May 15, 2016
FINAL RESULTS
LINCOLN, NE -- Penn State wrapped up the final day of action at Ed Weir Stadium in Lincoln, NE Sunday afternoon as the Nittany Lion men's team finished fifth, while the women's team took 10th-place at the 2016 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Penn State finished the final day of the meet with three individual Big Ten Champions in Brian Leap, Brannon Kidder, and Isaiah Harris who claimed individual accolades in the men's triple jump 1,500-meters, and 800-meters, respectively.
Leap, who entered the competition ranked No. 1 triple jumper in the conference and backed up his rank tying his career best mark in the event posting a best jump of 16.27m (53'-4.5") to grab his first outdoor title.
Isaiah Harris, the 2016 Big Ten indoor champion this past February in Geneva, Ohio, claimed the outdoor 800-meter title in come-from-behind fashion. Harris made a move with 120-meters to go to move around Minnesota's Goaner Deng and never looked back, finishing the half-mile race in 1:46.21 besting the field by almost a complete second in the margin of victory over the next closest competition.
Harris' time fell one-tenth of a second off the Big Ten record set by former Nittany Lion Casimir Loxsom at 1:46.12 back in 2012.
Happy Valley is home to six of the last eight Big Ten 800-meter champions led by the efforts of middle-distance specialist, head coach John Gondak, and his Nittany Lion athletes through the years.
The third and final individual champion on the day was senior Brannon Kidder who is no stranger to Big Ten Championships, having won eight over his time as a Nittany Lion.
Kidder entered the final sporting the fastest time from prelims at 3:47.44. The senior from Lancaster, Ohio took the lead early and held it all the way through the finish, holding off Michigan State's Justine Kiprotich who made a push with 300-meters to-go before Kidder capped the race clocking 3:44.67 en route to his ninth Big Ten Championship of his career.
Kidder was part of a men's 1,500-meter group that finished 1-4-5 in the event as Colin Abert and Robby Creese ran times of 3:46.96 and 3:47.42 to help Penn State collect 19-points in the event and became the first Nittany Lion to win the event since 2008.
Dannielle Gibson brought home a silver medal in the women's triple jump with her mark of 13.04m (42'-9.50"). Teammate Kaitlyn Lopez finished eighth in the event with her best jump of 12.56m (41'-2.50").
The women's high jump featured Penn State's Megan McCloskey (1.79m/5'-10.50") and Ahmenah Richardson (1.76m 5'-9.25") finish fourth and fifth, respectively.
The men's 4x400-meter relay squad of Dan Chisena, Alex Shisler, Sam Reiser, and Isaiah Harris combined to lay down a season best time of 3:07.25 taking sixth-place in the final event of the day.
Other Big Ten scorers on day three include: Obeng Marfo, Jon Yohman, Ryan Kerr,
Xavier Smith, Sarah Jane Underwood, Jillian Hunsberger, Glen Burkhardt, Timothy McGowan, and the men's 4x100-meter relay.
Following the meet the Big Ten released first and second team All-Big Ten performers, Nittany Lions on that list include:
Isaiah Harris (First-Team)
Brannon Kidder (First-Team)
Brian Leap (First-Team)
Dannielle Gibson (Second-Team)
Penn State will return home to train for a week before traveling to Jacksonville, FL to take part in the NCAA East First-Round hosted by the University of North Florida May 26-28.
For more on Nittany Lion track & field, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.