Tracknewsfall2016 by Yale Athletics

TRACK & FIELD AND CROSS COUNTRY FALL 2016 NEWS

From the Association Larry Kreider ‘69 Kim Fulton ‘91 Co-Presidents Wow! The Cross Country Teams closed out the season on a high note. The women’s team won the HYP Championship and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships. Senior James Randon won the Ivy League Championships and qualified as an individual for the NCAA meet in Terre Haute, Indiana. The women also traveled to NCAA’s for the first time since 2001. Surely the athletes were inspired to run fast by a visit from 2016 Olympic 800m finalist Kate Grace ‘11 in October. The work of our Association is crucial to the overall success of our program. This year our 2016-17 fundraising goal is to raise $90,000 to balance support from the University, all of which help our teams continue to compete. No gift is too small to help the program build on the momentum of this successful fall and to achieve its goals. Your donation helps the program by: •Supporting out of region team travel which fosters strong competition, the possibility of earning a national ranking, and allows the team to accumulate points toward NCAA qualification

•Facilitating recruiting to attract the best talent to Yale •Assisting in the purchase of small equipment such as poles for vaulting, shot puts, and starting blocks •Enhancing the new weight room in Coxe Cage. Please take a moment to make your gift to Yale TF & XC today by visiting giving.yale.edu and following the instructions, or by sending a check made payable to Yale University to Yale Track Association PO Box 1844 New Haven, CT 06520. The strength of this association is an incredible testament to the connection our community feels to the current athletes and proud tradition of our program – thank you in advance for continuing to support Yale Track and Field and XC. Sincerely, Larry Kreider ‘69

Kim Fulton ‘91

“The work of our Association is crucial to the overall success of our program. This year our 2016-17 fundraising goal is to raise $90,000 to balance support from the University, all of which help our teams continue to compete. No gift is too small to help the program build on the momentum of this successful fall and to achieve its goals. “

Coaches Corner David Shoehalter The Mark T. Young ‘68 Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Friends of Yale Track & Field and Cross Country, What an exciting start to the 2016-17 academic and competitive year! From our season opening Cross Country victories against Harvard (and Princeton on the women’s side) to our national rankings, to Captain James Randon’s Heps title, it has been one exciting week after the next! As I’m sure most of you know by now, our XC teams have met with tremendous success, the likes of which haven’t been seen here since the early 2000’s. Between James’ Heps Championship (the first since Jim Gibson in 1989) and our Women’s Team bid to the NCAA Championship, it certainly has been an exciting season. Our current run of success is the result of an incredible amount of hard work by our entire staff. Coaches Amy Gozstyla and Paul Harkins have done a fantastic job of leading our distance men and women, and setting a standard of excellence to which our young men and women are held every day. Their guidance and mentorship allows our team to flourish at the highest levels of the sport while never losing sight of why they are here at Yale. Just as was the case with all of you alums, our current crop of athletes are “fully engaged” in all aspects of life at Yale. They are students first, they are committed athletes, and they lead active lives on campus away from school and sport. Our success also stems from your generous support of the program. We simply cannot reach the levels of national prominence that we have, without your help. Gifts to the Yale Track & Field and Cross Country Association allow us to ensure that our team has everything in place to compete with the best in the country. Your gifts are the sole support for our travel out of the northeast region to competitive meets such as the Wisconsin Invitational this past fall, and to San Diego for our annual spring break training trip. Your donations also fund all of our recruiting efforts. We seek to attract the very best students and athletes to Yale, and can’t do it without traveling to see them compete across the country and the world, and then bringing them to New Haven, to see this incredible place. If you have given before, I hope you will do so again. If you have yet to give, I ask that you do so. All donations allow us to create a first class experience for our team. I hope to see you at our meets in the year to come! Sincerely, Shoe

“Just as was the case with all of you alums, our current crop of athletes are “fully engaged” in all aspects of life at Yale. They are students first, they are committed athletes, and they lead active lives on campus away from school and sport. “

In Memoriam - Hale Ross ‘18

On October 30th 2016 we lost a friend, a teammate and a brother. Hale Ross ’18 came to Yale as a walk-on athlete and through hard work and determination made himself into a consistent top 5 scorer on our Cross Country team. He crossed every T, and dotted every I, and did whatever he needed to be a contributor to the program. The consummate team player. He was fun, funny, smart and intense, and he knew exactly when to throw in a pun to lighten the mood. When we got the awful news of Hale’s untimely death, Yale Track & Field and Cross Country did what any family does. We gathered together. We cried. We asked how this could be. Ultimately, we gained strength from each other and the bonds we have created through our sport. We will all hold him close to our hearts and in our thoughts. He will be greatly missed.

