website, such as Marc Pelerin, Vinny Marziano, Joe Stewart, Bryan O'Rourke, Tom Yersak, Sean McLaughlin, Matt Dolan, Nick Freeman; and the "baby" of the group, Alex Yersak! Several Girls' team Alums also stopped by, including Grace Pelerin, Lisa Burkholder, Malia Lyles, Krystal Soo, and Caitlyn O'Malley. Some pictures are available.

Here Vin Marziano makes a cameo appearance with Coach Cal before his early departure.

Here the "older" guys take center stage. In the first, Coach Shaklee sits with Ben Werbos while Mike Urbanovich, Aaron Boucher, Matt Urbanovich stand in the back. In the second, Ben Werbos, Joe Halin, Mike Caputi, and Steve Ridenour are in the front, while Mike Urbanovich, Jeff Podolak, Matt Urbanovich, Aaron Boucher, Coach Shaklee, Coach Callinan, and Marc Pelerin are in the rear. Greg Robinson missing.

Here are the younger guys and some of the Girls' team Alums. From left to right: Joe Stewart, Bryan O'Rourke, Tom Yersak, Alex Yersak, Sean McLaughlin, Matt Dolan, Nick Freeman, Coach Shaklee, Marc Pelerin, and Coach Callinan. The ladies are: Grace Pelerin, Lisa Burkholder, Malia Lyles, Krystal Soo, and Caitlyn O'Malley.

-- On January 8, 2010, Alum Kevin Merrigan '08, of Monmouth University competed in the Metro Coaches Invitational at the New York City Armory. Kevin ran in the 4 X 400m Relay that finished in 13th place (3:29.62). Results at: MileSplit. US, or at Dyestat Metro.

-- On January 9, 2010, Alum Justin Turner '09, of Gwynedd-Mercy College traveled to University Park, PA for the Penn State Indoor Relays. Justin competed in the High Jump, finishing in 4th place with a jump of 6' 6". Justin tied for 3rd with another Freshman jumper from Villanova, but the tie was broken by earlier misses. Complete results at: Go PSU Sports.

-- On January 21, 2010, Alum Marc Pelerin, '02, made his 2010 track debut at the Armory in New York City! Marc ran the 3K at the Thursday Night Races, sponsored by the New York Road Runners. Apparently, Marc was a little nervous prior to his performance -- he didn't bring his personal photographer, and he entered under the name "pelerine" and probably listed himself as an Italian national -- but he emerged much more positive-minded from the race. His time: 8:44.0. Read his description at Run Marc Run; and see results at MileSplit.US.

-- On January 22, 2010, Alum Justin Turner '09, of Gwynedd-Mercy College returned to the scene of his early-season triumph, Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA, for the Collegeville Indoor Classic. This time Justin cleared 1.93m -- that's 6' 4" for normal people -- and finished 1st in the event! That added ten points to the team score and helped Gwynedd to place 3rd (only one point behind host Ursinus in 2nd) in the thirteen-team event! Results at: TFRRS.

-- On January 22, 2010, Alum Kevin Merrigan '08, of Monmouth University returned to the New York City Armory for the Great Dane Classic. Kevin ran the 400m in 51.99, placing 38th in the event; and then he led-off the 4 X 400m Relay, helping the team to place 8th in 3:22.24. Details at: MileSplit, US.

-- On January 26, 2010, Alum Alex Yersak '08, of The College of New Jersey participated in the Princeton Relays at Jadwin Gym on the university's grounds. In the 3K, Alex raced to a time of 9:19.39, finishing 11th in a field of 25 runners. Details at: Go Princeton Tigers.

-- On January 30, 2010, Alum Kevin Merrigan '08, of Monmouth University traveled to Boston University for the BU Terrier Invitational. Kev ran the Open 400m in 50.28, and took 34th in a strong field of almost one hundred runners. He was running about the same time last year when, in February, he dipped under 50 for the first time. He also anchored the 4 X 400m Relay, helping his team to finish 7th in another strong field of 23 finishing teams! Results at: BU Terrier/Lancer Timing.

