April 19, 2018
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State track & field program is back in action this weekend at the Bucknell Team Challenge and the Virginia Challenge.
The Bucknell Team Challenge takes place on Saturday, April 21, in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, while the Virginia Challenge is a two-day meet on April 20-21 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
BUCKNELL TEAM CHALLENGE
The Bucknell Team Challenge gets underway at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium at 11 a.m. with the men's discus throw, while the running events will begin at 1:30 p.m. with the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase.
VIRGINIA CHALLENGE
The Virginia Challenge features two sessions of action each day at Lannigan Field. The first session on Friday begins at 11 a.m. with the men's discus throw. The men's hammer throw, men's pole vault, and women's pole vault start the second session on Friday at 7 p.m.
On Saturday, the first session begins at 10:30 a.m. with the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase and men's javelin throw. The second session on Saturday begins at 7 p.m. with the women's hammer throw, women's high jump, and women's shot put.
Fans can follow along with a stream of both second sessions via ACC Network Extra.
LAST TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions are coming off a split weekend last weekend at the Bucknell Classic and the Triton Invitational with a pair of Nittany Lions topping their own school records.
At the Bucknell Classic, the Nittany Lions recorded five top-10 performances all-time at PSU, including Hannah Mulhern besting her own school record (13-5.25) in the pole vault with a height of 13-6.25.
At the Triton Invitational, three of the four Nittany Lions that competed set season-best marks, including Morgan Shigo who topped his own school record in the men's hammer throw (222-11) twice. Shigo opened the competition with a then-school record toss of 224-7 before posting a throw of 225-7 on his sixth, and final, attempt.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Heading into the weekend, Penn State track & field has set 13 top-10 performances in school history, which includes three school records.
On the men's side, Morgan Shigo bested his own school record (222-11) in the hammer throw from last year with a toss of 225-7. Along with Shigo, freshman Terrance Laird has posted the No. 2 time in the 200-meter dash (20.41) and he has tied the No. 4 time in the men's 100-meter dash (10.42).
In the men's relays, the quartet of Xavier Smith, Anton Porter, Terrance Laird, and Malik Moffett have run the No. 3 time in the men's 4x100-meter relay twice (39.77 & 39.69). Along with the previous relay, the quartet of Will Henderson, Laird, Smith and Moffett ran the No. 5 performance in school history in the men's 4x100-meter relay (39.91).
On the women's side, school record performances have been recorded by Hannah Mulhern and Danae Rivers. For Mulhern, she topped her own school record from last year in the pole vault (13-5.25) with a mark of 13-6.25 and Rivers ran 4:10.82 to set the school record in the 1,500-meter run.
Along with the duo of Mulhern and Rivers, six Nittany Lion women have recorded top-10 performances at PSU this season.
On the track, Greta Lindsley ran the No. 10 time in the 1,500-meter run (4:20.93), and Jillian Hunsberger moved from No. 6 to No. 4 in the 5,000-meter run (15:55.27).
In the pole vault, Katie Jones is No. 3 all-time (13-2.25) and Greer Gumbrecht is tied for ninth all-time (12-7.50).
In the javelin throw, Madison Smith is No. 8 (164-1) followed by Steph Sievers at No. 9 (162-10).
NO. 20 IN THE LAND
The Penn State men's track & field program ranks 20th in the nation, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
In the national rankings, Penn State is the No. 2 Big Ten team as Nebraska checks in at No. 17.
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
Heading into the weekend, the Nittany Lions have 14 performances that rank in the top-25 between the men's and women's programs.
No. 2 | Danae Rivers | 1,500-meter run | 4:10.82
No. 6 | Terrance Laird | 200-meter dash | 20.41
No. 8 | Michael Biddle | javelin throw | 233-7
No. 9 | Isaiah Harris | 800-meter run | 1:47.90
No. 11 | Jillian Hunsberger | 5,000-meter run | 15:55.27
No. 13 | Danae Rivers | 800-meter run | 2:05.45
No. 14 | David Lucas | discus throw | 190-0
No. 14 | Morgan Shigo | hammer throw | 225-7
No. 19 | Megan McCloskey | high jump | 5-10
No. 20 | Malik Moffett | 200-meter dash | 20.66
No. 21 | Timothy McGowan | 5,000-meter run | 14:01.80
No. 22 | Xavier Smith, Anton Porter, Terrance Laird, Malik Moffett | 4x100-meter relay | 39.69
No. 22 | Madison Smith | javelin throw | 164-1
No. 25 | Steph Sievers | javelin throw | 162-10
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions head to Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the 124th running of the Penn Relays, April 26-28.