Nittany Lion Track & Field Team Sends 38 to NCAA First RoundNittany Lion Track & Field Team Sends 38 to NCAA First Round

Nittany Lion Track & Field Team Sends 38 to NCAA First Round

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.

Darrell Hill


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