Jan. 26, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: January 26, 2009 - In celebration of its outstanding accomplishments in 2008, the Nittany Lion track and field teams have announced a banner unveiling, set for Saturday afternoon at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track, in conjunction with the highly anticipated Penn State National on January 30 and 31. The Lions are set to raise banners to represent their Big Ten Outdoor Championship victory, as well as their fourth-place team finish at the NCAA Championships. The banner unveiling is scheduled for 2 p.m., Saturday, just before the start of the invitational running events at the Penn State National.
The Nittany Lions ended the 2008 campaign with NCAA victories from Shana Cox (Westbury, N.Y.) in the 400-meters, and Cox and teammates Dominique Blake (Bronx, N.Y.), Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.), and Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) in the 4x400-meter relay. All told, the Lion women came away from the NCAA Championships with 11 All-America finishes. On the conference level, the Nittany Lion women captured the program's first Big Ten outdoor title, thanks to five event wins. Cox was named Big Ten Athlete of the Championship and Athlete of the Year following her performance, while Director and Head Coach of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan was tabbed Big Ten Coach of the Year.