| Aleesha Barber ran a lifetime-best 8.24 on her way to a bronze medal finish in the 60-meter hurdles at Sunday??s Big Ten Championships. Barber also anchored the gold-medal winning 4x400-meter relay, which also set a new conference record. The Nittany Lion women finished fourth. |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill.: February 25, 2007 ?C Dominique Blake (Bronx, N.Y.), Briene Simmons (Decatur, Ga.), Shana Cox (Westbury, N.Y.), and Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.) combined to set a new conference record in the 4x400-meter relay, Sunday at the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships. The relay team captured Big Ten gold for the second-straight year, and also set a new facility record, running 3:37.70.
The Nittany Lion women managed a fourth-place finish in one of the more competitive fields in Big Ten history, scoring 92 points. Minnesota captured the team title with 121.50 points, followed by Michigan in second (108.50), and host Illinois (107).
??It??s an honor to be a part of the Big Ten Conference as it is at its peak in competitive programs and outstanding athletes,?? said Director of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan. ??The Penn State Nittany Lions continued to challenge the outstanding and nationally programs of Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois.??
Cox would also manage two individual scoring finishes, taking second in the 400-meters in an NCAA automatic-qualifying 52.68. Cox took second to only Iowa??s Kineke Alexander (52.23), the defending NCAA champion at the distance. Cox went on to place fourth in the 200-meters, clocking 24.00.
Barber added another Big Ten medal to her collection in the 60-meter hurdles, posting a career-low and provisional qualifying 8.24 for bronze-medal honors. Barber and freshman Lauren Burns (Suwanee, Ga.) would also add to the Nittany Lion total in the 60-meter dash with Burns going 7.61 for sixth and Barber placing seventh in 7.71. Burns came back to finish seventh in the 200, clocking 24.50.
In the field, both Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) and Lena Bettis (Riverside, Calif.) scored in the triple jump with Hunter earning the silver medal with a leap of 41-4.25 (12.60m) in her first time competing in the event this season. Bettis popped a personal-record 41-0.25 (12.50), good for fifth.
Blake notched a fourth-place finish individually, running a season-best 54.98 in the 400, winning the first of two finals sections. Simmons ran 1:30.95 for 600-meters, taking fourth overall after finishing first in her final heat.
After clocking the fastest mile in Saturday??s preliminaries, and anchoring the distance medley to a third-place finish, freshman Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) capped off her already impressive weekend, scoring in both mile and the 5,000-meters. Franek ran 4:47.58 to take seventh in the mile, before running a gutsy 16:45.09 5K to finish fifth in her first-career attempt at the distance.
The Lions got a solid start in the weight throw, thanks to scoring performances from senior Helen Higgins (Waynesburg, Pa.) and Emma Schmelzer (Bloomington, Ind.) Higgins, who was sitting in eighth coming into the championship flight, posted a toss of 59-2 (18.03m) on her first throw in the final to take fourth place. Schmelzer made the best of her final attempt, notching a personal-record mark of 55-7.50 (16.94m) to finish sixth.
??I am extremely proud of our performances, great team atmosphere, and awesome coaching staff,?? continued Sullivan. ??While we??re not satisfied with fourth, we are certainly pleased with our efforts over the weekend.??
Next weekend will be the last chance for the Nittany Lions to compete prior to the NCAA Championships. The squad will split between the ECAC Championships in Boston, and the Alex Wilson Invitational in South Bend, Ind.