Feb. 8, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's track & field team dominated this weekend's Sykes & Sabock Challenge Cup. In their first scored indoor meet they scored 228.50 points, finishing 142.50 points ahead of second-place Buffalo. The men were edged by Connecticut, finishing second by a score of 162-161.
"We are on a roll with the ladies; they're fired up and confident and they're very talented," said Director and Head Coach Beth Alford-Sullivan. "They were rock solid, competitive, and they gave tremendous efforts."
The women's 4x400 meter relay was dominated by Penn State, as junior Dynasty McGee, senior Mahagony Jones, freshman Tichina Rhodes, and sophomore Kiah Seymour set a new facility and meet record with a 3:34.22.
The 800 meter run belonged to Penn State, as sophomores Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio) and Za'Von Watkins (Liverpool, N.Y.) finished first and third. Kidder set the meet record with his time of 1:47.45 and currently holds the #1 time in the NCAA; Watkins set a personal indoor record with 1:48.11. On the women's side, senior Marta Klebe (Chesterbrook, Pa.) won with her 2:10.04 finish.
Penn State had 1-2- finishes in the men's and women's 200 meter dash. For the men, freshman Byron Robinson and senior Bernard Bennett-Green posted 21.25 and 21.72, respectively. For the women, sophomore Kiah Seymour (Washington, D.C.) and junior Dynasty McGee (Flint, Mich.) posted 23.77 and 23.93, respectively. All four athletes ran their best 200 of the season.
Junior Danielle Kocjancic finished third in the 3000 meter run as she set a personal record with a time of 9:58.47, her first sub-10:00 time in the event.
Penn State scored 13 points in the women's triple jump, as senior Marlene Ricketts (Old Westbury, N.Y.) and freshman Dannielle Gibson (Nassau, Bahamas) finished first and sixth. Ricketts' jump of 40-06 was nearly a foot farther than second place.
Sophomore Rachel Fatherly (Williamsport, Pa.) won the women's shot put as she tied her season best with a 51-05 throw. Senior Melissa Kurzdorfer (Lancaster, N.Y.) and freshman Alyssa Robinson (Saint Clairsville, Ohio) each scored points for Penn State as they finished fourth and sixth, respectively. Kurzdorfer set a personal record with her 49-01.75 effort.
Senior Nick Scarpello (Jamison, Pa.) finished fourth in the men's mile, running 10 seconds faster than his previous season best en route to a 4:10.53 finish. On the women's side, junior Abigail Benson (Elma, N.Y.) and senior Gabrielle Cocco (Allentown, Pa.) finished third and eighth, scoring seven more points for the women's team. Both women ran their best miles of the season as Benson posted 4:53.14 and Cocco posted 4:57.78.
Penn State's 2-3-4- finish in the women's 400 meter dash added 19 points. Freshmen Tichina Rhodes (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Megan Osborne (Chillicothe, Ohio), as well as junior Shelley Black (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.), each ran their fastest of the season with times of 55.79, 57.02, and 57.04.
Junior Brittney Howell (Wyncote, Pa.) set a personal record in the 600 meter run, posting a 1:36.73 and finishing sixth. Her run was five seconds faster than her second-best run this season.
The Nittany Lions controlled the women's high jump, as sophomore Ahmenah Richardson (Philadelphia, Pa.) won and junior Sarah Palmer (Gansevoort, N.Y.) and freshman Tal Ben-Artzi (Newe Shaanan Hifa, Israel) finished tied for third. All three set personal records, as Richardson cleared 5-09.25, while Palmer and Ben-Artzi cleared 5-07.75. Junior Darrell Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.) finished second in the shot put with a throw of 59-07.
Senior Bernard Bennett-Green (Elkins Park, Pa.), freshman Byron Robinson, sophomore Za'Von Watkins, and senior Brandon Bennett-Green (Philadelphia, Pa.) won the 4x400 meter relay with a time of 3:10.35.