March 4, 2011
Notre Dame Entry List | Notre Dame Heat Sheets | Virginia Tech Meet Info
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: March 3, 2011 - Just over a week out from the start of the NCAA Indoor Championships, members of the Nittany Lion track and field squads will get one last opportunity to advance to College Station, competing at Last Chance events at Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. The Nittany Lions are coming off outstanding showings at the Big Ten Indoor Championships last weekend, where the Penn State women claimed runner-up honors, and the men's squad turned in a sixth-place finish.
The NCAA accepts a minimum 14 athletes per individual event, and 10 teams per relay, for the championships. Several Nittany Lions are on the bubble for qualification, and will make a run at improving their performance over the weekend. Among those competing will be women's distance standout Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.), who placed second in the mile run at the conference meet last weekend. The women's 4x400-meter relay will also give it one last try, in an attempt to hold on to its fifth-place position in the national standings. The squad of Doris Anyanwu (Beltsville, Md.), Ije Iheoma (Holland, Pa.), Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.), and Megan Duncan (North Huntingdon, Pa.) enjoyed an outstanding effort at the Big Ten meet, claiming top honors in the 4x400, making it six in-a-row for the Nittany Lions in the event.
The Nittany Lion men will also give it a run in the relays, fielding talented quartets in both the men's 4x400 and distance medley relays. The squads are set to include the likes of NCAA automatic-qualifier Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.), and freshman sensation Brady Gehret (Altoona, Pa.). The men's DMR currently sits 10th in the country at 9:35.68, while the 4x400 is also on the bubble with a season-best 3:09.08, which ranks in the national top 20.
Penn State will send its field event athletes to Virginia Tech, including horizontal jumpers Bianca Fung (North Babylon, N.Y.), Doug Moppert (Malvern, Pa.), and Hanif Johnson (Harrisburg, Pa.), as well as high jumper Bryson Hartzler (Belleville, Pa.), all of whom sit just shy of NCAA qualifying position. Sophomore Evonne Britton (El Paso, Texas) will also make the trip to Tech, attempting to improve on her national standing and PR 8.22 in the 60-meter hurdles.
About the Alex Wilson Invitational (Notre Dame)...
Where: South Bend, Ind. (Loftus Sports Center)
When: Friday and Saturday, March 4-5
Results: www.DeltaTiming.com
About the Virginia Tech Final Qualifier...
Where: Blacksburg, Va. (Rector Field House)
When: Saturday, March 5
Results: www.FlashResults.com
For more on Nittany Lion track and field, log on to http://www.GoPSUsports.com.