Feb. 9, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: February 9, 2010 - Thanks for a personal-best and NCAA provisional-qualifying performance in the shot put, junior Blake Eaton (Allegeny, N.Y.) has been named Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week, the first such honor of his career. Eaton joins an elite group of teammates who have earned conference recognition this season, including Penn State record breakers and NCAA automatic-qualifiers Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.), and Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia), and highly-ranked sprinter Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.).
Eaton tossed a personal-best 60-10.50 (18.55) to earn a victory over a solid field shot put at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup. The junior's effort was a personal-best by nearly 10 inches and is also the fourth-best throw in the Penn State archives. Eaton's performance, which also improves his position on the NCAA descending order list, is currently ranked 11th 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).
The Nittany Lion shot put duo is currently rated first and second among Big Ten competitors, with Kovacs leading the way at 63-6.25 (19.36). Eaton is the first Penn State field event athlete to win the award on the men's side since Clarence Smith won the honor a year ago.