Feb. 11, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: February 11, 2009 - With four home competitions and a flurry of NCAA qualifying marks already under their belts, the Nittany Lion men's and women's track and field teams will take to the road for the first time this season this weekend, traveling to Husky Invitational at University of Washington, and the Tyson Invitational at the University of Arkansas. The Nittany Lions have been tearing through the competition this season, as 10 Penn State individuals and one relay have already made their way to the NCAA list, including automatic qualifying performances from senior Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) and junior Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio).
Both upcoming contests will offer true tests for the Nittany Lions, as the Tyson Invitational will feature a bevy of SEC and Big Ten programs, while the Husky Invitational is set to include many of the standout distance programs from around the country. The Nittany Lions will be sending its sprinters and jumpers to Arkansas, while the Penn State distance and throws contingent will travel to Washington.
Franek has torn through the competition and the Penn State record books in her first two appearances this season, taking down the school's 3,000-meter record at the Penn State National, and following up with a school-record run in the mile at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup. Hunter, who broke her own school penathlon record at the Penn State National, is the NCAA leader in the women's multi-events, after scoring an impressive 4236 points.
Nittany Lions Clarence Smith (Coatesville, Pa.) and Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia) also continue to impress in 2009, as Smith - the defending Big Ten Champion in the triple jump - has taken top honors in four-straight triple jump competitions, bettering the NCAA provisional standard on three of the four occasions. Foster - in his first season with the Lions - has also made his way to the NCAA standings after clocking 1:49.85 for 800-meters at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup.
Also among the many Lions already on the NCAA radar and ready to rise through the rankings is junior Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.), who's 53.62 400-meter PR is ranked seventh nationally and first in the conference. Fellow sprinter Shavon GReaves (Lakewood, N.J.) is also poised and ready to make some noise on the national scene, boasting provisional marks in the 60- and 200-meters, which are both tops in the Big Ten.
The Nittany Lion women's 4x400-meter relay has been invited to compete in the Invitational 4x400 at the Tyson Invitational, which is typically one of the most hotly contested events of the indoor season. The relay clocked a speedy 3:36.10 at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup last weekend, hitting the NCAA provisional standard with the fastest time in the country this season. The team - which included Dorr, Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.), Greaves, and Hunter - is also the current world leader in the event, according to IAAF.
Action at Tyson begins at 10 a.m. on Friday, while the Husky Invitational gets underway at 7:30 a.m. PST on Saturday morning. Check www.gopsusports.com for full results and Penn State recaps following both competitions.