April 20, 2013
WALNUT, Calif. - A small contingent of Nittany Lion track and field standouts fared well against sensational competition, racing at the Mt. SAC Relays at Mount San Antonio College this weekend. Senior Sam Masters (Columbia, Mo.) posted one of the more impressive performances at the competition, breaking the 14-minute barrier in the 5000 meters, thanks to a lifetime-best 13:57.33 - the fastest effort by a Nittany Lion in nearly a quarter century.
Masters held his own in the elite "Olympic Development" section on Friday evening, finishing 18th overall, and ninth among Division I athletes. His performance - which is among the top five efforts in the Big Ten this year - ranks No. 10 in the all-time Nittany Lion standings. In fact, Masters' effort is the fastest in nearly 25 years, as the senior becomes the first Nittany Lion to crack the all-time Penn State Top 10 in the event since Steve Brown ran 13:50.54 in 1989
Also climbing the all-time Nittany Lion ranking is freshman Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio), who clocked a lifetime-best 1:47.23 in the 800 to move to No. 8 in the Nittany Lion archives. Kidder's performance came via a sixth-place finish in the "Invitational" 800, which also included a clocking of 1:46.77 by Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) - good for fifth in the same race. The duo, which finished as the top two collegiate finishers in the race, now carry a one-two ranking in Division I.
Senior Ricky West (Toronto, Ontario) and sophomore Ryan Brennan (Chester, N.Y.) also fared well in the 800, taking seventh and ninth, respectively, in their half mile heat. West was the first Nittany Lion to cross, turning in a season-best 1:48.49, while Brennan came in ninth via a lifetime-outdoor best 1:49.32.
Senior Brooklyne Ridder (Cincinnati, Ohio) was the top finisher in the women's distance, coming away with a lifetime-outdoor best 16:11.93 in the 5K. Ridder would place 15th in the Olympic Development thanks to the performance, which stands at No. 6 in Nittany Lion history, as well as the top-ranked time in the Big Ten this season.
The Blue and White will be back in action next week, competing at the prestigious Penn Relays at the University of Pennsylvania. Action at the relays gets underway on Thursday, April 25, at Franklin Field.