Jan. 12, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: January 12, 2009 - Thanks to outstanding weekend performances, juniorMike Cadau (Mahanoy City, Pa.) and senior Ryan Fritz (Parkesburg, Pa.) have been named Big Ten Track and Field Athletes of the Week, announced by conference on Monday. The citation is the first of Cadau's career, and the third for Fritz.
Cadau won one individual title and anchored a winning relay at the Penn State Relays last Saturday. The junior provided an exciting last lap to win the 500-meters, finishing in a meet-record 1:02.94 and coming up just .36 seconds shy of the Penn State record in the event. Cadau's mark stands third among Penn State's all-time 500 performances. Along with teammates, Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.), Anya Uzoh (Laurel, Md.), and Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia), Cadau brought home a victory in the 4x400-meters in 3:16.10, and also posted a silver-medal finish in the 300-meters, finishing in a personal-best 34.47.
| Mike Cadau |
Fritz opened the indoor season with a bang, clearing an NCAA provisional-qualifying 7-1.25 (2.18) in the high jump. Fritz's clearance was also a new Penn State Relays record. Already a two-time NCAA All-American in the event, Fritz is now ranked second in the event among NCAA competitors this season, and owns the number one performance in the Big Ten in 2009.
The Lions will look to continue their early season success this weekend at the Penn State Open, to be held at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track on January 17.