Feb. 27, 2010
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - On the strength of Joe Kovacs' (Nazareth, Pa.) runner-up finish in the shot put, Penn State's men's track & field team sits in sixth place with one day remaining at the 2010 Men's Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships being held in Minneapolis, Minn. Minnesota leads the meet with a 49.50 with Ohio State second (40.50) and Purdue in third (31).
Kovacs' toss of 61-06.75 (18.76) garnered second place on the medal stand for the shot put and got the Nittany Lions eight points toward their day-one total of 14. The distance medley relay team of junior Owen Dawson (Downingtown, Pa.), junior Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.), junior Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia) and junior Kyle Dawson (Downingtown, Pa.) added another six points when they crossed the finish line fourth with a time of 9:51.30.
Among the Penn Staters advancing to Sunday's finals, a pair of Nittany Lions moved forward in both the 600 and 800 meters. Defending Big Ten champion Foster posted a 1:51.51 qualifying time, along with teammate Owen Dawson, who recorded a 1:51.43 to advance to tomorrow's final. In the 600, freshman Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) was third fastest with a time of 1:18.61, while junior Williams ran a 1:19.87, which was fifth in qualifying.
The Big Ten Men's Track and Field competition continues Sunday on the campus of the University of Minnesota.