May 23, 2012
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A total of 34 members of the Nittany Lion track and field squad will make the trip to the University of North Florida this weekend, qualifying for the NCAA Eastern Preliminary Round, set for Thursday-Saturday at Hodges Stadium. The Nittany Lions have been on a roll as of late, including conference-winning performances from senior Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.), Laura Loht (McClure, Pa.), Brady Gehret (Altoona, Pa.), Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.), Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.), and the men's 4x400-meter relay at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, earlier this month. Action at the University of North Florida begins on Thursday and concludes on Saturday evening.
In fact, the Nittany Lions also own several highly ranking performances within in the NCAA, paced by Kovacs' national-leading effort of 68-5 (20.85) in the shot put, which leads the nation by nearly two feet. Also rated highly among NCAA competitors is sophomore Gehret, who ranks fifth nationally in the 400-meters at 45.22 - the second-fastest time in Penn State history. Loxsom, who placed fourth in the NCAA a year ago, is also set up to fare well through the qualifying rounds, as the junior currently sits third in Division I at 1:46.12. The men's 4x400 has also been running well throughout the spring, including identical times of 3:04.78 at both Penn Relays and the Big Ten Championships. The mark is ranked fourth among squads in the East Region.
Millhouse, who recently claimed her second-straight conference 10K title, is also seeded well, going into the competition as the fifth seed in the East. Millhouse, who owns a PR and school-record 33:31.37, will be vying for her second-straight NCAA appearance in the 10,000. Also coming into the weekend with a top five seed mark is sophomore Melissa Kurzdorfer (Lancaster, N.Y.), who rates second in the women's hammer with a PR toss of 207-9 (63.33).
About the NCAA Eastern Preliminary ...
When: Thursday-Saturday (May 24-26)
Where: University of North Florida (Hodges Stadium)
Heat Sheets and Entries: http://rtspt.com/ncaa/d1outdoor12/
Meet Home Page: www.unfospreys.com
Nittany Lion Notes:
Big Ten Honors ...
A pair of Nittany Lion track and field standouts earned Big Ten recognition earlier this month, as senior Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.) was named "Field Athlete of the Year," while freshman Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.) copped "Freshman of the Year" honors. Kovacs took top honors in the shot put in record-setting fashion at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships at Wisconsin last weekend, with Creese also making the medal stand via a third-place finish in the 1500-meters.
Wrapping Up with a Bang ...
Senior Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pa.), junior Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) and sophomore Brady Gehret (Altoona, Pa.) claimed individual titles, while the quartet of Aaron Nadolsky (Altoona, Pa.), Loxsom, Gehret, and Brandon Bennett-Green (Elkins Park, Pa.) took top honors in the 4x400-meter relay to wrap up a stellar weekend of action, on the third and final day of the Big Ten Outdoor Championships at McClimon Track.
Day Two Details ...
Sophomore Laura Loht (McClure, Pa.) took top honors in the women's javelin, with teammate and freshman Lauren Kenne y(State College, Pa.) making it a Nittany Lion sweep in second place, on day two of the Big Ten Outdoor Championships on McClimon Track. Going into the javelin final in third-place overall, Kenney unleashed her best throw of the afternoon on her fifth attempting, posting a mark of 159-04 (48.57) to overtake her teammate for the overall lead. Loht would wait for her final attempt, and the final throw of the competition to turn in the day's best performance, throwing 160-11 (49.05) for her first-career Big Ten title. Loht is the Nittany Lions' second champion of the weekend, following Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.) in the 10,000-meters on Friday. The sophomore is also the second-straight Penn State athlete to take top honors in the event, matching Karlee McQuillen's victory from 2011.
Off on the Right Foot ...
Senior Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.) kicked to her second-straight conference 10,000-meter crown, on the opening day of the Big Ten Outdoor Championships at McClimon Track, while sophomore Melissa Kurzdorfer (Lancaster, N.Y.) also made the medal stand, taking runner-up honors in the women's hammer throw. The Nittany Lions also had a productive start on the men's side with senior Kyle Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), who placed fourth in the men's 10,000, and redshirt sophomore Will Barr (Urbana, Ohio), who placed seventh in the men's hammer, putting up points towards the Penn State total.
Enough Wheels for a Bicycle...
Brought home by a stunning finishing kick by freshman Robby Creese (Mt. Airy, Md.), the Nittany Lions - including senior Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), freshman Ryan Brennan (Chester, N.Y.) and junior Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) - added more hardware to the trophy case, winning the 4x800-meter relay at the historic Penn Relays Carnival, last month at Franklin Field. The Nittany Lions also added a Penn Relays victory on Friday evening, with Aaron Nadolsky (Altoona, Pa.), Brandon Bennett-Green (Elkins' Park, Pa.), Brady Gehret (Altoona, Pa.) and Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) picking up the program's second-straight "Championship of America" victory in the sprint medley relay.