April 1, 2009
Schedule/Meet Info at ArizonaAthletics.com
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TUCSON, Ariz. - After wrapping up the indoor season with a grand total of 11 NCAA All-Americans, the Nittany Lion track and field teams will look to carry the momentum into the outdoor season, beginning the 2009 campaign at the Jim Click Shootout on the campus of the University of Arizona, this Saturday. The Jim Click Shootout, which is a scored competition between teams from the Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac-10, is scheduled to featured Penn State, Wisconsin, Arizona, Washington, Kansas and Nebraska.
Multi-event athletes Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) and Anya Uzoh (Laurel, Md.) will get the action started, competing in the heptathlon and decathlon, respectively, beginning on Thursday. Hunter is undoubtedly one of the favorites in the event at the NCAA level, after taking silver-medal honors in the pentathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships last month.
Along with the 800-meters, high jump, long jump, and shot put - four of the five events in the indoor pentathlon - Hunter will add the 200-meters and javelin throw to her outdoor schedule, while the hurdles, which are contested at 60-meters indoors, will move to 100-meters. Hunter ended the indoor season on a tear, posting personal bests in the three of the five pentathlon events at the NCAA Championships, breaking the school long jump record on her way to a Penn State record total in the pentathlon. Hunter - who holds the Penn State standard in the heptathlon at 5711 - had an outstanding outdoor season in 2008, finishing fifth in both the long jump and the heptathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and running a leg of the NCAA Champion 4x400-meter relay.
Uzoh also ended his indoor season on a high note, finishing sixth in the heptathlon at the Big Ten Indoor Championships with a personal-best total of 4996, courtesy of season or lifetime bests in four of the seven events. The decathlon - which is contested over two days - consists of the 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400-meters, 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, and 1500-meter run.
The outdoor season also welcomes the addition of the javelin throw - which is annually one of the Lions' strongest events. Back in 2009 is sophomore and NCAA All-American Karlee McQuillen (Johnstown, Pa.) - the Penn State record holder in the event - who posted a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last season. Joining McQuillen is classmate Kim Hanslovan (Dubois, Pa.) - an NCAA Regional qualifier in 2008 - as well as freshman Mattie Pancoast (West Chester, Pa.), who will be making her Lion debut in Tucson. On the men's side, senior Tanner Evak (State College, Pa.) will also open his 2009 campaign this weekend. Evak has been finished in the top three in the javelin at the Big Ten Championships for the past three seasons, and was an NCAA finalist and All-Region finisher in 2007.
The javelin competitors will add to an already healthy throws squad, including senior Emma Schmelzer (Bloomington, Ill.). Schmelzer made her debut appearance at the 2008 NCAA Championships, where she competed in the discus. Schmelzer was a two-event regional qualifier last outdoor season, and is coming off an impressive indoor season. The Nittany Lion men will also look for big throws this weekend with sophomore Blake Eaton (Allegeny, N.Y.) - a 2008 NCAA regional qualifier - leading a young and talented throws contingent, which also includes redshirt freshman Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.), and Cory Eck (State College, Pa.) - a Big Ten finalist in the discus last year.
Mike Cadau |
The Lion distance contingent will feature All-Americans and NCAA competitors as well, including junior Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) - last year's bronze-medalist in the NCAA steeplechase, and the fourth-place finisher at 5,000-meter during the indoor season. Franek, who was also the Big Ten Champion in the steeplechase in 2008, has been on fire in 2009, setting school records in the mile and the 3,000-meters during the indoor season. Joining Franek in the distances is fellow steeplechase standout Cheryl Spring (The Woodlands, Texas). Spring was a provisional qualifier in the 5000 this indoor season, and a regional qualifier in the 5000 and steeplechase in 2008.
On the men's roster, Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio) led the way for a slew of middle distance talent indoors, including Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia), Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.), and Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.) - all NCAA provisional qualifiers at 800-meters. The Nittany Lion men excelled on the NCAA stage indoors, posting an NCAA automatic qualifier in the distance medley relay and following up with a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championships with the team of Tim Johnson (New Cumberland, Pa.), Mike Cadau (Mahanoy City, Pa.), Foster, and Borchers.
Cadau - a 400-meter specialist - will highlight the men's sprints for the Blue and White, after finishing third in the quarter mile at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. In the women's sprints, two-time NCAA All-American Shavon GReaves (Lakewood, N.J.) will pace the Lions in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, while fellow All-American Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.) will cover the women's 400 and 400-meter hurdles, along with sophomore Megan Duncan (North Huntingdon, Pa.). Dorr and Greaves were both members of the Lions' third-place 4x400-meter relay at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The Lions are the defending NCAA outdoor champions in the event, after clocking a 2008 collegiate best 3:27.69 in the NCAA final last spring.
Looking to follow up on his All-America finish from last spring is outstanding jumper Clarence Smith (Coatesville, Pa.), who claimed his second-straight Big Ten indoor triple jump title this winter. Smith will be joined by teammates Ryan Taylor (Spanish Town, Jamaica) and Jay Pagana (Selinsgrove, Pa.), who were both regional qualifiers in 2008. The women's horizontal jumps squad will feature standout sophomores Gabriela Baiter (Greenlawn, N.Y.) and Bianca Fung (North Babylon, N.Y.). Both athletes have multiple Big Ten scoring performances to their credit, as well an NCAA regional and NCAA provisional marks.
Senior Ryan Fritz (Parkesburg, Pa.) will lead the Lion effort in the vertical jumps, coming off a third-place and All-America finish in the high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Junior Brittany Maun (Greenville, Pa.) is the top high jumper on the women's side, after finishing fifth in the event at the Big Ten Championships last month. The pole vault will feature senior John Vellenoweth (Wheeling, W.Va.), who set a Penn State record indoors with a 17-0.75 (5.20) clearance, while freshman standout Jocelyn Witmer (Lancaster, Pa.) was the Lions' top vaulter on the women's side during the indoor season.
Action in the combined events is set for Thursday and Friday, while the Jim Click Shootout is set for all day Saturday. Check www.GoPSUsports.com for full results and recaps after each day of competition.