March 5, 2016
USTFCCCA Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA - The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its regional awards Friday afternoon and Penn State collected a trio of honors. Award winners were voted upon by USTFCCCA member coaches.
Assistant coach Patrick Ebel was named the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Women's Assistant Coach of the Year while senior Rachel Fatherly (Williamsport, Pa.) was tabbed as the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Women's Field Athlete of the Year and Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio) nabbed Mid-Atlantic Men's Track Athlete of the Year honors.
Ebel, in his fourth season guiding the Penn State throwers, coached his shot putters to three of the top four individual finishes at the Big Ten Championships. National No. 8 Rachel Fatherly finished runner-up as one of three Nittany Lions to surpass 50 feet, Ebel also had two finalists in the Big Ten weight throw. Fatherly, the school record holder in the shot put, will compete at the NCAA Championships.
Kidder, a senior from Lancaster, Ohio, broke the collegiate 1000 meters record in 2:18.26, ranks No. 8 at 800-meters in 1:47.01 and anchored the No. 3 DMR with a 3:55 1600-meter split. Kidder won the mile at the Big Ten Championships and anchored the winning DMR. The senior from Lancaster, Ohio will put his individual undefeated record on the line over 800-meters at the NCAA Championships, and will also run the DMR.
Fatherly, a senior from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, broke the Penn State record in the shot put with her mark of 17.27m (56-8) for the No. 8 rank in the country. Fatherly finished runner-up in the event at the Big Ten Championships to go along with a fourth-place weight throw finish. She will contest the shot put at the NCAA Championships.
Fatherly and Kidder are two of eight Nittany Lions to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships next week in Birmingham, Ala. The 2016 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships are held at the Birmingham Crossplex, March 11-12.
For more on Nittany Lion track & field, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.
Information from USTFCCCA was used in this story.