March 1, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With the NCAA Indoor Championships looming on the horizon, the Nittany Lion track and field teams will take one final try at qualifying this weekend, competing at "Last Chance" meets at Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, and at the New York Armory. Both the Penn State men's and women's teams are coming off solid performances at the Big Ten Indoor Championships last weekend, led by gold-medal victories by Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.) in the 5,000-meters, and Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.) in the mile, as well as the quartet of Wade Endress (Altoona, Pa.), Aaron Nadolsky (Altoona, Pa.), Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) and Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.) in the men's distance medley relays.
The Lions will travel to three separate venues across the country, including the Alex Wilson Invitational at Notre Dame, which has traditional seen some of the nation's best performances in the DMR on a yearly basis. The Nittany Lions have also had caught some luck of the Irish in the 4x400-meter relay at Alex Wilson, as the men set a school-record 3:07.27 at the meet last year. Both Penn State mile relays will give it a go in South Bend this weekend, featuring Big Ten 4x400 silver medalists Brandon Bennett-Green (Elkins Park, Pa.), Nadolsky, Loxsom, and Brady Gehret (Altoona, Pa.) on the men's side, as well as Dynasty McGee (Ypsilanti, Mich.), Magahony Jones (Cleveland, Ohio), Kirsten Nieuwendam (Parimaribo, Suriname) and Ije Iheoma (Holland, Pa.), who also combined for a second-place finish at the conference meet.
More of the Nittany Lion distance contingent, including Lane, Millhouse, and 800-meter standout Bekka Simko (Mentor, Ohio) will travel to the historic New York Armory for the Columbia Last Chance, which is scheduled to include standout endurance athletes from Georgetown, Syracuse, and Villanova. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions will send their field event athletes to Virginia Tech, led by shot putter Logan Caldwell (Ebensburg, Pa.), who currently ranks in the NCAA Top 20 in the event, while weight-throw star Melissa Kurzdorfer (Lancaster, N.Y.), who recently placed eighth at the conference meet.
About the Alex Wilson Invitational ...
When: March 2-3, 2012
Where: Loftus Sports Center (South Bend, Ind.)
Heat Sheets/Results: http://www.und.com/sports/c-track/spec-rel/030112aaa.html
Live Coverage: http: http://www.flotrack.org/article/11067-DMR-Lists-Released-for-Alex-Wilson-Invite-live-on-Friday
About the VT Last Chance Qualifier ...
When: March 3, 2012
Where: Rector Field House (Blacksburg, Va.)
Heat Sheets/Results: http://www.flashresults.com/
About the Columbia Last Chance ...
When: March 2-3, 2012
Where: Armory Track and Field Center (New York, N.Y.)
Heat Sheets/Results: http://www.armorytrack.com/Meet/72/Columbia-Last-Chance-Meet
Follow the Nittany Lions ...
On Twitter: @PennStTFXC
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/pennstatecrosscountryandtrackandfield
Final accepted entries for the NCAA Indoor Championships - slated for March 9-10 at Boise State University - will be announced on Monday, March 5.
For more on Nittany Lion track and field, log on to www.GoPSUsports.com.