| Shana Cox took sixth in the 200-meters, clocking a provisional qualifying 23.87. Cox posted a 23.99 in the prelims to earn a spot in the 12-athlete final. |
NEW YORK: February 3, 2007 ?C The Nittany Lion track and field teams concluded competition at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational on Saturday, taking on some of the top teams in the nation at the Armory in New York City. The Lions saw some strong performances with three athletes, and one relay hitting the NCAA provisional standard.
The 4x400-meter relay team capped an already exciting day, running 3:35.20 to place third in a race that looked like it could be the national final. South Carolina won the event with a NCAA-leading time of 3:30.95, followed by Louisiana State. The Lions?? mark is currently the third-best in the NCAA, and also a provisional qualifier.
The team of Dominique Blake (Bronx, N.Y.), Briene Simmons (Decatur, Ga.), Shana Cox (Westbury, N.Y.), and Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.) held their own with some of the nation??s top sprint schools, besting Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Miami.
Cox took sixth in the 200-meters, clocking a provisional qualifying 23.87. Cox posted a 23.99 in the prelims to earn a spot in the 12-athlete final. Freshman Lauren Burns (Suwanee, Ga.), who also qualified for the 200 final, ended up 11th overall. Burns went 23.94 in the preliminaries, the seventh-fastest time in qualifying.
Sophomore Ryan Fritz (Parkesburg, Pa.) recorded a runner-up effort in the high jump, clearing the bar at 7-1 (2.16m), and also hitting the provisional standard. Fritz??s clearance currently ranks among the top ten performances in the NCAA.
| Sophomore Ryan Fritz recorded a runner-up effort in the high jump, clearing the bar at 7-1 (2.16m), and also hitting the provisional standard. Fritz??s clearance currently ranks among the top ten performances in the NCAA. |
In the field, senior Helen Higgins (Waynesburg, Pa.) posted a fourth-place finish in the weight throw with a mark of 59-5.50 (18.12m).
In the 800-meter run, junior Briene Simmons (Decatur, Ga.) captured fourth place in the day??s top section, clocking a provisional qualifying time of 2:08.11. Simmons already claimed a spot on the NCAA list, running 2:07.40 last weekend.
Also finishing fourth was sophomore Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.) in the 60-meter hurdles. Barber posted a provisional mark of 8.37 in Saturday??s elite final. On the men??s side, Ron Jules (Tom??s River, N.J.) claimed eighth in the hurdles, clocking 8.02.
Freshman Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) took fourth in the championship section of the women??s mile, running 4:51.74.
The Nittany Lions return home next weekend, hosting the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup on Feb. 9-10, at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track.
For more information on Penn State track and field, please visit the official athletic Web site of Penn State sports, www.GoPSUsports.com.