May 28, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A total of 38 Nittany Lion track and field standouts have been accepted into the NCAA Eastern Preliminary Championships competition, announced by national offices last week. The competition, which serves as the qualifying round for the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships, is set for May 29-31 in Jacksonville, Florida. The Nittany Lions will be represented across all event areas at the first round, as Penn State will field at least one entrant in 17 events on the women's side, as well as 12 men's disciplines.
The Western Preliminary Championships is set for May 29-31 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The top 12 athletes at the first round (from both the East and West Regions) will advance to the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which are slated for June 11-15, in Eugene, Oregon.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a sensational effort at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, where the squads yielded numerous podium finishes, including gold-medal efforts from Mahagony Jones (Cleveland, Ohio) in the 200-meters, Kiah Seymour (Washington, D.C.) in the 400-meter hurdles, and Melissa Kurzdorfer (Lancaster, New York) in the hammer throw. The Nittany Lion women's squad would take top honors in the team standings, claiming the program's ninth Big Ten team title. Junior Darrell Hill (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), sophomore Michael Shuey (Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania) and junior Steve Waithe (Parkville, Maryland) enjoyed top finishes in the men's conference competition, with Hill turning in a first-place effort in the shot put, Shuey garnering his first Big Ten javelin title and Waithe capturing gold medal status in the triple jump.
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
13. Mahagony Jones
Women's 200 Meters
4. Mahagony Jones
Women's 400 Meters
18. Dynasty McGee
Women's 1500 Meters
4. Marta Klebe
Women's 10,000 Meters
15. Leigha Anderson
40. Emily Giannotti
Women's 100-Meter Hurdles
13. Evonne Britton
Women's 400-Meter Hurdles
2. Kiah Seymour
18. Evonne Britton
Women's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase
24. Tori Gerlach
26. Abbie Benson
Women's 4x100-Meter Relay
12. Penn State
Women's 4x400-Meter Relay
7. Penn State
Women's High Jump
20. India McCoy
46. Sarah Palmer
Women's Pole Vault
42. Lexi Masterson
Women's Long Jump
28. Brittney Howell
Women's Triple Jump
25. Marlene Ricketts
Women's Shot Put
17. Rachel Fatherly
25. Melissa Kurzdorfer
34. Alyssa Robinson
Women's Discus
35. Melissa Kurzdorfer
Women's Hammer
8. Melissa Kurzdorfer
45. Rachel Fatherly
Women's Javelin
7. Laura Loht
10. Lauren Kenney
Penn State Men's NCAA First Round Accepted Entries
Men's 400 Meters
40. Alex Shisler
Men's 800 Meters
22. Za'Von Watkins
Men's 1500 Meters
1. Brannon Kidder
37. Wade Endress
Men's 5000 Meters
39. Matt Fischer
Men's 110-Meter Hurdles
44. Sancho Barrett
Men's 4x400-Meter Relay
20. Penn State
Men's High Jump
9. Jon Hendershot
20. Rob Cardina
Men's Pole Vault
40. Dylan Bilka
Men's Triple Jump
8. Steve Waithe
16. Brian Leap
Men's Shot Put
1. Darrell Hill
Men's Discus
25. Will Barr
Men's Hammer
24. Will Barr
Men's Javelin
5. Michael Shuey
19. Cole Proffitt