Jan. 10, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lion track and field teams will kick off the 2008 indoor campaign this weekend, hosting the Penn State Relays, Saturday at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track. The Nittany Lions will welcome a dozen schools Happy Valley, including Cornell, Princeton, Villanova, and West Virginia, with action getting underway at 9:45 a.m.
Meet Preview:
With a full fall of training under their belts, the Nittany Lions are poised and ready for another successful indoor season. Many of Penn State's top athletes and talented newcomers will suit up this weekend, looking to make an immediate splash on the national scene.
"We're very excited to host such a great competition to start the season," said Director of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan. "This will be a great starting point for us to start our championship drive, and great chance for us to put up some great performances in front of our home crowd."
Senior Briene Simmons (Decatur, Ga.) is one of the Lions' to watch in the women's track events, as the two-time NCAA All-American will run the 1,000-meters. Simmons, an 800-meter specialist, already holds the Penn State record in the 1K at 2:48.21.
Fellow All-American Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.) is also primed for a big opener in the 55-meter hurdles. Barber, a junior, ran 7.77 in the event last year, which is also a Penn State record.
Barber will also run the 300-meters, alongside teammate Dominique Blake (Bronx, N.Y.), a member of the Lions' All-America 4x400-meter relay. Blake, Simmons, Barber, and senior Shana Cox (Westbury, N.Y.) ran a school-record 3:33.39 to finish fourth at the NCAA Championships last season - the first-ever All-America finish by a Nittany Lion 4x400.
Junior Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) is one to watch in the field, as the All-American heptathlete will compete in the long jump, along with senior Lena Bettis (Riverside, Calif.). Both athletes are among the top returners in the Big Ten horizontal jumps field this season. Making her PSU debut will be freshman Gabriela Baiter (Greenlawn, N.Y.) one of the country's top jumps recruits, as well as the Nike Outdoor National Champion in the triple jump in 2007.
As the weekend schedule features a handful of relays, will wait another week to try their hands at individual events, including sophomore Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) - last year's Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Throwers Helen Higgins (Waynesburg, Pa.), and Emma Schmelzer (Bloomington, Ill.) are aiming for great opening performances in the circle, as both athletes have Big Ten scoring performances on their resumes. Schmelzer will compete in the shot put and weight throw, while Higgins will focus on the weight.
The Nittany Lion men will also put some of their top stars on the track this weekend, including a flurry of top recruits. Freshman Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.) will lace up his spikes in the 1,000, after leading the nation at 600-meters as a high school senior in 2007. Sophomore and Big Ten scorer Mike Cadau (Mahanoy City, Pa.) will also compete in the 1,000.
Juniors Clarence Smith (Coatesville, Pa.), an NCAA provisional qualifier, and Jay Pagana (Danville, Pa.) will be among the top competitors in the horizontal jumps this weekend, as will newcomer Ryan Taylor (Spanish Town, Jamaica) - a sophomore transfer from Missouri State.
The Lions will also look for big marks in the field from rookies Blake Eaton (Allegeny, N.Y.) and Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.), both nationally-ranked shot putters coming out of high school, along with Tyler Hoffman (Lewisburg, Pa.), a transfer from Bucknell, and an NCAA provisional qualifier in the 35-pound weight.
The Lions will also rely on the experience and leadership of multi-eventers Chris Morrisey (Ligonier, Pa.) and Shawn Colligan (Bradford, Pa.), who will both compete in the variety of events on the weekend, as well as star hurdler Ron Jules (Tom's River, N.J.), who was a provisional qualifier and a Big Ten bronze medalist in 2007.
The Lion relays will feature several top returners, including standout half miler Mark Miller (Shillington, Pa.), and miler Brian Fuller (Camp Hill, Pa.). Freshman Sam Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio) will also make his Lion debut in the relays on Saturday, after clocking aprep-best 4:03.33 in the mile in 2007.
Competing Teams:
Cornell, Lehigh, Lock Haven, Monmouth, Penn State, Princeton (M), Rider, Robert Morris, St. Francis (Pa.), St. Joe's (Pa.), Temple, Villanova, West Virginia
Next Up:
The Lions will host the Penn State Open on January 19, 2008, at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track. The Penn State Open is the second of four consecutive home competitions on the Lions' schedule.