April 4, 2013
Meet Information | Live Results
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.: - After several off weekends off following the conclusion of the indoor season, the Nittany Lion track and field squads will go full steam ahead into the outdoor season this Saturday, competing at the Crimson Tide Invitational at the University of Alabama. The Nittany Lions will face outstanding competition in the season opener, as squads from Alabama, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, and Nebraska are slated to take to the track in Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide Invitational will be the outdoor debut for many of the Nittany Lions top sprinters, hurdlers, and field event athletes, including javelin standouts junior Laura Loht (McClure, Pa.), and sophomore Lauren Kenney (State College, Pa.). The duo posted a three-four finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships a year ago, following up on a one-two sweep at the Big Ten Championships where Loht captured her first-career Big Ten crown.
Also looking forward to opening up in their outdoor events will be juniors Will Barr (Urbana, Ohio), and Melissa Kurzdorfer (Lancaster, N.Y.). Barr, an indoor All-American in the 35-lb weight, will compete in both the discus and the hammer throws, after earning Honorable Mention All-America honors in the discus a year ago. Barr, who as displayed impressive improvement over his career, currently ranks in the all-time Nittany Lion Top 10 in both events, standing at No. 4 in the hammer at 198-7 (60.53) in the hammer, and at No. 6 in the discus at 183-6 (55.93). Kurzdorfer will also get her first go at her signature event, opening up in the hammer on Saturday. Kurzdorfer placed 12th at the NCAA Championships last spring, earning Second Team All-America status. Her PR of 207-10 (63.35) ranks second in school history.
Taking to the track for the first time this outdoor season will be redshirt junior Evonne Britton (El Paso, Texas). Britton redshirted the 2012 outdoor campaign, but will be back in business in 2013, having qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 100- and 400-meter hurdles as a sophomore in 2011. Britton, who is also a multiple-time Big Ten medalist, owns impressive bests of 13.11 in the 100 hurdles, and 57.32 in the 400 hurdles - both ranked in Penn State's all-time top three.
Also debuting for the outdoor season this weekend will be the Nittany Lions' outstanding middle distance contingent, including senior Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.). Loxsom, who placed second in the 800 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, will go up in distance on Saturday, making his first-career attempt at the 1500 meters. Also competing will be sophomore Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.), and freshman Za'Von Watkins (Liverpool, N.Y.) and Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio) - all members of the Nittany Lions' second place distance medley at NCAA Indoor.
About the Crimson Tide Invitational ...
When: Saturday, April 6
Where: Sam Bailey Track and Field Stadium (University of Alabama)
Results: www.branchsportstech.com
Meet Information: www.rolltide.com
Off and Running ...
The Nittany Lion track and field squads enjoyed a successful season opener - with all seven competing athletes turning in lifetime bests - last Friday evening at the Stanford Invitational. The Nittany Lions took advantage of the ideal weather conditions in Palo Alto, posting outstanding performances in the distance events. A trio of Nittany Lions also earned spots on the all-time Penn State Top 10 lists in their respective events at Stanford, including senior Natalie Bower (Pleasant Unity, Pa.), who now stands at No. 7 all-time in the women's 5,000 meters, thanks to a PR 16:12.88. Bower's performance is also the current Big Ten leader. Also moving up the all-time rankings were Abbie Benson (Elma, N.Y.), and Emily Giannotti (Coudersport, Pa.). Benson clocked a PR 10:33.30 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to climb to No. 9 all-time, while Giannotti went 34:54.26 for 10,000 meters, which stands as the 10th fastest effort in school history.
Indoor Wrap Up ...
The Nittany Lion men's track and field program wrapped up a record-setting indoor campaign last month, posting a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships at the University of Arkansas. Penn State was paced by a pair of runner-up finishes at the championships, and brought home a grand total of six USTFCCCA First Team All-Americans in the effort. The Nittany Lions were on fire throughout the indoor season, claiming school records in nine events in 2013, while also setting all-time collegiate bests in two disciplines.
Sensational Senior ...
Loxsom, who was named USTFCCCA "Mid-Atlantic Men's Track Athlete of the Year," capped his sizzling indoor season with a second-place finish in the 800 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships - the best-ever finish by a Nittany Lion in the event. Loxsom was nearly unstoppable in the middle distances this season, as the senior claimed Big Ten Athlete of the Championship and Athlete of the Year honors for his record-breaking efforts. At the conference meet, Loxsom tore to an all-time, all-conditions indoor American and collegiate best en route to an individual victory in the 600 meters. The senior clocked a sizzling 1:15.42 in the event, bettering his own school-record 1:15.92. Loxsom's 1:15.92, which he ran at Ashenfelter III Indoor Track in January, stands as the current American Collegiate Record, as it was run on a 200-meter track.
Nittany Notables ...
With the men's indoor finish, Director and Head Coach of Track and Field/Cross Country Beth Alford-Sullivan becomes the first female director to lead a men's program to a top 10 finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. That said, Sullivan was also named USTFCCCA "Mid-Atlantic Region Men's Coach of the Year" for the Nittany Lions' successes in 2013, marking the second time she has won the men's award, as well as the 27th "Coach of the Year" citation over her decorated career. Sullivan wasn't the only Nittany Lion earning hardware during the indoor season, as USTFCCCA "Mid-Atlantic Men's Assistant Coach of the Year" honors went to Associate Head Coach John Gondak, and the USTFCCCA "Mid-Atlantic Women's Assistant Coach of the Year" award when to first-year assistant Randy Bungard.
Leading Ladies ...
The Nittany Lions also garnered a top tier conference standing on the women's side during the indoor season, as the Blue and White finished fourth overall to mark the program's 11th-straight top four finish at the indoor conference championships. Juniors Mahagony Jones (Cleveland, Ohio), and Marlene Ricketts (Westbury, N.Y.) led the Lions, thanks to silver-medal finishes in the 60-meters and triple jump respectively. The duo would also go on to represent Penn State at the NCAA Indoor Championships, with Jones capturing Second Team All-America status in the 200 meters, and Ricketts earning the same honor in the triple jump.