April 21, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: April 21, 2010 - Redshirt sophomore Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) has been named Big Ten Athlete of the Week, following a season-best and facility record performance in the shot put at the Bucknell Team Challenge this weekend. Kovacs, the NCAA bronze medalist in the shot indoors, and the rest of the Nittany Lions have a big weekend on their hands, going into the prestigious Penn Relays on April 22-24 in Philadelphia.
Kovacs tore through the competition in his signature event in Lewisburg last weekend, launching a personal-outdoor best mark of 61-5.50 (18.73). Kovacs' PB was not only a new Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium record, but also the third-best effort in Penn State history. The redshirt sophomore now trails only C.J. Hunter (65-5/19.94; 1990) and Knut Hjeltnes (64-0.25 /19.51; 1975) in the Nittany Lion record books. Kovacs would add another winning effort on the afternoon, topping the discus field with a throw of 164-7 (50.17).
Kovacs shot put effort is also one of the top marks in the NCAA in 2010, as it currently stands fifth among NCAA Division I competitors, and fourth in the NCAA East Region standings.
Kovacs is set to compete in the "Championship" Shot Put section on Friday at Penn Relays, after claiming runner-up honors in the "Eastern" flight as a redshirt freshman in 2009.