Feb. 6, 2010
Complete Results | Complete Results
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: February 6, 2010 - Paced by victories from sophomore Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.), senior Cheryl Spring (The Woodlands, Texas), and the 4x400-meter relay, the Nittany Lion women's squad took top honors in the team standings, Saturday at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track. Juniors Blake Eaton (Allegeny, N.Y.) and Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.) picked up an event wins, helping the Penn State men to a second-place standing in team scoring.
Lane and Spring both scored wins in the distances, with Lane taking the 800-meters, and Spring posting a victory in the mile run. Lane ran a strong last lap to finish in a personal-best 2:09.53, with Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) also getting in on the scoring, taking third overall in 2:10.80. Spring outlasted the mile field, finishing in 4:50.12 to nose teammate Natalie Bower (Pleasant Unity, Pa.), who finished second in 4:50.33. Senior Jessica Babcock (Irvine, Calif.) would finish fourth in the race, going 4:53.67.
Eaton tossed a personal-best 60-10.50 (18.55) to win the shot put - a personal-best by nearly 10 inches. Eaton's performance, which also improves his position on the NCAA descending order list, is currently ranked ninth nationally. Classmate Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.), who is already an NCAA automatic qualifier in the shot, turned in a third-place effort in the event, launching a throw of 58-06 (17.83).
Williams cruised to victory in the 600-meters, running 1:18.33 to better the rest of the field by almost a full second. Teammate Kevin Fuller (Camp Hill, Pa.) finished fourth in the race, running 1:20.47.
In the sprints, Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.) posted a personal-best an NCAA provisional-qualifying 53.14 in the 400-meters, finishing second-to-only Joanna Atkins of Auburn - the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Champion at the distance. Teammate Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.) placed third in the race, finishing in 53.39, to go along with another bronze-medal effort in the 200-meters, where she ran a personal-best 23.98. Junior Caitlin Defusco (Schwenksville, Pa.) would also turn in a top five finish in the one-lap 200, placing fourth overall in 24.16.
Dorr and Greaves would make up the final two legs of the winning 4x400 relay, with junior Megan Duncan (North Huntingdon, Pa.), and freshman Doris Anyanwu (Beltsville, Md.), who finished fourth in the open 400, on the first two efforts. The team finished in 3:36.57 - the fastest time by a Lion squad in 2010, and a top 10 performance nationally.
In the field events, junior Bryson Hartzler (Belleville, Pa.) recorded a fourth-place effort in the high jump, clearing a personal-best 6-10.25 (2.09), while Dan Sandrowicz (Indiana, Pa.) also posted a fourth-place standing, managing a leap of 47-04.50 (14.44) in the triple jump. For the women, Brittany Maun (Greensburg, Pa.) highlighted the field events with a second-place effort in the high jump, going over 5-08.75 (1.75) for second. Sophomore Anna Muzio (Harrisburg, Pa.) also added to the team scoring with a fifth-place finish in the shot put with a performance of 44-02.75 (13.48).
In the men's distances, sophomore Kyle Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.) and freshman Danny Pawola (Naperville, Ill.) combined for a three-four finish in the mile run, running 4:11.41, and 4:13.74, respectively. Junior Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio) also earned bronze-medal status, finishing third in the 800-meters in 1:52.70.
The Nittany Lion women scored a total of 134 points for the team victory, with Auburn in second with 111. Cornell rounded out the top three with 78. Princeton took the men's title with 111, followed by Penn State with 83, and Cornell with 80.
The Nittany Lions will hit the road for the first time this indoor season next weekend, splitting their squads between the Tyson Invitational at Arkansas, and the Husky Classic at Washington. Both competitions are set for Friday and Saturday, February 12-13.