Dec. 3, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lion Track and Field squads are just over a week out from opening the 2010-11 campaign, 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 second of a series of interviews with each event coach recapping their group's fall training, and preview the upcoming indoor and outdoor seasons.
Penn State Middle Distance Preview
Perhaps one of the most highly touted group of returners in the NCAA this year, the Penn State middle distance contingent - led by fifth-year assistant coach John Gondak - enjoyed a wealth of successes in 2010, including three All-America finishes, two school records, two Australian national records, and a silver-medal performance at the IAAF World Junior Championships. Following the outstanding strides made during the cross country season, the Nittany Lions middle distance crew primed and ready for more outstanding performances in 2011, led by senior All-Americans Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia), Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), and Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.), and sophomore sensation Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.).
The Nittany Lions have certainly gotten base mileage under their belts this fall, with Foster and Dawson both running in the top seven on the Penn State squad that recently finished 30th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Foster just missed all-region honors, finishing 26th at the Mid-Atlantic Championships, while Dawson was the Lion's third man at the NCAA meet.
With the experience of senior Elizabeth Kearins (Doylestown, Pa.) and sophomore Colleen Shannon (Andover, Mass.), the Nittany Lions are also poised for outstanding results on the women's side, adding star recruits Bekka Simko (Mentor, Ohio), Kalyn Fisher (Lewisburg, Pa.), and Marta Klebe (Chesterbrook, Pa.) to the mix.
The 2010 indoor campaign was one for the records books for the Nittany Lions, paced by Foster, who set Penn State records in the 800 (1:47.48) and 1000-meters (2:19.60) during the month of January alone. Both performances were also considered Australian national indoor records, while his 1000-meter effort was the second-fastest ever run by a collegiate and the best in the world in 2010. Loxsom also got in on the record-setting action, clocking a blistering 1:16.92 for 600-meters - the best-ever performance by a junior athlete (19-and-under). Foster, who was also the Big Ten Indoor 800 Champion in 2010, would go on to lower his half-mile PR to 1:47.32, while Dawson and Loxsom would also go sub-1:48 at 1:47.77, and 1:47.98. The trio, along with Williams, who clocked a PR 1:48.53 during the year, would advance to the NCAA Indoor Championships, bringing home a three All-America finishes, with Foster in third, Dawson in eighth, and Williams in 11th.
Elizabeth Kearins |
The triumphs continued outdoors, with Loxsom taking the Big Ten 800 crown - making it four-straight conference victories in the event - and five of the last six - by the Nittany Lions. Foster and Dawson would also prove to be a threat in the 1500-meters, with Foster clocking 3:41.26 - the third-best performance in school history and a top 10 time in the NCAA in 2010 - and Dawson going 3:45.42 - both in their first attempt at the distance. The quartet would also clock 7:17.02 in the 4x800-meter relay at Penn Relays - the fourth-fastest effort in school history - and set a new meet and stadium record in the event at Florida Relays at 7:18.72.
Following a victory at the USATF Junior Championships, Loxsom made splash on the world's stage, taking silver-medal honors in the 800 with a scorching PR 1:46.57 - the second-fastest time ever run by a Nittany Lion. Not only did Loxsom make a name for himself in the Penn State record books, but also became the first American to earn a medal in a distance event (800 and up) since the junior meet began in 1986.
The Nittany Lion men will also be joined by standout 400/800 recruits Steve Morrone (Sewell, N.J.) and Bernard Bennett-Green (Elkins Park, Pa.) in 2011, along with returners Mark Fuller (Camp Hill, Pa.) and J.C. Rizzo (Devon, Pa.).
With the addition of Simko and Fisher - who come to Happy Valley with 800 PRs of 2:09.04, and 2:10.62, respectively, to go along with multiple state titles on their resumes - the Nittany Lions are also set to make an impact in the women's middle distances, with last year's top 800 runner - Kearins - returning to the roster in 2011. Kearins made impressive strides in 2010, covering the 800-meter leg on the Lions' fourth-place distance medley relay - which clocked a season-best and NCAA provisional-qualifying 11:26.40 - at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. Kearins also impressed individually, just missing the Big Ten final in the indoor 800, finishing 11th overall. Klebe and Shannon will add depth to a young, but talented women's mid-distance stable.
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.