winter / 2014
Track & Field and Cross Country News MESSAGE FROM THE ASSOCIATION Dear Alumni and Friends of Yale Track & Field and Cross Truly, no gift is too small to help the cross-country and track programs achieve their goals. There are multiple Country, Another exciting indoor season is upon us! Yale Track wel- ways to show your support. Write a check payable to Yale comes a new indoor track and renovated Coxe Cage. The University and mail it to Yale Track and Field Association, athletes will face challenging and exciting competition in P.O. Box 1844, New Haven, CT 06508-1844. Visit giving. the next months and we hope that you can be part of the yale.edu to pay by credit card and be sure to select Athletics and Track and Field in the drop down menu. Visit our assoaction along the way. ciation page for more information! All gifts count towards We are thrilled to share with you that we will be honoring reunion giving. Frank Shorter, Class of 1969, for his athletic accomplishments and contributions to Yale Track. Please save the date Thank you in advance for supporting Yale Cross-Country for our annual dinner to be held at Coxe Cage on Saturday, and Track and Field. May 10 with an official announcement and more details to Go Bulldogs! Larry Kreider ‘69 and Louisa Gerritz Garry ‘87 follow. It was a banner year of fundraising in 2012-13, as we exceeded our 90K annual giving goal. We have much to celebrate, but our work is not done. It is important that we keep the momentum going, to allow Coach Shoehalter to sustain the excellence of this program. With this in mind, we are raising the bar yet again, setting the fundraising goal for the 2013-14 fiscal year at 95K. The work of our Association is crucial to the overall success of our program. Your support impacts the program directly in the following ways: • $10,000: Supports crucial team travel out of region and enables recruiting all over the country and the world. ALL recruiting (bringing kids to Yale and Coaches to meets and home visits) is entirely funded by alumni donations. • $5,000: Will outfit either the entire men's or women's roster in new competition uniform (singlet/shorts/spikes). • $1,000: Will assist in the purchase of small equipment items (pole vault poles, shot puts, cross bars, 20lb weights etc) • $500: Will buy 10 pairs of training shoes • $250: Will support general program maintenance
SAVE THE DATES Mark your calendars for the spring. More details on these alumni gatherings to come. •GIEGENGACK INVITATIONAL AND RECEPTION • New Haven, CT: February 8 • HYP WEEKEND • New Haven, CT: February 15 • MARK T. YOUNG INVITATIONAL • New Haven, CT: April 19 • ANNUAL ALUMNI DINNER • New Haven, CT: Saturday, May 10 • HEPTAGONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS • New Haven, CT: May 10 &11
TRACK & FIELD / WINTER, 2014
COACH’S CORNER 2013 has proven to be quite the year for Yale Track and Field and Cross Country. We had some incredible success on the Track with six new school records, and NCAA qualifiers in both outdoor track and cross country. We also had some incredible facilities upgrades which will allow the program to grow into the future and will serve as a source of pride for the entire tYf and xYc family. Things got started with a bang in 2013 as three Yale Women etched their names into the record books (and onto the record boards in Coxe Cage!). Frosh Karleh Wilson burst onto the scene and in her second meet in a Yale Uniform took down Margo Angelopolous’ (’07) mark in the the Shot Put with a toss of 45’3” (this past weekend she bettered her own mark by a ½”!). A bit later in the year, Soph Emily Cable broke the oldest indoor record on our books by taking down Patricia Melton’s (’83) school mark in the 400m. Emily blazed around the oval at the Giegengack Invitational in a stellar 56.19s. Finally for the women, Junior Amanda Snajder took down Samantha Lincoln’s (‘92) Pentathlon mark by scoring 3658, good for 4th place at the Heps.