-- On January 30, 2010, Alum Justin Turner '09, of Gwynedd-Mercy College competed in the Seamus McElligot Invitational at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. Justin continued his attack on the magical 2.134m clearance -- only kidding, that's the magical 7' clearance! -- by winning the High Jump competition in a Meet Record (old record 1.93m, 6' 4"), School Record (old record, Justin's 2.05m, 6' 8 - 3/4") and PR performance of 2.08m (6' 9 - 3/4")! At this point, that is the highest Division III mark in the country! Yikes! Meet results at: Haverford Athletics. No action pictures of Justin but the school website provided this picture of Justin beside the mythical Griffin -- though the female is depicted here, she seems a lot more furious than Cherokee's noble Chief!

-- On February 6, 2010, Alum Kevin Merrigan '08, of Monmouth University escaped the snow-covered terrain of New Jersey and bussed to sunny . . . uh, snowy Western Pennsylvania for Penn State University's Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup. (Wait, did the golf team go to Puerto Rico while the track team went to University Park, PA?!) Annnn-yyy-way, Kevin ran the Open 400m in 50.46, finishing 19th in a field of 33 runners. Meet details at: GO PSU Sports. No report on the golf team available!

-- On February 12, 2010, Alum Justin Turner '09, of Gwynedd-Mercy College continued his winning ways at the Lafayette-Rider Winter Games in New York City. Competing at the NYC Armory, Justin took 1st place in the High Jump, clearing 1.99m (6' 6 - 1/4")! Justin's PR is 2.08m (6' 9 - 3/4") and, although he has already exceeded the NCAA Division III Provisional Qualifying Standard of 2.02m, he had the bar moved to 2.10m (6' 10") to meet the Automatic Qualifying Standard. Unfortunately, he failed to clear. In passing, Justin's march to victory here at the Armory was less-than-grueling! He passed at 1.84m and 1.89m (6' and 6'2"), cleared on the first attempt at both 1.94m and 1.99m (6' 4" and 6'6"), passed at 2.04 (6' 8"), and failed to clear at 2.10 (6' 10"). That's a total of five jumps! Yikes . . . exhausting . . . pass the Gatorade, Mom! Complete results at: MileSplit.US.

-- On February 19, 2010, Alum Justin Turner '09, of Gwynedd-Mercy College bussed to Newport News, VA for the Mason-Dixon Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships at Christopher Newport University. There, Justin helped his team come within 1/2 point of winning the conference championship: Salisbury University, 106.50; Gwynedd-Mercy, 106! Justin cleared 1.92m (6' 3 - 1/2") to take 1st place and 10 points for Gwynedd; and, apparently for the first time this season, he competed in the Long Jump (22nd at 5.91m - 19' 4 - 3/4") but failed to score. Complete results at: CNU Sports.

-- On February 20, 2010, Alum Kevin Merrigan '08, of Monmouth University traveled to the Prince George's Sports Complex in Landover, MD for the two-day Northeast Conference Track and Field Championships. In early competition, Kevin qualified 5th (50.51) in the 400m Run, and then took 5th again (50.57) in the Finals on Sunday. Also, his team took 2nd in the 4 X 400m Relay (3:22.94). Overall, Monmouth finished 2nd behind Long Island University in the meet. Details at: CFPI Timing.

-- On February 22, 2010, Alum Kevin "Ted" Schickling, '08, of The College of New Jersey competed in the NJAC Indoor Conference Championships at the Armory in New York City. Ted led-off in the DMR, helping his team to a 3rd place overall in 10:42.06. TCNJ won its 13th consecutive conference championship, this time 61 points ahead of its closest rival, Ramapo. The picture is from TCNJ's website: Ted is on the left side! For further details: TCNJ Athletics.

-- On March 6, 2010, Alum Justin Turner '09, of Gwynedd-Mercy College hit the road again, this time to the ECAC Division III Championships at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. There, Justin won the High Jump competition, clearing 2.00 meters (6' 6 - 3/4"), two inches higher than others from Ramapo, Stockton and Rutgers-Camden! Details: Smith Athletics.

