UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: May 14, 2008 - After posting a program-best fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Indoor Championships this winter, the Nittany Lion men's track and field team is ready to make another statement among conference competition as it travels to the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, this weekend in Champaign, Ill. Senior Mark Miller (Shillington, Pa.) and junior Clarence Smith (Coatesville, Pa.) sparked the charge indoors, bringing home gold-medal finishes in their respective events. Miller and Smith are in position for gold medal number two in 2008, as the pair Nittany Lions are seeded second in their competitions. The Lions finished fourth outdoors in 2007, just half a point off the medal stand.
"Our guys are hungry to make a statement in the Big Ten," said Director of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan. "The team has prepared to get after a front-end finish at the conference championships and their enthusiasm and potential can bring outstanding results. I'm very excited to see what these team of Nittany Lions can produce at this weekend's championships. Championship contenders from Michigan, Wisconsin, and Purdue, along with Ohio State and Penn State will make for great competition in just about every event."
Sprints, Hurdles, Relays
The Nittany Lion sprinters and hurdlers will bring both youth and experience to the table this weekend, with senior captain Ron Jules (Tom's River, N.J.) leading the way in the hurdling events. Jules posted a fifth-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles in 2007, and is poised for a trip to the medal stand after placing second in the 60-meter hurdles indoors. Jules has been on fire this spring, running a windy 13.96 earlier this month - the second-fastest time in the conference. Jules, already a two-time regional qualifier this year, is also in position to add points to the Lion total in the 400-meter hurdles, entering the weekend with a PR 53.89, which is among the top eight performances in the Big Ten.
Newcomers Sam Hill (Queens, N.Y.) and Andrew Cope (Danville, Pa.) will cover the short sprints, with Cope seeded just on the cusp of a scoring performance. Hill, Cope, Jules, and senior Adam Stanowick (Solon, Ohio) have been the Lions' 4x100-meter relay lineup all season and will vie to get a piece of the scoring in the event. The Nittany Lions recorded a sixth-place effort in the event last year.
Distance
Miller headlines the Nittany Lion contingent in the middle distance and distance events after taking top honors in the 800-meters indoors to go along with his gold medal from the 2006 Outdoor Championships. Miller's 1:49.33 is the second-ranked time in the conference this season. The 800 is shaping up to be one of the Lions' strongest events as the Penn State troops will enter four athletes in the competition, all of whom have run times among the top 15 in the conference. Joining Miller in the half mile will be freshman Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.), sophomore Mike Cadau (Mahanoy City, Pa.), and senior Mark Horton (Suffern, N.Y.).
"I hope we continue our recent trend of top five finishes and continue to improve upon that," said team captain Miller. "Personally, I've very excited because its my last one, and I'm excited because I think we have a great team and I think we can do really well."
The Lions are also ready to make a splash in the 1500-meters, led by freshman standout Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio). The top-ranked high school miler in the country last year, Borchers burst onto the collegiate scene indoors, setting Nittany Lion records in the 1,000-meters and mile run, before posting a solid sixth-place finish in the mile at the conference meet. Borchers has been just as impressive outdoors, recording regional-qualifying performances in the 800 and 1500. Juniors Brian Fuller (Camp Hill, Pa.) and Tim Johnson (New Cumberland, Pa.), and freshman Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.) will also represent the Lions in the 1500. Fuller was a Big Ten finalist in the event in the 2007, while Johnson and Dawson have both been consistent contributors all spring.
Jumps
Smith will look to add to the Lion effort in the jumps, along with teammates Ryan Taylor (Spanish Town, Jamaica) and Jay Pagana (Selinsgrove, Pa.). Smith claimed his first-career conference title in the triple jump this winter, and has been on fire ever since. Smith's PR 52-2.75 (15.92) is not only the fourth-best effort in program history, but is also among the top 15 jumps in the NCAA this season. Smith, Taylor and Pagana have been provided a one-two-three Lion punch all spring, posting an impressive sweep at the Penn Relays last month. Taylor will also compete in the long jump after providing a third-place finish indoors. Pagana and Taylor both scored in the triple jump indoors, notching sixth and seventh-place efforts, respectively.
Junior John Vellenoweth (Wheeling, W.Va.) will look to improve on his 2007 performance in the pole vault when he finished in a tie for seventh.
Throws
Junior Tanner Evak (State College, Pa.) will look to pick up where he left off last year after a second-place finish. Evak took runner-up honors last season, finishing second to only teammate Allen Pettner who was lost to graduation. Evak owns the top mark in the field this season by nearly four meters with a season-best 218-10 (66.70). The Lions have dominated the javelin over the years, winning nine of the last 13 titles, including the last four.
Senior Tyler Hoffman (Lewisburg, Pa.) also has the potential to make a trip to the medal stand, entering the weekend with the third-best mark in the hammer throw with a toss of 198-5 (60.49). Hoffman finished fourth in the 35-pound weight throw indoors. Also looking to follow up his performance indoors is freshman Blake Eaton (Allegeny, N.Y.), who finished seventh in the shot put in his first-career Big Ten appearance. Eaton will compete in the shot and discus this weekend and is ranked among the top 10 entrants in the shot at 56-9.50 (17.31).
Multi-Events
Nittany Lion duo Chris Morrisey (Ligonier, Pa.) and Shawn Colligan (Bradford, Pa.) enter the weekend with the first and third-best performances in the men's decathlon field after engineering a second and third-place efforts last year. Both Lions are NCAA provisional qualifiers in the event with marks of 7083, and 7077, respectively. Morrisey is also coming off his second-straight victory at the prestigious Penn Relays. Sophomore R.J. Slater (Pittsburgh, Pa.) will also compete in the competition after scoring a PR 6373 at Penn.