UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: April 20, 2012 - With Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.) leading things off with a school-record run in the 10,000-meters on Thursday evening, the Nittany Lion track and field squads will be in action in three states this weekend, including the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., War Eagle Invitational in Auburn, Ala., and the Bucknell Team Challenge in Lewisburg, Pa. Action at Mt. SAC continues on Friday and Saturday, while the Auburn and Bucknell competitions are set for Saturday-only slates.
Action at Mt. SAC is set to feature Nittany Lion middle-distance specialists Bekka Simko (Mentor, Ohio), Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.), Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), and Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.), with Simko, Creese, and Dawson running the 1500 on Friday night, and Loxsom taking on the 800-meter field on Saturday. Both Simko and Creese are coming off stellar efforts a week ago as the Nittany Lion duo each set facility records in the 1500 at the Bison Outdoor Classic at Bucknell.
The Nittany Lion sprints contingent will headline the entries at War Eagle, led by sophomore Brady Gehret (Altoona, Pa.), who is coming off a season-best 20.99 for the 200-meters at Bucknell. Gehret's effort is the second fastest in the Big Ten this season.
Leading the way at Bucknell will be Nittany Lion throws standouts Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) and Melissa Kurzdorfer (Lancaster, N.Y.), who set facility records at Bucknell last weekend. Kovacs, who took top honors in both the discus and the shot put, launched an outdoor PR 63-10.25 (19.46) to win the shot in facility-record fashion, while Kurzdorfer topped the hammer field with a stadium-best 203-1 (61.91).
About the Mt. SAC Relays ...
When: April 19-21
Where: Mount San Antonio College (Walnut, Calif.)
Host Website: http://www.mtsacrelays.com/
Meet Coverage: www.flotrack.org
About the War Eagle Invitational ...
When: April 21
Where: Auburn University (Auburn, Ala.)
Host Website: http://www.auburntigers.com/sports/c-track/home-meet-info.html
About the Bucknell Team Challenge ...
When: April 21
Where: Bucknell University (Lewisburg, Pa.)
Host Website: http://www.bucknellbison.com/sports/m-track/spec-rel/102511aab.html
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On Twitter: @PennStTFXC
Nittany Lions Notes:
Season Bests at Bucknell ...
The Nittany Lion track and field squads racked up eight event victories, en route to four new Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium records, last Sunday at the Bison Outdoor Classic at Bucknell University. Including results from Saturday's competition, the Nittany Lions laid claim to a total of six facility bests on the weekend.
Athlete of the Week Sweep ...
Freshman Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.) and senior Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) have been named Big Ten Track and Field Athletes of the Week, announced by conference offices on Wednesday. Both Nittany Lions enjoyed record-setting performances at the Bison Outdoor Classic at Bucknell University last weekend, as Creese set the all-time Christy Mathewson Stadium record in the 1500 meters, while Kovacs reset his own facility shot-put standard.
LSU Highlights ...
The men's 4x400 quartet of Brandon Bennett-Green (Elkins Park, Pa.), Brady Gehret (Altoona, Pa.), Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) and Emunael Mpanduki (Harare, Zimbawbe) set a school record, leading the Nittany Lion efforts at the Battle on the Bayou, hosted by Louisiana State University. Turning in winning efforts on the afternoon were senior Tanaya Lloyd (Philadelphia, Pa.) in the women's triple jump, sophomore Laura Loht (McClure, Pa.) in the women's javelin, and senior Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) in the men's shot put.
Sizzling Distance Races at Stanford ...
Senior Kyle Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), junior Brooklyne Ridder (Cincinnati, Ohio) and redshirt-freshman Matt Fischer (Kennett Square, Pa.) each clocked lifetime bests on April 6, pacing the Nittany Lions at the Stanford Invitational at Cobb Track and Angell Field. Dawson held his own in one of the most competitive distance competitions on the outdoor season - including many Olympic hopefuls - clocking 28:55.33 to finish 16th in the top section on the men's 10,000-meters. Dawson's performance is also the fifth fastest in Penn State history, taking over fifth place on the Lions' all-time top 10 list behind only Greg Fredericks (28:08.0, 1972), Charlie Maguire (28:29.4, 1974), Eric Carter (28:38.4, 1987), and Paul Stemmer (28:42.90, 1976). Ridder also found a spot in the Lion record books, going 16:14.98 for 5,000-meters - the seventh-fastest performance in school history.
Conference Recognition ...