-- On March 6, 2010, Alum Kevin Merrigan '08, of Monmouth University traveled to the highly-competitive 2010 IC4A Indoor Track and Field Championships at Boston College in Boston, Massachusetts. Running in the Trails of the 4 X 400m Relay, Kevin's team finished in 3:17.91 and ended-up 23rd in a field of 30 teams! To put things into perspective, in the Open 400m, runners had to clock under 47.50 just to qualify for the Finals, and all 39 competitors clocked under 49.5! Yikes! Further details at: Lancer Timing.

-- On March 13, 2010, Alum Justin Turner '09, of Gwynedd-Mercy College traveled to the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field National Championships at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. From the results, it appears that Justin was locked in a torrid battle with many athletes who matched his talent! Justin cleared the opening height of 1.95m (about 6' 5") with eight others, but he took two jumps to clear the following height (2.00m or 6' 7"), and then took three jumps before clearing his next and final height (2.05m or 6' 8 - 3/4"). The first and second place finishers in the event only cleared 2.08m or 6' 9 - 3/4" with Justin and five others clearing 2.05 or 6' 8 - 3/4", but, with his misses, Justin finished 8th overall! That's only about an inch below his record-setting performance back in January, and good enough for Division III All-American honors! Not bad for a Freshman in his first year of college competition! Details at: Apple Raceberry Jam Results.

Spring Track, 2010

-- On March 20, 2010, Alums Marc Pelerin, '02, now the coach at St. Augustine Prep in Buena, NJ, Kevin "Ted" Schickling, '08, of The College of New Jersey, Matt Applegate '05, and his younger brother, Chris Applegate '09, of Bucknell University, did training runs at the Adrenaline 5K in the streets of Haddonfield, NJ. It's great to see them return to the scene of some of their best 5K races! Results at: L and M Sports.

-- On March 21, 2010, Alum Joe Halin '00, competed in the 47th Annual Caesar Rodney Half-Marathon in Wilmington, Delaware. The Caesar Rodney is the oldest and largest (about 1500 finishers) road race in the state, named after the state's most prominent Revolutionary War hero. Joe did Caesar justice by taking 1st Place in the race, finishing in 1:10.25! The results give the following details: 6 mile in 31:09, 5:12 pace; 7.1 in 30:17, pace at 5:32; finish in 1:10.25, pace at 5:23. Both Kevin Tresolini of the The News Journal of Wilmington and Reuben Frank of the Burlington County Times reported on the race: click here for their articles. The pictures below came from The News Journal. Complete results at: Lin-Mark Computer Results.

-- On March 27, 2010, Alum Kevin Merrigan '08, and Sean Hartnett '09, both of Monmouth University, participated in the 15th Annual Monmouth University Track and Field Opener in West Long Branch, NJ. Kevin took 4th in the Open 400m Run, clocking 50.31, and he led-off in the 4 X 400m Relay helping his team to finish 1st in 3:23.70! Sean, apparently running his first college race after months plagued with injuries, finished the 1500m Run in 4:31.78. Details at: Go MU Hawks.

-- On March 27, 2010, Alum Kevin "Ted" Schickling, '08, of The College of New Jersey, competed in the Danny Curran Invitational at Widener College in Chester, PA. Ted took 8th in his section, and 18th overall, in the 5K, an event with 69 finishers, crossing the line in 16:01.40. Details at: Widner Pride.

-- On March 31, 2010, Alum Justin Turner '09, of Gwynedd-Mercy College helped his team host the first home track meet in the school's history: the Gwynedd-Mercy Invitational against Delaware Valley College and Widener University. Justin's name is all over the results . . . well, as long as you're not looking at races longer than 100m! As expected, Justin won the High Jump, clearing 2.02m (6' 7 - 1/2"), a provisional qualifier for the outdoor national championships! But then he took 5th in the Open 100m (11.73), and helped his 4 X 100m squad win the event (43.15)! Results not working on the Gwynedd site but can be found at: GMC Results.

