May 3, 2008
COLUMBUS, Ohio: May 3, 2008 - Despite sometimes illegal wind conditions, the Nittany Lion Track and Field team still managed to excel on Saturday, turning in a flurry of season-best performances as well as a handful of NCAA regional marks. Leading the way on the afternoon was senior Shana Cox (Westbury, N.Y.), who managed victories in the 200-meters, 400-meters, and 4x100-meter relay. Cox smoothly sailed to victory in the quarter mile, turning in a season-best 52.45. The senior was just as impressive in the 200, bettering the competition by nearly half a second and running 23.37. The team of Shavon GReaves (Lakewood, N.J.), Cox, Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.), and Dominique Blake (Bronx, N.Y.) combined to win the 400-meter relay, running a season-best 45.78, missing the NCAA regional mark by less than a tenth of a second. Other event winners included Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.), and Clarence Smith (Coatesville, Pa.).
Dorr, just a sophomore, provided one of the more exciting finishes of the afternoon, coming from behind to nip Michigan's Amber Hay in the 400-meter hurdles, narrowly besting the Wolverine, 58.77 - 57.78. Dorr's mark is not only a personal best, but is also an NCAA regional mark, the best time in the Big Ten this season, ties for the fifth-fastest performance in school history, and is among the top 15 performances in the NCAA in 2008. Teammate Megan Duncan (North Huntingdon, Pa.) followed in third place, clocking 1:00.12.
The short hurdles were just as successful for the Nittany Lions, as redshirt sophomore Barber posted a sizzling season-best 13.21 in the 100-meter barriers, finishing second to only defending NCAA champ Tiffany Ofili of Michigan. Barber's race was run in a wind of 3.9 m/sec, which is just under the allowable 4.0 for NCAA qualifying, but cannot count as a new school record (allowable 2.0 m/s). Junior Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) also managed a regional-qualifying performance in the event, running a season-best 13.60. Senior Ron Jules (Tom's River, N.J.) also recorded a big personal best, running 13.96 in the 110-meter hurdles, finishing third in an outstanding field.
Smith soared to a personal-best 52-02.75 (15.92) in the triple jump - adding nearly a foot and a half to his previous PR, and bettering the field by two feet. Smith's big PR is the fourth-best jump in school history, and is ranked in the top 15 in the NCAA this season. Teammate Ryan Taylor (Spanish Town, Jamaica) added a regional-qualifying 49-05 (15.06) to finish fourth, while Jay Pagana (Selinsgrove, Pa.) took fifth with a leap of 48-11.75 (14.93).
Senior Mark Miller (Shillington, Pa.) ran an outstanding final stretch of the men's 800-meters running, a season-best 1:49.33 to finish as the top collegiate and coming in second to professional standout Rob Myers of Reebok, who nosed Miller by just two tenths of a seconds. Freshman Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.) took sixth in the heat, clocking 1:51.36.
The Lions made quite a statement in the 200, winning four of the event's five heats, and placing four women in the top 11 finishers. After Cox's victory, Hunter clocked a season-low 24.12 to win her heat and finish third overall, Greaves took top honors in her section at 24.25 - the sixth-fastest time of the day, and Blake won her race in 24.43, taking 11th overall. Volunteer assistant Gigi Johnson helped to make even more of a Penn State presence, posting a runner-up effort in the event with a time of 23.76.
The Nittany Lions were also hot in the horizontal jumps, with Hunter posting a PR 20-10 (6.35) in the long jump, good for third place on the day and the fourth-best jump in school history. Senior Lena Bettis (Riverside, Calif.) added another top 10 finish in the event, taking ninth with a season-best and regional-qualifying 19-10.75 (6.06). Bettis backed up performance in the long jump with a season-long 41-03.25 (12.58) in the triple jump, enough for third place on the afternoon. Indoor provisional qualifier Gabriela Baiter (Greenlawn, N.Y.) posted a solid start in her first appearance of the outdoor season, going 40-01.50 (12.23) - just shy of the regional mark - to finish fifth.
In the throws, freshman Karlee McQuillen (Johnstown, Pa.) took second in the javelin with a toss of 173-1 (52.76), while teammate Heidi Nadeau (North Hampton, N.H.) recorded a season-best 153-01 (46.65) to take fourth. Freshman Kim Hanslovan (Luthersburg, Pa.) made it three Lions in the top five, winding up fifth with a collegiate PR 140-0 (42.68).
The Lions are at home next weekend, hosting the Penn State Open on May 10, with the Big Ten Championships to follow on May 16-18.