March 6, 2015
NEW ORLEANS - The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its regional awards Friday afternoon and Penn State collected a pair of honors. Award winners were voted upon by USTFCCCA member coaches.
Head coach John Gondak was named the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Men's Head Coach of the Year and senior Darrell Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.) was tabbed as the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Men's Field Athlete of the Year.
In his first year at the helm of the Penn State track & field program, Gondak led the Nittany Lion men to the top ranking spot in the region and a top-ten national ranking. The Penn State men enter the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships with five entries with one each in mid-distance, distance, jumping, and throwing events and a DMR. In addition, the program won its home Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup over regional foe Princeton.
Gondak also coached the Nittany Lions to two sub-four minute mile times this season. The men's mid-distance and distance runners posted five top-five performances all-time in the Penn State record books, including Robby Creese's (Mount Airy, Md.) school record time of 7:50.36 in the 3,000-meter run.
During his time as an assistant coach with the Nittany Lions, Gondak collected five Mid-Atlantic Assistant Coach of the Year awards.
During his senior season, Hill won five of six shot put events, with his only loss coming to NCAA Champion Ryan Crouser. Hill also set the school record in the shot put twice. At the season-opening Penn State Relays (Jan. 10), Hill broke the school record with his mark of 66-2.5. Later in January, Hill broke his own school record with a mark of 67-3.50 at the Penn State National (Jan. 31).
Hill is one of 11 Nittany Lions to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships next week in Fayetteville, Ark. The 2015 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships are held at the Randal Tyson Track Center, March 13-14.
For more on Nittany Lion track & field, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.