-- On April 3, 2010, Alum Kevin Merrigan '08 of Monmouth University traveled with his team to the Colonial Relays at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, VA. Kevin and his team failed to qualify for the finals against a large field in both the Open 400m (50.12) and the 4 X 400m Relay (3:17.81). Details at: GO MU Hawks. The following pictures were taken from the Monmouth University website:

-- On April 3, 2010, Alum Justin Turner '09, of Gwynedd-Mercy College made his first appearance at the University of Pennsylvania's storied Franklin Field in the Penn Invitational. In his speciality, the High Jump, Justin captured 1st place with a leap of 1.98 meters (6' 6"). Justin also ran the 4 X 100 Relay, helping his team take 2nd in a program record and ECAC qualifying time of 42.53! At this point, Justin has qualified for the Outdoor ECAC Championships (Springfield College, MA.) in both the HJ and the 4 X 100! Details at: Penn Athletics. The following picture was acquired from the Gwynedd-Mercy College website:

-- On April 10, 2010, Alum Justin Turner '09, of Gwynedd-Mercy College competed at West Chester University in the WCU Collegiate Invitational. Justin again won the High Jump, but at a relatively low height: 1.90m or 6" 2 - 3/4". Justin passed until that height, easily cleared it, and then missed the following three attempts at 1.95 or about 6' 5". The 4 X 100 again did well, this time taking 2nd against a strong field while clocking a 42.70. Details at: WCU results.

-- On April 11, 2010, Alum Kevin "Ted" Schickling, '08, of The College of New Jersey, participated in his college's track meet, The New Jersey Invitational. Ted ran the 3K in 9:34.13. Details at: TCNJ.

-- On April 14, 2010, Alums Sean Hartnett '09, of Monmouth University and Kevin "Ted" Schickling, '08, of The College of New Jersey, traveled to Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for their 2010 Greyhound Invitational. Sean ran the 5K, finishing in 7th place in a field of 27, while clocking an excellent 15:46.99! And Ted ran the 1500m, finishing in 18th in a field of 43, crossin the line in 4:16.09! Details at: Moravian Results.

-- On April 21st and 23rd, 2010, Alum Justin Turner '09, of Gwynedd-Mercy College performed twice at local meets that are provided for those seeking to qualify for up-coming championship meets. On the 21st, Justin won the high jump competition at the Haverford Invitational clearing only 1.95m (6' 4 - 3/4"); and then on the 23rd, he won again at West Chester University's Collegiate Last Chance Meet, again clearing 1.95m. Summary at: Gwynedd-Mercy Athletics.

-- On April 23, 2010, Alum Kevin Merrigan '08, of Monmouth University passed below us on the back turn at the Penn Relays Carnival before someone yelled, "Hey, that's Merrigan!" Yes, there he was in the College Men's 4 X 400 Trials! Our cameraman grabbed his trusty Kodak and caught these pictures as he passed the baton to his teammate! Kevin's team clocked a 3:19.25, finishing 45th out of 82 teams. The specific race results are at: Penn Relays 4 X 400. All Penn Relays information at: Penn Relays Main Page. In passing, let that be a lesson to all: if Kevin hadn't run so fast, or, if, for example, he had worn bells to alert us to his approach, we would have provided better pictures!

-- On April 23, 2010, Alum Kevin "Ted" Schickling, '08, of The College of New Jersey stayed at home to run in the Lions' Invitational. Ted competed in the 5K, finishing 23rd, while clocking a 16:17.28. The results also indicate that Alum Marc Saccomanno, '09, of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, coming off an injury, was in the same race but Did Not Finish. Results at: TCNJ Athletics.

-- On April 24, 2010, after seeing Alum Marc Saccomanno, '09, of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey as a DNF at Saturday's meet, our researchers looked back and found he competed this Spring as early as March 20, 2010 at the Richard Stockton Invitational! Apparently nursing an injury since the CC season, Marc began the season in the 5K, finishing in 17:53.91. Details at: Stockton. Additionally, on April 10, 2010, Marc competed in the Delaware Open at the University of Delaware in Newark. There he ran the 5K again, this time finishing 10th while clocking a 16:57.97. Details at: Blue Hens Sports. Judging from the Stockton schedule, that may be his last opportunity to run this season.

