April 26, 2009
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Senior Tanner Evak (State College, Pa.) closed out his Penn Relays career in style on Saturday, capturing gold-medal honors in the men's championship javelin at Franklin Field. The women's 4x200-meter relay would add another victory to the Lion total, taking first in the ECAC section of the event, while the men's 4x800-meter relay would also post an outstanding showing, taking fourth in the Championship of America.
Evak posted a throw of 225-6 (68.74) to claim his first-career Penn Relays victory, bettering the rest of the field by nearly six feet. Evak, who becomes Penn State's 57th Penn Relays Champion on the men's side, is the first Nittany Lion to win the javelin since 1965.
The quartet of sophomores scored the top four finish in the 4x800, including Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio), Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia). Dawson led off with a 1:51.67 split, keeping the Lions comfortably within the pack, before Borchers took the stick and finished with a 1:49.75 readout. Williams would clock the fastest Lion split on the day on the third leg, running 1:48.39 and bringing the Lions into first place thanks to an outstanding final 200-meters. Foster would split an impressive 1:48.85 on the anchor, stopping the clock at 7:18.66 - the sixth-fastest effort in the Penn State record books. The top four teams finished in just over two seconds of one another in a fast and furious finish, with Texas coming out on top in 7:16.33.
Shavon GReaves |
In the sprints, the team of Shavon GReaves (Lakewood, N.J.), Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.), Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.), and Caitlin Defusco (Schwenksville, Pa.) would dash to a victory in the ECAC 4x200, finishing in 1:34.75 - a new meet record in the event. The Lions performance was also among the best in Lion history, as it stands second on Penn State's all-time performance list.
Senior Clarence Smith (Coatesville, Pa.) also had an impressive afternoon, leaping to season-best 52-6.75 (16.02) in the triple jump. Smith's performance was good for seventh in the championship section, which included many of the nation's top athletes in the event.
The Nittany Lions will be back in action next weekend, traveling to Columbus, Ohio, for the Jesse Owens Classic at Ohio State. Action is slated for May 1-2.