March 12, 2010
NCAA Championship Page
Live Results/Heat Sheets
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.: March 12, 2010 - For the 10th time in the past 11 years, the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships are set to be contested at Randal Tyson Track Center on the campus of the University of Arkansas, with a dozen Nittany Lion athletes set to compete, including recently crowned Big Ten Champions Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio), Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.), Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.), Caitlin Defusco (Schwenksville, Pa.), Doris Anyanwu (Beltsville, Md.) and Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia). Both Nittany Lion squads stand in position to make a splash throughout the Friday-Saturday competition, as the Penn State women currently stand eighth in the latest USTFCCCA Rankings, while the Nittany Lion men are holding strong in 14th.
Leading the way on the women's squad are seniors Franek and Dorr, along with Greaves - a junior - all returning All-America finishers on the Lions' seventh-place team at NCAA Indoor a year ago. Franek, who will making her 11th straight appearance at an NCAA event, will compete in both long distances races, heading into the weekend as the eighth seed in the 3,000-meters, and the fifth-fastest entrant in the 5,000-meters. Franek recently took top honors in the mile run at the Big Ten Championships, to go along with runner-up efforts in the 3K and 5K. For her outstanding weekend, Franek was voted Track Athlete of the Championship by the conference's coaches.
Greaves could potentially do the most damage in the scoring column, coming into the event as the top seed in the 200-meters with a world-leading 22.98 for the one lapper. The junior, who placed 10th in the 200 a year ago, is also an athlete to watch in the 60-meters, coming in with a seed time of 7.24, which is tied for the fourth-best effort in the field. The junior went untouched at the conference meet, winning 60, 200, and 4x400-meter relays titles for the second-straight winter, on her way to Big Ten Athlete of the Year honors. DeFusco is also set to compete in the 200, with a seed time of 23.67 in her first NCAA appearance.
Dorr is also in contention for All-America status in the 400-meters, entering the weekend with a the fourth-fastest seed time in the NCAA at 52.68. Dorr has also been the anchor on the women's 4x400 in 2010, along with Anyanwu, DeFusco, and Greaves. The squad enters the championships with the seventh-best effort of 2010 at 3:35.38. The Nittany Lion women's 4x400 has captured All-America honors indoors during the past three seasons, with its highest finish coming last year, thanks to a third-place effort.
Foster leads a healthy contingent in the 800-meters, including automatic qualifier Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.) and Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.). Completing the Nittany Lion quartet in the event in junior Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.), who advanced to the championships thanks to an outstanding performance at the Alex Wilson Invitational last weekend. Foster is the second seed in the half mile, with a personal-best 1:47.32, while Dawson stands fifth (1:47.77), Loxsom eighth (1:47.98), and Williams rounding out the Lion roster with a seed time of 1:48.60.
The Nittany Lions will also be represented by throws duo Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) and Blake Eaton (Allegeny, N.Y.) in the shot put, with Kovacs boasting PR and NCAA automatic qualifying 63-6.25 (19.36) - the fourth-best effort in the field. Eaton has the 15th-farthest toss in the competition, coming in with a distance of 60-10.50 (18.55).
Action at Randal Tyson Track Center begins this morning with the men's heptathlon competition and will conclude on Saturday evening. Check back to www.gopsusports.com for full results and Penn State recap following both days of competition. Log onto NCAA.com to follow live results and watch a live video feed of the days' events.