Feb. 22, 2011
Big Ten Women's Championship Central at Purdue
Big Ten Men's Championship Central at Illinois
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lion track and field program will split its men's and women's squads this weekend, traveling to the Big Ten Men's Indoor Championships at the University of Illinois, and the Big Ten Women's Indoor Championships at Purdue University. The Nittany Lion men are currently ranked 10th in the country according to the latest United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) rankings, while the Penn State women are the defending Big Ten Indoor Champions, after capturing last year's Big Ten "Triple Crown" with wins in cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field. Competition is slated for Saturday and Sunday, February 26-27.
This video clip is the first in a series of four "Big Ten Moments," in which selected men's and women's team members will recall their most memorable moment from throughout their careers. Today's video features senior thrower Blake Eaton (Allegeny, N.Y.), and sophomore sprint standout Doris Anyanwu (Beltsville, Md.). Both will represent the Nittany Lions in conference competition this weekend. Log on to www.GoPSUsports.com throughout the week for more "Big Ten Moments" from Nittany Lion track and field.
Eaton is a two-time NCAA All-American and senior team captain, who took top honors in the men's shot put at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships last spring, propelling him to an outstanding finish to his junior campaign, in which he would finish third in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Eaton currently stands ninth in the NCAA with a career-indoor best throw of 62-1.25 (18.93), which is also the fourth-best effort in the Nittany Lion record books. Eaton, who is ranked third going into the Big Ten meet, owns a personal-best effort 64-2.50 (19.57), which was the third-best mark in Division I last year, and one of the top throws in the United States.
Anyanwu stepped right into the Nittany Lion line-up as a freshman in 2010, recording scoring performances in the 200- and 400-meters in her first-career conference appearance at the 2010 Big Ten Indoor Championships. After placing fifth in both individual events - with PRs of 23.98, and 54.25 - Anyanwu would come back to run a leg of the winning 4x400-meter relay, which set a meet record 3:35.38. The then freshman was just as successful outdoors, turning in a fifth-place finish in the 400, and running on the first-place 4x400 at the conference meet. Nationally, Anyanwu earned her first NCAA All-America finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, running the third leg of the Nittany Lions' fourth-place relay, which ran 3:30.74 - the third-fastest combination in school history.