Captains Corner

Frances Schmiede ‘17

James Randon ‘17

Cross Country

How would you describe this year’s team in one word?

Cohesive

Persevering

What was your favorite moment from this past fall season?

My favorite moment of this past season was winning the HYP meet. Not only was it great to beat Harvard but to have such a large group of happy, healthy women compete that day made me very proud of our program.

Running Heps, the meet has such history and caring alumni, that I couldn’t be prouder to be able to represent the Y in our league championship.

What does it mean to you to be a captain at Yale? Being a captain at Yale has meant joining a vibrant and inspiring community of athletes. It is special to join the tradition of previous cross country captains and meeting current captains of other Yale teams has been a highlight of my senior year. What are your plans after graduating? I am returning home to Sydney, Australia. I’m looking into graduate programs with the Australian Public Service but I also hope to keep running.

What does it mean to you to be a captain at Yale? Everything, to say I love running would be an understatement, and to have the opportunity to be the focal point between the world and the Yale Cross Country team is amazing. What are your plans after graduating? I (hope!) to continue running Track professionally.

Marc-André Alexandre ‘17

Kate Simon ‘17

Track & Field

How would you describe this year’s team in one word?

Determined

Hardworking

What was your favorite moment from this past fall season?

I think this winter season will be very fruitful, because it’ll show the tremendous amount of work we’ve been putting in for the past few months. The guys are all motivated, focused and excited to start the indoor season. We are a hard working group and I believe the the upcoming winter season will a testament to that. Personally, I can’t wait to see our younger guys compete! The 16/17 indoor season will be a good one, I can feel it!

I’m very optimistic for the season ahead. We have a lot of young talent and extremely competitive group of women. The success of the cross country team this fall has been a huge source of inspiration for the SJT side and I’m excited to see what our team can do when we all come together to compete in the indoor season. So long as we stay focused and healthy, I know we’ll have great results this winter and spring.

What does it mean to you to be a captain at Yale?

To be a captain at Yale is a great honor and, for me, it means that I am a representative of my team’s values and culture. It is truly a privilege to be captain, so I try to make decisions that will keep the track program moving toward the right direction. To be honest, I have the best teammates I could ask for, and that makes my captaincy fun and enriching.

It’s an incredible honor to serve as a captain and it’s been great to have so much support from my fellow seniors and the entire coaching staff.

What are your plans after graduating? After I graduate, my plans are to travel and do some type of humanitarian work abroad, because I’ve always wanted to explore the world and I want to help those in need.

What are your plans after graduating? I’m not sure yet!

Old Blue Team Competes in Hood to Coast Relay for 5th Consecutive Year The Old Blue is composed of Yale University cross country and track team members from the late 1960s – mid 70s and hail from 10 different states. This past August the Old Blue Team competed in the 200-mile Hood to Coast Relay in Oregon on August 26-27, 2016. The relay starts on Mt. Hood and ends in Seaside, Oregon. Teams are composed of 12 runners, each of whom completes 3 legs of the event. The Old Blue completed the relay in 30 hours and 50 minutes (averaging 9:17 per mile)

SAVE THE DATE! HYP

New Haven, CT: Sunday, January 29 (NOTE: Sunday meet)

Giegengack Invitational

New Haven, CT: February 3 – 4 Alumni & Parents Reception on February 3

Heptagonal Championships Armory, NYC: February 25 - 26

Annual Dinner with Honoree Kate Grace ‘11 Yale Club of NYC: March 31

Yale-Harvard-Oxford-Cambridge Meet New Haven, CT: April 8

Outdoor Heptagonal Championships New Haven, CT: May 6 - 7

placing in the top half of all teams and 7th out of 9th in the Champion Masters division (for teams with an average age of 60 years or more). This year's Old Blue team members were: Frank Shorter '69, Dan Larson '73, Steve Boyer '68, Steve Sidney '71, Larry Kreider '69, Steve Anderson '71, Jay Farr '73, Jeff Godwin '73, Rich Holbrook '73, Joe Weiss '75, Jim Brubaker '77, and Bard Cook '77. Steve Bittner '69 and Dave Monthie '71 were the van drivers for the team. Well done, and Congratulations, Old Blue!