March 24, 2015
NEW ORLEANS - The Penn State men's track & field team enters the 2015 outdoor season ranked No. 15 in the Preseason National Computer Rankings, as released Tuesday afternoon by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
On the track, Penn State has three top-50 performances in the 800-meter run and two of the top-15 times in the 1,500-meter run. Juniors Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.) and Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio) both have scored times in the 800- and 1,500-meters. In the 800-meter run, Kidder is 28th (1:48.53) while Creese ranks 44th with his time of 1:48.98. Also in the 800-meter run, Za'Von Watkins (Liverpool, N.Y.) ranks 25th with a time of 1:48.33.
In the 1,500-meter run, Kidder's time of 3:38.82 ranks second and Creese is 11th with his time of 3:41.03.
In the field events, the Nittany Lions have six marks ranked by the National Computer Rankings. The triple jump duo of Steve Waithe (Parkville, Md.) and Brian Leap (Bellwood, Pa.) rank seventh (52-11.50) and 27th (51-6.50), respectively. Senior Darrell Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.) enters the outdoor season with the third-best scored mark in the shot put (67-6) and javelin throwers, Michael Shuey (Johnsonburg, Pa.) and Cole Proffitt (Manheim, Pa.) rank 12th (238-6) and 36th (224-4), respectively.
Robert Cardina (Lancaster, Pa.), a sophomore, is tenth in the decathlon with his score of 7,508 points. Cardina also ranks 38th in the high jump with his height of 7-0.25.
Last year at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Cardina placed eighth in the decathlon (7,666 points), Kidder finished 12th in the 1,500-meter run (3:44.30), Hill placed 15th in the shot put (62-9.50) and Waithe and Leap finished fifth (52-11.50) and 16th (51-6.50), respectively, in the triple jump.
At the 2015 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, Penn State finished as the top Big Ten team with its 12th-place finish.
The Penn State women's track & field team enters the outdoor season ranked 35th.
The Nittany Lions open up the outdoor season next weekend (April 3-4) as they travel to the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla.
For more on Nittany Lion track & field, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.