June 13, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.: June 13, 2009 - Sophomore Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia) claimed All-America honors in the 800-meters at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Saturday at John McDonnell Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas. Foster's impressive eighth-place finish was the first top eight finish from a Nittany Lion half miler since 1987. Senior Clarence Smith (Coatesville, Pa.) would turn in the second All-America performance of his career, finishing eighth in the triple jump and becoming the fifth Nittany Lion to earn an All-America finish in the event outdoors. The Lions capped off the meet with a fourth-place and All-America effort from the women's 4x400-meter relay, including redshirt junior Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.), sophomore Shavon GReaves (Lakewood, N.J.), senior Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.), and junior Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.).
The Nittany Lion women posted a top 15 finish in the team standings, winding up 14th with a total score of 17 points. Texas A&M took the team title with 50 points, Oregon followed in second with 46, while Arizona State finished third with 41, and Florida State finished off the top four with 40. The Aggies would also capture the men's title with 48 points, while Oregon, Florida and Florida State tied for runner-up honors with 46 points apiece. The Nittany Lion men were 62nd in the team race with two points.
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"The Lions had an exciting ending run to the 2009 Championships, rounding out with 10 All-Americans and a top 15 finish for the women," said Director and Head Coach of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan. "This championship the Lions demonstrated tenacious efforts by getting after things in the finals. It's great to see our men get some points on the board and continue our streak of All-Americans in the relay."
Foster was out well from the gun, settling in against an outstanding field. The sophomore was well in position for an All-America finish coming into the final turn, and held on throughout a furious finishing final 100-meters to finish in 1:47.81, and claim eighth place overall. Oregon's Andrew Wheating won the race in 1:46.21, nosing Texas' Tevan Everatt, who finishing in 1:46.27.
Foster has had quite a national campaign, shaving a full two seconds off his personal best going into the championships. Foster's 1:46.78, which he clocked in the semi-finals, is the third-fastest mark in Penn State history. The sophomore joins an exclusive club of Nittany Lion All-Americans at 800-meters, including Randy Moore, who finished fourth in 1985, and Ray Levitre, who took runner-up honors in 1987.
Entering the day as one of 12 athletes to qualify for the second day of action in the triple jump, Smith came through with a clutch third jump for the second day in-a-row, popping a leap of 52-7.25 (16.03) to move to eighth place and earn another three jumps in the nine-man final. Smith took three more attempts, including a solid leap of 51-10 (15.80), but wouldn't improve on his 52-7.25 effort, which would hold up for eighth overall. Smith moves up one spot from his 2008 finish, and joins former Penn State triple jump All-Americans Warren Rockwell (1961), Ricardo Hall (1990), and Antonio Davis (1993).
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Barber opened up with a solid first leg for the Lions, handing off to Greaves, who dashed to the pole and held her ground to keep her squad in fifth place behind Texas, LSU, Baylor, and Arizona State going into the second exchange. Hunter would quickly clip past the Sun Devils on the third carry and stuck to the heels of LSU. Dorr would then mount a furious anchor leg charging with the LSU and Baylor in an effort to reel in eventual winner Texas. Hunter would crank a sizzling 51.44 readout on the third leg - one of the fastest splits of the day -before Dorr closed in an impressive 52.27 on the anchor. Texas won the race in 3:28.51, leading LSU in second in 3:28.82, and Baylor in third in 3:29.52.
The Nittany Lions would finish in a season-best 3:30.34, improving upon their preliminary time of 3:31.63 and bettering their standing as the second-fastest relay contingent in Penn State history. The Lions have created quite a reputation in the 4x400, claiming All-America finishes during the last two outdoor seasons, including a national championship in 2008. Indoors, the Nittany Lions have posted top five finishes in the mile relay for the past three years. Barber, who still has one season of outdoor eligibility remaining, has been a member of all five All-America relays, while Dorr and Hunter have been a part of three, and Greaves has run legs on two.
"Its been a demanding, productive, and astonishing year," continued Sullivan. "I'm very proud of our seniors - Gayle Hunter and Clarence Smith - to round out their careers with stellar performances at the NCAA Championships. The University of Arkansas hosted an excellent competition and we're excited to be back in Fayetteville next indoor season. For now, we're onto Eugene and more great performances at the USATF Championships."
The Lions will conclude the 2009 campaign at the USATF Championships, set for June 25-28 in Eugene, Ore.
| NCAA Men's 800-Meter Final | |||
| 1 Andrew Wheating | JR Oregon | 1:46.21 | 10 |
| 2 Tevan Everett | SR Texas | 1:46.27 | 8 |
| 3 Tyler Mulder | SR Northern Iowa | 1:46.80 | 6 |
| 4 Chris Gowell | JR Baylor | 1:46.88 | 5 |
| 5 Richard Jones | SO LSU | 1:47.10 | 4 |
| 6 Sean Tully | SR Villanova | 1:47.25 | 3 |
| 7 Irek Sekretarski | SR Southern California | 1:47.78 | 2 |
| 8 Ryan Foster | SO Penn State | 1:47.81 | 1 |
| 9 Jason Collett | SR Kansas State | 1:48.26 |
NCAA Men's Triple Jump Final
| 1 Will Claye | FR Oklahoma | 17.24m | 2.5 | 56-06.75 | 10 |
| 2 Julian Reid | SO Texas A&M | 17.10m | 2.5 | 56-01.25 | 8 |
| 3 Christian Taylor | FR Florida | 16.91m | 2.5 | 55-05.75 | 6 |
| 4 Zuheir Sharif | JR Texas A&M | 16.76m | 2.8 | 55-00.00 | 5 |
| 5 Nkosinza Balumbu | SR Arkansas | 16.40m | 2.1 | 53-09.75 | 4 |
| 6 Tyron Stewart | SO Texas A&M | 16.27m | 2.3 | 53-04.50 | 3 |
| 7 Melvin Echard | SO Texas A&M | 16.07m | 2.3 | 52-08.75 | 2 |
| 8 Clarence Smith | SR Penn State | 16.03m | 0.4 | 52-07.25 | 1 |
| 9 Ryan Grinnell | SR Boise State | 16.02m | 2.7 | 52-06.75 |
| NCAA Women's 4x400-Meter Relay Final | ||
| 1 Texas | 3:28.51 | 10 |
| 2 LSU | 3:28.82 | 8 |
| 3 Baylor | 3:29.52 | 6 |
| 4 Penn State | 3:30.34 | 5 |
| 5 Arizona State | 3:31.62 | 4 |
| 6 Southern California | 3:32.51 | 3 |
| 7 Seton Hall | 3:33.19 | 2 |
| 8 South Carolina | 3:34.70 | 1 |
| 9 Louisiana Tech | 3:38.68 |