Dec. 8, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lion track and field squads will kick off the indoor season this Saturday, hosting the Blue/White Instrasquad Meet, at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track. Penn State returns a wealth of experience from the 2011 campaign, with a total of five NCAA All-Americans on the indoor roster, including sophomore sprint standouts Brady Gehret (Altoona, Pa.) and Aaron Nadolsky (Altoona, Pa.) and middle-distance sensation junior Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) on the men's side, as well as decorated women's team members senior Ije Iheoma (Holland, Pa.) and junior Doris Anyanwu (Beltsville, Md.).
About the Blue/White Meet:
When: Saturday, December 10 (2:00 p.m.) Where: Ashenfelter III Indoor Track
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Gehret, Nadolsky, and Loxsom were all members of the Nittany Lions' fifth-place 4x400-meter relay at last year's NCAA Indoor Championships, while also combining to run a school-record 3:07.27 in the event during the 2011 campaign. Gehret was just as impressive individually at NCAAs a year a, claiming bronze-medal honors in the 400-meters as a true freshman. The Altoona, Pa., native would also claim the school record in the open 400, running 46.22. Loxsom would impress throughout 2011, speeding to a school-record 1:45.28 during the outdoor season. Loxsom placed fourth in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The Nittany Lions are equally as stacked in the sprints on the women's side, led by multiple-time All-Americans Iheoma and Anyanwu. The duo also made up half of the Nittany Lions' winning 4x400 at the Big Ten Indoor Championships - Penn State's sixth-straight victory in the event. Keeping up with Penn State's outstanding hurdling tradition is junior Evonne Britton (El Paso, Texas). Britton clocked 8.22 in the 60-meter hurdles last indoor season, which is tied for the second-best performance in Penn State history. As a sophomore, Britton also went on to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in both the 100- and 400-meter hurdles, earning ninth overall in the 100s. Returners Mahagony Jones (Cleveland, Ohio) and Kirsten Nieuwendam (Parimaribo, Suriname) will also play a factor in the sprints, along with prize recruits Dynasty McGee (Ypsilanti, Mich.) and Shelley Black (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.).
If the recently concluded cross country season is any indication, the Nittany Lion distance contingent is poised for an outstanding 2012, led by seniors Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.) and Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.). Millhouse won the individual title in the 10,000-meters at last year's Big Ten Outdoor Championships, while also going on to qualify for the NCAA and USATF Outdoor Championships. Lane has been on fire since last indoor season, when she placed second in the mile at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, and 14th in the event at NCAAs. This fall, Lane took top honors at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships, and turned in a 16th-place finish at the NCAA Championships - good for her first-career All-America certificate.
The Nittany Lions will also be in outstanding position in the men's long distances, with NCAA cross country qualifiers Kyle Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.) and Vince McNally (Paoli, Pa.) leading the way. In the middle distances, the Nittany Lions will look to Loxsom, as well as former prep 800-meter standouts Ryan Brennan (Chester, N.Y.) and Connor Manley (Jamison, Pa.).
Penn State will also have a stellar stable of athletes in the jumps, including 2011 NCAA triple jump qualifier Hanif Johnson (Harrisburg, Pa.), who also has multiple Big Ten medal performances to his credit. Also back in 2011-12 is senior Doug Moppert (Malvern, Pa.). Moppert, who joined the Nittany Lions last January, wasted no time in making an impact, placing third in the long jump at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Junior Sean Reilly (Lagrangeville, N.Y.) is the top Nittany Lion returner in the vertical jumps, thanks to a 7-foot clearance in the high jump last spring. Reilly was also a Big Ten medalist in the event.
Senior Tanaya Lloyd (Philadephia, Pa.) and sophomore Marlene Ricketts (Westbury, N.Y.) will headline the horizontal jumps on the women's side, as Lloyd took second in the triple jump at the Big Ten Championships last spring while Ricketts represented the Lions in the event at the USATF Junior Championships. In the high jump, the Nittany Lions return NCAA First Round qualifiers Erika Morgan (Chesapeake, Va.) and Kelsey Couts (Powell, Ohio).
Senior Jane Swenson (Brandon, S.D.) is the top returner in the women's throws, having launched a PR 52-6 (16.00) in the shot put last year. The Nittany Lions also have sophomore transfer Melissa Kurzdorfer (Lancaster, N.Y.) on the roster. Kurzdorfer was an NCAA qualifier in the hammer throw while at Kent State in 2011, and has outstanding credentials in the 20-pound weight indoors, boasting a PR 63-9.50 (19.44). In the ring for the men will be veterans Will Barr (Urbana, Ohio), Nabil Mubarak (Loganville, Ga.) and Logan Caldwell (Ebensburg, Pa.).
Action at Ashenfelter Indoor Track is set to begin with the field events at 2:00 p.m., with the track events slated to go at 3:00 p.m.