May 30, 2008
Results l East Regional Headquarters
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.: May 30, 2008 - Senior Mark Miller (Shillington, Pa.) made good on his final appearance at the NCAA East Regional Championships on Friday, advancing to tomorrow's final round of the 800 meters at Florida State University. Miller, who earned runner-up honors at the Big Ten Championships two weeks ago, sped down the homestretch, to finish in a season-best 1:48.87 to place second in his section, and advance with the fourth-fastest time of the day. Miller is the first regional 800 finalist in Penn State history.
"We had solid competition across the board from the guys, who were all competing in extremely deep fields," said Director of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan. "Senior captain Mark Miller ran a tremendous race to move on represent us in the finals and will look to earn a berth to nationals."
The regional meet also spelled the end of outstanding seasons for several Nittany Lions, including freshmen Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio), and Blake Eaton (Allegeny, N.Y.). Borchers, the Big Ten Champion at 1500-meters, finished 28th in his signature event with a time of 3:56.96. Eaton, also finishing up a successful rookie campaign, placed 18th in the shot put with a mark of 53-03.50 (16.24).
Sophomore Ryan Taylor (Spanish Town, Jamaica) placed 23rd in the long jump with a leap of 22-07.75 (6.90), ending his season in the event. Taylor will be back on Saturday in the triple jump. Junior Tanner Evak (State College, Pa.) also came up short of advancing, posting a throw of 203-01 (61.91) to finish 12th.
Senior Ron Jules (Tom's River, N.J.) finished off his Nittany Lion career with a 17th-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles. Jules, who ran 14.08 in the prelims, has been a consistent standout during his days in the Blue and White, recording numerous medal finishes at the Big Ten Championships, including a silver-medal effort in the short hurdles in 2008.
Senior Tyler Hoffman (Lewisburg, Pa.) will get the Lions going tomorrow morning, competing in the hammer throw at 10 a.m., while Lion triple jump trio Clarence Smith (Coatesville, Pa.), Jay Pagana (Danville, Pa.), and Taylor will go at 4 p.m. Miller's 800 final is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.