March 16, 2014
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Penn State track & field team finished the 2014 Indoor Championships strong on Saturday and when the dust settled, the squads came away with 10 All-America honors for the weekend. The Penn State women were the highest finishing Big Ten team, and placed 14th with 15 points.
"What a great day for Penn State. All of our athletes that competed today came home with All-America status. Ten total honors for the weekend," said Head Coach and Director of Track & Field Beth Alford-Sullivan. "I am very pleased with our top 15 team finish for the women. This meet was world class and we held our own all weekend. The 4x400 set a new school record... with an amazing anchor leg from Kiah Seymour. We will carry all this success into outdoor season."
 Junior Steve Waithe earned first team All-America honors in the triple jump.  | |
Setting a new school mark in the process, the women's 4x400 meter relay team of junior Dynasty McGee (Flint, Michigan), senior Mahagony Jones (Cleveland, Ohio), freshman Tichina Rhodes (Philadelphia, Pa.), and sophomore Kiah Seymour (Washington, D.C.) finished fifth in a time of 3:33.13. Seymour anchored the relay in a blistering time of 51.98.
Individually, Seymour was also sixth in the 400-meter dash final with a time of 52.85, earning first team All-America honors as an individual as well as for the relay.
Senior Brittney Howell (Wyncote, Pa.) finished seventh in the pentathlon while earning her first career All-America status. Howell put on an impressive performance by setting a personal record in overall points with a score of 4202.
Howell started off the day with a personal record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.31. Later in the day, she leaped to a huge personal best in long jump with a mark of 20-04.5 (6.21m).
On the men's side, Junior Steve Waithe (Parkville, Md.) was able to capture his first All-American status with a sixth place finish in triple jump with a mark of 51-10.5 (15.81m). Sophomore Za'Von Watkins (Liverpool, N.Y.) was able to earn his All-American status with a seventh place finish in a time of 1:50.25. The men's team finished 32nd with six points.
The Nittany Lions will return to action for the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas on March 26-27.