Feb. 7, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lion track and field teams will hit the road for the first time this season this weekend, traveling to the Virginia Tech Elite in Blacksburg, Va. The Nittany Lions, who are ranked 11th on the women's side, will be the lone Big Ten representative amongst an outstanding field, including third-ranked Tennessee, ninth-rated Virginia Tech, No. 22 Georgia Tech in the women's competition, as well as Clemson's No. 11 men's team.
This weekend will also be the long-awaiting debut of seven-time NCAA All-American Shana Cox (Westbury, N.Y.), who after taking it easy for the first month of the season is finally ready to step on the track, following a runner-up finish in the 400-meters at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Cox's fellow sprinters are already off and running this season, with seniors Dominique Blake (Bronx, N.Y.), and Briene Simmons (Decatur, Ga.), as well as junior Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.) already on the NCAA provisional list. The Lions have posted a pair of provisional qualifiers in the 4x400-meters this season, standing sixth on the list at 3:38.21, behind an outstanding race from Blake, Barber, Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.), and Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.).
The Lion sprinters and hurdlers will be up against some of their toughest competition this season, with Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Miami fielding some of the country's top athletes such as Tennessee's Cleo Tyson, who is ranked No. 1 nationally in the 60-meters, as well Britni Spruill of Virginia Tech and Lynne Layne of Tennessee, both provisional-qualifiers in the 200-meters. Competing in both the 60, and the 200 will be Penn State rookie Shavon GReaves (Lakewood, N.J.), who holds the Big Ten's top mark in the 200, and is currently ranked second in the 60.
One of the more star-studded events on the schedule will be the women's 60-meter hurdlers, with three of the nation's top four hurdlers on the start list, including top-rated Yellow Jacket Fatmata Fofanah, and teammate Shantia Moss, as well as Kristi Castlin of Virginia Tech. The field is also set to include Penn State's Barber and Hunter, two of the top barrier specialists in the Big Ten. Barber's season-best 8.32 is currently ranked 13th in the NCAA.
Senior Ron Jules (Tom's River, N.J.) will look to lead the Nittany Lions in the sprints and hurdles on the men's side, after earning a victory in the 60 hurdles at last weekend's Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup. Jules is currently ranked third in the Big Ten in the event.
Freshman Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.) will hope to run a fast 400-meters, as the rookie will compete in the invitational section of the event. Williams has already run 48.54 - the fastest time by a Lion this season. In the middle distances, senior Mark Miller (Shillington, Pa.), the top ranked 800-meter runner in the Big Ten, will shoot for another quality performance in the half mile, after running a season-best 1:50.90 at the Penn State National - less than half a second shy of provisional status.
In the longer distances, sophomore Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio), already a provisional-qualifier in the mile, will look to gain the same status in the 3,000-meters this weekend, against a host of decorated distance runners. Franek's competition is scheduled to include national mile leader Sarah Bowman of Tennessee, as well as Duke standout Maddie McKeever, and West Virginia's Marie-Louise Asselin, and Keri Bland, and Virginia Tech's Tasmin Fanning. McKeever, Asselin, Bland and Fanning were all All-America finishers at the NCAA Cross Country Championships this past fall. The women's mile is also shaping up to be a hot race and is set to include Lion sophomore Leah Rosenfeld (Ridgefield, Conn.). Both Penn State squads will field distance medley relay teams against some outstanding competition. Star freshman Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio) is likely to run the relay after manning the 800-meter leg of last week's winning DMR, which included teammates Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), Williams, and junior Tim Johnson (New Cumberland, Pa.).
Senior Tyler Hoffman (Lewisburg, Pa.) will look to improve on his provisional-qualifying performance in the weight throw last weekend, while freshman Blake Eaton (Allegeny, N.Y.) and classmate Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) will compete in both the weight and shot put after steady improvements throughout the early season. Hoffman is ranked fourth in the Big Ten in the weight, while Kovacs and Eaton are both among the top 10 shot specialists in the conference.
Also in the field, senior Lena Bettis (Riverside, Calif.) will look to continue her already productive winter in both the long and triple jumps. Bettis has yet to finish outside of the top three in either horizontal event this season, while teammate and freshman Gabriela Baiter (Greenlawn, N.Y.) owns a personal-best 41-0.50 (12.51), the best jump by a Lion this year, and less than six inches off the provisional standard.
Log onto www.GoPSUsports.com for complete results and recaps following both days of competition. Live results will be available throughout the weekend at www.flashresults.com.
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