May 11, 2013
COLUMBUS, Ohio -
Results in PDF
Results at PTTiming
The Nittany Lion men's track and field squad enjoyed a successful second day of competition, Saturday at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Leading the way was sophomore Brian Leap (Bellwood, Pa.), who turned in a lifetime best to finish fifth in the long jump. Also adding scoring finishes were redshirt-junior Will Barr (Urbana, Ohio) in the discus, as well as junior Jon Hendershot (Nazareth, Pa.) and senior Sean Reilly (Lagrangeville, N.Y.) in the high jump.
"We finished the second day with a few strokes of bad luck with a poor exchange in the 4x100 and a couple of disqualifications in the 400, which really tested the will power of our guys," said Director and Head Coach of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan. "However, we managed to set ourselves up pretty well in the preliminaries to put us in an good spot for Sunday's finals, and we're capable of scoring in every event we're entered in tomorrow and be in the fight for a competitive finish. I believe our Lions will give it their best, and it will be exciting to see the outcome."
Leap, who will also compete in the triple jump on Sunday, posted a lifetime-best 24-0.25 (7.32) en route to a fifth-place finish in the long jump, marking his first career scoring performance in the event.
Barr also picked a perfect time for a season-best performance, going 181-7 (55.34) to take eighth against stacked competition in the men's discus.
Hendershot and Reilly picked up sixth and seventh-place finishes in the high jump, respectively. Both Nittany Lions cleared 6-9.50 (2.07) on the afternoon, competing in cold and windy conditions.
On the track, the Nittany Lions enjoyed their highest success rate in the men's 800-meters, advancing a total of three competitors to tomorrow's final. Leading the way were seniors Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) and Ricky West (Toronto, Ontario), who both automatically advanced thanks to heat victories. Coming away with spot in the final as a time qualifier was sophomore Ryan Brennan (Chester, N.Y.), who clocked 1:49.38 to finish second in his preliminary section.
Also taking to the track on Sunday will be sophomore Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.) and freshman Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio), who both cruised through the rounds of the 1500 meters. Creese turned in an effort of 3:44.93 - the fastest performance on the afternoon - on his way to a heat victory, while Kidder clocked 3:47.13 to finish second in his heat and automatically advance.
It will be a Nittany Lion family affair in Sunday's 400-meter final, with brothers Brandon Bennett-Green (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Bernard Bennett-Green (Philadelphia, Pa.), who both earned advancing positions. Brandon Bennett-Green advanced via a preliminary performance of 47.28, while Bernard Bennett-Green snagged the ninth and final lane with a finishing time of 47.38.
Action in Columbus continues on Sunday, beginning with the men's shot put at 12:30 p.m. For more on Nittany Lion Track and Field, log on to www.GoPSUsports.com.