May 27, 2015
NCAA First Round Meet Info | Schedule | Live Results | 2015 Outdoor Performance List | NCAA Notes
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The NCAA Championship portion of the Nittany Lion track & field season begins Thursday with the NCAA East Preliminary Round at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. (May 28-30). Twenty-six Nittany Lions are slated to compete this week for a chance to advance to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. (June 10-13)
NITTANY LION INFO
Twenty-six Penn State track & field student-athletes have qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round. Six Nittany Lions have top-five performances in their respective events in the east region, including three No. 1 performances.
The Nittany Lion men qualified 11 student-athletes in eight events. On the men's side, Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.), Darrell Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio) have the top-performance in their respective events (Creese -- 1,500, Hill -- shot put, Kidder -- 800) in the east region, while Michael Shuey (Johnsonburg, Pa.) ranks fifth in the javelin throw.
The Nittany Lion women will be represented by 15 student-athletes in 12 events. For the Penn State women, Rachel Fatherly (Williamsport, Pa.) and Tori Gerlach (Perkasie, Pa.) both have top-five performances in their respective events, as Fatherly ranks fourth in the shot put and Gerlach ranks fifth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Along with the 11 individual events, the Nittany Lion women qualified for the 4x400-meter relay.
Four Nittany Lions have qualified in multiple events, as Glen Burkhardt (Kennett Square, Pa.) qualified for both the 5,000 and 10,000, Fatherly will compete in the hammer throw and the shot put, Gerlach is slated to run in the 5,000 and the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Dannielle Gibson (Nassau, Bahamas) has advanced to the NCAA East Preliminary Round in the long jump and the triple jump.
LAST TIME OUT
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
MEN
Behind three individual Big Ten champions, the Penn State men's track & field team scored 67 points en route to a fifth-place finish at the 2015 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Sunday, Darrell Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Michael Shuey (Johnsonburg, Pa.) defended their titles from a season ago, while Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio) won his first outdoor Big Ten title.
Hill, a senior, opened up with a toss of 65 feet, 7.75 inches in the men's shot put to take the early lead in heat two. His mark though would not hold as the top mark as Ohio State's JC Murasky responded on his second attempt with a toss of 66-1.75 to take the lead from Hill.
Heading into the finals with the No. 2 mark, Hill recorded a throw of 66-3.25 on his fourth attempt to take the lead back. His mark went onto hold as Murasky was unable to answer back. With Hill's title Sunday, he becomes the second Nittany Lion to defend his shot put title (Blake Eaton, 2010-11).
High school teammates Glen Burkhardt (Kennett Square, Pa.) and Matt Fischer (Kennett Square, Pa.) led the Nittany Lions on day one of the 2015 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships with their performances in the men's 10,000-meter run. In the 10,000-meter debuts, the Nittany Lion duo scored a pair of top-10 finishes.
The 2015 Penn State True Grit award winner, Burkhardt, battled with the leaders throughout race to finish fourth with his time of 29 minutes, 31.42 seconds. Also in the race, Fischer (29:51.69) edged out Michigan State's Caleb Rhynard by four-hundredths of a second for a sixth-place finish. Penn State was the only school to have two runners score points in the race.
After posting a fourth-place finish in the men's 10,000-meter run Friday night, Glen Burkhardt (Kennett Square, Pa.) went back to the track for the men's 5,000-meter run. In the race, Burkhardt tallied a time of 14:25.91 en route to a fourth-place finish.
In their Big Ten Outdoor Championships debut, Justin Berg (Phoenixville, Pa.) and Kory Decesaris (Danielsville, Pa.) both recorded personal-best performances in the men's hammer throw.
Decesaris, a redshirt freshman, finished 13th overall with a toss of 198-5, while Berg placed 20th with a personal-best toss of 185-5. Decesaris' mark Friday is an 11-foot PR and ranks No. 6 all-time at Penn State.
Steve Waithe (Parkville, Md.) was also in the hunt to defend his men's triple jump title from last season. In the event, Waithe finished second with his season-best leap of 52-8.25. Waithe though wasn't the only Nittany Lion to score points in the men's triple jump event.
In his first Big Ten Outdoor Championships, freshman Bryce Williams (State College, Pa.) tallied a seventh-place finish with his personal-best mark of 50-2. His mark will qualify him for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in two weeks in Jacksonville, Fla.
Starting at the same time (1:30 p.m.) as the men's triple jump, Shuey took to the runway for the men's javelin throw. Heading into Shuey's second to last throw of the competition, his teammate, Ryan Kerr (Brookville, Pa.) was in first with his personal-best toss of 229-2. Shuey, the defending champ, responded with a throw of 236-8 to take the lead.
