March 30, 2011
Meet Notes
Pepsi Florida Relays Information at GatorZone.com
Liberty Collegiate Invitational Information at LibertyFlames.com
Florida Relays Coverage at Flotrack.org
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Following outstanding performances from a quintet of distance runners at last weekend's Stanford Invitational, the rest of the Nittany Lion track and field squads will get the chance to kick off their outdoor seasons this weekend, at the Pepsi Florida Relays on the campus of the University of Florida. Including many of the top collegiate athletes from around the country, along with some of the world's most outstanding professionals, this year's Florida Relays looks to produce some of the top marks in the country this season. The Florida Relays are slated to begin on Friday, April 1, and conclude on Saturday, April 2, at Percy Beard Track in Gainesville, Fla.
Coming off an 11th-place effort at the NCAA Indoor Championships, the Nittany Lion men's squad is poised for more success during the outdoor season, paced by All-Americans Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia), and Brady Gehret (Altoona, Pa.), along with Penn State's 4x400-meter relay, that placed fifth at the NCAA Indoor Championships with members Aaron Nadolsky (Altoona, Pa.), Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.), Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.), and Gehret.
Foster is the only Nittany Lion on the men's side with an outdoor race under his belt, having run 3:45.56 for 1,500-meters at Stanford, the fourth-fastest time in the country this year. Foster will go down in distance this weekend in the 800-meters, along with fellow half miler Loxsom. Loxsom - just a sophomore - has already proved to be one to watch nationally, and internationally, running a personal-best 1:46.57 in the 800, to take second in the event at the IAAF World Junior Championships last summer.
Gehret had a breakout freshman campaign, lowering the Penn State 400-meter record to 46.22 in a third-place effort at the NCAA Championships. Gehret also anchored the school-record relay at the Alex Wilson Last Chance at Notre Dame during the indoor season, breaking the tape at 3:07.27.
Also returning after NCAA Indoor appearances is senior Blake Eaton (Allegeny, N.Y.) and redshirt-junior Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.). Both veterans have outstanding conference and national credentials, with Eaton winning the conference shot put title at the 2010 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, and Kovacs following up with a victory in the event this past indoor season. Eaton, who placed third in the NCAA shot in 2010, owns a personal-best throw of 64-2.50 (19.57), the second-best outdoor effort of any 2011 returner. Meanwhile, Kovacs recorded a PR toss of 65-1.25 (19.84) during the indoor season, which stands third among collegiates in 2011.
The Nittany Lions will also field an experienced and decorated travel squad on the women's side, including eight-time NCAA All-American Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.), along with fellow sprint standouts Doris Anyanwu (Beltsville, Md.), Ijeoma Iheoma (Holland, Pa.), and Megan Duncan (North Huntingdon, Pa.). The quartet combined to finish sixth in the 4x400 at the recent NCAA Indoor Championships, marking Penn State's fourth All-America finish in the event at the national indoor meet in the last five years.
Duncan, and teammate Evonne Britton (El Paso, Texas) will also get a chance to open up in one of the Lion's strongest outdoor events - the 400-meter hurdles. Britton, who was the USATF Junior Champion in the event, came on strong through the summer, placing second in the quarter hurdles at the IAAF World Junior Championships with a personal-best 57.32 - the third-fastest time in Penn State history. Duncan also excelled in the event last spring, running 57.55 to finish second in the Big Ten.
Also opening up her 2011 campaign in her signature event will be senior Karlee McQuillen (Johnstown, Pa.). McQuillen - the Big Ten runner up in 2010 - placed third in the NCAA javelin a year ago, thanks to a throw of 171-2 (51.72) - the fourth-best toss among returners. The senior will also be joined by a talented crew of freshman in Laura Loht (McClure, Pa.) and Kaitchen Dearborn (New Milford, Pa.) - two of the top javelin throwers in the Pennsylvania high school ranks last year.
The Nittany Lion women have already made their mark on Nittany Lion history in 2011, with junior Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.) bettering the Penn State record in the 10,000-meters at Stanford, going 33:31.93 - shaving nearly 30 seconds off the previous school record. With Millhouse and several other members of the Nittany Lion long distance contingent taking the weekend off after outstanding races at Stanford, Penn State will focus on the middle distances in Florida, including senior Maura Ryan (Doylestown, Pa.) in the 1500. Ryan ran a team-best 2:08.75 for the 800 during the indoor season, and will be making her first-career appearance in the 1500.
Penn State will also travel a small contingent of athletes to the Liberty Collegiate Invitational in Lynchburg, Va., including junior decathlete Anya Uzoh (Laurel, Md.), who will make his first appearance of the season in the two-day, 10-event competition. The Nittany Lions will also send their talented pole vault squad to Lynchburg, headlined by 2010 NCAA Outdoor qualifier Jocelyn Witmer (Lancaster, Pa.).
For more on Nittany Lion track and field as well as results, videos, interviews, and recap throughout the Florida Relays and Liberty Collegiate Invitational, log on to www.GoPSUsports.com.