June 9, 2011
DES MOINES, Iowa -
For the second-straight outdoor season, sophomore Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) has been named United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches' Assocation (USTFCCCA) Mid-Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year. Loxsom, who won his second-consecutive Big Ten outdoor title at 800-meters last month, continues to impress this outdoor season, having advanced through the semi-final round of the 800, Wednesday at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Loxsom has been sensational for all of 2011, running a personal-best 1:46.45 - the second-fastest time in PSU history - at the Jesse Owens Classic in May, which stood as the sixth-fastest performance in Division I going into the NCAA Championships. The sophomore was also a member of the Nittany Lions' school-record 4x400-meter relay, which clocked 3:07.19 at the Florida Relays in April.
Adding another school record to his resume, Loxsom covered the 400-meter carry on the Nittany Lions' winning sprint medley relay at Penn Relays, which clocked a Penn State best 3:17.10. In another outstanding effort at Penn, Loxsom anchored the Lions' second-place 4x800-meter relay. Loxsom and teammates Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.), Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio), and Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia) combined to run a blistering 7:12.90 - the second-fastest time in school history, and the seventh-best performance in collegiate history.
Loxsom and the rest of the Nittany Lion contingent are in action this week at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. For more on Nittany Lion track and field, log on to www.GoPSUsports.com.