Dec. 10, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: December 10, 2008 - In an intrasquad battle, the Nittany Lions men's and women's track and field teams will hit the track for the first time this indoor season on Saturday, competing in the annual Blue/White Meet at the Horace Ashenfelter Indoor Track. Field events are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., while track events are set to go off at 3 p.m. After nearly an entire semester of training, both Nittany Lion squads are on pace for outstanding seasons, with rosters that include seasoned and decorated veterans, as well as talented and hungry newcomers.
On the women's side, back for the 2009 season are NCAA All-Americans Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.) and Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.), both key legs on the Lions' NCAA Champion 4x400-meter relay last spring. Both Barber and Hunter will be among the challengers for individual NCAA titles this year, as Hunter returns after finishing fifth in last year's NCAA pentathlon, heptathlon, and long jump, while Barber posted top eight finishes in the 60-meter hurdles indoors, as well as the 100-meter hurdles outside.
Also back in the sprints and jumps are junior Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.) and sophomores Shavon GReaves (Lakewood, N.J.), Gabriella Baiter (Greenlawn, N.Y.), and Bianca Fung (North Babylon, N.Y.). Dorr was an All-American in the 4x400 and Greaves was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year during the indoor season, while Baiter and Fung both posted NCAA-qualifying marks during the 2008 campaign.
Also on an impressive All-American streak is junior Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio), who has captured all Americans honors on four occasions over the past three seasons, including a bronze-medal finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and a 23rd-place effort at the NCAA Cross Country Championships last month. Franek will be joined by classmate Leah Rosenfeld (Ridgefield, Conn.) in the distance events, who recorded NCAA-qualifying marks during the indoor and outdoor season last year.
Shavon GReaves |
Senior Emma Schmelzer (Bloomington, Ill.) is the top returner in the Lion throws after capturing silver-medal honors in the Big Ten shot put last winter, and making an appearance at the NCAA Championships during the outdoor season. All told, the Nittany Lion women have five athletes on its 2008-09 rosters with NCAA All-America finishes to their credit, and a total of seven with NCAA Championship experience on their resumes.
Among the Penn State roster is also a wealth of talented newcomers, including Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.) and Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.) - both top seven athletes on the Lions' nationally-ranked cross country team this fall. In the field, the Nittany Lions have added top Pennsylvania pole vaulters Jocelyn Witmer (Millersville, Pa.) and Amanda Palenchar (Bradenville, Pa.), who both boast personal bests of over 12-feet.
The men's roster includes top returners Clarence Smith (Coatesville, Pa.) and Ryan Fritz (Parkesburg, Pa.), who both have NCAA All-America finishes under their belts. Smith finished ninth in the triple jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last season, after winning his first career Big Ten title at the indoor conference championships. Fritz is already a two-time All-American in the high jump, as well as a two-time Big Ten Champion.
Smith leads a talented Nittany Lion jumps crew, which includes junior Ryan Taylor (Spanish Town, Jamaica) and senior Jay Pagana (Selinsgrove, Pa.). Both Taylor and Pagana were NCAA regional qualifiers last outdoor season, as well as Big Ten scorers.
The Lion sprints squad will be led by junior and multiple-time Big Ten scorer Mike Cadau (Mahanoy City, Pa.), while sophomores Blake Eaton (Allegeny, N.Y.) and Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) headline the throws group after solid freshman seasons.
In the distances, the Nittany Lions return Big Ten 1500-meter champ Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio), who set school records in the indoor 1000-meters and mile run during the 2008 campaign. The Penn State distance contingent includes a bevy of talented athletes, including Tyler McCandless (Bath, Pa.), John Mahoney (Richboro, Pa.), and Brian Fuller (Camp Hill, Pa.) - all fresh off a trip to the NCAA Cross Country Championships last month.
Among the talented newcomers on the Lion roster are freshman Jason Pelletier (Benton, Ark.) - a high school national champion in the pole vault - and Vince McNally (Smoketown, Pa.) - a Foot Locker national qualifier as a prep, and an NCAA all-region finisher for the Lions' during this past cross country season. The Lions have also added international standout Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia) - a former IAAF World Junior Championships qualifier - and Anya Uzoh (Laurel, Md.) - a promising decathlete prospect and multiple-time state champion out of Maryland. Also making his collegiate track debut this winter is redshirt freshman Kyle Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), who was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year following his fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships last month. Dawson was also an all-region finisher this fall, as well as the Lions' top runner at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Following the Blue/White Meet, the Nittany Lions will gear up for their first competition of the 2009 season - The Penn State Relays, set for Jan. 10, 2009.
Check out the Nittany Lions' full 2008-09 season schedule at http://gopsusports.cstv.com/sports/c-track/sched/psu-c-track-sched.html.