June 13, 2008
DES MOINES, Iowa - Sophomore Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) made Penn State history on Friday night, posting a third-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Drake University. Franek finished in 9:58.74 - less than two tenths of a second off her PR - taking bronze medal honors behind Jenny Barringer of Colorado (9:29.20) and Silje Fjortoft of Southern Methodist (9:55.54). Franek's performance, which was good for the third All-America trophy of her young career, was the highest-ever finish by a Nittany Lion in a distance event in NCAA Championships history.
"It's pretty cool to be able to say I finished third in the country, and I think that's a very respectable place to be," said Franek following her race. "I had hoped to run a little bit faster than I did, but that will come. I still have another chance (at the US Olympic Trials). It's great to be so high up on the podium and be able to score points for the team."
"It was an excellent third day at the championships for the Nittany Lions," said Director of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan. "Bridget Franek gave an phenomenal performance for just a young sophomore. She more than held her own in a national collegiate recording setting race, battled for second, and hung on in style for third."
Junior Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) is well on her way to her second All-America finish of the weekend, as she stands in seventh place after four events in the women's heptathlon. Hunter opened up the day with a run of 13.70 - a wind-legal personal best - in the 100-meter hurdles, scoring 1021 points with the fourth-fastest effort in the field. Hunter then managed to clear a season-best 5-04.25 (1.63) to add an additional 771 points to her total. Hunter then grabbed another 563 points in the shot put, posting a toss of 34-05.75 (10.51). The junior closed out the day with a PR 23.76 in the 200-meters - the best time of the day - to score 1004 points, as the only athlete to break the 1000 point barrier in the event. Hunter stands in seventh overall with a 3359 point total - just 60 points out of a top five finish. Hunter is also just behind her day one total of 3387 from last season, when she PR'd with a score of 5711 at the 2007 NCAA Championships.
In preliminary action, both Shana Cox (Westbury, N.Y.), and Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.) advanced to tomorrow's final rounds in their respective events, with Cox qualifying in the 400-meters, and Barber making it back it the 100-meter hurdles. Cox promptly proved to be a runaway winner, making up the stagger on the field in the first 200-meters, and cruising down the final stretch to finish in 51.70 and hold on for ninth-straight victory in the event this season. Teammate Dominique Blake (Bronx, N.Y.) posted a 10th-place finish in the event, running 53.08, coming up just over a tenth of a second shy of a trip to the finals. Blake isn't finished yet, however, as she will run on Penn State's top-seeded 4x400-meter relay on Saturday. Barber moved on thanks to an automatic-qualifying performance in the hurdles, advancing with a time of 13.14. Barber posted a third-place finish in her heat, finishing behind a pair of Tigers from LSU. Her time was the fifth-fastest of the round.
"Gayle had a solid opening day, and we also saw great semi-finals from Aleesha and Shana," continued Sullivan. "Their performances today proved that we are ready to crack the 35 point barrier in the team scoring."
Advancing in the field was junior Clarence Smith (Coatesville, Pa.), who will compete in Saturday's triple jump final. Smith popped a jump of 51-09.75 (15.79) on his third and final preliminary attempt to finish 12th on the day and earn one of Saturday's 12 final slots. Tomorrow's final will include three opening round jumps, before the field is cut to nine for three additional attempts.
"In the same fashion as the regional meet, Clarence once again made a clutch jump to make the final," said Sullivan. "I'm excited to see what he can do tomorrow."
Also in the field on Friday, junior Emma Schmelzer (Bloomington, Ill.) - who advanced to the discus final with a PR 168-08 (51.40) on Wednesday - fell just short of advancing to the final, finishing 10th with a toss of 160-01 (48.80).
The final day of action picks up tomorrow morning with the heptathlon long jump, beginning at 11 a.m. Fans can catch Saturday's events LIVE on CBS from 4-6 p.m. EST.