March 9, 2011
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Just two weeks removed from the Big Ten Indoor Championships, the Nittany Lion track and field team will look to fire on all cylinders once again this weekend, traveling to the NCAA Indoor Championships at McFerrin Indoor Facility on the campus of Texas A&M University. A talented squad across all event areas, the Nittany Lions will send a contingent of eight men, and six women, with many athletes poised for All-America finishes. The Nittany Lions boast a trio of 2010 NCAA bronze medalists, ready to compete again in 2011, including senior shot putter Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.), senior middle distance standout Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia), and senior sprint sensation Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.). All three athletes have enjoyed successful senior campaigns thus far, with all three Nittany Lions taking home Big Ten individual titles in their respective events. The Nittany Lions will field an experienced contingent, with 11 of the 14 Penn State athletes having at least one NCAA appearance on their resume.
About the Meet || NCAA Indoor Championships
When: March 11-12, 2011
Where: McFerrin Indoor Facility (College Station, Texas)
NCAA Women's Championship Central
NCAA Men's Championship Central
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Among the Nittany Lion competitors will also be senior Blake Eaton (Allegany, N.Y.), who will join classmate Kovacs in the men's shot put competition. The duo impressed a year ago, with Kovacs finishing third and Eaton posting an eighth-place effort in the event at the indoor championships in 2010. Eaton would follow up with another outstanding effort, placing third in the shot at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The senior pair currently own PRs of 65-1.25 (19.84) for Kovacs, and 62-1.25 (18.93) for Eaton, which both rank in the national top 10.
Casmir Loxsom |
Foster also boasts a wealth of NCAA experience, entering the weekend with a pair of All-America finishes to his credit. The senior will run the mile in College Station, having clocked a school-record 3:58.49 in the event in January.
Also back to the NCAA meet with some outstanding credentials is sophomore Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.). Loxsom is no stranger to high level competition, qualifying for both NCAA meets as a freshman, and continuing on to the IAAF World Junior Championships, where he finished second in the 800-meters - the highest-ever finish by an American junior (19 and under) in a distance event. Loxsom owns the sixth-fastest time in the country in his signature event at 1:47.36, while the sophomore has also been a key cog on the Lions' outstanding 4x400-meter relay.
Loxsom, along with senior Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.), redshirt freshman Aaron Nadolsky (Altoona, Pa.), and true freshman Brady Gehret (Altoona, Pa.) will also compete in the relay event, coming off a school-record 3:07.27 - the ninth-fastest time in the country - at the Alex Wilson Last Chance at Notre Dame. Gehret, who has already torn through the Penn State record books as a rookie, is also slated to compete individually, after qualifying for the 400-meters with a school-record run of 46.25. Gehret's PR is the 12th-best effort in the country this year.
On the women's side, Greaves will vie for her eighth-career All-America certificate, coming off a trio of top-eight finishes in 2010. Greaves, who will compete in the 200-meter individually, is also the lead Nittany Lion on the eighth-ranked women's 4x400, including teammates Doris Anyanwu (Beltsville, Md.), Ije Iheoma (Holland, Pa.), and Megan Duncan (North Huntingdon, Pa.).
Junior Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.) will round out the women's lineup, competing in the mile run. Lane has had a breakout 2011 campaign, finishing second in the mile at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, and mounting an outstanding sprint finish to win the event at the Alex Wilson Last Chance. Lane's PR 4:38.37 at Notre Dame is the 10th-fastest mark in Division I this year, and stands second in school history.
Action gets underway on Friday morning in College Station. For more on Penn State track and field, log on to www.GoPSUsports.com.