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EUGENE, Ore.: June 25, 2009 - Both junior Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.) and Nittany Lion alum Shana Cox have advanced to the semi-final round in their respective events, Thursday at the USATF Outdoor Championships, held at Historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon. Elsewhere, freshman Anya Uzoh (Laurel, Md.) stands in fourth place following five events in the junior men's decathlon, while senior Tanner Evak (State College, Pa.) wrapped up his 2009 campaign in the javelin.
Dorr snuck through to tomorrow's semi in the 400-meter hurdles, running 58.88 - good for seventh place in her preliminary heat and 16th in the field. Dorr, who recently captured NCAA All-America honors in the event, will compete again tomorrow at 4:50 p.m. PDT, where the top eight competitors will advance to Saturday's final. Tiffany Williams of Reebok clocked the fastest time of the afternoon with an effort of 55.18.
Cox, who now runs for Adidas, would cruise through the 400-meter prelims, advancing thanks to one of the four automatic-qualifying spots in each of the opening round heats. Cox's 52.90 was good for fourth in her section, and was the 12th-fastest of the preliminary round. Cox will also run again tomorrow with the semi-finals set to go at 5:05 p.m. PDT on Friday.
Evak - the 2009 Big Ten Champion - closed out his Penn State career in the javelin, placing 15th among the nation's best with a toss of 212-04 (64.72) in windy conditions. Evak's mark was also the eighth-best among collegiates. Georgia's Chris Hill won the competition with a heave of 275-02 (83.87).
Uzoh got the day rolling with an 11.34-second effort in the 100-meters - the fourth-fastest time in the field, and good for 786 points. The freshman maintained his fourth-place standing in the long jump, posting a leap of 21-6.75 (6.57), which added another 713 points to his total and was once again the fourth-best effort among his competitors. After tossing 38-07.50 (11.77) in the shot put - earning another 592 points, Uzoh cleared 6-02.75 (1.90), matching his seasonal best, and scoring 714 points with the third-highest jump in the competition.
Uzoh capped off the afternoon, winning his section of the 400-meters with a finishing time of 50.51. Uzoh's 791-point effort brought his day one total to 3596 - the second-best day one-effort of his career. Curtis Beach of Albuquerque, N.M. leads the competition after five events with 3974 points, followed by the University of Florida's Gray Horn with 3830. Neaman Wise of the Central Florida Gliders Track Club stands third with 3672 - less than 100 points ahead of Uzoh.
Uzoh kicks off the Nittany Lion action again tomorrow, beginning with the 110-meter meter hurdles at 9:00 a.m. PDT. Set to open up tomorrow is junior Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio), who will compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 7:20 p.m. Follow www.GoPSUsports.com for everything Nittany Lion track and field.