Feb. 16, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.: February 16, 2008 - The Nittany Lion track and field teams concluded two days of competition at the Tyson Invitational, Saturday at Randal Tyson Track Center. Leading the extensive list of Nittany Lion highlights was junior Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.), who set a new Penn State record in the 60-meter hurdles. The Lions are got outstanding efforts from sophomore Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio), who earned an individual victory, winning the invitational section of the 3,000-meters, and the women's 4x400-meter relay that finished as the top collegiate team in a tremendous field to cap an outstanding weekend.
Barber worked her way up the NCAA list and took hold of her sixth Penn State record with a career-best and provisional-qualifying 8.19 - the eighth-fastest time in the country this season. Barber's performance bettered Toyin Augustus' previous Nittany Lion standard of 8.22, set in 2001. Barber also ran a lifetime best in the 200-meters, winning her heat in 24.12.
Barber would also run a sensational leg of the 4x400, helping her team to victory over relay powers Tennessee, LSU, Florida State, and Texas. Senior Briene Simmons (Decatur, Ga.) led off the winning effort with a 55.4 split, before handing off to Shana Cox (Westbury, N.Y.), who would clock 53.1 on the second leg, putting the Lions in second place. Barber also added a 53.1 readout, charging to the front of the pack with just under 200-meter left on the third leg, and sprinting away from the field to hand off to Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.) on the anchor. Dorr would close in 53.7, solidifying the 3:35.61 heat win. Elite Track Club posted the fastest time of the day at 3:33.65. The race was the Lions' second-fastest relay performance of the year.
Franek cruised to victory with a dominant performance in the 3K, clocking 9:27.48 in only her second-career attempt at the distance. Franek quickly separated herself from the pack after a pedestrian-paced first lap, and ran virtually the entire race with a 50-meter gap on the rest of the field.
The Nittany Lions got a fifth-place finish from the men's 4x400-meter relay, including freshman Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.), sophomore Mike Cadau (Mahanoy City, Pa.), senior Ron Jules (Tom's River, N.Y.), and senior Mark Miller (Shillington, Pa.). The foursome combined to run a season-best 3:12.97, with splits of 47.5 for Williams, 48.8 on Cadau, 48.0 for Jules, and 48.6 for Miller on the anchor. Cadau would come back to finish fifth in the championship section of the 800-meters, clocking 1:52.82, thanks to a strong finishing kick.
Senior Dominique Blake (Bronx, N.Y.) turned in a fifth-place finish in the 400-meter final, running 53.76 - the second-fastest performance of her career, after posting a lifetime-best 53.15 in the Friday's preliminaries.
In the field, senior Tyler Hoffman (Lewisburg, Pa.) managed a fourth-place standing in the men's 35-lb weight throw, posting a mark of 64-03.25 (19.59). Junior Ryan Fritz (Parkesburg, Pa.) tied for sixth place in the high jump, clearing a season-best 6-09.5 (2.07).
The Lions will next weekend off before traveling to the Big Ten Championships on March 1-2. The men will head to Wisconsin for the conference meet, while the women will be at Minnesota.