March 24, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
By Astrid Diaz, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The last three months brought out some of the very best of the Penn State track and field squad, proving that Nittany Lion fans have a unique opportunity that most people do not: the ability to see student-athletes grow and improve day after day reaching the limits of the potential and then surpassing them motivated by the pride of the dear old white and blue.
Here's a look back on what the Nittany Lions accomplished this season.
"The First Meet!"
Although the indoor season began with a friendly intrasquad match where student-athletes were able to dust off, the Penn State Relay was the first meet of the year to bring in other competing schools to the Ashenfelter Indoor Track.
The meet, which is expected to be full of `first-meet jitters', was far from disappointing.
In his first meet, senior Darrell Hill broke the school record in the shot put with a 66-2.5 throw - a foreshadowing, maybe.
The quartet of Jordan Makins, Ryan Brennan, Brannon Kidder, and Robby Creese set the meet record in the 4x800-meter relay with a time of 7.22.10.
Megan Osborne, one-fourth of the 4x400-meter relay women, won the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.69.
`We Are...Pitbulls'
The second home meet of the year, the Nittany Lion Challenge, was significantly more competitive than the first as it brought to Happy Valley top-level schools like the University of Miami and Georgetown.
Coach Randy Bungard described the Nittany Lions as pitbulls ready to attack the competition with no intentions other than winning and pushing their opponents to their absolute limits.
And that they did as Penn State pulled through winning ten events and setting two meet records.
The consistent Darrell Hill was dominant in the shot put once again with a meet record 64-5.25 throw and in the women's shot put, junior Rachel Fatherly took home the win with a meet record throw of 51-7.
The field athletes were motivated during this meet as Steve Waithe (52-1) and Brian Leap (51-9.75) both posted winning and personal best marks in the triple jump, respectively.
"My Favorite Meet of the Year"
The most anticipated, most thrilling meet of the year, the Penn State National, was up next for Penn State.
Junior Dannielle Gibson described this meet best: "All I can say is PRs, PRs, PRs!" she said.
Gibson won the triple jump event with a mark of 40-7.75 and Brian Leap took home the win for the men with a top-six NCAA and personal best leap of 52-3.75.
All the women shot putters posted personal best throws and were highlighted by the outstanding Rachel Fatherly who threw a personal best, top-three at Penn State and top-15 in the nation, 67-5.25.
To be the best, you must beat the best. So, Darrell Hill showed up once again bested his school record with a toss of 67-3.
To keep the ball rolling, the athletes on the track didn't disappoint.
Brannon Kidder posted a top-three time in the nation of 1:47.86 in the 800-meter run and both the men and women of 4x400-meter relays took home first place with times of 3:15.83 and 3:40.43, respectively.
Senior Day
The nostalgia of graduation set in around the beginning of February at the Sykes and Sabock Challenge Cup where 17 student-athletes were recognized for their commitment to the Penn State program for the last four years.
However, senior Robby Creese didn't let the emotions get in the way of his performance as he ran an exhilarating 3:57.86 mile. The fourth best time in the country and the best ran time in the NCAA earned him the Big Ten's Men's Athlete of the week honors the following week.
The consistency of the 2014-2015 upperclassmen is so note-worthy. Head coach John Gondak describes it as "a sign of maturity".
It's Time for a Business Trip
Up next on the schedule for Penn State was their first away meet of the season where three groups of student-athletes traveled to three cities - Fayetteville, Arkansas; Seattle, Washington; and Geneva, Ohio.
In Seattle, Robby Creese ran a phenomenal 3,000-meters in 7:50.36, which broke the Penn State school record by almost four seconds.
Also, on the track, Brannon Kidder posted a sub-4 minute mile, a personal best time of 3:57.13, the No. 2 time in Penn State history.
In Arkansas, the personal records were flying everywhere.
Ahmenah Richardson moved up to fourth-best at Penn State in the high jump with a height of 5-9.75.
Megan Osborne has a personal best 200-meter time of 24.30 and the women of the 4x400-meter relay ran a season-best 3:34.90.
Rachel Fatherly, again, with a personal best indoor shot put throw of 52-2.75 and more from the field, Dannielle Gibson with a triple jump best of 41-1.50.
"What Time Is it?...It's Championship time!"
When you set the bar as high as Penn State does, it can be easy to overlook foundations and accomplishments that are on par with some of the best in the nation.
There were countless personal best performances at the championships proving that they are resilient and committed to improving leaving nothing but their all every time they step out to compete.
Darrell Hill's consistency is arguably one of the most motivating assets this team has. Several Nittany Lions mention his performance as a representation of the standards they set for themselves - believe in yourself and always work for better.
Rachel Fatherly's control and focus were so entertaining this year. She is aware of the things that help her succeed - an advantage not all athletes may have.
Brian Leap posted a personal best triple jump 52-6.75 during the Big Ten Championship. At a time where competition and stakes are as high as the conference championships, a personal best record is remarkable.
Tori Gerlach who has been quietly and diligently working all year, earned her shining moment on the podium with a first-place 5k finish joining the likes of Robby Creese and Brannon Kidder who took first and second respectively in the men's one-mile.
NCAA Championships
The officially close the season eleven student-athletes earned a trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas to compete in the National Championship.
On the men's side, the distance medley relay of Brannon Kidder, Alex Shisler, Za'Von Watkins and Robby Creese ran to a second-place finish with the No. 3 time in school history (9:32.21).
Also, Brannon Kidder (one-mile run; 4:04.48), Robby Creese (3,000-meter run; 8:06.53), Darrell Hill (shot put), and Brian Leap (triple jump) represented Penn State and finished collectively as the top Big Ten team at the championship.
Both Darrell Hill (64-8) and Brian Leap (51-4.50) made the trip to the indoor national championship for the first time in their career and recorded solid performances.
The Penn State women were represented by All-Americans 4x400-meter relay of Megan Osborne, Dynasty McGee, Tichina Rhodes and Kiah Seymour. The 4x4 finished eighth with a season-best time of 3:34.57.
Rachel Fatherly tallied a pair of top-16 finishes in her first trip to an NCAA Championship meet. Fatherly placed 11th in the shot put (52-10) and 16th in the weight throw (63-1.25).
Of the eleven competitors, nine earned first team All-America honors, an incredible accomplishment and well-earned honors.
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These are the things that make Penn State track and field so incredibly entertaining to watch. They never give up. And the very best part of it all is that it's not over yet.
Onto the outdoor season!