Feb. 28, 2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - In this week's Rewind we take a look at the momentously successful weekend Penn State had at the 2017 Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
Win (verb) - to be successful or victorious in (a contest or conflict).
This past weekend the Penn State track & field teams stepped in the Spire Institute and decided that this would be the weekend they brought home the highest combined finish in program history.
The Penn State women's track team won their fourth indoor championship and 11th overall when you include outdoor track and cross country.
The men's second-place finish is the highest for the Penn State men besting their third-place finishes at the 2009, 2013, and 2014 indoor championships and the 1996 and 2001 outdoor championships.
Penn State had 14 medalists over the weekend as well as welcoming three new school records to the books.
Tessa Barrett turned in a silver medal performance in the women's 5,000-meters running a time that is ranked No. 2 in the NCAA this season at 15:28.99 - trailing only Indiana's Katherine Receveur who captured the Big Ten Championship in the event by one-tenth of a second (15:28.89).
Barrett's time is a new school record besting her mark of 15:46.08 from last year's Husky Invite in Seattle, Wash.
Malik Moffett broke the school record in the 200-meters twice this weekend as he ran his way to a bronze medal in the event.
Moffett, who entered the meet with a season's best of 21.06, ran 20.81 in the prelims before turning in a 20.76 in the final of the event. Moffett is now the fastest Nittany Lion at the indoor distance erasing the old mark of 20.98 by Ryan Olkowski set in 2002.
Xavier Smith also ran a time below the old record as he clocked a quick 20.85 during preliminary action in the 200-meters, Smith would finish fourth in the finals.
The final school record of the meet was the men's 4x400-meter relay of Dan Chisena, Xavier Smith, Sam Reiser and Isaiah Harris. The quartet ran off splits of 46.4, 45.2, 46.8 and 45.7 for a combined time of 3:04.80 and a gold medal at the Big Ten Championships.
Penn State's time of 3:04.80 is currently the No. 4 in the nation as the team will have another shot to compete at the NCAA Championships next week in College Station, Texas.
As mentioned earlier, several top-five marks in program history were turned in this past weekend on both the men's and women's side.
One of those performances was Keianna Albury in the 60-meters. The sophomore from Nassau, Bahamas laid down a 7.32 second 60-meter that ranks as the No. 4 time in Penn State history just 12 one-hundredths of a second (0.12) off the school record set by Shavon Greaves back in 2010 at 7.24 seconds.
In the 600-meters Frances Bull, a native of Mentor, Ohio just a 30 minute drive away from the Spire Institute, turned in the No. 5 time in program history as she clocked 1:30.53 in the event scoring in the finals for the Blue & White.
The 800-meters saw Danae Rivers capture the Big Ten Championship running away from competition over the final 100-meters, but as coach Gondak has said "Championships are not won by the athletes who finish first and second and third, but rather by the athletes who claim those fifth-eighth place points.
Rachel Banks did just that, the freshman chipped in a sixth0-place finish in the 800-meters and recorded a new personal best along the way recording a time of 2:06.99 that is the fourth-best mark in the event in Penn State history.
Just as the 800-meters featured two of the top-five athletes in the event in school history, so did the 5,000-meters in Tessa Barrett and Jillian Hunsberger.
Barrett, who won the event in a school record time of 15:28.99, was trailed by teammate Hunsberger who ran the No. 5 time in program history at 16:01.90 as she took fourth-place in the finals of the 5K at the Big Ten Championships.
Quenee Dale moved up the 60-meter hurdle list one spot from fourth all-time to No. 3 in the event with her time of 8.21 seconds. Dale is currently 11 one-hundredths of a second (0.11)
In the field Megan McCloskey tied her season best in the high jump clearing 5'-10.50" (1.79m), a mark that is tied for No. 3 all-time at Penn State, on her way to a silver medal at the championships.
David Lucas has continued to slowly but surely move his way closer and closer to the top-five finally breaking through in the weight throw as he posted the No. 5 mark with a toss of 65'-10" (20.08m).
Penn State will close out the 2017 indoor track & field season next week at the NCAA Indoor Championships hosted by Texas A&M in College Station, Texas Mar. 10-11.
For more on Nittany Lion track & field, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.