Shuey also becomes the first Nittany Lion to win back to back Big Ten titles in men's javelin since Allen Pettner (2006-07); Troy Burkholder also won three-straight Big Ten titles from 1997-99.
Searching for his first Big Ten outdoor medal, Kidder took to the track as the top seed in the men's 800-meter run, as yesterday Kidder posted a time of 1:47.99 for the top spot in qualifying. Today, he took down the defending champ, Joe McAsey, for his first Big Ten outdoor title. Kidder went onto finish first in the race with his time of 1:47.56.
Senior Sancho Barrett (Amityville, N.Y.) added four points to the Nittany Lion total as he tallied a fifth-place finish in the men's 110-meter hurdles. He ran a wind-aided time of 13.71 in the race.
WOMEN
After standing for 11 years, Ja'Nai O'Connor's school record mark of 55 feet, 4.75 inches in the women's shot put is now the number two performance in school history following Rachel Fatherly's (Williamsport, Pa.) silver medal throw Sunday at the 2015 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships. As a team, the Nittany Lion women finished seventh with their score of 66 points.
In the women's shot put, Fatherly tallied a distance of 56-0 breaking the school record on her second to last throw, but she was not done for the day. On her final attempt, Fatherly bested the previous throw by 3.25 inches. Overall, Fatherly placed second with her toss of 56-3.25.
The Nittany Lion duo of Tori Gerlach (Perkasie, Pa.) and Elizabeth Chikotas (Hellertown, Pa.) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the women's 5,000-meter run. In a highly competitive field, the duo held their own to record top-five finishes. In the race, Gerlach finished fourth with a time of 16:19.89, while the freshman, Chikotas, clocked in at 16:28.92 for a fifth-place finish. On Saturday, Gerlach ran to a second-place finish in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:13.33).
The women's hammer throw featured a pair of season-best performances from the Nittany Lions. Rachel Fatherly (Williamsport, Pa.) and Annjulie Vester (Homburg, Germany) both recorded top-five all-time marks in school history Friday.
In the women's hammer throw, Fatherly finished eighth with a personal-best toss of 191-9; her throw ranks fourth all-time at Penn State. Vester, fifth-year senior transfer from Virginia Tech, posted the No. 5 mark in school history (191-2) for a ninth-place finish.
The women' discus throw featured a personal-best and scoring performance from freshman Obeng Marfo (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). Marfo tallied a 15-foot PR en route to a sixth-place finish with her toss of 170-2.
After tallying a 15-foot personal-best toss in the discus yesterday, Marfo recorded a foot and half PR in the women's shot put Sunday. Marfo went onto finish fourth with her mark of 52-6. Her mark Sunday is tied for fifth all-time in school history.
Along with the women's shot put, the Nittany Lion women tallied podium finishes in the 400-meter dash and the triple jump.
After securing the final qualifying spot in the 400-meter dash Saturday, Dynasty McGee (Flint, Mich.) ran to a podium finish Sunday. In the women's 400-meter dash, McGee placed third with her time of 53.59, while Tichina Rhodes (Philadelphia, Pa.) added a point to the Nittany Lion total with her eighth-place finish (54.38).
After tallying a ninth-place finish in the long jump last year, sophomore Dannielle Gibson (Nassau, Bahamas) rebounded Saturday by nearly posting a podium finish.
On her fourth attempt in the competition, Gibson posted a personal-best leap of 20 feet, 2.25 inches for a third-place standing. With one attempt though, Maryland's Thea LaFond out-jumped Gibson by a quarter of an inch (20-2.50) for the third-place finish. In the Penn State record books, Gibson improves her No. 10 spot in school history.
A day after missing out on a podium finish in the long jump, Gibson tallied a third-place finish in the triple jump. Gibson, a sophomore, scored six points for Penn State with her leap of 42-3.50.
Also scoring for the Nittany Lion women, freshman Anna Bailey (Harrisburg, Pa.) posted a personal-best distance of 153-4 en route to a sixth-place finish in the women's javelin.
LAST YEAR AT THE NCAA FIRST ROUND
DAY ONE
Four Nittany Lions qualified for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon after impressive performances in the field events on Thursday night to kick-off the action at the NCAA East Preliminary Round.
