May 14, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Seniors Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) and Ryan Fritz (Parkesburg, Pa.) have picked up some momentum going into this weekend's Big Ten Outdoor Championships, garnering Big Ten Athlete of the Week citations, announced by conference offices earlier this week. Both Nittany Lion seniors tallied impressive performances at last weekend's Penn State Open, with Franek clocking an NCAA leader in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Fritz tying his own personal best with an outstanding clearance in the high jump. This week's awards will be the last of the 2010 outdoor season. All told, the Nittany Lions have earned eight Athlete of the Week awards over the course of the spring campaign.
Franek's effort headlined a host of solid performances from the Nittany Lion track and field squads in their final home appearance of the outdoor season. Franek, who holds the Penn State school record in the event at 9:36.74, clocked a new Nittany Lion Track record, running 9:54.70 for the steeplechase, to better Colorado's Emma Coburn, who held the nation's previous best at 9:56.29. Franek's performance is the best in the NCAA Eastern standings by nearly 10 seconds, and the fastest in the Big Ten Conference by almost 11 seconds. The senior was the Big Ten Champion in the event in 2008, and is the top seed in the race going into this weekend's championships.
Fritz was also outstanding in his final appearance in Happy Valley, matching his own career-best leap of 7-02.50 (2.20) in the high jump. Fritz's clearance is one of the 10 best jumps in the country this season, and currently ranks third among Big Ten competitors.
Competition at the Big Ten Championships begins on Friday afternoon, starting off with the men's decathlon at 12 p.m.