| Allen Pettner will compete in the javelin Saturday afternoon at the NCAA East Regional Championships. |
GAINESVILLE, Fla.: May 25, 2007 ?C Nittany Lion junior Heidi Nadeau (North Hampton, N.H.) punched her ticket to the NCAA Championships, taking fifth in the javelin at the NCAA East Regional Championships on Friday, securing the event??s final automatic bid. Nadeau launched a throw of 156-11 (47.83) in windy conditions, earning her first-career trip to the national meet. Also enjoying a stellar day was redshirt-freshman Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.), who advanced to Saturday??s final rounds in both hurdle races.
Barber claimed a spot in tomorrow??s 100-meter hurdle final, clocking 13.39, which betters her own Penn State record. Barber placed second in her preliminary heat, recording the sixth-fastest time of the afternoon. Barber continued to impress in the 400-meter hurdles, advancing automatically after winning her heat in 58.02.
Junior Shana Cox (Westbury, N.Y.) made it look easy as she cruised to victory in her preliminary heat of the 400-meters, running 52.43 ?C the second-fastest time of the day. Cox moves onto tomorrow??s final as the defending East Region Champion in the event after clocking 51.30 to win the title as a sophomore.
| Aleesha Barber advanced to the finals in both 100- and 400-meter hurdles on Friday at the NCAA East Regional Championships. |
In the field, sophomore Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) found a spot in the long jump final, eventually ending up eighth overall with a leap of 20-2.25 (6.15).
Unfortunately, the Lions also experienced a handful of near misses in Friday??s qualifying, as senior Kim Markel (Wexford, Pa.) finished ninth in the 400-meter hurdles in 59.15, just one spot shy of making the final, and junior Briene Simmons (Decatur, Ga.) came in 10th in the 800-meters, running 2:08.25. Senior Steve Meyers (Wayne, Pa.) was the first athlete of the nine-man final in the men??s discus, finishing 10th overall with a toss of 163-10 (49.93).
Action restarts tomorrow morning with the women??s hammer at 12 p.m. Saturday will also feature Nittany Lions in the men??s high jump, women??s pole vault, men??s javelin, men??s shot put, and men??s and women??s triple jump in the field, as well as Friday??s qualifiers on the track, and finals of the 3000-meter steeplechase, and the 4x400-meter relay.