Alford-Sullivan to coach both Men's & Women's Program at PSU

Not a fan of Alford Sullivan, not quite sure if she really can coach, her success has come with great sprinters at PSU and with being an assistant under a great coach in Vinny.

However, it's not like the men's program at PSU has been stellar, so maybe the only place they go is up.

viagra works well wrote:

Harry Groves was part of the white male entitlement program initiated some 35 years ago.

He benefited from being handed a position that he was neither qualified for or earned,and was never really good at.

It must be so tough to watch the good old white male Berlin Wall crumblene slowly.

Get a grip folks - he was NEVER worth his weight in salt, or any other mineral for that matter.

congrats to Alford-Sullivan.

Go pop another pill, Viagra, and have fun playing with it for the rest of the day.

For many of us that were actually coached by Coach Groves we know there isn't an ounce of truth to your internet trolling comments, and are proud to have been part of his program that boasts many accomplishments other programs can only dream of.

Lets look at the recent Big Ten meet and see if she can coach:

Women's 10k - one entrant finished NEXT TO LAST

Women's 5k - four entrants - finished 14, 25, 26, 27 out of 30 finishers -- includes Landreth, who used to be good and now is very average

Women's steeple - finished 3, 10, 13, 18 out of 18 starters.

Women's 1500m - no athletes made the final. Their two entrants BOTH finished LAST in their qualifiying heats.

So in the four long distance races -- her primary event area of coaching, they score 6 points. WOuld estimate out of 18 scholarships, at least 8 are in distance. Six points from 8 scholarships.....

add to that a 10th at Big Tens in XC this year. She has ruined M. Wale, M Landreth, T Brauksieck, and N Bohnsack.

Four Foot Locker athlets in four years and they all have gone down-hill with her coaching. She is, after all, the distance specialist.

Her best ability seems to be self promotion. I bet she wrote the article quoted above.

in light of those results you just posted, at a clinic in november or december, she said the reason they finished last in the big ten this year in xc, was because the distance runners where focusing on track more than xc. glad they did that.

her clinic was suppose to be about training theory, but came off as more of women's history in coaching. she didn't say the best way to get foward is ride the coattails of a proven coach.

old alum wrote:

viagra works well wrote:

Harry Groves was part of the white male entitlement program initiated some 35 years ago.

He benefited from being handed a position that he was neither qualified for or earned,and was never really good at.

It must be so tough to watch the good old white male Berlin Wall crumblene slowly.

Get a grip folks - he was NEVER worth his weight in salt, or any other mineral for that matter.

congrats to Alford-Sullivan.

Go pop another pill, Viagra, and have fun playing with it for the rest of the day.

For many of us that were actually coached by Coach Groves we know there isn't an ounce of truth to your internet trolling comments, and are proud to have been part of his program that boasts many accomplishments other programs can only dream of.

you know damn well it's the truth. you wish it were different, but Groves has no better knowledge of trainbing or credentials than anyone else - it doesn't matter what tender thoughts you have about your old coach. He is a classless piece of crap.

The criticism of Alford is because you all don't want to let go of the imaginary great coach you thought Harry was.

sdl wrote:

Beth Alford-Sullivan, the track and field and cross-country camp co-director, is the head coach of the Nittany Lion women's cross-country and track and field teams. In only six short years, Alford-Sullivan has led the teams to the top of the Big Ten Conference and the NCAA rankings, producing twenty-six All-Americans. Prior to arriving at Penn State, Alford-Sullivan led the Stanford Cardinal to a Cross-Country NCAA Championship in 1996, was named National Coach of the Year, and coached over thirty All-Americans from 1995 to 1999. Coach Alford-Sullivan has been named to several international coaching positions, including the 2001 World Championships staff, the 2003 World Championships staff, and--most notably--she served on the 2004 Olympic Games coaching staff, responsible for the middle distance and distance women athletes.

Most notably, eh? Try most infamously. Beth Alford-Sullivan wasn't a coach she was a f.u.c.kin tourist!

Posted: July 19, 2004

An angry and upset Suzy Favor Hamilton said Monday that conflicting advice from U.S. track and field officials on the rules for selecting the Olympic team might have cost her a chance to compete next month in Athens.

The dispute boiled over late Sunday, hours after Hamilton elected to drop out of the women's 1,500-meter run at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Sacramento, Calif.

At one point late Sunday, Hamilton said she received a phone call from Beth Alford-Sullivan, who coaches the Olympic women middle-distance runners. Hamilton said Alford-Sullivan told her she had made the team.

"The criticism of Alford is because you all don't want to let go of the imaginary great coach you thought Harry was."

