Feb. 27, 2015
Day One Results | Coach Gondak Comments | Kidder Comments
GENEVA, Ohio - The Penn State men's track & field team captured three event titles on the first day of the 2015 Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships at the SPIRE Institute. Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.) and Darrell Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.) won individual titles, while the distance medley relay won its fourth-straight conference title.
After day one of the 2015 Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships, the Nittany Lions are in second place with their score of 33 points; Nebraska leads the competition with 39.50 points.
"Day one ended with a flurry, I tell you it was a lot of fun," head coach and director of Penn State track & field John Gondak said. "We scored a lot of points at the end of the day on both sides of the team."
Creese won his first Big Ten title in the 3,000-meter run with his time of 8:10.75. Heading into the final lap, Creese passed Wisconsin's Morgan McDonald to take the lead and he finished strong to claim the title. Creese's title sparked three-straight titles by the Penn State men to end day one of the Big Ten meet. Along with Creese taking the crown in the 3,000-meter run, Matt Fischer (Kennett Square, Pa.) placed sixth in the race with his time of 8:14.13.
Shortly after Creese crossed the finish line, Hill won his first indoor Big Ten shot put title. Hill placed first with his toss of 66-6. Last year at the outdoor Big Ten meet, Hill claimed the shot put title with his mark of 67-6.
In prelims of the mile run, Creese and Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio) both punched their tickets to tomorrow's final. Creese won heat three with his time of 4:05.20, while Kidder clocked in at 4:06.71 to win heat two.
"When you have someone that wants to win a championship and to put the team their shoulders, what a phenomenal day for him," Gondak said. "Kidder has a put himself in great position to have an outstanding meet."
"The mindset of week was just getting it done for the team, every point is going to matter," Kidder said. "We just need to take care of business on Saturday."
Kidder returned to the track later in the day for the 600-meter run. In the 600-meter run, Kidder won his heat (1:18.03) and he would be not done for the day as he came back to anchor the first-place distance medley relay.
"You end with three Big Ten championships in the last three events, it was a phenomenal atmosphere to see Robby Creese win the 3,000-meter run, Matt Fischer to come in sixth place in the 3,000-meter run, Darrell Hill winning the shot put and then Brannon Kidder in his third race of the day, he anchored the men's distance medley relay to its fourth-straight conference title," Gondak said.
Having already competing earlier in the day, Kidder, Jordan Makins (Perth, Australia), Alex Shisler (State College, Pa.) and Za'Von Watkins (Liverpool, N.Y.) teamed up for Penn State in the men's distance medley relay.
Makins led off the men's distance relay followed by Shisler, Watkins and Kidder. As a group, the Nittany Lions posted an overall time of 9:40.62, which was less than a second off the SPIRE facility record of 9:39.87.
In the prelims of the men's 800-meter run, Makins and Watkins placed ninth (1:51.22) and tenth (1:51.46), respectively, and Shisler just missed the final in the 400-meter dash; He posted a personal-best time of 47.51 to finish ninth.
Also advancing onto tomorrow is Sancho Barrett (Amityville, N.Y.) as he finished second (7.99) in his heat of the 60-meter hurdles to advance to the final.
Xavier Smith (Douglassville, Pa.) finished 18th in the 60-meter dash (6.89) and ninth in the 200-meter dash (21.39).
1) Nebraska 39.50
2) Penn State 33
3) Minnesota & Michigan State 17.50
5) Michigan 17
6) Wisconsin & Purdue 15
8) Ohio State & Indiana 14
10) Illinois 9.50
11) Iowa 2
12) Rutgers 1
The final day of the 2015 Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships concludes tomorrow starting at 10 a.m. inside the SPIRE Institute.