IOWA CITY, Iowa: May 15, 2011 - Bolstered by gold-medal performances by sophomore Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) and seniors Blake Eaton (Allegany, N.Y.), and Megan Duncan (North Huntingdon, Pa.), the Nittany Lion track and field squads enjoyed outstanding results on the final day of the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, Sunday at Cretzmeyer Track at the University of Iowa. Duncan's effort helped propel the women's squad to a second-place finish in the team standings, while Loxsom and Eaton assisted in the sixth-place finish on the men's side.
The Nittany Lion women came up just shy of it's fourth-straight Big Ten outdoor title, totaling 122 points to Ohio State's 135. The two programs significantly distanced themselves from the rest of the field, with Indiana taking third with 96, Illinois in fourth with 90, and Michigan State rounding out the top five with 74.50.
"Women's team once again responded to the demands of championship time, putting together three great days of competition to set us up to contend for a title," said Director and Head Coach of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan. "We had a shot at the title, and outscored our own expectations, but unfortunately for us, Ohio State also had an unbelievable weekend of competition. Congratulations to the Ohio State team and staff, they fired on all cylinders and made it impossible for anyone to catch them."
The men accumulated 74 points for sixth overall, just outside of a top five finish. Iowa won a barn-burner of a team competition, totaling 125.50 on the home track to better Minnesota's 123.
"I'm proud of our 74-point total and the team we put on the line today certainly deserved every point it earned," said Sullivan. "I believe this team will make the podium in the next few years but we need to close gaps and fill holes on our roster, but we have the ability to be that podium team in this conference. Congrats to Iowa and their staff as there is nothing like winning at home, especially when it all comes down to the 4x400."
Duncan led the way in the 400-meter hurdles - one of the Lions' most prolific events on the day - headlining a one-two Penn State finish along with teammate Evonne Britton (El Paso, Texas). Duncan would break the tape in a facility record and personal-best 57.35 for the race, nipping Britton, who finished in a season-best 57.41. The Nittany Lions have now won the event in three of the last five years, including victories from Aleesha Barber in 2007, Fawn Dorr in 2010 and Duncan in 2011. The silver medal was one of two podium trips for Britton on the afternoon, as the sophomore also turned in a third-place effort in a blistering 100-meter hurdle final. Britton crossed in a PR 13.23 - the second-fastest performance in the Nittany Lion record books.
Eaton would take top honors in the shot put for the second-straight year, thanks to a toss of 61-8.50 (18.81). Rounding out yet another one-two effort for the Nittany Lions was redshirt-junior and indoor Big Ten Champion Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.), who finished just 10 centimeters behind his teammate at 61-4.75 (18.71) for second.
"What an outstanding final day for our men, and our seniors within the program," said Sullivan on the men's efforts. "The one-two punch from our shot putters provided a lot of momentum for us throughout the finals today. Big Ten Champions Cas Loxsom and Blake Eaton helped set a tone for this team to fight for every point."
Loxsom would also record his second-consecutive Big Ten outdoor title, powering away from the 800-meter field in the final 400-meters, finishing in 1:47.70 to better the competition by almost a full second. Senior Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio) also turned in an scoring finish in the event, going 1:49.06 for fourth in a season-best effort. The Lions have been remarkably consistent in the event over the last several years, winning three of the last five outdoor titles, as well as the seven of the last eight conference titles including the indoor track and field season. Also running well in the distances was senior and three-time Big Ten 800 Champion Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia), who moved up in distance to the 1500-meters, where he scored a second-place finish. Foster was second-to-only Indiana's Ben Hubers, who nipped Foster at the line 3:50.13 to 3:50.15.
Also grabbing a spot on the medal stand was junior Tanaya Lloyd (Philadelphia, Pa.), who posted a second-place finish in the women's triple jump, thanks to a leap of 41-09.75 (12.74). Freshman Marlene Ricketts (Westbury, N.Y.) also got in on the scoring in the event, placing eighth overall with a jump of 40-00.50 (12.20).