Hey Mr. Stiff, how about a brief history lesson for the uneducated.

Have you ever heard of a fella named Greg Fredericks? He would rank as one of Harry's top examples of how Harry's coaching philosophy was a success. An American record in the 10k, a member of an Olympic team and one of the few American's capable of giving Prefontaine a run for his money in the day.

Who can forget the Letsrun favorite Malmo, American record holder in the Steeple.

How about a number of top American NCAA x-c finishes by Alan Scharsu in the early 80's?

How about a 7:11.17 4x800 team made up of 3 kids from PA and one from just across the river in NJ?

Or a 14:58.71 4x1500 American Collegiate record team made up from 4 kids from PA?

How about 4 Penn Relays 4x800 titles in a 5 year stretch, a feat only bettered by a team called Villanova?

Try a walk-on Ice Hockey player who just happened to be turned into a 3:38 1500 meter guy.

Throw in Numerous IC4A Team Championships and top 3 finishes back in the day when the IC4A's really meant something, and oh yea an Olympic Silver Medalist named Mike Shine who finished behind only the incomparable Edwin Moses, and I think you can see that Harry Groves rose above in his coaching abilities.

There are too many other examples of great individual and team accomplishments to list during Harry's tenure at Penn State, where he took both High School phenom's and Walk On's alike and through great coaching turned them into something worth writing home about.

Before Penn State Harry Coached Juris Luzens and Howell Michael at William and Mary.

penns st. distance was so f***ing bad ass before harry went around the bend. admittely that was a long time ago, and he could have done the program a favor by leaving 10 years ago (i have heard he couldn't afford to?), but goddam those guys were VERY good, and it will be a cold day in hell before beth alford-sullivan coaches guys who could finish on the same straightaway with fredericks and malley. she is a shitty distance coach, and i think it's going to be pretty funny when schools like lock haven and edinboro and ship start beating penn st. we are about 2-3 years away from that.

i'd say we're one year from lock haven beating them now.

I just want to say "I told you so" but I was a couple of days late about when they would announce it.

old alum wrote:

How about 4 Penn Relays 4x800 titles in a 5 year stretch, a feat only bettered by a team called Villanova?.

Isn't that the truth? Those guys were real badasses!

1983 7:19.77

1985 7:11.17

1986 7:16.05

1987 7:14.65

Only one athlete (Vance Watson) on any of those teams could be considered to be a high school elite. Nah, Harry can't coach.

Just think about what they could have done with Beth Alford-Wheedling-Wonder-Woman?

Sad day for Penn State Track and Cross country. Apparently the powers to be don't have a clue what has been going on with the women runners; maybe the men will deal with it better

How much money will the program sve by doing this? It seems like recruiting will be more difficult. The blue chippers want time from the head coach so she will be spread thin.

You can say whatever you want about Beth (I doubt she cares), but if you do not like her hiring she is not the one to blame.

There isn't a single coach with a competitive spirit who wouldn't do what she did -- pursue a great and challenging opportunity.

Whether you like her or not, the person who hired her was the AD. If you are an Alum and you are have a problem with this situation, it should only be with the AD, he made the decision.

Harry Groves has a great list of accomplishments. He also has a decently long list of "not so great things". You can pick apart each of them to make your own point.

I am sure Penn State XC/Track and Field will move forward...

Coach with a Brain wrote:

I am sure Penn State XC/Track and Field will move forward...

...off a cliff into the depths of suckdum.

Coach with a Brain wrote:

You can say whatever you want about Beth (I doubt she cares), but if you do not like her hiring she is not the one to blame.

There isn't a single coach with a competitive spirit who wouldn't do what she did -- pursue a great and challenging opportunity.

Whether you like her or not, the person who hired her was the AD. If you are an Alum and you are have a problem with this situation, it should only be with the AD, he made the decision.

Harry Groves has a great list of accomplishments. He also has a decently long list of "not so great things". You can pick apart each of them to make your own point.

I am sure Penn State XC/Track and Field will move forward...

This has been the single and only reasonable post made about this topic. Groves has his share of faults and not so pretty things surrounding his coaching -he also has many great accomplishments.

Sullivan will be no better and no worse. It would be difficult to convince and A.D. or someone looking at this without a 'bone to pick' otherwise.

Perhaps this is true, but how many other D1 schools have one coach doing two head coaching jobs? I think Beth is biting off mor ethan she can chew considering her problems with the distance crew. SHe should direct her efforts into improving what she does before taking on a new challenge. This will probably end up like the Olympic flap, where she claimed to be an expert, but ended up screwing Suzzy over.