Feb. 25, 2011
Big Ten Women's Championship Central at Purdue
Big Ten Men's Championship Central at Illinois
Big Ten Season Performance List
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind./CHAMPAIGN, Ill.: February 25, 2011 - The Nittany Lion track and field squads will look to hit their indoor peak this weekend, competing at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, set for Saturday and Sunday. The Lions will have several defending Big Ten indoor titlists in the mix, including seniors Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.), and Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia), and the women's 4x400-meter relay with returning members sophomore Doris Anyanwu (Beltsville, Md.), Greaves, and senior Caitlin Defusco (Schwenksville, Pa.).
Big Ten Women's Indoor Championships -
Where: Lambert Fieldhouse (Purdue University)
When: February 26-27, 2011
Big Ten Men's Indoor Championships -
Where: The Armory (University of Illinois)
When: February 26-27, 2011
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The Nittany Lions have fired all cylinders thus far in 2011, including NCAA automatic-qualifying performances from Greaves in the 200-meters (23.18), Foster in the mile run (3:58.49) and sophomore Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) in the 800-meters (1:47.36). Greaves is the top seed in the conference in both the 60-meters and 200, and stands to make conference history should she capture titles in both events.
The senior is the two-time defending conference champion in both short sprints, and could become the first female to win three-straight Big Ten titles in the events, after winning achieving double victories in both 2009 and 2010. The Nittany Lions have been the team to beat on the women's side over the past handful of years, winning the indoor conference title in the 4x400 for the last five seasons. Also seeded for success in the sprints is sophomore Evonne Britton (El Paso, Texas), who has run 8.22 for the 60-meter hurdles - the fourth-fastest time in the Big Ten this year, and a top 15 mark in the country.
Seniors Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) and Blake Eaton (Allegany, N.Y.) stand to pace the men's squad in the field events, as both have outstanding conference credentials on their resumes. Kovacs took silver-medal honors in the shot put at last year's indoor championships, while Eaton followed up with a conference victory in the event at the Big Ten outdoor meet, becoming the first Nittany Lion to win the event on the men's side since Penn State joined the conference. The senior duo is also well in position for impact this season, with Kovacs entering the weekend with the second-best performance in the Big Ten at 62-10.50 (19.16), and Eaton in third at 62-1.25 (18.93). The marks also stand among the 10 best in Division I this year, proving the outstanding depth of the Big Ten Conference in the throwing events.
The women are also in solid position in the field events, with senior Bianca Fung (North Babylon, N.Y.) leading the standings in the long jump with a season-best 20-2.25 (6.15). On the men's side, the Nittany Lions have a pair of athletes in medal position, including junior Doug Moppert (Malvern, Pa.), who is seeded third in the long jump at 24-5.75 (7.46) and redshirt sophomore Hanif Johnson (Harrisburg, Pa.), who ranks third in the triple jump going in at 51-5.50 (15.68).
Action begins with the women's pentathlon at 9:00 a.m., ET, in West Lafayette, Ind., while the men's heptathlon competition will kick off at 10:00 a.m., CT.