-- On May 1, 2010, our researchers were informed that, despite their diligence, they had missed reporting on one of the great North American races, and one in which our Alum Tom Yersak, '05 -- graduate of Princeton University, and now delaying his entrance to the work force by attending graduate school at the University of Colorado -- was a contender! Indeed, to celebrate the coming of Spring, the nearby town of Nederland, Colorado sponsored the Frozen Dead Guy Days -- it's a long story so check the website below -- and, on March 6, 2010, as part of this celebration, they had the highly-competitive Harvest House Coffin Races! Apparently this event involved teams of pallbearers carrying coffins over obstacle courses. Reports filtering out of the "ReAnimate Yourself Beer Tent" and the "Brain Freezer Tent" suggest that Tom's team -- no offical name reported, no official results published -- won the event! Congratulations to Tom and his team: it's good to know that those years of high school and college running paid off when it really counted! Further details at: Frozen Dead Guys Days.

-- On May 1, 2010, Alum Justin Turner '09, of Gwynedd-Mercy College competed at the Mason Dixon Track and Field Championships at Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland. In the High Jump, Justin took 1st place, jumping 1.94m (6' 4 - 1/4"), and won All-Conference Honors! In the competition, Justin and his closest competitor passed to 1.90m (6' 2 - 3/4"), where both missed their first attempt and cleared on their second. Then Justin cleared 1.94m on his first attempt, while his competitor failed on his first attempt and cleared on his second. Neither athlete cleared at the final height of 1.98m (6" 5 - 3/4"). Justin's ten points helped Gwynedd take 3rd place in the nine team conference, behind Salisbury and Christopher Newport Universities. Results at: Mason Dixon Results.

-- On May 1, 2010, Alum Kevin Merrigan '08 of Monmouth University traveled with his team to the Northeast Conference Championships at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. In the Prelims of the Open 400m Dash, Kevin clocked a 49.15 and qualified for the Finals on Sunday, May 2nd. More on that soon! Saturday's details at: NEC, Day 1.

-- On May 2, 2010, Alum Kevin Merrigan '08 of Monmouth University, having qualified for the Finals in the Open 400m Dash at the Northeast Conference Championships the day before, competed in the Finals and, though finishing 8th in the event, clocked a 48.97, which is probably his PR in the event! Complete meet details at: NEC Results.

-- On May 2, 2010, at least two Alums, Joe Halin '00, and Marc Pelerin, '02, apparently completed Philadelphia's Broad Street Run, a ten-miler straight down Broad Street from North Philadelphia to South Philadelphia, ending in the Naval Yard. According to Reuben Frank, writing on the Dyestat blog, Joe finished 21st overall in 53:55 but a chip error left him off the results! A picture of Joe posted on the blog shows him wearing Bib # 44 but even that number doesn't register on the "Results" page! So, WHAT"S WITH THAT?! Marc had a different experience. He wrote saying he was in the top 30 at the 9.5 mile mark but his feet were torn-up with blisters and he stopped before the finish line. He listed these conditions to explain his situation: bad choice of shoes, no socks, humidity and dehydration. Interestingly, according to the posted results, Marc finished in 68th place, clocking a 57:26! Look for yourselves: Results. So, WHAT IS WITH THAT?! Did Marc just imagine that he dropped out? Was he delirious from the heat? The picture below -- taken from Marc's blog -- shows Marc was there, but did he finish?! Stay tuned for the company's own finish-line pictures at: Broad Street Run.

-- On May 8, 2010, Alums Kevin "Ted" Schickling, '08, and Matt -- never-cease-to-a' -- Maze, '09, both of The College of New Jersey stayed at home for the New Jersey Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships. Ted took 4th in the 5K, clocking 16.02.62, while Matt tied for 4th as he vaulted a PR of 4.25m (that's a splinter short of 14')! TCNJ whipped their closest competitors, Ramapo College, by 136 points to win the conference championship! Details at: NJAC Results.

-- On May 10, 2010, Alum Justin Turner '09, of Gwynedd-Mercy College traveled to Swarthmore College for the Tuppeny Twilight/Last Chance Track and Field Meet. Justin "no heighted" in the High Jump after passing to 1.93m (6' 4") and then failing to clear. An "inside source" reported that Justin is working on different elements of his jump and that he will be fine by the ECAC Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Springfield College (MA) this Thursday and Friday. Meet results at: Swarthmore Athletics.

