May 25, 2016
Thursday, May 26
12:00 p.m ET
Meet Info
Friday, May 27
12:00 p.m. ET
Meet Info
Saturday, May 28
3:00 p.m. ET
Meet Info
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State track & field teams are set to compete in the NCAA Division I 2016 Outdoor Track & Field Championships - East Preliminary hosted by the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. May 26-28. Thirty-two 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 8-11.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS QUALIFYING
The 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held June 8-11 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.
Heading into this weekend, Penn State has five NCAA East top-12 performances.
NITTANY LION INFO
Thirty-two Penn State track & field student-athletes have qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round May 26-28 at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
Three Nittany Lions have top-five performances in their respective events in the east
region.
The Nittany Lion men qualified 18 student-athletes in 13 events. On the men's side, Isaiah Harris (800-meters), Brannon Kidder (1,500-meters), and Brian Leap (Triple Jump) hold top-five marks in their respective events heading into the NCAA East Preliminaries.
Along with the 13 individual events, the Nittany Lion men qualified in the 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relays.
The Nittany Lion women will be represented by 14 student-athletes in eight events.
17 of the 32 total athletes that have qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary have combined to set top-10 marks in program history in 17 events over the course of the 2016 season.
Four Nittany Lions have qualified in multiple events, as Jon Yohman qualified for both the discus and shot put, Dannielle Gibson will compete in the long jump and the triple jump, Obeng Marfo is slated to compete in the shot put and discus throw, while Malik Moffett has advanced to the NCAA East Preliminary Round in the long jump and the 200-meters.
AMONGST THE BEST IN PROGRAM HISTORY
23 Nittany Lions have moved into the top-10 in program history with their performances on the track this season, athletes include:
Hannah Mulhern (No. 2 all-time in women's pole vault)
Brian Leap (No. 3 all-time in men's triple jump)
Obeng Marfo (No. 3 all-time in women's discus)
Men's 4x100 relay (No. 3 all-time at 39.92; Chisena, Moffett, Porter, Smith)
Kasey Kemp (No. 4 all-time in women's pole vault)
Alyssa Robinson (No. 4 all-time in women's shot put)
Dannielle Gibson (No. 4 all-time in women's triple jump)
Isaiah Harris (No. 4 all-time in men's 800-meters)
David Lucas (No. 5 all-time in the men's discus)
Xavier Smith (No. 5 all-time in men's 200-meters)
Men's 4x100 relay (Tied No. 5 all-time at 40.40; Smith, Chisena, Moffett, Minnig)
Tessa Barrett (No. 6 all-time in women's 5,000-meters)
Quenee Dale (No. 6 all-time in women's 100-meter hurdles)
Megan McCloskey (Tied for No. 6 all-time in women's high jump)
Jon Yohman (No. 7 all-time in men's discus)
Madeline Holmberg (No. 7 all-time in the women's heptathlon)
Chisom Ifedi (Tied for No. 7 all-time in men's high jump)
Kaitlyn Lopez (No. 8 all-time in women's triple jump)
Tessa Barrett (No. 8 all-time in women's 10,000-meters)
Tal Ben-Artzi (No. 8 all-time in the women's heptathlon)
Dan Chesina (No. 9 all-time in men's 200-meters)
Morgan Shigo (No. 9 all-time in men's hammer throw)
Jon Yohman (No. 9 all-time in men's shot put)
Malik Moffett (No. 9 all-time in men's long jump)
Megan Fry (No. 9 all-time in women's pole vault)
TRACKTOWN BOUND
The Nittany Lions have four individuals looking to return to the NCAA Ourdoor Championships after making the trek to the west coast in 2015.
Brannon Kidder was the 2015 NCAA runner-up in the 800-meters at last years outdoor championships recording a time of 1:49.26. Kidder, who has a personal best time of 1:45.58 and a season best of 1:46.42, will compete in the 1,500-meters at the NCAA East Preliminary meet.
Robby Creese, a 2015 outdoor championships Second-Team All-American, will look to return to Eugene in the 1,500-meters entering the NCAA East meet holding the No. 14 time in the east running a season best of 3:42.29 at the Pepsi Invitational in Eugene, Ore. Apr. 9.
Glen Burkhardt and Rachel Fatherly look to punch their tickets to Oregon in the 10K and shot put, respectively. Burkhardt qualified for the 2015 NCAA meet by finishing 8th at last year's NCAA East Preliminary posting a time of 30:06.30, while Fatherly finished 10th in the shot put at the National Championships with a mark of 16.67m (54'-8.25").
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Nittany Lions are scheduled to compete in nine meets in five states before they return to Happy Valley for the Jim Thorpe Invite (May 6). Following the Jim Thorpe Invite, Penn state will travel to Lincoln, Neb. (Big Ten Outdoors), Jacksonville, Fla. (NCAA First Round) and Eugene, Ore. (NCAA Outdoor Championships)
NEXT TIME OUT
The Penn State track & field program will travel to Eugene, Ore. for the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships are held June 8-11 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
For more on Nittany Lion track & field, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.