April 29, 2010
Heats/Live Results
Jesse Owens Heat Sheets | Payton Jordan Heat Sheets
Meet Coverage
Payton Jordan on Flotrack | Stanford LIVE Stream | Jesse Owens on Big Ten Network (Tape Delayed) - Saturday, May 8 @ 12:00 p.m.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A week removed from an outstanding effort at the Penn Relays, the Nittany Lion track and field teams will continue the outdoor season this weekend, splitting its squads between the Jesse Owens Classic at Ohio State, and the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational at Stanford. Action in Columbus is slated for Friday and Saturday, while the Palo Alto competition is set for Saturday, May 1. The Nittany Lions are just two weeks out for the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, scheduled for May 14-16, at the University of Indiana. The Nittany Lions, who are currently rated 15th on the women's side, and 24th in the men's standings in the latest United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) rankings, will be challenged by a host of highly competitive teams on both coasts, with Big Ten foes entered in both meets.
About the Jesse Owens Classic:
When: Friday-Saturday, April 30 - May 1, 2010
Where: Jesse Owens Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
Teams to Watch (USTFCCCA Rank):
Buffalo
Akron
Illinois (W - No. 25)
Indiana
Kent State
Kentucky
Michigan
Michigan State
Mississippi State (M - No. 12)
Ohio State
Penn State (W - No. 15; M - No. 24)
Purdue
Southern Illinois (W - No. 23)
Virginia Tech (W - No. 5; M - No. 17)
About the Payton Jordan Invitational:
When: Saturday, May 1
Where: Cobb Track at Angell Field (Palo Alto, Calif.)
Teams to Watch (USTFCCCA Rank):
Auburn (W - No. 8; M - No. 5)
Florida State (W - No. 10; M - No. 8)
Iowa State
Kansas (M - No. 23)
Michigan
Minnesota
New Mexico (W - No. 24)
Northern Arizona
Ohio State
Oklahoma (W - No. 4; M - No. 11)
Penn State (W - No. 15; M - No. 24)
Stanford (W - No. 20; M - No. 22)
Wisconsin
Meet Previews:
Middle distance and distance will take center stage at the Payton Jordan Invitational, set to feature some of the top collegian and professional athletes in the country at 800-meters and up. The Nittany Lions will vie for fast times in some of the top sections, including senior Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) in the 5000-meters. Franek's heat is set to include some of the biggest names on the distance scene, including Nike's Shalane Flanagan, and Amy Begley - both US Olympians - as well as top collegians Lisa Koll of Iowa State - the collegiate record holder at 10,000-meters - and Big Ten rival Angela Bizzari of Illinois. The Lions will also take on the hot heats on the men's side, with half-mile specialists junior Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia), and freshman Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) entered in the top section of the 800-meters. Foster, already a two-time NCAA All-American, and Loxsom, an NCAA qualifier and World Junior record holder in the indoor 600-meters, will take on top competitors such as Andrew Ellerton, a former NCAA champ at Michigan, and Prince Mumba, formerly of Oral Roberts, who owns a personal best under 1:47.
The Lions will get their first taste of Big Ten competition in Columbus, with outstanding entrants in the sprints and hurdles and the throwing events. Senior Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.), who ran a season-best 13.10 at Penn Relays, will enter a stacked 100-meter hurdle field, which is set to include Olympic Silver Medalist Hyleas Fountain. The Lions will looks for strong performances throughout the sprints, hurdles and relays, traveling a squad that includes junior Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.), senior Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.) and junior Caitlin Defusco (Schwenksville, Pa.). Barber, Dorr, Greaves, and freshman Doris Anyanwu (Beltsville, Md.) engineered an impressive effort at Penn Relays, finishing fourth in the Championship of America 4x400-meter relay with a season-best 3:33.06 - the second-fastest effort among competitors in the NCAA East Region. On the men's side, the Nittany Lions will be up against some tough competition in the throws, with the meet scheduled to feature top throwers from Ohio State, Virginia Tech, and Kentucky. Sophomore Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) and junior Blake Eaton (Allegany, N.Y.) have been on a roll this season, both boasted top 25 marks nationally in the shot put. Senior Cory Eck (State College, Pa.) has also been throwing well, having recently joined the all-time Nittany Lion top 10 in the hammer throw.
Meet Notes:
Big Ten Recognition...
