April 7, 2012
PALO ALTO, Calif. - Stanford Invitational Results
Senior Kyle Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), junior Brooklyne Ridder (Cincinnati, Ohio) and redshirt-freshman Matt Fischer (Kennett Square, Pa.) each clocked lifetime bests on Friday, pacing the Nittany Lions at the Stanford Invitational at Cobb Track and Angell Field. The rest of the Nittany Lion contingent will continue competing on Saturday, taking on an elite field at the Battle on the Bayou at Louisiana State University.
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. Collegiately speaking, Dawson placed eighth among NCAA competitors and second against Big Ten foes. U.S. Olympic Dathan Ritzenhein won the event in 28:21.48, while Oklahoma's Bill Kogel was tops among collegians in 28:39.54.
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. Ridder's effort was also good for 14th in her section, which saw a victory from Grand Valley State's Betsy Graney in 15:56.68. Ridder made a stellar in the event, shaving over ten seconds off her previous 5K PR of 16:25.97.
Fischer impressed in his first-career outdoor attempt at the 5000, placing 14th in his section in 14:11.47. The redshirt-freshman's performance was also a big improvement over his previous best, as the rookie clocked 14:27.23 during the 2012 indoor campaign.
Action in Baton Rouge begins on Saturday at 10:00 a.m., CDT. Following LSU, the Lions will continue the outdoor campaign at the Bison Outdoor Classic, scheduled for April 14-15 at Bucknell University.