May 30, 2008
Live Results l East Regional Headquarters
TALLAHASSE, Fla.: May 30, 2008 - In a dominating statement, Nittany Lion standouts Karlee McQuillen (Johnstown, Pa.) and Heidi Nadeau (North Hampton, N.H.) posted first and third place finishes in the women's javelin, Friday at the NCAA East Regional Championships at Florida State University. McQuillen, who is only a freshman, becomes the first Nittany Lion to win a regional javelin title, setting a new East Region record on way with a toss of 175-10 (53.60) - just four centimeter shy of her PR. Thanks to their top five finishes, both McQuillen and Nadeau will earn trips to the NCAA Championships. Also earning a spot in the Nittany Lions' NCAA travel party was junior Emma Schmelzer (Bloomington, Ill.), who advances courtesy of a fifth-place effort in the discus. Junior Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.), already an automatic qualifier for nationals in the heptathlon, earned an opportunity to add the long jump to her NCAA schedule with a fourth-place showing this afternoon.
With five events on the books, the No. 9 Nittany Lion women are in fine shape in the team standings, as they are tied for sixth-ranked Virginia Tech with 28 points. Florida trails in third with 22 points.
"We're in great position after day one," said Director of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan. " The great performances from the javelin throwers, with Karlee setting a new regional record, and Heidi and Kim both scoring, really help in setting us up to contend for the team title tomorrow. A surprise performance from Emma, and another great effort from Gayle, who is proving she is a top caliber jumper, also give us a great boost going into tomorrow's finals."
After fouling her first effort, McQuillen left no room for doubt on her second attempt, launching a 167-11 (51.19) meter throw to take the overall lead in the competition. McQuillen, who remained in first place for the rest of the competition, proceeded to crank up her lead on the rest of the field, following with a 174-3 (53.11) on her third attempt, before marking the best throw of the day on her fourth go-around. McQuillen, who bettered Georgia Bulldog Krista Woodward's region record 173-5 (52.87) from 2007, is just the second rookie to win the East Region javelin title.
"It feels great," said McQuillen of her victory. "I came in number one and somewhat expecting to win, but not knowing what to expect because I've never been here before, and never experienced this before and to come down and do well feels really great."
Nadeau, who improved on her fifth-place finish from last year, proved to be quite the clutch competitor, improving her season-best mark by nearly three meters to earn her second-career bid to nationals with a toss of 165-0 (50.29). Florida's Evelien Dekkers broke up the Lions' one-two finish with a mark of 168-1 (51.23) on her final effort. Freshman Kim Hanslovan (Luthersburg, Pa.) missed making it a three-Lion top five by just three inches, winding up in sixth place with a PR effort of 159-1 (48.48). Thanks to her top 12 finish, Hanslovan is still alive for an at-large bid to the NCAAs, which will be announced early next week.
With the eighth-best performance in the field after three attempts, Schmelzer snuck into the nine woman final with a preliminary mark of 161-7 (49.25). The junior then capitalized on her opportunity in the final, improving her performance to a season-best 164-1 (50.01) to vault to fifth place, and secure her first-career trip to the national championships.
The Lions were also hot in the qualifying rounds on the track, highlighted by a school-record run from Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.) in the 100-meter hurdles. Barber, whose time was the second-fastest of the afternoon, posted a wind-legal 13.06 to better her previous Penn State standard 13.21 from earlier this season. The sophomore would also make it back in the 400-meter hurdles, gaining the eighth and final lane in tomorrow's final with a season-best 58.38. Barber will be joined by teammate Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.) in the quarter hurdle final, as Dorr advanced with a PR 58.59 - the fifth-fastest mark of the day.
The Lions will also be well represented in the 400-meters as sprint sensations Dominique Blake (Bronx, N.Y.) and Shana Cox (Westbury, N.Y.) cruised through to tomorrow's final, notching the second and third fastest times of the day. Blake earned an automatic pass to the final by winning her heat in 52.82, well over a second fastest than the second place finisher. Cox breezed to the finals in similar fashion, placing first in her heat in 52.86. Cox will also move on in the 200-meters, going 23.37 to win her section and advance automatically.
Action from Tallahassee continues on Saturday afternoon, Schmelzer will get things started for the Lions in the shot put at 4 p.m., while the 4x100 relay will also begin at 4.