June 11, 2016
EUGENE, Ore. - Penn State wrapped up competition in the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships bringing home a second team All-American in Dannielle Gibson.
Gibson, a Nassau, Bahamas native, made her debut at the outdoor track & field championships after qualifying for her first ever NCAA championships this past Mar. during indoor season.
On her first jump of the competition Gibson recorded a mark of 11.93m (39'-1.75"), but quickly followed but with a jump of 13.05m (42'-9.75") on her second attempt.
Gibson was in qualifying position up until the last two jumps of prelims where both athletes recorded season best marks to move into the top nine bumping Gibson back to 11th to finish her junior year as a two-time second team All-American in the triple jump.
Georgia's Keturah Orji won the competition with a new collegiate and American record mark of 14.53m (47'-8") winning the event by over two and a half feet with the next closest competitor ending the event with a jump of 13.77m (45'-2.25").
The final competitor for Penn State was Tessa Barrett. The freshman from Waverly, Pa. entered the meet with a season best time of 16:06.19 set in a first-place finish at the Pepsi Invite at Hayward Field back on April 9.
Barrett unfortunately was unable to finish the race, stepping off the track late into the 5,000-meter discipline.
This concludes the 2016 NCAA season for Penn State, several Nittany Lion athletes are on the cusp of qualifying for their countries Olympic Trials and will know over the next several weeks if they make the cut.
For more on Nittany Lion track & field, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.