Senior Brittney Howell (Wyncote, Pennsylvania) used a lifetime-best jump of 20-10.75 to qualify for the NCAA Championships. The jump was second overall at the NCAA East Preliminary Round and is also third-best all-time at Penn State. With the second-best throw of his career, junior Darrell Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.) moved on to the NCAA Championships in the shot put with a fifth-place toss of 65-9.75. Senior Melissa Kurzdorfer (Lancaster, New York) finished seventh in the hammer with a throw of 197-4 to make it to the NCAA Championships. Senior javelin thrower Laura Loht (McClure, Pennsylvania) qualified for Eugene with a fifth-place toss of 169-4..
DAY TWO
Six more Nittany Lions qualified for the 2014 NCAA Track & Field Championships after their Friday performances in Jacksonville, Florida.
Redshirt-senior Mahagony Jones (Cleveland, Ohio) qualified for the NCAA Finals with a second place finish in her heat of the 100 meters (11.39) and sophomore Kiah Seymour (Washington, D.C.) also advanced to Eugene running a 55.95 to place second in her heat of the 400 hurdles. Redshirt-senior Evonne Britton (El Paso, Texas) qualified in the 100 hurdles with a third-place in her heat in a time of 13.33 and also earned a spot in the NCAA Championships with her fourth-place time of 57.41 in the 400 hurdles. In the last event of the night, sophomore Tori Gerlach (Perkasie, Pa.) auto-qualified with a third place finish in her section of the steeplechase. Gerlach's time of 10:03.55 is a new PR and is second all-time at Penn State.
In the field events, both Steve Waithe (Parkville, Maryland) and Brian Leap (Bellwood, Pennsylvania) qualified for the NCAA Championships. Waithe finished fourth with a jump of 52-8.25 and Leap jumped 51-.25 to place 11th.
DAY THREE
When the final event was over in Jacksonville, 15 Nittany Lions had qualified through to Eugene, Oregon for the 2014 NCAA Track & Field Championships. All told, Penn State will have competitors in 14 events when the championships kick-off on Wed., June 11.
On the track on Saturday, the men's team had two runners auto-qualify for Eugene. Sophomore Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio) qualified in the 1500 meters with a 3:45.72, which was fourth-place overall. In the 5000 meters, junior Matt Fischer (Kennett Square, Pa.) finished fourth in his section to auto-qualify for the NCAA Championships after entering the preliminary meet ranked 39th.
Redshirt-senior Evonne Britton (El Paso, Texas) ran a 13.23 in her section of the 100 meter hurdles to punch her ticket to Eugene in that event. Redshirt-senior Mahagony Jones (Cleveland, Ohio) is headed to the NCAA Finals in the 200 meters after her 23.14 qualified her for the action in Eugene.
Additionally, the women's 4x400 meter relay team ran a 3:31.65, which is fifth all-time at Penn State. The time was good enough for second-place and an auto-qualifier.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
During the 2015 outdoor season, the Nittany Lions have recorded 24 top-10 all-time performances in the Penn State record books, inclduing Rachel Fatherly's school record mark of 56-3.25 in the women's shot put.
Brannon Kidder (800-meter run, 1:45.58), Tori Gerlach (3,000-meter steeplechase, 9:57.47) Darrell Hill (shot put, 68-5.25) and Ahmenah Richardson (high jump, 5-11.25) have all posted the No. 2 all-time performances in their respective events this outdoor season.
B1G HONORS
MAY 13
Senior Penn State track & field student-athletes Sancho Barrett (Amityville, N.Y.) and Darrell Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.) have both garnered Big Ten Athlete of Week honors, as announced by the conference office Wednesday afternoon. Barrett picked up the Big Ten Men's Track Athlete of the Week honor, while Hill was tabbed as the Big Ten Men's Co-Field Athlete of the Week.
This is the first career award for Barrett, while Hill earns the award for the third time in his career. Hill also received the award on April 29 for his performance at the Penn Relays.
This past weekend at the Jim Thorpe Invite, both Barrett and Hill tallied lifetime-best performances en route to first-place finishes.
In the men's 110-meter hurdles, Barrett finished first with his time of 13.80 seconds. His time Friday moved him from 10th all-time in the Penn State record books to a tie for third all-time (Timpson -- 1988).
Also at the Jim Thorpe Invite, Hill continued his stellar senior season with another personal-best performance in the men's shot put. In the event, Hill improved his No. 2 spot in the Penn State record books with his throw of 68 feet, 5.25 inches.
MAY 6
After posting the NCAA-leading time in the 800-meter run this past weekend, 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 (May 6). This is the fourth career award for Kidder.
