July 24, 2010
IAAF Meet Central | Athlete Interviews at FloTrack.org
MONCTON, Canada - Running in her fifth and final race at the IAAF World Championships, Nittany Lion Evonne Britton (El Paso, Texas)made her final appearance at Moncton 2010 Stadium a memorable one, claiming bronze-medal honors in the 400-meter hurdles on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, Penn State and United States teammate Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) continued to impress against the international field, posting his second-career sub-1:47 effort to advance to Sunday's final of the 800-meter run.
"Congratulations go to Evonne Britton, what a great cap to a tremendous freshman year." said Director and Head Coach of Penn State Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan. "Credit goes to (Associate Head Coach) Chris Johnson for having her prepared both mentally and physically to run this late into the year after running a full collegiate season. It's exciting to have Penn State represented, and enjoy such success on the world level. I look forward to Cas Loxsom in the final tomorrow. He's put in a lot of hard work to get to the final, and it will certainly be an exciting race."
Running out of lane eight, Britton more than help her own against the world's best, leading the field over seven hurdles and holding on to finish in a personal-best 57.32, just off Russia's Vera Rudakova, who clocked 57.16. Katsiaryna Artsiukh of Belarus took top honors, breaking the tape in 56.16 - the best time by a junior athlete in 2010. Fellow American Christana Holland of Baylor placed eighth overall in the event. Counting today's third-place effort, Britton now has a pair of impressive IAAF finishes on her resume, along with her sixth-place standing in the 100-meter hurdle final on Thursday night.
"From the start, I knew that I had to control the pace. Lane 8 is hard, so I just had to hold my ground," said the rising Nittany Lion sophomore, who was one of the just four freshman to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400 hurdles this spring. "It's on the outside, so you have to run out further. It's pretty hard to judge the other people's races. You're being chased, instead of being the chaser. Yes, I'm very pleased. It's always good to post a PB. It's my goal in every race - to try and get better and better."
Britton's performance also carries a lot of weight in the Penn State archives, as she now stands third all-time, trailing only recently departed seniors Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.) at 55.57, and Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Ga.) at 57.00.
Loxsom was also outstanding on Saturday, clocking a sizzling 1:46.91 - the second-fastest effort of his career - to take the top spot in his semi-final section by bettering the field by well over a second, and cruise onto Sunday's final round. Loxsom's performance was not only the fastest of the day, but also the quickest clocking of the meet thus far. The New Haven, Conn., native's PR of 1:46.74 - which ranks third in the PSU record books - is already the ninth-fastest effort ever run by an American junior, and is also tied for the second-fastest seed mark in the world junior field.
"I sat and waited for my opportunity and I took it," said Loxsom of his race plan. "It's a good field so I need to do the same thing in the finals run hard and keep them close."
Competition in Moncton wraps up on Sunday, with Loxsom's race set for 1:55 p.m., EDT. For results and a full recap of the day's event, visit www.GoPSUsports.com.