March 22, 2017
Sun Angel StadiumTempe, Ariz.
Friday, March 24
4:00 p.m ET
LIVE Results | Meet Schedule | Heat Sheets
Saturday, March 25
5:30 p.m. ET
LIVE Results | Meet Schedule | Heat Sheets
| TEAMS COMPETING | |
| Indiana | Arizona |
| Michigan | Arizona State |
| Nebraska | California |
| Penn State | UCLA |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State track & field will make its 2017 outdoor season debut as they travel to Tempe, Ariz. for a second-straight year to take part in the PAC-12/Big Ten Challenge on the campus of Arizona State University at Joe Selleh Track at Sun Angel Stadium Friday and Saturday March 24-25.
There will be eight schools representing the two conferences; Penn State, Nebraska, Michigan, Indiana, Arizona, Arizona State, California and UCLA will compete in a conference vs. conference scored meet.
"The weather in Phoenix this time of year is usually very warm during the day and nice and cool in the evening time which sets up for opportunities to go and perform," said head coach John Gondak.
"This is a great group of teams that are set to compete in the PAC-12/Big Ten Challenge. The teams that will be at this meet are all outstanding, and when you put a large number of highly competitive athletes together it raises the level of competition for all. It's a perfect season opener for us."
WRAPPING UP INDOOR
With the 2017 indoor season officially in the books, the Nittany Lions finished the indoor season having recorded 25 program top-five performances, including eight school records.
At the Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships, Penn State captured the Women's Big Ten title en route to the best combined finish following a second-place finish by the men at the indoor championships in Geneva, Ohio.
Seven Penn State student-athletes recorded First-Team All-American finishes at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. The NCAA meet was highlighted by a third-place finish in the women's mile Danae Rivers, a fourth-place finish in the men's 800-meters by Isaiah Harris, a fifth-place finish by Tessa Barrett in the women's 5,000-meters, a sixth-place finish in the women's Distance Medley Relay (Rivers, Rhodes, Banks, Kocjancic), and an eighth-place finish in the women's triple jump by Dannielle Gibson.
LAST YEAR'S PAC-12/BIG TEN CHALLENGE
Penn State track & field wrapped up their outdoor debut at the 2016 Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge hosted by Arizona State with the Big Ten conference grabbing the win on both sides while Penn State finished second and third amongst the men's and women's Big Ten competition, respectively.
The Nittany Lions used a beautiful day in the desert to turn in several strong performances and PR's en route to finishing the meet with 32 top-eight marks and 12 top-three finishes over the weekend including a then-NCAA leading men's 4x100-meter relay that stands as the No. 3 mark in program history at 39.92 seconds.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Nittany Lions are scheduled to compete in nine meets in six states before they return to Happy Valley for the Jim Thorpe Invite (May 5). Following the Jim Thorpe Invite, Penn state will host the Big Ten Championships for the third time in program history (1996, 2007) before heading to Lexington, Ky. for the NCAA First Round followed by a trip to the west coast for the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore. at historic Hayward Field.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions compete between two meets next weekend as they head to Stanford, Calif (April 1-2) and Gainesville, FL (April 1-2) for the Stanford Invite and Florida Relays.
For more on Nittany Lion track & field, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.