May 3, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
Junior Jon Hendershot (Nazareth, Pa.) tied a long-standing school record in the high jump, clearing 7-03.25 (2.22) in the high jump, Friday evening at the Jim Thorpe Invitational at Nittany Lion Track. Also showing well for the Nittany Lions were redshirt-junior Will Barr (Urbana, Ohio), junior Melissa Kurzdorfer (Lancaster, N.Y.), and sophomore Brian Leap (Bellwood, Pa.), who all came away with a pair of victories on the day. The Jim Thorpe Invitational served as the Nittany Lions' final tune up prior to the Big Ten Championships on May 10-12, in Columbus, Ohio.
Hendershot topped out at 7-3.25 (2.22), tying the long standing Penn State benchmark, set by David Coney in 1985. Hendershot's performance currently stands as the No. 3 jump in the Big Ten this season, as well as a top 10 effort in the NCAA East Region. Senior Sean Reilly (Lagrangeville, N.Y.) would also eclipse the 7-foot barrier on the afternoon, clearing 7-00.50 (2.15) for second.
Barr was in fine form, picking up victories in both the hammer and discus throws. Barr took top honors in the discus, thanks to a season-best 180-06 (55.01). The redshirt-junior would also impress in the hammer, bettering the 200-foot marker with a toss of 204-00 (62.18).
Kurzdorfer would pick up victories in identical events on the women's side, going 165-01 (50.37) in the discus, just ahead of teammate Rachel Fatherly (Williamsport, Pa.) in second. Fatherly had a stellar afternoon in her own right, posting a toss of 160-08 (48.97) in the discus - a PR by nearly 10 feet. The freshman now stands as the seventh-best discus thrower on the all-time Penn State top 10 list. Kurzdorfer also turned in a victory in the hammer via a performance of 195-08 (59.64).
Leap controlled the horizontal jumps, earning titles in both the long and triple jumps. The sophomore ended the afternoon with efforts of 22-9.75 (6.95) in the long jump, and 50-2 (15.29) in the triple. Brittney Howell (Wyncote, Pa.) and Marlene Ricketts (Westbury, N.Y.) swept the horizontals on the women's side, with Howell going 19-10.25 (6.05) - a lifetime best - to win the long jump, and Ricketts posting a performance of 40-10.50 (12.46) to top the triple jump field.
Improving on his lifetime best in the shot put was Darrell Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.), who posted a performance of 62-09.25 (19.13) to win his signature event, and improve upon his Big Ten leading mark. Also picking up victories in the throws were freshman Michael Shuey (Johnsonburg, Pa.) and sophomore Lauren Kenney (State College, Pa.), who provided a javelin sweep for the Nittany Lions. Shuey took top honors thanks to a toss of 221-09 (67.59), while Kenney went 169-01 (51.54) for the women's title. Junior Laura Loht (McClure, Pa.) enjoyed a season best on the afternoon, going 166-03 (50.68) for second in the women's javelin.
The Nittany Lions were dominant in the sprints, including wins from Mahagony Jones (Cleveland, Ohio) in the 100 meters, Dynasty McGee (Flint, Mich.) in the 200 meters, Shelley Black (Laflin, Pa.) in the 100-meter hurdles, and Doris Anyanwu (Beltsville, Md.) in the 400-meter hurdles. Penn State was equally successful on the men's side in the sprints and hurdles, paced by Bernard Bennett-Green (Philadelphia, Pa.) in the 400 meters, and Sancho Barrett (Amityville, N.Y.) in the 110-meter hurdles.
The Nittany Lions success also extended to the mid-distances, as sophomore Kerrin Jennings (Glen Mills, Pa.) turned in her first-career victory, taking top honors in the 800 meters.
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