May 17, 2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - It was a historic weekend at the 2017 Big Ten Championships hosted by Penn State University as the Nittany Lion men's team captured their first Big Ten Championship in program behind several outstanding performances over the three-day meet.
Penn State scored 117-points on the men's side capturing the first Big Ten championship for the Nittany Lions improving on their previous best finish of second-place at the 2017 indoor championships this past February at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
The Nittany Lions scored points in 12 of the 21 total events and scored double-digit points in seven of those 12 events including three gold medal performances in the 200-meters, 800-meters and long jump.
On the women's side, Penn State followed up their indoor championship with a third-place finish at the Big Ten meet totaling 101-points over the 21-event schedule in Happy Valley.
Xavier Smith, Karson Kowalchuk, and Malik Moffett all ran time in the 100-meters that were well below the school record of 10.34 seconds set by Mike Sands back in 1975, the only asterisk to the race was the wind was not legal by NCAA standards, nonetheless the times stand as the No.1 (10.10), No. 2 (10.22) and No. 3 (10.26) times in program history under all conditions and added 16-points to the Lions total.
The 200-meters was a huge swing for Penn State as well on the men's side as Moffett brought home the title in a blistering 19.87 seconds. The time holds as the No. 1 time in program history under all-conditions and is the eighth-fastest wind-aided time in NCAA history. Smith, who also ran in the 200-meter final, finished third in a Penn State all-conditions No. 2 time of 20.23.
Keianna Albury moved up the all-time list in the women's 200-meters with her time of 23.46 that she posted in the prelims of the race before scoring in the final the following day.
Moving up to the 400-meters, Dan Chisena and Tyreek Mathis continued the climb up the all-time list with their times of 46.16 and 46.93 that are No. 6 and No. 10 on the list. Chisena finished with a bronze medal at the meet while Mathis finished eighth.
Tori Gerlach finished in third-place in the women's steeplechase followed by teammate Greta Lindsley in 10:22.09 - the no. 8 time in program history. Gerlach ran the No. 2 time in program history earlier this season finishing the race in 9:50.60.
Jillian Hunsberger and Kathryn Munks finished second and fifth in the 10,000-meters running the No. 3 and No. 7 times in program history in the event. Hunsberger recorded a time of 33:.55.55 while Munks crossed the line right behind in 34:05.28.
During day one action of the heptathlon, Madeline Holmberg posted a time of 13.70 in the 100-meter hurdles that is the seventh-fastest ever by a Nittany Lion. Holmberg also improved on her school record mark in the heptathlon shot put finishing with a best of 42'-6.25" (12.96m).
Malik Moffett - 2017 Big Ten Field Athlete of the Championships - won the long jump with a school record mark of 26'-3" (8.00m) that is currently No. 6 in the NCAA. The mark for Moffett erased the 32-year-old record of 25'-11" (7.90m) set by David Coney back in 1985.
Dannielle Gibson put together just as good of a day in the women's triple jump winning the event with a mark of 45'-1.75" (13.76m). Though the jump was wind aided, it is the No. 1 mark in program history under all-conditions.
Three Nittany Lions posted top-10 program marks in the men's hammer throw as Morgan Shigo, David Lucas and Kory Decesaris finished with marks of 222'11" (67.94m), 208'-2" (63.44m) and 205'-10" (62.75m), respectively.
Michael Biddle and Obeng Marfo also moved up their respective top-10 lists as Biddle finished javelin with the No. 4 mark in program history at 235'-7" (71.81m) while Marfo sits at No. 5 in the women's shot put after her throw of 53'-11" (16.43m). Penn State finished 2-4-6 in the event led by Michael Shuey and rounded out by Ryan Kerr.
In one of the final events of the day, the quartet of Dan Chisena, Xavier Smith, Tyreek Mathis and Isaiah Harris combined to run 3:05.22 in the 4x400-meter relay that is the third-fastest time in the event for the Blue & White.
Following the meet, Penn State's Malik Moffett was named Big Ten Field Athlete of the Championships while Nittany Lion Head Coach and Director of Track and Field John Gondak was unanimously named Big Ten Men's Coach of the Year after leading Penn State to their first Men's Big Ten title in program history.
Moffett won the 2017 Big Ten long jump title with a mark of 26'-3" (8.00m), a new Penn State school record and currently No. 6 in the NCAA. Moffett is just the third Nittany Lion to be tabbed Field Athlete of the Championships, joining Darrell Hill (2014) and Joe Kovacs (2012).
Gondak's Big Ten Coach of the Year honor is the third of his career (Cross Country 2015, Women's Indoor 2017) and comes after leading Penn State to its first Big Ten title in program history on the men's side. Gondak guided Penn State to 117-points including 10 Big Ten medalist and three Big Ten individual champions in the 800-meters (Isaiah Harris), long jump (Malik Moffett) and the 200-meters (Malik Moffett).
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