| The fourth-place 4x400-meter relay team (clockwise from left: Dominique Blake, Shana Cox, Aleesha Barber, and Briene Simmons) poses with Director of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan and assistant coach Chris Johnson following their All-America and school-record performance at the NCAA Championships. |
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.: March 10, 2007 ?C The Nittany Lion track and field teams capped off a record-setting weekend on Saturday, as three Penn State athletes and one relay will bring All-America certificates back to Happy Valley. The trio of Ryan Fritz (Parkesburg, Pa.), Briene Simmons (Decatur, Ga.), and Shana Cox (Westbury, N.Y.) made the individual award stand, while Dominique Blake (Bronx, N.Y.), Simmons, Cox, and Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.) nabbed fourth-place in the 4x400-meters.
Sophomore Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) also competed, scoring 4025 points in the pentathlon to finish 10th, her highest career NCAA finish.
The 4x400 turned in a sensational performance in the day??s closing event, running a new Penn State standard of 3:33.39 in tremendous field. Blake covered lead-off leg, handing off to Simmons, who kept the Lions in striking distance of the pack. Cox then took the baton, splitting 51.25 to bring her squad back into third place in the final heat. Barber anchored with sub-54 second quarter to hold on to third.
South Carolina won the event in 3:29.57. Texas A&M snuck into the top three from a previous heat, after clocking 3:29.93. Louisiana State finished third in 3:30.26.
The Nittany Lion relay was the first Penn State women??s team ever to garner All-America honors in the 4x400, and the first relay team since 1996 to post a top eight finish. The squad also shattered the previous school standard of 3:34.04, set by the same group last year.
Fritz was outstanding in his first NCAA appearance, taking fifth in the high jump with a career-best 7-3.25 (2.22m). Fritz became the 42nd indoor All-American for the Nittany Lion men and first since 2002, when Ryan Olkowski took fifth in the same event, as well as an eighth-place effort in the 200-meters.
Simmons took seventh in the 800-meters, clocking 2:06.27 to earn her first-career All-America citation. The junior is the first Penn State woman to take home an NCAA certificate since the event moved from 880-yards. PSU??s Tammie Hart and Terri Pioli took fourth and sixth in the 880 in 1982. Simmons ran a tough race throughout, holding on for a furious last lap as Cal??s Alysia Johnson sealed her wire-to-wire victory.
Cox claimed her fifth-career All-America honor in the 400-meters, finishing third in her section and seventh overall with a time of 53.25. South Carolina??s Natasha Hastings won the race with a collegiate record 50.80. This marks the third-straight year that Cox finished in All-America position in Fayetteville.
Fritz, the Big Ten champion and Mid-Atlantic Region Field Athlete of the Year cleared his third personal record in as many meets, going over 7-3.25 on his final attempt. The clearance put him in elite company as only five athletes remained with the bar moving to 7-4.50 (2.25).
Fritz??s four competitors were the top four seeds coming in, including Texas?? Andra Manson, Auburn??s Donald Thomas, Scott Sellers of Kansas State, and Dusty Jonas of Nebraska. Both Thomas and Jonas cleared on their first try, but Fritz, Jonas, and Manson, the national leader were eliminated.
Fritz eased over the opening height of 6-10.25 (2.09), one of eight competitors to clear on the first attempt. All 14 athletes either cleared or passed the first bar. The sophomore continued to make it look easy at 7-0.25 (2.14), soaring over the bar on his first try. The height wasn??t as effortless for everyone, however, as five competitors took three jumps in order to advance, though no one was eliminated.
Fritz??s perfect afternoon stalled at 7-2.25 (2.19) as he faltered on his first attempt. The sophomore quickly bounced back, making good on his second attempt. The field slimmed significantly at the height, as seven athletes failed to clear the bar, cutting the competition in half.
Hunter got off to a good start in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking a season-best 8.60, which vaulted her to a fifth-place tie with one event in the books. Hunter??s hurdle time was good for 995 points. The sophomore would go on to clear a career-best 5-6.50 (1.69m) in the high jump, putting her in ninth place going into the shot put.
Hunter posted a heave of 34-6 (11.07) on her last throw in the shot, good for 600 points. Following the shot put, Hunter stood in 13th place in the overall standings. The sophomore tallied 807 points in the long jump with a leap of 19-2.75 (5.86) on her first attempt. The mark was the sixth-best in the competition and enough to move the sophomore into eighth position with the 800-meter run remaining.
Hunter clocked 2:23.14 in the final portion of the multi-events, taking sixth in her section and 11th overall.
For those who missed the meet, ESPN2 will run a 90-minute highlight show on Tuesday, March 13, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Penn State Performances Athlete Event Performance Place Shana Cox 400m 53.25 7th AA Gayle Hunter Pent 60mh 8.60 - 995 pts T-5th Pent HJ 5-6.50 (1.69m) ?C 843 pts T-9th Pent SP 36-4 (11.07m) ?C 600 pts 14th Pent LJ 19-2.75 (5.86m) ?C 807 pts 6th Pent 800 2:23.14 ?C 781 pts 11th Pentathlon 4025 pts 10th Briene Simmons 800m 2:06.12 7th AA Ryan Fritz HJ 2.09 2.14 2.19 2.22 2.25 O O XO XXO XXX 5th AA