UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: December 10, 2010 - The Nittany Lion Track and Field squads are set to open the 2010-11 campaign this weekend, with the annual Blue-White Intrasquad Meet on Saturday, Dec. 11. Last year, the Penn State program engineered outstanding indoor and outdoor efforts, highlighted by Top 25 standings from both the men's and women's squads at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, including a fourth-place "Trophy Team" finish by the women's squad outdoors. All told, the Nittany Lions collected 22 NCAA All-America finishes, 12 individual Big Ten titles, three relay conference wins, and seven Penn State records in 2010, and are poised for even more successes in 2011.
This release is the fifth in a series of interviews with each event coach recapping their group's fall training, and preview the upcoming indoor and outdoor seasons. The men's and women's distance preview will follow the Blue/White Meet.
Penn State Sprints, Hurdles and Relays
With five NCAA qualifiers returning from last year's roster and the addition of several heavily-touted recruits, Associate Head Coach Chris Johnson's sprints, hurdles and relays contingent looks ready to make a run at the medal stand at both the Big Ten and NCAA levels. Paced by senior speedster Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.), the women's sprints stable includes classmates and fellow NCAA qualifiers Caitlin Defusco (Schwenksville, Pa.) and Megan Duncan (North Huntingdon, Pa.), along with sophomores Doris Anyanwu (Beltsville, Md.) - an All-America finisher in the 4x400-meter relay - and Evonne Britton (El Paso, Texas) - the IAAF World Junior silver medalist in the 400-meter hurdles. The Nittany Lions also stand to make a statement on the men's side, led by freshman Brady Gehret (Altoona, Pa.) - one of the most highly decorated sprinters in the prep ranks over his high-school career - and sophomores Collin Manning (Bowie, Md.), Emunael Mpanduki (Harare, Zimbabwe), and Aaron Nadolsky (Altoona, Pa.)
Greaves, who led the world standings at 200-meters last indoor season at 22.98, has dominated Big Ten competition over the past two years, winning the 60-meters and 200 indoors, and following up with conference titles in the 100-meters and 200 outside, during both her sophomore and junior campaigns. A year ago, Greaves impressed on the national stage, taking bronze-medal honors in the 200 at the NCAA Indoor Championships. All told, Greaves owns 12 Big Ten golds, seven All-America finishes and three Penn State records. DeFusco and Duncan also hit their stride as juniors, with DeFusco qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 200, to go along with a third-place finish in the Big Ten in the event, while Duncan posted a runner-up effort in the 400 hurdles at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, and recorded appearances at both the NCAA and USATF Outdoor Championships.
Both Anyanwu and Britton mounted outstanding freshman campaigns, with Anyanwu running legs of Penn State NCAA-qualifying 4x400 during both the indoor and outdoor seasons, and Britton qualifying for the NCAA meet in the 400 hurdles. Britton would also go on to win a USATF Junior title in the event, and take silver-medal honors in the 100-meter hurdles. On the world level, Britton claimed second place in the 400 hurdles, and sixth in the 100 hurdles at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Moncton, Canada.
Gone are sprint stars Fawn Dorr and Aleesha Barber, however, Johnson has added significant depth to his sprints roster with a talented host of newcomers, including freshman and World Junior qualifier Kirsten Nieuwendam (Parimaribo, Surinam), Maryland high-school standout Katie Wolf (Potomac, Md.), and junior-transfer Ije Iheoma (Holland, Pa.). Also back in 2011 will be redshirt-freshman Mahagony Jones (Cleveland, Ohio), who is set to compete with a year of college training under her belt.
On the men's side, Gehret stands to make an immediate impact among conference competition, boasting personal bests of 21.12 in the 200, and 46.39 for 400-meters - both run during his senior outdoor campaign. Gehret was equally as impressive indoors, running U.S. leaders at both 200- and 300-meters with personal bests of 21.22, and 33.51. Gehret's 300 mark, which is the sixth-fastest ever run in the high school ranks, was good for top honors against a stacked prep field at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the New York Armory.
Gehret will join Manning, who clocked a personal-best 10.64 for the 100-meters as a freshman - just missing the Big Ten final in the event, as well as former high school teammate Nadolsky, who ran 10.89 in the 100, and 21.86 in the 200 as a prep. The men's sprints contingent is also set to include senior Jonathan Kowal (Ambridge, Pa.), and junior Jacob Librizzi (Pa. Furnace, Pa.) in the hurdles, as well as underclassman Evan McCready (Wyomissing, Pa.), and Evan Ulatowski (Chadd's Ford, Pa.).
The Blue-White Meet is scheduled for Saturday, December 11, beginning at 2 p.m. The Nittany Lions are also set to host a USATF Officials' Clinic in conjunction with the event. To sign up, or for more information on the clinic, contact Director of Track and Field Operations Jess Riden at jnr126@psu.edu.