Feb. 26, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After a full slate of winter competition, the Nittany Lion women's track and field team is ready to test its talents against the conference field this weekend, traveling to Bloomington, Ind., for the Big Ten Women's Track and Field Championships, hosted by the University of Indiana. The Nittany Lions had a highly successful showing on their last Big Ten outing, winning the team title at the 2008 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. This season, the Nittany Lions have been led by a slew of NCAA-qualifying and conference-leading performances, including NCAA automatic-qualifying marks from Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) in the pentathlon, and Bridget Franek in the 3,000- and 5,000-meters.
All told, the Nittany Lions lead a total of seven events and one relay on the conference performance list, beginning with top marks in the 60- and 200-meters from sophomore Shavon GReaves (Lakewood, N.J.) - last year's Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Greaves' 7.40 for 60, and 23.77 for 200 are also NCAA provisional-qualifying performances. Another Lion atop the sprints is junior Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.), who's 53.62 for 400-meters is well over a second faster than the next-best conference competitor.
Greaves, Dorr, Hunter, and senior Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.) are also well in position to keep Penn State's impressive relay streak alive in the 4x400-meter relay, as the Lions have won six-straight relay titles in conference competition - three in-a-row indoors. The quartet currently boasts the fastest time in the world in 2009 at 3:36.10, and is coming off an impressive 4x400 victory at the prestigious Tyson Invitational at Arkansas.
Barber is another Lion to watch in the individual standings as she holds the second-fastest time of the season in the 60-meter hurdles. Barber will be capping off a sensational indoor career as a Nittany Lion, which has included five Big Ten titles, and well over a dozen scoring performances. Last spring, Barber tore through the conference competition, scoring a stellar 26 points, including a conference title in the 100-meter hurdles. This season, Barber is ranked second to only Michigan's Tiffany Ofili - the defending NCAA Champion - in the 60 hurdles.
Franek will headline the Lion distances, entering the meet with the top seeds in the mile (4:38.63), 3,000 (9:10.04), and 5,000 (16:03.04). Last year, Franek engineered an impressive weekend, finishing fourth in the 3K and 5K, before going onto All-America finishes in both events. Franek - a two-time Big Ten Athlete of the Week in 2009 - is not only tops in the conference, but also among the top eight nationally in all three events. Franek will have no easy road, however, as the Big Ten distances are plastered with NCAA qualifiers including six in the 3000 and five in the 5000. Also a member of the NCAA-qualifying club is junior Cheryl Spring (The Woodlands, Texas), who has clocked 16:39.53 for the 5K - the fifth-fastest time of the regular season.
Hunter, who's 4236-point school record pentathlon leads the country, will likely compete in a bevy of events this weekend, including the 60 hurdles and long jump, following the conclusion of the pentathlon. Hunter, who has posted NCAA qualifiers in an unheard-of five events, is likely to scored a healthy point total for the Lions asthe top seed in the pentathlon, while also boasting top five marks in the conference in the 60 hurdles and long jump.
The Lions will also look to provisional qualifier Bianca Fung (North Babylon, N.Y.) in the long jump, and Gabriela Baiter (Greenlawn, N.Y.) in the triple jump, while Brittany Maun (Greenville, Pa.) will lead the Penn State high jump contingent.
In the throws, veteran Emma Schmelzer (Bloomington, Ill.) will be the Lions' top hope for points in both the shot put and 20-pound weight throw, as she is ranked in the top six in the conference in both events, including a number-two seed in the weight. Last year, Schmelzer had an outstanding afternoon at the conference meet, tallying a runner-up finish in the shot put.
Action in Bloomington begins on Saturday, February 28. Check www.gopsusports.com for full results and Penn State recap following the competition.
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