June 25, 2015
Results
EUGENE, Ore. -- Five Penn State Nittany Lions competed on the opening day of the 2015 USA Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field, with three Nittany Lions moving on to the next round of competition.
The Nittany Lions started the day with Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio) and Casimir Loxsom (New Haven, Conn.) competing in the 800-meter run. The first round of the men's 800-meter run featured four heats of eight runners. The top-three finishers from each heat plus the next four best times advanced on to Friday's semifinals.
In the first heat of the men's 800-meter run, Loxsom finished third to advance to the semifinals with his time of 1 minute, 47.76 seconds and in the fourth heat, Kidder ran 1:47.80 en route to a first-place finish.
On the track for the Penn State women, alum Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) and junior Tori Gerlach (Perkasie, Pa.) ran in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
In the first heat, Gerlach finished eighth with her time of 10:12.83 and in the second heat, Franek tallied a time of 9:46.97 for a fourth-place finish and an automatic qualifying spot. Overall, Franek ran the sixth-fastest time in the first round and Gerlach placed 17th.
Also on the track for the Nittany Lions, Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.) finished 17th in the 1,500-meter run with his time of 3:47.12. In a field of collegian and professional runners, Creese was the second collegian to cross the finish line.
Rachel Fatherly (Williamsport, Pa.) was the lone Nittany Lion to compete in the field events. Fatherly, a junior, opened up the shot put competition with a toss of 54 feet, 1.25 inches. She was unable to improve her mark on her final two throws and finished 17th overall.
The Nittany Lions return to action Friday with Quenee Dale (Ypsilanti, Mich.) running the 100-meter hurdles, Karlee McQuillen (Johnstown, Pa.) competing in the javelin, Kiah Seymour (Washington, D.C.) running the 400-meter hurdles, and Kidder and Loxsom competing in the 800-meter run.
For more info on Nittany Lion track & field, log on to www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.