DAVID SHOEHALTER, MARK T. YOUNG '68 DIRECTOR OF TRACK & FIELD AND CROSS COUNTRY
During the outdoor season, it was time for some of our men to shine. At the Penn Relays, our men’s 4XMile relay obliterated the Yale Record in that event, and put a real scare into national powerhouses Villanova and Oregon. The team of Tim Hillas ’13, Matt Nussbaum ’15, Jon McGowan ’15 and James Shirvell ’14 combined to run an impressive 16:20.35, breaking the old record by 32 seconds! As it turns out, Shirvell was just getting started, as by the end of the year, he had broken Rick Wemple’s (’92) school record in the 1500 running 3:41.09 and qualifying for the NCAA final rounds in Eugene! Finally, just this month, we put the wraps on a very successful cross country season. Our very young men’s team showed a tremendous amount of improvement by coming in 5th at the Heps (behind four nationally ranked teams!). The next weekend, recorded the team’s highest regional finish since 2004 and Soph Kevin Dooney qualified as an individual for the NCAA Championship in Terre Haute, IN. Dooney went on to finish in the Top 100 at the NCAA and was selected to the Irish National Team for the European U23 Championship in Serbia! We had some major “victories” off of the field of competition as well. The first was a major refurbishment of our iconic Coxe Cage. This past May, work was begun on a full roof and skylight replacement. The project was completed just this past month and I’m thrilled to report that the leaks are a thing of the past! We’ve had a number of heavy rains, and there is nary a puddle to be found. Additionally, we’ve installed a new ventilation system and the air appears to be much more breathable…though the team still reports symptoms of “cage cough” after hard workouts. While the roof and the ventilation were in need of work, the most important aspect of the project was the replacement of the old track and infield surface. The old “Mondo” surface of the Frank Shorter ’69 track and infield had come to the end of its useful life. We were in dire need of a replacement. Largely through the efforts of the Yale Track Association Board of Directors, we were able to complete the project with speed and efficiency, and last week we debuted a brand new surface at the Yale Season Opener. Our team (and the coaches) couldn’t be more thrilled with the improvements. I know that it will add to their competitive experience, and the new building will help us attract some of the best recruits in the country. We truly have a showcase arena for indoor track and field. The facility improvements were not limited to Coxe Cage. Outdoors, the DeWitt Cuyler facility received a major upgrade with new long, triple and pole vault runways and a brand new shot put area, along with a synthetic turf infield. Finally, our men’s team locker room was given a real facelift with beautiful new lockers and all of the accoutrements that befit our great program. You can see, that much has taken place in 2013! I’m excited to get the indoor and outdoor track seasons of 2014 underway. We’ve got a great crop of athletes on board, and our goal is to provide all of them with every opportunity to reach their highest competitive levels. We can’t do it without your help and support! We face a challenging year ahead and we need your help more than ever, in order to continue to provide our student athletes with an experience befitting of this great university and team! I wish you the very best in the year to come. “Shoe”
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TRACK & FIELD/ WINTER, 2014
ALUMNI IN ACTION There are a number of acƟve Yale runners among our alumni; below we have included pictures of various groups. We would love to hear about other alums compeƟng in individual or team events!
HOOD TO COAST RELAY On August 23, 2013 (and for the second year), 12 “senior” Yale alumni and 12 recent grads ran in the Hood to Coast relay, an improbable, but popular, 198 mile race from Mt Hood, Oregon, through Portland to Seaside, Oregon encompassing 20 – 28 hours (or more). Each runner ran three legs of about 6 miles each. Both teams qualified for 2014 which is awaited with enthusiasm.
COXE CAGE Coxe Cage underwent major renova ons this fall, including the installa on of a new roof and resurfacing of the track. This project was generously funded by the university and was celebrated by the programs and alumni in November.
BE A PART OF YALE TRACK & FIELD AND CROSS COUNTRY TRADITION We are excited to introduce a new opportunity to put your name on a piece of YTF & CC history. Our locker rooms in the Smilow Field Center have been renovated and now feature wooden lockers. We invite you to take advantage of the unique locker naming opportunity, outlined below: • Gi s of $2,500 get your name on the top of the locker; firstcome; first-served. • Gi s of $1,000 get your name within the locker; spaces unlimited. • Gi s count towards personal and class giving totals for your reunion. • Locker naming is only available to former athletes but lockers may also be named in honor of a player or coach by any member of our Associa on We hope to see your name proudly displaying your connec on to and support of the program!
