May 12, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Bolstered by six athletes with conference-leading performances, along with a trio of returning individual championships, the Nittany Lion men's and women's track and field teams will look to make a statement in the conference ranks, this weekend at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships at the University of Iowa. Both Penn State squads will vie to make a splash in the team standings, as the men's team stands 19th in the latest USTFCCCA rankings - the highest of any Big Ten men's team - and the women enter the competition as the there-time defending outdoor champions.
About the Big Ten Championships -
When: Friday - Sunday, May 13-15
Where: Cretzmeyer Track (University of Iowa)
Host Website: http://www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/c-track/spec-rel/big-ten-championships-2011.html
Results: http://www.cfpitiming.com/2011_Outdoor_Season/Big_Ten_outdoor_2011/Big_Ten_outdoor_2011_champs.htm
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Leading the way in their respective disciplines in the field events are senior Karlee McQuillen (Johnstown, Pa.), who placed second in the javelin a year ago, redshirt-junior Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.), who took top honors in the men's shot put at the Big Ten Indoor Championships this year, and junior Hanif Johnson (Harrisburg, Pa.), who has several medal finishes in the triple jump to his credit. McQuillen enters the weekend as the top seed in the javelin at 169-5 (51.63), headlining what stands to be one of the Lions' more prolific events, with freshmen duo Laura Loht (McClure, Pa.) and Kaitchen Dearborn (New Milford, Pa.), who are seeded fourth and fifth in the conference respectively.
Kovacs, who leads the conference ranks in the shot put at 62-0.50 (18.91), stands to pace a strong contingent of Nittany Lions in the men's throws, along with senior Blake Eaton (Allegany, N.Y.),.), and redshirt-freshman Will Barr (Urbana, Ohio). Eaton, Kovacs, and Barr stand second, third, and seventh in the discus field, with Eaton leading the way at 186-3 (56.78). Eaton, who is the defending outdoor champion in the shot put, also stands just behind his teammate in the shot put standings, with a season-best 60-6 (18.44). On the women's side, junior Jane Swenson (Brandon, S.D.) is poised to make a dent in the women's shot put with a personal-best 52-6 (16.00) - the fourth-best throw in the conference in 2011.
Johnson leads the men's triple jump at 51-8.50 (15.76), while junior Doug Moppert (Malvern, Pa.) is also set up for a medal finish, ranking third in the men's long jump at 25-0 (7.62) going into the weekend.
A trio of Nittany Lions lead their respective events on the track, with sophomore Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) seeded first in the men's 800-meters, junior Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.) leading the women's 10,000-meters, and sophomore Evonne Britton (El Paso, Texas) standing number one in the women's 400-meter hurdles.
Loxsom holds the fourth-fastest time in Division I this season at 1:46.45, nearly two seconds faster than the rest of the conference field. The sophomore, who was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year following a win in the event a year ago, will also be joined by perennial Big Ten scorers Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio) in the event. Moving up in distance, the Lions also stand to make a splash in the 1500-meters, led by senior Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia), who already has four Big Ten individual titles to his credit.
Coming off victories in every event in the women's sprints, hurdles, and relays a year ago, the Nittany Lion women will vie for medal finishes in the event area once again, led by senior Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.), in the 100- and 200-meters. Greaves, who is now a 14-time Big Ten Champion, will be joined teammates Ije Iheoma (Holland, Pa.), Doris Anyanwu (Beltsville, Md.), and Caitlin Defusco (Schwenksville, Pa.) - all former Big Ten scoring finishers - in the sprints, along with Britton and senior Megan Duncan (North Huntingdon, Pa.) in the hurdles. Britton leads the conference at 57.69 in the 400-meter hurdles, with Duncan standing second with a season-best 58.21.
Millhouse is the top seed in the women's 10,000-meters after setting a school-record 33:31.93 in the event at the Stanford Invitational in March. Millhouse will also come back to race the 5,000-meters, where she owns a season-best 16:25.09 - the fifth-best time of the season in the conference. Fellow distance standout Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.) will also look to race to the front of the pack in the distance events, competing in the 1500- and 5000-meters. An NCAA qualifier in the mile run indoors, and Big Ten runner-up in the event, Lane enters the weekend with a season-best 4:23.07 for 1500 - the sixth-fastest mark in the conference.
Pacing the Nittany Lions in what has been one of their stronger event areas over the past several years - the 3,000-meter steeplechase - is sophomore Natalie Bower (Pleasant Unity, Pa.), who owns the second-best time among Big Ten competitors at 10:18.48. The Lions are set up to see a pair of scorers in the event, with classmate Lindsey Graybill (Macungie, Pa.) seeded sixth in 10:34.28.
Action in Iowa City begins on Friday, and runs through Sunday afternoon. For more on Nittany Lion track and field, log on to www.GoPSUsports.com.