April 9, 2015
Heat Sheets | Schedule | Live Results
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State track & field team returns to action this weekend as they head to Lewisburg, Pa., for the Bucknell Classic. The Bucknell Classic takes place April 11-12 at the Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
BUCKNELL CLASSIC INFO
When: April 11-12
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium | Lewisburg, Pa.
Start Time: Saturday - 12:30 p.m. | Sunday - 10:30 a.m.
Live Results: http://www.leonetiming.com/2015/Outdoor/Bucknell/
LAST TIME OUT: FLORIDA RELAYS
FRIDAY --
The Penn State track & field team opened up the 2015 outdoor season Friday at the Florida Relays, which featured 283 college and club teams. Numerous Nittany Lions competed for the first time Friday and Rachel Fatherly (Williamsport, Pa.) and Tori Gerlach (Perkasie, Pa.) recorded second-place finishes.
Fatherly posted a distance of 180-7 in the women's hammer throw and Gerlach clocked in at 10:13.26 in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio) led the Nittany Lions in the men's 800-meter run with his third-place finish (1:47.14). Kidder, a junior, recorded his second-fastest time ever in the 800-meter run. His time today is also the fastest since his freshman year when he finished third at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Along with Kidder in the 800-meter run, juniors Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.) and Robert Rhodes (Brooklyn, N.Y.) recorded personal-best times. Creese finished 11th with his time of 1:48.54 and Rhodes ran 1:49.04 en route to a 17th-place finish.
In the women's 800-meter run, Greta Lindsley (Lancaster, Pa.) and Julie Kocjancic (Pittsburgh, Pa.) recorded personal-best times. Lindsley finished 42nd with her time of 2:12.70 and Kocjancic posted a time of 2:13.57 to finish 47th.
Redshirt freshman Ean DiSilvio (Pittsburgh, Pa.) competed in his first steeplechase Friday. In his 3,000-meter steeplechase debut, DiSilvio clocked in at 9:11.25 to finish 13th.
Sophomore Lexi Masterson (Jeannette, Pa.) opened the outdoor season with a sixth-place finish in the women's pole vault with her height of 13-1.50. In her first outdoor meet as a Nittany Lion, freshman Hannah Mulhern (Altoona, Pa.) vaulted her way into the Penn State record books. Mulhern ended the day in 11th with her personal-best height of 12-7.50. With her height today, she moves into No. 6 all-time at Penn State.
SATURDAY -
The 2015 Florida Relays came to a close Saturday with only field and relay events. Rachel Fatherly (Williamsport, Pa.) and the women's 4x200-meter relay posted top-10 Penn State school record performances Saturday.
Following a second-place finish in the hammer throw yesterday, Fatherly recorded an outdoor personal-best mark of 53-2.75 en route to a second-place finish in the invite section of the women's shot put. Heading into the weekend, Fatherly's mark moves her into the top-10 in the nation in the women's shot put. She also remains in fourth all-time in the Penn State record books.
The women's 4x200-meter relay of Megan Osborne (Chillicothe, Ohio), Deja Davis (Shelby Charter Township, Mich.), Quenee Dale (Ypsilanti, Mich.) and Dynasty McGee (Flint, Mich.) clocked in for the seventh-fastest time in school history. The quartet finished ninth with their time of 1:36.30.
The women's high jump featured a pair of top-10 finishes from the Nittany Lions. Ahmenah Richardson (Philadelphia, Pa.) tied for second with her height of 5-8 and Megan McCloskey (Lower Gwynedd, Pa.) cleared a height of 5-6 to tie for ninth.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
At the season-opening Florida Relays, the Nittany Lions recorded five top-10 all-time performances in the Penn State record books. Also over the weekend, Dannielle Gibson (Nassau, Bahamas) competed at the 2015 Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) Games and she moved into fourth all-time in the triple jump (42-9.75) at Penn State.
B1G HONORS
Following his performance at the season-opening Florida Relays, junior Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio) has been named the Big Ten Men's Track Athlete of the Week, as announced by the conference office Wednesday afternoon. This is the third career award for Kidder.
