UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: February 7, 2009 - In just her second appearance of the indoor season, junior Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) claimed her second school record of 2009, clocking 4:38.63 to win the women's mile, Saturday at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track. Elsewhere on the track, sophomores Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia) and Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.) provided a one-two finish in the men's 800-meters, both dipping under the NCAA provisional standard. Junior Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.) also managed an NCAA provisional performance in the 400-meters, bettering her NCAA effort from last weekend, while also leading off provisional-qualifying 4x400-meter relay, along with teammates Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.), Shavon GReaves (Lakewood, N.J.), and Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.).
Both Nittany Lion programs came away with team titles in the scored competition, as the women totaled 160 points to better 11 competing teams with Auburn (114.50) in second, Cornell (100) in third, and Akron (69.50) in fourth, while the men tallied 146.50 points to best a nine-team field including Kent State (92), Liberty (82) and Auburn (79.50). The Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup is named in honor of long-time Penn State Track and Field officials Dutch Sykes and Ralph Sabock.
Foster - in just his first season with the Lions - led a one-two-three sweep by the Nittany Lions in the 800, firmly solidifying his place in Penn State history, running 1:49.85 - the fifth-fastest mark in the Nittany LIon record books, as well as an NCAA provisional qualifier. Dawson's 1:50.13 is also good for a spot on the NCAA list, while Tim Johnson's (New Cumberland, Pa.) PR 1:50.93 was just off provisional status.
Franek, who now owns a total of five Nittany Lion school standards, just missed the NCAA standard of 4:38.00 in her school record performance, which bettered Kim McGreevy's 4:40.76, set in 1997. Franek now stands among the top five performers in the NCAA this season in both the mile and the 3,000-meters. Freshman Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.) also impressed in the distances, clocking 9:44.08 in the 3,000, taking third overall. Classmate Vince McNally (Smoketown, Pa.) provided an outstanding debut in the 3,000, finishing second in 8:12.95. The Lions would also stand out in the men's mile, with Dennis Pollow (Ransomville, N.Y.) taking first in 4:09.82 and Brian Fuller (Camp Hill, Pa.) following in second in 4:11.09.
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Dorr took top honors in the 400, going 53.62 to improve on her 53.72 provisional from a week ago. Dorr, Barber, Greaves, and Hunter would clock 3:36.10 - a season best for the Lions in the event - to win the 4x400. Greaves also notched a runner-up finish in the 200, posting a finishing time of 23.82 - just off her personal-best 23.77. Junior Mike Cadau (Mahanoy City, Pa.) led the men's sprints, taking runner-up honors in the 400 with a performance of 48.06. Cadau would also take sixth in the 200 with lifetime-best 21.79, and run a leg of the fourth-place 4x400 with teammates Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.), Anya Uzoh (Laurel, Md.) and Kevin Fuller (Camp Hill, Pa.). Williams was also the runner-up at 600-meters, clocking 1:18.62 - the second-fastest mark in the Big Ten this season.
Senior Clarence Smith (Coatesville, Pa.) posted another win in the triple jump with a leap of 52-2 (15.90) - just under three inches off his season best - while sophomore Gabriela Baiter (Greenlawn, N.Y.) also had an outstanding afternoon in the event, taking second in the women's field with a jump of 39-1.75 (11.93).
Senior Emma Schmelzer (Bloomington, Ill.) made good on her the final home indoor appearance of her career, taking third in the shot put with a season-best 48-2 (14.68). Sophomore Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) also registered a third-place finish in the shot with a season-best toss of 55-5 (16.89).
John Vellenoweth (Wheeling, W.Va.) and Bradford Lawrence (Voorhees, N.J.) also tallied top five finishes, taking fourth and fifth in the men's pole vault, both clearing 15-9 (4.80). Also in the jumps, Ryan Fritz (Parkesburg, Pa.) took third in the high jump with an effort of 7-0.25 (2.14).
The Lions will be on the road next weekend for the first time this season, splitting the squads between the Washington Husky Invitational at Washington, and the Tyson Invitational at Arkansas. Competition dates are set for Feb. 13-14.