-- On May 14, 2010, Alum Justin Turner, '09, of Gwynedd-Mercy College participated in the 2010 Division III ECAC Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. Justin took 3rd overall in the High Jump competition, clearing 2.01 m (6' 7"). The winner and runner-up also jumped 2.01m but Justin was forced to take 3rd on misses. Complete results at: Springfield College.

-- On May 20, 2010, Alum Justin Turner, '09, of Gwynedd-Mercy College traveled to The College of New Jersey for their 2010 Lions Last Chance Meet, which was, as the name implies, one last opportunity to qualify for up-coming national meets. He cleared the opening and second heights, 1.90 (6' 3") and 1.95 (6' 5") but failed to clear 2.00 (6' 7"). He finished tied for 4th in the competition. Details at: TCNJ.

-- On May 21, 2010, Alum Kevin Merrigan '08, of Monmouth University took the short ride over to Princeton University for the 2010 ECAC and IC4A Track and Field Championships. There, he lead-off the 4 X 400m Relay but he and his team fared poorly, finishing last in their heat and 30th overall in 3:18.55. Details at: Lancer Time Results.

-- On June 5, 2010, Alum Joe Halin '00, of the Moorestown Running Company competed in the Scott Coffee Moorestown Rotary 8K Run, finishing 2nd overall in 25:11.86 (5:04 pace), a incredible "step-up" from his 2009 performance when he took 38th place in 31:04 (6:15 pace)! Details at: CompuScore.

-- On June 10, 2010, a distinguished group of Alums showed-up to watch two soon-to-be Alums Kyle Muench and Steve Burkholder challenge PR's and a school record at the Haddonfield Invitational. Ted Schickling, '08; Chris Applegate, '09; Kyle Miller, '09; Adam Henriksen, '09; and Ryan Lutz, '08 cheered, screamed, and yelled but to no avail. No PR's or school records were set. Marc Pelerin '02, (not pictured) was there, too, checking to see if Steve Burkholder could break his 4:11.83 school record in the 1600m, but Pelly remains "the boss!"

-- On June 18, 2010, Alum Joe Halin '00, of the Moorestown Running Company, traveled to Duluth, Minnesota for the 34th Annual Grandma's Marathon! Joe finished in 29th place among a stellar field in 2:32.32. Splits show an overall pace of 5:50, with an incredibly steady 5:38 pace through the 10K and the half-way point! This slipped to 5:41 by the 20 mile point, and 5:47 by 25 miles. Word is he was hoping for a sub-2:30 but was hampered by a strong wind along "the beautiful north shore of Lake Superior!" Details at: Grandma's Marathon. The "Joe Halin" page of the results at: Joe Halin Page.

-- On July 3, 2010, Alum Marc Pelerin, '02, began his long march back by competing in the Firecracker 5K on a hot morning in Haddon Heights, NJ. Marc took 2nd in the race while clocking 15:38 (Marc's reported splits: 4:44, 5:09, 5:45 for last 1.1 . . . 5:01 pace). Details at: L & M Sports Results.

-- On a sunny July 4, 2010, Alum Kevin "Ted" Schickling, '08, of The College of New Jersey, made his now-traditional run at the Third Annual Marleton Mayor's Cup 5K Race. Fourth in 2008, and third last year, this year, Ted took 1st place in 17:06! Ted was joined by Alums Chris Applegate, '09 (2nd in 17:41); Kyle Miller, '09 (4th in 17:51); Matt McCarroll, '10 (8th in 18:03); Ryan McNair, '09 (12th in 19:13); Adam Henricksen, '09 (34th in 21:05, who generously allowed his father to beat him by 25 seconds in the race); and Evan Stone, '09 (35th in 21:08). There were several current "Chiefs" in the race, as well as two parent Alums, Don Henriksen and Mike McCarroll. For detailed information, see the results at: L & M Sports Results. The following picture came from the Medford Central Record.