At the Florida Relays, Kidder finished third in the men's 800-meter run with his time of 1:47.14 and he also ran the second-leg of the second-place 4x800-meter relay (7:22.22).
In the men's 800-meter run, Kidder ranks fifth in the NCAA and he has the top time in the Big Ten. His time is also the fastest since his freshman year when he finished third at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
NO. 14 IN THE LAND
NEW ORLEANS - Following the season-opening Florida Relays this past weekend, the Penn State men's track & field team moved up one spot to No. 14 in the United States Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Computer Rankings. The Nittany Lions tallied three scored performances at the Florida Relays.
Last Friday, Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.), Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio) and Robert Rhodes (Brooklyn, N.Y.) all tallied scored performances in the men's 800-meter run. After the weekend, Kidder is tenth (1:47.14), Creese is 37th (1:48.54) and Rhodes is 54th (1:49.04). Creese and Kidder also have scored performances in the 1,500-meter run.
In the 1,500-meter run, Kidder is second (3:38.82) and Creese is 11th (3:41.03).
In the field events, the Nittany Lions have six marks ranked in the USTFCCCA National Computer Rankings. The triple jump duo of Steve Waithe (Parkville, Md.) and Brian Leap (Bellwood, Pa.) rank 10th (52-11.50) and 32nd (51-6.50), respectively.
Senior Darrell Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.) currently has the fourth-best scored mark in the shot put (67-6) and javelin throwers, Michael Shuey (Johnsonburg, Pa.) and Cole Proffitt (Manheim, Pa.) rank 13th (238-6) and 41st (224-4), respectively.
Robert Cardina (Lancaster, Pa.), a sophomore, is seventh in the decathlon with his score of 7,666 points. Cardina also ranks 39th 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.
The Nittany Lion men opened up the 2015 outdoor season ranked 15th; their highest ranking is 11th, a feat they achieved twice in 2013.
Penn State is slated to compete at the Bucknell Classic in Lewisburg, Pa., April 11-12.
For more on Nittany Lion track & field, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.
WRAPPING UP INDOOR
With the indoor season in the books, the Nittany Lions recorded 14 top-five school record performances, including a pair of school records.
At the Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships, Penn State captured six Big Ten titles en route to a third-place finish by the women and a fourth-place finish by the men.
Nationally, nine Penn State student-athletes recorded first team All-America finishes and the Penn State men tallied a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. The NCAA meet was highlighted for Penn State by a runner-up finish in the men's distance medley relay by Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio), Alex Shisler (State College, Pa.), Za'Von Watkins (Liverpool, N.Y.) and Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.).
ROAD WARRIORS The Nittany Lions are scheduled to compete in seven meets in five states before they return to Happy Valley for the Jim Thorpe Invite (May 8). Following the Jim Thorpe Invite, Penn state will travel to East Lansing, Mich. (Big Ten Outdoors), Jacksonville, Fla. (NCAA First Round) and Eugene, Ore. (NCAA Outdoor Championships)
TWELVE SIGN EARLY
Twelve new student-athletes signed their National Letter of Intent during the week-long early signing period in November. Colin Abert (Easton, Pa.), Devin Bradham (Williamstown, N.J.), Frances Bull (Mentor, Ohio), Isaiah Harris (Lewiston, Maine), Maddie Holmberg (Greensburg, Pa.), Peter Hughey (Chambersburg, Pa.), David Lucas (Lititz, Pa.), David Marrington (Langhorne, Pa.), Sam Reiser (St Kilda, Aus.), Sarah Stanley (South Park, Pa.), Abby Stultz (Frederick, Md.) and Grace Trucilla (Erie, Pa.) have signed a National Letter of Intent and will attend Penn State next fall.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State will compete next Saturday at the LSU Alumni Gold meet in Baton Rouge, La., and they will also head back to Lewisburg, Pa., for the Bucknell Team Challenge.
For more on Nittany Lion track & field, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.