Feb. 12, 2011
SEATTLE, Wash.: February 11, 2011 - With action underway at the Flotrack Husky Classic, the Nittany Lions are off on the right foot, turning in several impressive performances, Friday at Dempsey Indoor on the campus of the University of Washington. Highlighting the effort was the performance of the men's distance medley relay, which clocked the fourth-fastest time in the NCAA this year, as well as the second-best mark in school history.
The Lion DMR foursome - comprised of Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), Aaron Nadolsky (Altoona, Pa.), Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.), and Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia) - combined to run 9:35.68 for the relay, including a 3:59.5 1600-meter anchor from Foster. The Nittany Lions finished second to Alabama on the evening, and now trail only Stanford (9:29.22), Arkansas (9:30.85), and the Crimson Tide in the NCAA standings. In the Penn State record books, the quartet stands second to only the Lions' school-record 9:32.94, set by Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio), Mike Cadau, Foster and Tim Johnson in 2009.
Individually, sophomore Brooklyne Ridder (Cincinnatti, Ohio) ran to a personal-best 16:25.97 in the women's 5,000-meters, placing seventh in her section, and 22nd overall in a loaded field. Ridder's mark is the third fastest on the Penn State top five list (since 2000), standing behind only former Nittany Lion greats Bridget Franek (15:56.76), and Cheryl Spring (16:22.30). The race is also the quickest by a Big Ten athlete in 2011. Teammate Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.) also competed - despite battling illness - finishing in 16:46.26 for 36th.
On the men's side, Chris Cipro (Harmony, Pa.) was the lone Nittany Lion men's representative, placing 77th in 14:52.94.
Action in Seattle picks back up Saturday morning, beginning at 8:00 a.m., PST.
For more on Nittany Lion track and field, log on to www.GoPSUsports.com.