April 24, 2009
PHILADELPHIA, Pa.: April 24, 2009 - Junior Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.) kicked off the Nittany Lion effort at the 2009 Penn Relays in outstanding fashion on Thursday, taking top honors in the 400-meters hurdles amongst top competition. Along with Dorr's victory, the Nittany Lions saw runner-up finishes from Karlee McQuillen (Johnstown, Pa.) in the javelin, and Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) in the long jump. Penn State also added another three NCAA regional marks to an already healthy list of qualifiers, including impressive performances from Kyle Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), Dennis Pollow (Ransomville, N.Y.) and Cheryl Spring (The Woodlands, Texas) in the 5,000-meters.
Dorr sped to a personal-best 57.78 in the quarter hurdles, bettering the rest of the field by over a second and moving to fifth in the NCAA standings. Dorr's win is the first by a Nittany Lion in an individual event since Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) captured the 3,000-meter steeplechase crown in 2007. Dorr would come back to aid in another stellar finish, running the 400-meter leg on the distance medley relay, where the team of Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.), Dorr, Liz Kearins (Doylestown, Pa.) and Franek combined to run 11:25.72 to finish fourth in the Championship of America.
McQuillen took second in the championship javelin for the second-straight year, thanks to a season-best 169-8 (51.72) on her final attempt. Teammate Kim Hanslovan (DuBois, Pa.) would finish fifth in the event with a toss of 158-2 (48.23). Elsewhere in the throws, senior Emma Schmelzer (Bloomington, Ill.) posted a fourth-place finish in the eastern division shot put with a mark of 47-1.50 (14.36).
Hunter would record a season-best leap of 20-3.75 (6.19) to capture silver-medal honors in the championship long jump - finishing less than an inch away from a Penn Relays title. Junior Bianca Fung (North Babylon, N.Y.) also had an outstanding afternoon in the event, taking second in the eastern division with a jump of 19-8.75 (6.01). The Lions now have a total of five medal finishes at the 2009 Relays, including Anya Uzoh's (Laurel, Md.) third-place finish in the decathlon on Wednesday.
The Lions produced several impressive finishes on Distance Night, led by Dawson, who clocked a PR 14:02.50 to finish sixth in the Championship of American 5000. Pollow also clocked a career best, going 14:11.02 - good for 14th place. Spring would post another PR in the women's championship, clocking 16:32.56 for eighth place. Two more Nittany Lions recorded personal bests in the women's race, with Jessie Babcock (Irvine, Calif.) finishing in 17:05.86 and Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.) going 17:11.58.
Action at Franklin Field continues tomorrow, with many of the men's collegiate events on schedule.