Feb. 16, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: February 16, 2010 - Following another pair of NCAA automatic-qualifying efforts over the weekend, the Nittany Lions are holding strong in United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) rankings, as the women's squad stands 10th nationally, and the men's team is up four spots from a week ago to 11th. The Nittany Lions will take a week off prior to the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships, set for February 27-28.
Headlining the men's efforts over the weekend was 800-meter duo Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia) and Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.). Foster bettered his own school record at the distance, clocking 1:47.32 at the Husky Classic at Washington. Dawson dropped over a full second off his personal best in the half mile, posting an NCAA automatic-qualifying 1:47.77. Both Lions are ranked among the top five best efforts in the country this year, along with teammate Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.), who has clocked 1:47.98 this season. All three Penn Staters are guaranteed a spot at the NCAA Indoor Championships, thanks to their automatic-qualifying performances. Also making his way to the NCAA descending order list this past weekend was sophomore Kyle Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.) after posting a provisional-qualifying 14:07.56 in the 5,000-meters - the fourth-fastest effort in the Big Ten this year.
Senior Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) would also add an NCAA automatic performance in the 5,000 at Washington, posting a PR 15:56.76 - the best run in the Big Ten this year, as well as the fourth-fastest mark in Division I. Classmate Cheryl Spring (The Woodlands, Texas) also earned NCAA qualifying credentials, running 16:22.30 in the 3.1-mile event - a personal best by nearly 20 seconds. Across the country, senior Brittany Maun (Greensburg, Pa.) highlighted the Nittany Lion results at the Tyson Invitational at Arkansas, clearing a career-best 5-11.25 (1.81) in the high jump to tie the Penn State school record. Maun's performance is among the top 15 marks nationally.
The Nittany Lion women are tops among conference rivals in the latest NCAA standings, with Indiana appearing in the rankings at No. 18. The Penn State men are among a quartet of Big Ten squads on this week's list, including No. 7 Indiana, No. 17 Minnesota, and No. 24 Ohio State. Texas A&M owns the top spot in this week's men's standings, while Oregon leads the women's list.