At the Payton Jordan Invitational (May 2), Kidder placed second in the 800-meter run with his personal-best time of 1:45.58. With his time Saturday, he currently has the top performance in the NCAA this season and he ranks second all-time in the Penn State record books (Loxsom, 1:45.28, 2011).
APRIL 29
Senior Darrell Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.) has been named the Big Ten Men's Co-Field Athlete of the Week, as announced by the conference Wednesday afternoon (April 29). This is the second career award for Hill.
This past weekend at the Penn Relays, Hill defended his 2014 Penn Relays shot put title with a lifetime-best mark of 68-2.5. His toss is the No. 2 all-time mark at Penn State, the No. 3 all-time performance at the Penn Relays and the No. 2 distance this outdoor season in the NCAA.
APRIL 15
Junior Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.) has been named the Big Ten Men's Track Athlete of the Week, as announced by the conference office Wednesday afternoon (April 15). This is the third career award for Creese.
At the Bucknell Classic, Creese won the men's 1,500-meter run with his time of 3:41.74. Earlier this season at the Florida Relays, he finished 11th in the men's 800-meter run with his personal-best time of 1:48.54.
APRIL 8
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 (April 8). 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 sixth 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.
IN THE RANKINGS
Eight Nittany Lions currently rank in the top-25 in the NCAA in their respective events. On the track, Sancho Barrett (Amityville, N.Y.) is tied for 23rd in the men's 110-meter hurdles (13.71), Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.) is second in the men's 1,500-meter run (3:39.02), Tori Gerlach (Perkasie, Pa.) ranks ninth in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:57.47) and Brannon Kidder is first in the men's 800-meter run (1:45.58).
In the field, Rachel Fatherly (Williamsport, Pa.) is 11th in the women's shot put (56-3.25), Darrell Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.) ranks second in the men's shot put (68-5.25), Michael Shuey (Johnsonburg, Pa.) is ninth in the men's javelin (242-8) and Steve Waithe (Parkville, Md.) is 16th in the men's triple jump (52-8.25).
NO. 15 IN THE LAND
The Penn State men's track & field team heads into the NCAA East Preliminary Round ranked No. 15 in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Computer Rankings.
At the Big Ten Championships, Sancho Barrett ran a wind-aided 13.71 in the men's 110-meter hurdles; he is currently ranked 22nd in the event.
Also on the track, Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio) leads the NCAA in the 800-meter run (1:45.58), while Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.) is second in the 1,500-meter run (3:39.02).
All-time at Penn State, Kidder ranks second in the 800-meter run and Creese has the third-best 1,500-meter run performance.
The Nittany Lions also have four marks in the field events ranked in the USTFCCCA National Computer Rankings.
Senior Darrell Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.) currently has the second-best mark in the shot put (68-5.25) and the javelin duo of Michael Shuey (Johnsonburg, Pa.) and Ryan Kerr (Brookville, Pa.) rank ninth (242-8) and 31st (229-1), respectively. Also in the field, Steve Waithe (Parkville, Md.) ranks 16th in the triple jump with his leap of 52-8.25.
Last year at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Kidder finished 12th in the 1,500-meter run (3:44.30), Hill placed 15th in the shot put (62-9.50) and Waithe finished fifth (52-11.50) in the triple jump.
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 Outdoor Championships), Jacksonville, Fla. (NCAA First Round) and Eugene, Ore. (NCAA Outdoor Championships)
ALBURY, PORTER SIGN WITH PENN STATE
Head coach and director of Penn State cross country and track & field John Gondak has announced the signing of Keianna Albury and Anton Porter. Albury and Porter will enroll in classes starting this fall.
Albury is currently finishing her senior year of high school at St. Augustine's College in Nassau, Bahamas, while Porter is wrapping up his senior year at Mount Saint Michael Academy in the Bronx, N.Y. Albury and Porter both come to Penn State with great success during their time in high school.
Albury is a two-time (2012-13) winner of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations Most Outstanding Youth award and she also was named the Anita Doherty Junior Female Track Athlete of the Year in 2014.
At the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships, Albury finished third in the 100, won the 200 and ran on the third-place 4x100-meter relay.
While competing for Mount Saint Michael Academy, Porter recorded numerous Catholic High School Athletic Association (CSHAA) first-place finishes and he currently holds the CSHAA record in the 100 and 300. He was also brought home All-State honors and was named MVP three years in a row.
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 this fall.
NEXT TIME OUT
The 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships are held June 10-13 at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. The top-12 finishers at the NCAA East Preliminary Round will advance onto the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
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