Feb. 28, 2017
Big Ten Release
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State track & field head coach John Gondak has been named the 2017 Big Ten Women's Indoor Track & Field Coach of the Year, as announced by the conference Tuesday afternoon.
Most recently, Gondak led the women's track & field team to its fourth Big Ten indoor title in program history. Penn State's four indoor championships since 2004 are the most of any school in the conference, with Minnesota and Ohio State in second having won three.
Gondak, who is in his third season as head coach of the Nittany Lions, led Penn State to its first indoor title since 2014, setting a school record in 5,000-meters and multiple top-five program marks at the Big Ten Championships, scoring 96.5 points over the two day meet. Gondak earns his first Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Coach of the Year honor and the fourth overall in the programs history.
Also, Xavier Smith (Douglassville, Pa.) and Danielle Gibson (Nassau, Bahamas) both garnered Big Ten Sportsmanship awards.
The students chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These students must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
Penn State also had several athletes earn First-Team and Second-Team All-Big Ten honors including:
First Team
Rachel Banks, Penn State
Dannielle Gibson, Penn State
Julie Kocjancic, Penn State
Tichina Rhodes, Penn State
Danae Rivers, Penn State
Xavier Smith, Penn State
Dan Chisena, Penn State
Samuel Reiser, Penn State
Isaiah Harris, Penn State
Second Team
Tessa Barrett, Penn State
Megan McCloskey, Penn State
Alyssa Robinson, Penn State
Bryce Williams, Penn State