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X Y C & T Y F COMPETITION SCHEDULE 2013ͳ2014 CROSS COUNTRY Sat, Sept 14th – vs. Harvard @ Franklin Park, 12:15pm – Alumni 5k; 1:00pm – Women’s 5k, 1:30pm – Men’s 8k Sat, Sept 21st – Iona Meet of Champions @ Van Cortlandt Park, 9:30am – Women’s 6k, 10:15am – Men’s 8k Fri, Sept 27th – Boston College Invita onal @ Franklin Park, 3:30pm – Women’s 5k Sat, Oct 5th – Paul Short Invita onal @ Lehigh, 10:10am – Men’s Open 8k, 11:00am – Men’s Gold 8k Sat, Oct 12th – New England Championships @ Franklin Park, 12pm – Women’s JV 5k, 12:45pm – Men’s JV 8k, 1:30pm – Women’s Varsity 5k, 2:15pm – Men’s Varsity 8k Sat, Oct 19th – Wisconsin Invita onal @ Madison, WI, 12pm – Women’s Championship 6k Sat, Oct 19th – NCAA Pre-Na onals @ Terre Haute, IN, TBD - Men’s 8k Race Time Fri, Oct 25th – CCSU Mini Meet @ Stanley Quarter Park, 3:30pm – Men’s 5k, 4pm - Women’s 3k Sat, Nov 2nd – Ivy League Heptagonal Championships @ Princeton – Women’s 6k & Men’s 8k - TBD Fri, Nov 15th – NCAA Northeast Regional @ Van Cortlandt Park – Women’s 6k & Men’s 10k – TBD Sat, Nov 23rd – NCAA Championships @ Terre Haute, IN – Women’s 6k & Men’s 10k – TBD INDOOR TRACK & FIELD Sat, Dec 7th – Yale Season Opener @ Coxe Cage Sat, Jan 11th – Yale Collegiate Invita onal @ Coxe Cage (Fri, Jan 17th & Sat, Jan 18th – Yale High School Invita onal – Whole Team Works) Sat, Jan 18th – at Dartmouth with Columbia Fri, Jan 24th – Terrier Classic Invita onal – Women @ BU Sat, Jan 25th – Terrier Classic Invita onal – Men @ BU Sat, Feb 1st – Meet TBD Fri, Feb 7th & Sat, Feb 8th– Giegengack Invita onal @ Coxe Cage Sat, Feb 15th – Yale vs. Harvard & Princeton @ Coxe Cage Sat, Feb 28th & Sun, March 1st – Ivy League Heptagonal Championships @ Dartmouth Fri, March 7th – Sun, March 9th – IC4A & ECAC Championships @ BU Thurs, March 13th – Sat, March 15th – NCAA Championships @ Arkansas OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD March 15th – 22nd – Spring Break Trip – Coastal Carolina Fri, March 28th – Sat, March 29th – Raleigh Relays @ NC State Fri, April 4th – Sat, April 5th – Sam Howell Invite @ Princeton Sat, April 12th – at Harvard Sat, April 19th – Yale Mark Young Invita onal April 24th – 26th – Penn Relays @ Franklin Field Sun, April 27th – Yale Spring me Invita onal Sat, May 10th & Sun, May 11th – Ivy League Heptagonal Championships @ Yale Fri, May 16th – Sun, May 18th – IC4A & ECAC Championships @ Princeton Thurs, May 29th – Sat, May 31st – NCAA Round 1 @ Jacksonville, FL Wed, June 11th – Sat, June 14th – NCAA Championships @ Eugene, OR YALE ATHLETICS COMPLIANCE CORNER As a supporter of Yale athle cs, you may employ current Yale student-athletes provided: • The student-athlete is paid the going rate for similar experience; • The student-athlete is compensated for work actually performed; and • The student-athlete does not receive any preferen al treatment due to his/her status as a Yale student-athlete. Please contact the Yale Compliance Office (203.436.8309) if you have any ques ons or concerns. Can I pick up a student-athlete and bring him/her to work each day? You may give a student-athlete a ride to or from work only if you provide the same ride to every employee in the same posi on. It is not permissible to provide special treatment to a student-athlete. The student-athlete I employ played a great game this week, can I take him/ her out to lunch to celebrate? No. You may not provide a complimentary meal to a student-athlete because of his/her status as a student-athlete. Unless the same benefit is extended to all employees under similar circumstances, you cannot take the student-athlete out for lunch.
The student-athlete’s team is doing really well this year and ge ng a lot of posi ve publicity. I have a big promo on coming up to sell one of my products. Can I create an adver sement, in print and/or on the radio, emphasizing that Yale student-athletes use and recommend my product? Can I use their names, pictures, or likenesses? It is not permissible for student-athletes to par cipate in any promo onal ac vi es on behalf of a commercial en ty. You cannot use a student-athlete’s picture to promote a commercial product. Therefore, student-athletes may not be used to promote your product because of their status or success. I am sponsoring a fundraiser at my restaurant for cancer research. When someone purchases a meal, all of the proceeds go toward cancer research. On the day of the event, can the student-athlete that works for me wear his/ her Yale uniform and invite teammates to work as part of the fes vi es? They are very recognizable and I want as many people to donate me and money to this cause as possible. No. Student-Athletes may not par cipate in any promo onal ac vi es for a commercial enterprise, even if it is for charitable purposes. The employee’s status as an Yale student-athlete cannot be used to promote this event, even though it is for a charitable cause.