June 11, 2008
Championship Info | Postseason Notes (PDF)
DES MOINES, Iowa - After topping the competition at the Big Ten Championships, and posting the progam's highest-ever finish at the NCAA East Regional, the No. 7 Nittany Lion women's track and field team will look to carry the momentum for one more weekend, traveling to Drake University for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, set for June 11-14. The Penn State women's team has a total of nine individual qualifiers and one relay to its credit,while the Nittany Lion men will send three athletes to the national meet.
Officially closing out her collegiate campaign will be nine-time NCAA All-American Shana Cox (Westbury,N.Y.). One of the most decorated athletes in any sport in Nittany Lion history,Cox is on pace to contend for her first-career NCAA this weekend, entering the championships with an NCAA-leading and school-record 50.84 in the 400-meters. Cox has been on a tear throughout the postseason, winning the 200-meters, 400-meters, and anchoring the winning 4x400-meter relay at the Big Ten Championships, before pulling off the same triple at the NCAA East Regional. Cox, who was named Big Ten Athlete of the Championship, and Big Ten Athlete of the Year following her stellar display at the conference meet, was joined by teammates Dominique Blake (Bronx, N.Y.), Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.) and Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) on the 4x400 that posted a national-leading time of 3:28.92 in a winning effort at the regional championships. The Nittany Lions' relay pool will also include NCAA All-Americans Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.), and Briene Simmons (Decatur, Ga.). The Nittany Lions will be well represented in the sprints and hurdles over the four-day event, as Cox and Blake will run the open 400, Barber will take on the 100-meter hurdle field, and Dorr will compete in the 400-meter hurdles.
The Nittany Lion men will field three athletes at NCAAs, including Mark Miller (Shillington, Pa.) in the 800-meters, Clarence Smith (Coatesville,Pa.) in the triple jump, and Shawn Colligan (Bradford, Pa.) in the decathlon. All three Nittany Lions managed silver-medal finishes at last month's Big Ten Championships, while Smith followed up with a bronze-medal effort at the East Regional. Colligan's PR score of 7361 was good for his first-career appearance at the national meet, while Miller advanced thanks to a sizzling PR 1:47.83.
The Lions will also be represented in the women's multi-events, as Hunter will compete in the third NCAA heptathlon of her decorated career. Hunter, who placed eighth in the event at last year's NCAA Championships, finished third at the conference meet with a score of 5558 in her only heptathlon appearance of the year. Hunter will also compete in the long jump after posting a fourthplace finish at the East Regional, earning one of the five automatic bids in the event.
Sophomore Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio), who has won both Big Ten and East Region titles this spring, comes into the championships with a third-fastest entry in the 3,000-meter steeplechase field, with a impressive school-record 9:58.56. Franek recorded two All-America finishes indoors, placing seventh in the 5,000-meters, and 10th in the 3,000-meters.
A trio of throwers are set to compete with freshman standout Karlee McQuillen (Johnstown, Pa.) leading the way in the javelin. McQuillen recently took top honors in the javelin at the East Regional Championships, becoming the first Lion to win a regional title in the event and setting a new regional record on the way. McQuillen's 176-0 (53.64) American Junior Record is the sixthbest throw among collegians this year and the top mark by a freshman. Joining McQuillen in the javelin is senior Heidi Nadeau (North Hampton, N.H.), who took 11th in the event last season.
Nadeau used a season-best throw of 165-0 (50.29) to finish third at the regional meet and earn an automatic qualifying position. Making her first appearance at an NCAA event is junior Emma Schmelzer (Bloomington, Ill.), who advanced with a fifth-place finish in the discus last weekend.
Action in Des Moines begins on Wednesday. For full recaps and results log onto www.GoPSUsports.com.