March 5, 2011
SOUTH BEND, Ind.: March 4, 2011 - Posting the second-fastest indoor effort in school history, the Nittany Lion men's distance medley relay - including senior Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio), senior Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.), sophomore Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.), and senior Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.) posted an 11th-place finish to highlight the Penn State results, on day one of the Alex Wilson Invitational on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. The evening also featured a personal best from Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.) in the 5,000-meters.
The men's squad finished sixth in its heat, and 11th overall, in an outstanding field, which included NCAA automatic qualifiers from Minnesota (9:31.78), New Mexico (9:31.95), and Notre Dame (9:31.99). The Lions maintained their position in the lead pack throughout the race, including a 2:56.1 1200-meter readout from Borchers, followed by a 48-second 400-meter split from Williams. Loxsom brought the Lions to the front of the field, running 1:46.8 on the 800-meter leg, setting up Dawson, who ran 4:04 on the 1600-meter anchor. The team combined to run 9:35.21 - the second-fastest performance in school history, trailing only the Lions' school record 9:32.94 - set in 2009.
"Men's DMR had a tremendous effort, but it goes to show that it takes being perfect to make the national meet," said Director and Head Coach of Track and Field/Cross Country Beth Alford-Sullivan. "I'm very proud of our three seniors - and a great leg from a sophomore - on the DMR. These guys have really been key factors in our program's success over the past few years. I look forward to seeing the three of them, as well as our two other relays (men's and women's 4x400-meters) compete again tomorrow."
Individually, Millhouse ran to a personal-best 16:28.05, to finish sixth overall. Sophomore Brooklyne Ridder (Cincinnati, Ohio) followed in seventh in 16:33.23, while classmate Natalie Bower (Pleasant Unity, Pa.) finished in 17:03.27 for 10th. All three Nittany Lions proved their fitness over longer distances, having just raced at least 5,000-meters at the Big Ten Indoor Championships last weekend.
"We got great efforts out of the three ladies in the 5K and a nice `PB' for Kara," continued Sullivan. "We're definitely using this experience to show them what it's like to extend their season, and gain exposure to the mindset and physicality it takes to be a national-caliber athlete in this event area. I couldn't be more excited to see what's to come this outdoor season."
Action in South Bend picks back up on Saturday morning. For more on Nittany Lion track and field, log on to www.GoPSUsports.com.