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More Strong Performances for Nittany Lions on Day Two of Penn Relays

April 23, 2010

Link to Results | Live Coverage

PHILADELPHIA - After enjoying an outstanding opening day at the 116th Penn Relays Carnival, the Nittany Lion track and field teams continued to impress amongst elite competition, Friday at Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania. Leading the way individually was senior Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.), who sprinted to the fourth-fastest time in qualifying in a national-class 100-meter hurdle field with a wind-aided 13.10 (+3.1). The event final is set for 3:20 p.m., on Saturday.

In the field, senior Brittany Maun (Greenville, Pa.) turned in a sixth-place finish in the Championship high jump, clearing the bar at 5-8.75 (1.75). Redshirt-sophomore Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) and junior Blake Eaton (Allegany, N.Y.) would also participate in a Championship section, placing seventh, and eighth, respectively, in the Championship shot put. Kovacs recorded a toss of 57-11.75 (17.67), while Eaton threw 57-0.25 (17.38). The Lions got a pair of second-place finishes in Eastern Sections throughout the day, including Tanaya Lloyd (Philadelphia, Pa.) in the triple jump and Brad Lawrence (Voorhees, N.J.) in the pole vault. Lloyd posted a leap of 40-6 (12.34/+3.9), while Lawrence topped out at a season-best 16-4.75 (5.00).

The women's 4x100-meter relay posted a second-place standing in the ECAC Final, turning in a season-best 45.62 with the quartet of Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.), Caitlin Defusco (Schwenksville, Pa.) Barber, and Doris Anyanwu (Beltsville, Md.). Also in the sprints, the women's 4x200-meter relay clocked the second-fastest performance in school history with a time of 1:34.74 on the efforts of Greaves, DeFusco, Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.) and Barber. The Lions' time was the ninth fastest in qualifying and just one one-hundreth short of a lane in Saturday's Championship of America. Penn State will compete in the ECAC Final in the event on Saturday, an event in which the Lions took top honors at Penn Relays in 2009.

Also in the relays, the men's distance medley held its own in the Championship of America section, placing 11th overall in 9:43.46. The Nittany Lion squad included junior Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio), junior Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.), freshman Sam Havko (Fairview, Pa.) and sophomore Vince McNally (Smoketown, Pa.).