Senior Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) and sophomore Melissa Kurzdorfer (Lancaster, N.Y.) were named Big Ten Field Athletes of the Week on April 4, following conference-leading performances at the Jim Click Shootout at the University of Arizona last month. Kovacs took the shot put with a season-best 62-5 (19.02), over two feet ahead of the second-place competitor. The performance is also the best in the Big Ten, as well as the seventh in Division I and fourth in the NCAA East Region. The senior, who placed third in the shot at the NCAA Outdoor Championships a year ago, is the defending Big Ten silver medalist in the event. Kurzdorfer enjoyed a stellar opening weekend in Tucson, beginning the competition with a PR 206-7 (62.97) in the hammer throw to finish as the top collegian and second overall. The toss leads the conference by more than 10 feet. Kurzdorfer's performance is also second best in Penn State history, as she becomes just the second woman in program history to better the 200-foot barrier.
Combined Efforts ...
The recent Jim Click 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.
Javelin Back on Board ...
Back on the event slate for the outdoor season in the javelin throw, which has typically been one of the Lions' signature events. Back after a Second Team All-America finish in 2011 is sophomore Laura Loht (McClure, Pa.), who owns a personal-best 161-3 (49.14). Also in the mix in 2012 will be freshman Lauren Kenney (State College, Pa.), who came to Penn State with a career-best 156-2 - the sixth-best toss among preps in 2011. 2011 Big Ten scorer Eli Skinner (Jersey Shore, Pa.) is the top returner on the men's side. Loht and Kenney would go 1-2 at Jim Click, and match the effort at the LSU Battle on the Bayou.
Going the Distance ...
The outdoor season also brings the addition of the 10,000-meters - an event where the Lions excelled a year ago, thanks to a Big Ten victory by Kara Millhouse. Millhouse, who competed in the 10K at both the NCAA and USATF Championships a year ago, also ran to school record in the event, going 33:31.93 at the Stanford Invitational.
Fast Freshman ...
Freshman Robby Creese enjoyed one of the more successful freshman campaigns in recent memory during the indoor season, becoming just the third Nittany Lion in program history to better the 4:00 mile. Creese would better the barrier on two occasions, running 3:58.94 at the Alex Wilson Invitational to clinch his spot at the NCAA Indoor Championships, where he was the only freshman in the men's mile field. Creese, who anchored the winning distance medley relay at the Big Ten Championships, was recognized throughout the season as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, as well as the USTFCCCA Track Athlete of the Year. The freshman burst onto the national radar in January after setting Collegiate, American Junior, and Penn State records in the 1,000-meters at 2:19.53.
Back in Uniform ...
The Nittany Lions will add a pair of seasoned veterans back into the mix outdoors, as seniors Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), and Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) will be in their final season of outdoor eligibility after sitting out the indoor season. Kovacs, who is the defending NCAA bronze medalist in the shot put and a two-time All-American, impressed at the national level while competing unattached, placing sixth in the event at the USATF Indoor Championships thanks to a PR throw of 66-1 (20.14). Dawson, who also an All-America finish on his resume, also had a productive indoor season, running a PR 4:01.37 for the mile and competing in both the 800- and 1500-meters at USATF Indoor.
Indoor Success ...
The men's 4x400-meter relay, with team members Aaron Nadolsky (Altoona, Pa.), Brandon Bennett-Green (Elkins Park, Pa.), Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) and Brady Gehret (Altoona, Pa.), helped to end the 2012 indoor campaign with a bang, earning runner-up honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships - the highest-ever finish by a Nittany Lion team in the event. The foursome hit their stride at the Big Ten Championships, where they turned in a second-place finish, and followed up with a school-record 3:05.22 at the Alex Wilson Invitational. The Lions traveled a healthy contingent of individuals to the championships, with Loxsom, Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.), and Evonne Britton (El Paso, Texas) all earning Second Team All-America status.
Conference Crowns ...
A duo of Nittany Lions claimed individual titles at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in February, including Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.) in the mile, and Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.) in the 5,000-meters. The pair dominated the distances, running a total of 96 laps, and scoring a total of 40 points between them at the championships, as Lane also added third-place efforts in the 3,000-meters and 5K, while Millhouse was the 3K runner up. On the men's side, the quartet of Wade Endress (Altoona, Pa.), Nadolsky, Loxsom, and Creese combined to win the distance medley relay - earning the Nittany Lions' first-ever men's relay victory since joining the Big Ten in 1992.