Jan. 25, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: January 25, 2012 - In one of most hotly-contested competitions of the indoor season, the Nittany Lion track and field program will play host to the Penn State National, this Friday and Saturday at Ashenfelter III Indoor Track. Penn State will also pay homage to its program history over the weekend, putting on a "banner recognition" ceremony on Saturday afternoon. The ceremony will recognize all men's NCAA top-four finishing teams, spanning all the way from 1922-1980.
About the Penn State National …
When: Friday (5:45 p.m., start); Saturday (10:00 a.m., start)
Where: Ashenfelter III Indoor Track
Live Results:
Meet Coverage: www.flotrack.org
Follow Penn State Track and Field …
On Twitter: @PennStTFXC
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/ pennstatecrosscountryandtracka ndfield
Competing Teams …
American International
Binghamton
Bowie State
Bucknell
Cal St. Los Angeles
Central Michigan
Charlotte
Connecticut
Coppin State
Duke
Duquesne
East Carolina
Franklin & Marshall
Georgetown
Hampton
Howard
I U P
Johns Hopkins
Johnson C. Smith
Kutztown
Lock Haven
Mount St. Mary's
N.C. A&T
Norfolk State
Ohio State
Penn
Penn State
Pittsburgh
Shippensburg
St. Augustine's
St. Francis (Pa.)
St. Joseph's (Pa.)
Syracuse
Temple
U M B C
VCU
Villanova
Virginia
Virginia State
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wright State
The Penn State National at a glance …
The meet schedule will feature outstanding competitions across the board, including several races in the middle distance and distance events that are shaping up to produce some fast times and exciting races. In fact, the Penn State National crowd has been treated to a sub-4:00 mile in each of the last five years, including a trio of athletes under the barrier a year ago. This year's mile competitors are scheduled to include Ohio State's Cory Leslie, former Buckeye and Saucony athlete Jeff See, and former Nittany Lion Ryan Foster - all three of whom dipped under 4:00 in 2011.
Also looking to build on the momentum of their last competition are senior Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.), junior Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) and freshman Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.), who each set school records at the Nittany Lion Challenge earlier this month. Creese was wildly impressive in his first individual appearance as a Nittany Lion, setting a college record in the 1000 meters at 2:19.53. Meanwhile, Lane reset her own school mark in the 1000 at 2:44.24, and Loxsom claimed the PSU standard in the 600 at 1:16.66.
The Nittany Lions will have their work cut out for them on the weekend, however, with Georgetown - 2011 NCAA Women's Cross Country Champions - as well as fellow Big East foes Villanova, and Connecticut, ACC competitor Virginia, and the always talented Wisconsin Badgers, all set to run full steam in the middle distance and distance events. On the men's side, the Lions will contend with distance powers Villanova, Georgetown, and Virginia, as well as Big Ten rival Ohio State.
The sprints and hurdles will be equally as outstanding featuring Nittany Lions Mahagony Jones (Cleveland, Ohio), and Kirsten Nieuwendam (Parimaribo, Suriname), who have both enjoyed stellar starts to the 2012 campaign. On the men's side, the quartet of Aaron Nadolsky (Altoona, Pa.), Loxsom, Brady Gehret (Altoona, Pa.), and Matt Gilmore (Elkins Park, Pa.) combined to run 3:07.72 at the Nittany Lion Challenge, which stands as the second-fastest time in school history, as well as the third-best performance in the NCAA this season.
The Nittany Lions have also been impressive in the field events to kick off the indoor season, with redshirt-junior Hanif Johnson (Harrisburg, Pa.) and redshirt-sophomore Will Barr (Urbana, Ohio) turning in victories in their first two competitions of the season, with Johnson winning two-straight in the triple jump, and Barr remaining undefeated in the 35-lb weight throw. Also coming to the weekend with a pair of wins under her belt is Jane Swenson (Brandon, S.D.), who has claimed two-straight consecutive victories in the shot put.
Action kicks off at 5:45 p.m., on Friday, followed by a 10:00 a.m., start on Saturday morning. The event's elite "invitational" sections will begin at 2:30 p.m., on Saturday afternoon.
For more on Nittany Lion Track and Field, log on to www.GoPSUsports.com.