Jan. 26, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- In celebration of the 2009-10 Big Ten Women's "Triple Crown" effort, and fourth-place "Trophy Team" finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, the Penn State women's track and field teams are scheduled to host a "Banner Drop" ceremony, Saturday at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track in conjunction with the Penn State National. The ceremony is slated for 2:15 p.m., just before the start of the hotly-contested "invitational" section.
Last year, the Nittany Lion women swept all three seasons of Big Ten competition, taking conference team titles in cross country, and indoor and outdoor track and field. For her efforts, Director of Track and Field and Head Coach Beth Alford-Sullivan, was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for all three seasons.
The outdoor crown was also the third-consecutive victory for the Nittany Lions. In accomplishing the feat, Penn State joined Michigan (2002-04) and Wisconsin (1983-86) as the only Big Ten teams to win three straight women's outdoor titles. The Nittany Lions' three titles are fourth-highest in the conference, having started Big Ten competition in 1992. The Nittany Lions are also the seventh squad in conference history to sweep all three titles in the academic year, joining Wisconsin, which has accomplished the feat on four occasions, and Michigan, which has swept all three titles twice, most recently in 2002-03.
At the NCAA Championships, the Nittany Lions earned its second fourth-place finish in three years, thanks to an NCAA title from Bridget Franek in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The honors continued to roll in for the Lions, as the team was recognized as the Women's Outdoor Scholar Team of the Year, announced by the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA). The distinction is given to the highest-placing program at the NCAA Championships with at least a 3.00 GPA. The Nittany Lions placed fourth in the team standings at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships - tying the program's best-ever finish - and carried a 3.0 GPA for the semester.