Nittany Lions to Send 41 to NCAA First RoundNittany Lions to Send 41 to NCAA First Round

Nittany Lions to Send 41 to NCAA First Round

May 16, 2013

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: May 16, 2013 - A total of 41 Nittany Lion track and field standouts have been accepted into the NCAA Eastern Preliminary Round competition, announced by national offices on Tuesday. The competition, which serves as the qualifying round for the NCAA Finals, is set for May 23-25 in Greensboro, N.C. The Nittany Lions will be represented across all event areas at First Round, as Penn State will field at least one entrant in 15 events on the women's side, as well as 11 men's disciplines.

The top 12 athletes at the First Round - from both the East and West regions - will advance to the NCAA Finals, which are slated for June 5-8, in Eugene, Ore. The Western Preliminary Round is set for May 23-35 in Austin, Texas.

The Nittany Lions are coming off a sensational effort at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, where the squads yielded a total 15 podium finishes, including gold-medal efforts from Mahagony Jones (Cleveland, Ohio) in the 100-meters, Evonne Britton (El Paso, Texas) in the 100-meter hurdles, and Lauren Kenney (State College, Pa.) in the javelin. The Nittany Lion women's squad would take top honors in the team standings, claiming the program's seventh Big Ten team title. Senior Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) and sophomore Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.) enjoyed the top finishes in the men's conference competition, with Loxsom turning in a second-place effort in the 800 meters, and Creese capturing silver medal status in the 1500 meters.

In order to qualify for First Round competition, athletes must be among the top 48 declared performances (24 for relays) in their respective event.

Penn State Women's NCAA First Round Accepted Entries

Women's 100 Meters
4. Mahagony Jones

Women's 200 Meters
7. Mahagony Jones

Women's 1500 Meters
28. Marta Klebe

Women's 5000 Meters
17. Brooklyne Ridder
45. Caitlin Lane

Women's 10,000 Meters
39. Emily Giannotti

Women's 100-Meter Hurdles
8. Evonne Britton

Women's 400-Meter Hurdles
14. Kiah Seymour
21. Evonne Britton
43. Shelley Black

Women's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase
9. Natalie Bower
29. Abbie Benson
40. Tori Gerlach

Women's 4x400-Meter Relay
3. Penn State

Women's High Jump
20. Erika Morgan

Women's Triple Jump
25. Marlene Ricketts

Women's Shot Put
25. Jane Swenson
34. Rachel Fatherly

Women's Discus
23. Melissa Kurzdorfer
48. Rachel Fatherly

Women's Hammer
12. Melissa Kurzdorfer

Women's Javelin
2. Lauren Kenney
7. Laura Loht
47. Melanie Leszcynski

Penn State Men's NCAA First Round Accepted Entries

Men's 400 Meters
25. Brandon Bennett-Green
31. Aaron Nadolsky
40. Bernard Bennett-Green

Men's 800 Meters
1. Casimir Loxsom
2. Brannon Kidder
13. Ricky West
23. Ryan Brennan
29. Za'Von Watkins

Men's 1500 Meters
3. Robby Creese
32. Tyler Corkedale

Men's 5000 Meters
15. Sam Masters
27. Matt Fischer

Men's 4x400-Meter Relay
8. Penn State

Men's High Jump
8. Jon Hendershot
12. Sean Reilly

Men's Triple Jump
23. Brian Leap

Men's Shot Put
2. Darrell Hill

Men's Discus
23. Will Barr

Men's Hammer
12. Will Barr

Men's Javelin
11. Michael Shuey