Coming off outstanding performances at the Penn Relays last weekend, freshman Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) and junior Karlee McQuillen (Johnstown, Pa.) have been named Big Ten Athletes of the Week. Loxsom clocked the fastest split among entrants in the men's 4x800-meter relay, while McQuillen took top honors in the women's javelin competition, last weekend in Philadelphia. Following Big Ten Athlete of the Week performances by Foster, and shot putter Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) earlier this month, Loxsom is the third Nittany Lion on the men's squad to earn Big Ten honors this year. McQuillen is the second Nittany Lion to earn conference honors on the women's side this year, with teammate Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.) earning a Big Ten citation on April 7.
Franek, 4x200 in the Record Books...
A pair of Penn State school records were broken at last weekend's Penn Relays, including the women's mile run, and women's 4x200-meter relay. Fawn Dorr, Shavon Greaves, and Doris Anyanwu, along with Caitlin Defusco, grabbed an event victory in the ECAC Championship Women's 4x200-meter relay, running 1:33.78 to break the previous Penn State record of 1:33.87 set in 2004 by Connie Moore, Kamilah Salaam, Chi-Chi Aduba, and Sarah Shoaff. The Lions ran away with the ECAC section, bettering the second-place competitor by well over a second. The victory marks the second-consecutive win for the Lions in the women's ECAC 4x200, while the Lions would also break the section record (1:34.75) set by Penn State last year. Franek was the top collegiate finisher in the women's Olympic Development mile, clocking a career-outdoor best and school-record 4:40.65 to place fifth overall.
Winner, Winner...
After placing second for the past two years, junior Karlee McQuillen (Johnstown, Pa.)turned in a gold-medal effort in the women's javelin championship, Thursday at the Penn Relays at Franklin Field. McQuillen, who was also a Penn Relays Champion as a high schooler, topped a national-field to earn the 12th individual victory in the history of the Nittany Lion women's program. McQuillen posted one of the more consistent series of her 2010 campaign, recording a winning effort of 162-7 (49.57). McQuillen in the third Nittany Lion woman to win the javelin competition at Penn, along with Marilyn Senz in 1983 and Brianne Johnson in 2001.
Distance Carnival...
Kyle Dawson led the way for the Lions' during the Penn Relays Distance Carnival, turning in a season-best 14:08.73 to earn a top 10 finish at the Penn Relays for the second-straight year. On the women's side, freshman Brooklyne Ridder (Cincinnati, Ohio) clocked a PR 16:39.25 to place ninth in the women's championship section. Fellow rookie Nicole Lord (Media, Pa.) was the top Lion in the women's 3,000-meters, placing 11th overall in 9:49.28 - also a personal best.
In the Record Books...
In one of the deepest 4x800 fields in recent memory, the Nittany Lion quartet of junior Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), freshman Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.), junior Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.) and junior Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia) combined to record a third-place finish overall with a season-best effort of 7:17.02 - the fourth-fastest performance in school history. Virginia outlasted a furious three-man battle down the homestretch, winning in 7:15.38, to nose Oregon (7:15.55). Loxsom turned heads with an impressive second leg, splitting 1:46.58 - the fastest readout of the afternoon.
Down Route 45...
Cold and blustery conditions didn't stop the Nittany Lion track and field squads from turning in a grand total of 23 event victories and a pair of facility records, on April 17, at the Bucknell Team Challenge at Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium. Leading the way with two individual wins apiece were junior Caitlin Defusco (Schwenksville, Pa.) in the 100- and 200-meters, junior Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio) in the 800- and 1500-meters, and redshirt sophomore Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) in the shot put and discus throw.
In the Desert...
Senior Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.) reset her own school record in the 400-meter hurdles, while senior Ryan Fritz (Parkesburg, Pa.) claimed an individual victory in the high jump to lead the Nittany Lion effort, on April 10, at the Sun Angel Track Classic at Arizona State University. The Nittany Lions produced strong performances across the board, including a pair of second-place finishes from junior Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.).
Back in the Ring...
Throws duo Blake Eaton (Allegany, N.Y.) and Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) also recorded solid outings in the field at the Sun Angel Classic, with Eaton finishing third in the elite "premiere" section of the shot put with a toss of 58-10.75 (17.94), and Kovacs following in fourth with a mark of 57-2.25 (17.43). Kovacs would also turn in a top five finish in the hammer throw, posting a personal-best throw of 189-7 (57.79) for fourth. Kovacs followed up on his Sun Angel performance with a toss of 61-5.50 (18.73) at the Bucknell Team Challenge - the third-best throw in PSU history. The duo would both score top eight finishes in the Championship shot section at the Penn Relays.