March 31, 2012
Jim Click Shootout Final | Jim Click Shootout Final
Video Interview - Melissa Kurzdorfer
Video Interview - Joe Kovacs
Video Interview - Penn State/Ohio State Combined Men's 4x400
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TUCSON, Ariz. - The Nittany Lions got the outdoor track and season off on the right foot on Saturday, posting a bevy of outstanding results at the Jim Click Shootout at the University of Arizona. Penn State will return to Happy Valley with six event titles, including junior Lindsey Graybill (Macungie, Pa.) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, sophomore Laura Loht (McClure, Pa.) in the javelin, sophomore Melissa Kurzdorfer (Lancaster, N.Y) in the hammer, senior Anya Uzoh (Laurel, Md.) in the pole vault, senior Joe Kovacs(Nazareth, Pa.) in the shot put, and the men's 4x100-meter relay.
The competition featured "conference" event scoring with the Pac-12 duo of Arizona and California coming out on top with a total score of 460, ahead of the Big Ten contingent (Penn State and Ohio State) with 422.33. The ACC (Clemson and Miami) rounded out the scoring in third with a total of 266. The meet was also capped off with a special "combined" men's 4x400-meter relay, which saw the Big Ten squad of Aaron Nadolsky (Altoona, Pa.) and Brandon Bennett-Green(Elkins Park, Pa.) and Buckeye teammates Marvel Brooks and Antonio Blanks coming away with the victory in 3:10.69.
The Nittany Lions were outstanding in the throwing events, led by Kovacs' 62-5 (19.02) to win the shot put. Kovacs' season-best effort currently stands third in Division I. Turning in a big PR was Kurzdorfer, who took second overall in the women's hammer with a throw of 206-7 (62.97) to finish as the top collegian in the field. Kurzdorfer's toss also bears national merit, as it stand eighth in the NCAA. With the performance, Kurzdorfer now ranks second in Penn State history in the event, as just the second woman to break the 200-foot barrier, and leads the Big Ten by nearly 10 feet.
Kurzdorfer wasn't done, however, taking third in both the shot put and discus with performances of 48-2 (14.68) in the shot, and 157-2 (47.91) in the discus. Both marks are among the top 10 in the Penn State record books.
Also throwing well in her first appearance of 2012 was Loht, who launched a PR 163-7 (49.87) to take the women's javelin. Next in line was freshman Lauren Kenney (State College, Pa.) with a toss of 156-11 (47.83) for second. Freshman Melanie Leszcynski (Audobon, Pa.) and sophomore Megan Boyer(Millersburg, Pa.) also got in on the scoring in the event, placing fourth and sixth, respectively.
Also back in uniform for the outdoor season is senior Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), who posted top three finishes in both the 800- and 1500-meters. Dawson kicked to a season-best 3:46.14 to finish second in the 1500, before coming back to place third in the 800 in 1:52.17. Freshman Ryan Brennan(Chester, N.Y.) also turned in a scoring finish in the 800, finishing sixth overall in 1:52.93. The Nittany Lions also saw some solid performances in the women's 1500, including a PR 4:30.94 for freshman Abby Benson (Elma, N.Y.), who placed third overall.
Graybill's victory came via an effort of 10:52.76 in the steeplechase, with sophomore Emily Giannotti(Coudersport, Pa.) taking second in 10:57.37.
Brandon Bennett-Green was the highest individual place winner in the sprints, finishing third in the 200-meters in a personal-best 21.13. Nadolsky recorded a sixth-place finish in the event, thanks to a finishing time of 21.28. Both Nittany Lions were also members of the winning 4x100, along with teammates Emunael Mpanduki (Harare, Zimbabwe) and Matt Gilmore (Elkins Park, Pa.). On the women's side, senior Ijeoma Iheoma(Holland, Pa.) was the Lions' top finisher, placing fourth in the 400-meters in 53.97.
The Lions got a pair of top-three efforts from redshirt-sophomore Will Barr (Urbana, Ohio), who placed second in the discus with a throw of 167-5 (51.04), and third in the hammer with a mark of 194-2 (59.18). Also scoring a runner-up finish in the throws was junior Eli Skinner (Jersey Shore, Pa.), who took second place in the javelin with a throw of 197-6 (60.20).
Sophomore Jon Hendershot (Nazareth, Pa.) topped out at 6-10.75 (2.10) to tie for third in the high jump, while junior Sean Reilly (Lagrangeville, N.Y.) finished fifth in the event with a clearance of 6-8.75. Junior Erika Morgan (Chesapeake, Va.) would also post a scoring finish, placing third in the women's high jump at 5-7.25 (1.71). Also in the verticals, senior Amanda Palenchar cleared a PR 12-6.25 (3.82) to finish third in the women's pole vault, with classmate Jocelyn Witmer(Lancaster, Pa.) clearing the same height for fourth.
Senior Tanaya Lloyd(Philadelphia, Pa.) led the way in the horizontal jumps, posting a wind-assisted 41-0.25 (12.50) to place fourth in the triple jump.
The Nittany Lions will be back in action next weekend, traveling to the Battle on the Bayou at Louisiana State University. Competition is set for Saturday, April 7.