April 25, 2008
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Freshmen Megan Duncan (North Huntingdon, Pa.) and Karlee McQuillen (Johnstown, Pa.) posted runner-up finishes, highlighting an exciting day of action for the Nittany Lion Track and Field teams, Thursday at the Penn Relays at Franklin Field. The women's 4x400-meter relay also put themselves in great position for Saturday's final, clocking the second-fastest time of the preliminary rounds.
Duncan got the day started with a personal-best 59.53 in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing first in her heat and second overall. Duncan's mark is also the sixth fastest in Penn State history, and the best performance by a Nittany Lion this season. McQuillen launched a throw of 166-11 (50.88) on her first attempt in the Championship of America javelin competition, finishing second overall in an outstanding field.
"I think Karlee competed really well against some of the best javelin throwers in the country," said Penn State throws coach Dayna Wenger. "For a freshman to come in here and hold her own the way she did is very encouraging."
The 4x400 gave a tremendous effort in the preliminaries, running a blistering 3:33.40 to win their heat and better perennial relay powers South Carolina, Auburn, and TCU. Dominique Blake (Bronx, N.Y.) popped a 52.4 split - one of the fastest readouts of the entire afternoon - on the leadoff leg, gapping the field and handing off to Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.) who kept the Lions out front, clocking 53.5. Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) took the stick on the third leg, providing a 53.1 split, before Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.) tied up the win with a 54.4 on the anchor. The Nittany Lions' time was second fastest of the afternoon, falling just shy of Texas A&M's 3:32.25.
The Nittany Lions also got a ninth-place finish from the women's distance medley relay, including Leah Rosenfeld (Ridgefield, Conn.), who ran 3:32.9 on the 1200-meter leg, Shana Cox (Westbury, N.Y.), who split 52.0 on the 400-meters. Briene Simmons (Decatur, Ga.) followed with a 2:08.5 readout on the 800-meters, and Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) closed with a 4:43.6 1600-meter effort.
Already a NCAA regional qualifier in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, sophomore Cheryl Spring (The Woodlands, Texas) added an outstanding 5,000-meter performance to her resume, running 16:48.39 - NCAA regional mark and a personal best - to finish 12th in the Championship of America section. Freshman Lucas Zarzeczny (Pittsburgh, Pa.) ran the fastest time of the men's 5Ker's, clocking 14:40.17 in the men's Olympic Development heat. Junior John Mahoney (Richboro, Pa.) came up just short of the NCAA standard in the steeplechase, running a PR 9:08.38 to finish sixth in the event's college section.
Action picks up tomorrow morning with the men's 400-meter hurdles at 9 a.m. Follow all the action at www.flashresults.com. Full recaps will be available following competition at www.gopsusports.com.