July 16, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: July 16, 2009 - With the collegiate outdoor track and field season wrapping up just under a month ago, nine Nittany Lion athletes have earned All-Academic honors awarded by the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Among the 2009 award winners were Nittany Lion women Megan Duncan (North Huntingdon, Pa.), Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio), Kim Hanslovan (DuBois, Pa.), Emma Schmelzer (Bloomington, Ill.) and Cheryl Spring (The Woodlands, Texas), while Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia), Jay Pagana (Selinsgrove, Pa.), Dennis Pollow (Ransomville, N.Y.) and Clarence Smith (Coatesville, Pa.) earned the accolade on the men's side. To receive the All-Academic citation, student athletes must carry at 3.25 cumulative grade point average, and have achieved an NCAA qualifying standard during the indoor or outdoor track and field season. The Nittany Lion women's team was also recognized for academic achievement after posting a 3.21 cumulative GPA, while the men's team earned the citation for a 3.01 GPA.
Duncan achieved the NCAA regional standard in the 400-meter hurdles with a season-best 1:00.27 at the Jesse Owens Classic. She would go on to finish fifth in the event at the Big Ten Championships and was also a member of the bronze-medal 4x400-meter relay. Duncan, who just completed her sophomore year, is majoring in mathematics.
Franek - a kinesiology major - posted NCAA qualifying marks in six events in 2009, including the mile, 3000-meters, and 5000-meters indoors, as well as the 1500-meters, 5000, and 3000-meters steeplechase during the outdoor season. Indoors, Franek earned All-America honors with a fourth-place finish in the 5000, and recorded fourth-place honors in the steeplechase outdoors. Recently, Franek posted a third-place finish in the steeplechase at the USATF Outdoor Championships running a school-record 9:36.74. Thanks to the sensational finish, the rising senior will represent the United States at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany, in August.
Hanslovan claimed the Penn State record in the javelin throw this past outdoor season with a toss of 178-4 (54.35) - the fifth-best throw by a collegian in 2009. Hanslovan would go on to finish sixth at the NCAA East Regional, and 15th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Hanslovan, who is majoring in Kinesiology, recently completed her sophomore year.
Schmelzer had an outstanding outdoor campaign, including regional-qualifying marks in the shot put, discus, and hammer throw. The senior was named Co-Field Athlete of the Meet at the Big Ten Championships following runner-up finishes in the discus and hammer, to go along with a fourth-place finish in the shot put. Schmelzer recently earned her degree in Anthropology.
Spring was an NCAA regional qualifier in two events, competing in the 5000 and 3000 steeplechase at NCAA East Regional Championships. Indoors, Spring, who will enter her senior year of eligibility this fall, clocked an NCAA provisional-qualifying 16:39.53 at the Washington Husky Invitational. She is majoring in nursing.
Foster - an economics major - earned All-America honors thanks to an eighth-place finish in the 800-meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Foster's personal-best 1:46.78 - run during the NCAA semi - is the fastest time by a Nittany Lion since the 1987 season. The sophomore was also the Big Ten Champion at the distance during the indoor and outdoor conference meets, as well as a member of the Lions' NCAA automatic-qualifying distance medley relay during the indoor season, which clocked a school-record 9:32.94 at the Alex Wilson Invitational at Notre Dame. Foster was also an NCAA provisional qualifier in the 800 indoors.
Pagana posted a third-place finish in the triple jump at the Big Ten Championships with an NCAA regional-qualifying 50-1.25 (15.27). Pagana was also earned ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District honors this spring. Pagana recently received his degree in Pre-Med.
Pollow posted top eight finishes in the 5000-meters at both the Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 2009 and recorded a regional-qualifying 14:11.02 in the event at the prestigious Penn Relay Distance Carnival. Pollow, who recently graduated with a degree in nutrition, finished 18th in the 5K at the NCAA East Regional.
Smith - a Penn State graduate in Material Sciences - finished his Nittany Lion career as a two-time NCAA All-American and three-time Big Ten Champion. Smith finished eighth in the triple jump at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships, earning his second-career All-America certificate. Smith placed third at the NCAA East Regional with a personal-best 53-1.50 (16.19). Smith was also an NCAA provisional qualifier during the indoor season.
The Nittany Lion track and field squads will be back in 2010, opening the season with the Penn State Relays on Jan. 9.