April 10, 2017
TFRRS Performance List (PSU Top 25)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - This past weekend Penn State track & field traveled south to compete in the Battle on the Bayou hosted by LSU in Baton Rouge, LA with several athletes turning in top program marks.
Megan McCloskey finished her first collegiate trip to Bayou as the No. 2 high jumper in Penn State outdoor history. McCloskey passed on the first three bars (1.53m, 1.58m, 1.63m) before entering competition with a first jump clearance of 5'-6" (1.68m) followed by a first jump clearance on the second bar at 5'-7.75" (1.72m). The next three bars for McCloskey were second attempt clearances with the final bar set at 5'-11.50" (1.82m) the second highest bar a Nittany Lion has cleared indoor or outdoor trailing only Shelley Mitchell's mark of 6'-0" (1.83m) from 1992.
Danae Rivers, who already etched her name in the record books during the indoor season, has quickly placed her name among the best in program history early in the outdoor season. Having already run the No. 2 time in program history in the 1,500-meters, Rivers added her name amongst the best 800-meter runners to come through Happy Valley.
Rivers recorded a time of 2:04.99 as she raced her way to victory, finishing a full second ahead of the closest competitor, during this past week's meet. Her time currently holds as the fourth-fastest mark in the event behind Briene Simmons (2:04.72), Tammie Hart (2:04.37) and school record holder Rebekka Simko who clocked 2:03.09 back in 2012. Rivers is currently ranked No. 8 in the NCAA in the 800-meters.
Madeline Holmberg used a third-place finish in the long jump to propel her up the top-10 list as she turned in the No. 9 jump in outdoor history at 20'-3.50" (6.18). Holmberg's jump is currently the No. 21 mark in the NCAA and 12th in the East region.
The final women's top-10 mark hit over the weekend at LSU was Stephanie Sievers who recorded the No. 8 mark in PSU history as she finished with a throw of 159'-9" (48.70m) in the javelin. Sievers is ranked No. 30 in the NCAA and 12th in the East Region.
For the men, Penn State had three performances crack the top-10 for the weekend.
Dan Chisena, Xavier Smith, Tyreek Mathis and Isaiah Harris combined to run 3:06.63 in the 4x400-meter relay to finish with the No. 5 time in Penn State history. The relay was comprised of three legs (Chisena, Smith, Harris) that qualified for the NCAA Indoor championships with a school record and Big Ten Indoor meet record time of 3:04.80. Penn State is currently ranked No. 13 in the nation and seventh in the East Region.
In the throws, Jon Yohman and David Lucas recorded the No.9 marks in Penn State history in the shot put and hammer throw, respectively.
Yohman, finished with a throw of 61'-0" (18.59m) that is currently the No. 20 throw in the nation and 10th in the East Region, while Lucas, an NCAA qualifier in the discus last season and No. 3 in program history in the event, finished with a toss of 196'-11" (60.02m) that is 72nd nationally 39th in the East Region.
Through four meets during the 2017 outdoor season Penn State has already racked up double-digit top-10 program marks including:
No. 1 Women's 4x800 - 8:39.44
No. 2 Men's 4x100 - 39.65
No. 2 Megan McCloskey - 5'-11.50" (1.82m)
No. 2 Isaiah Harris 800-meters - 1:45.24
No. 2 Danae Rivers 1,500-meters - 4:16.33
No. 4 Xavier Smith 100-meters - 10.47
No. 4 Danae Rivers 800-meters - 2:04.99
No. 5 Men's 4x400 - 3:06.63
No. 6 Keianna Albury 100-meters - 11.65
No. 7 Jillian Hunsberger 5,000-meters - 16:06.21
No. 8 Obeng Marfo Hammer Throw - 183'-6" (55.94m)
No. 8 Stephanie Sievers Javelin - 159'-9" (48.70m)
No. 9 Bryce Williams Triple Jump - 50'-8.00" (15.44m)
No. 9 Madeline Holmberg Long Jump - 20'-3.50" (6.18m)
No. 9 Jon Yohman Shot Put - 61'-0" (18.59m)
No. 9 David Lucas Hammer - 196'-11" (60.02m)
No. 10 Malik Moffett 200-meters - 21.07
According to Track & Field Results and Reporting System (TFRRS) Penn State currently has 10 student-athletes and two relays ranked in the top-25 of the NCAA, while the Nittany Lions boast 36 top-10 performances in the Big Ten with five of those performance leading the conference.