| Bridget Franek advanced to the women??s steeplechase final, Wednesday at the NCAA Championships. |
SACRAMENTO, Calif.: June 6, 2007 ?C With the opening day of competition at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the books, the Nittany Lion Track and Field teams are in solid position with four athletes advancing through Wednesday??s opening rounds at Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex. Thanks to stellar performances, Shana Cox (Westbury, N.Y.), Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio), Tanner Evak (State College, Pa.), and Ryan Fritz (Parkesburg, Pa.) all moved on in their respective events.
??The first day is under our belts and we??re very excited about the advancement of all the athletes on day one,?? said Director of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan. ??Fritz and Evak were definitely solid through the first round, and Cox was very impressive in her heat victory. We also got an extremely composed race from freshman Bridget Franek, as she ran an exciting race to advance in the most challenging steeplechase field in history.??
Cox cruised to a semi-final lane, running 52.63 ?C the third fastest in qualifying - to win her preliminary heat. Cox will continue competition tomorrow, running in the 4x400-meter prelims, scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PST. Cox won??t race individually again until Friday evening with the quarter semi??s, slated for 6:05 p.m. PST.
Bridget Franek advanced to the women??s steeplechase final, Wednesday at the NCAA Championships.
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Fritz eased through the opening round of the high jump, clearing both 6-8.75 (2.05) and 6-10.75 (2.10) before the field was slimmed to 15 participants who will advance to Friday??s final, set for 3 p.m. PST.
Evak, who was ranked 23rd after his initial two throws, launched a 224-2 (68.32) to qualify for Friday??s 12-man final. Evak??s preliminary toss was the seventh best of the day, and the third farthest in flight number two. Evak will take Thursay off before competing in the Friday??s final, which is slated to start at 7:15 p.m. PST.
Franek managed to finish 14th in the 3000-meter steeplechase semi-finals, gaining a spot in Friday??s championship round. Franek, in a gutsy performance, recovered from an early tumble, finishing in 10:08.24
Senior Allen Pettner (Mercersburg, Pa.) failed to advance through the opening round, finishing 16th with a throw of 207-8 (63.29). Also competing on day one was Christen Clemson (Cortland, Ohio), who finished 16th in the discus with a throw of 163-8 (49.89), and Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.), who ran 13.48 to place 24th in the 100-meter hurdles.
Action continues tomorrow with sophomore heptathlete Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) beginning the day for the Lions at 10:30 a.m. PST, while junior Heidi Nadeau (North Hampton, N.H.) is entered the women??s javelin prelims at 6:00 p.m. PST. Also competing on Thursday will be Barber and senior Kim Markel (Wexford, Pa.) in the opening round of the 400-meter hurdles, as well as the semi-finals of the women??s mile relay.