May 13, 2018
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Penn State track & field program closed out the 2018 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a pair of individuals winning gold medals in their respective events Sunday at the Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex.
For the Nittany Lions on the day, Isaiah Harris (Lewiston, Maine) won his third-straight men's 800-meter run title and Danae Rivers (Derby, Conn.) captured the women's 1,500-meter run title.
Harris, a junior, tallied a meet, and facility, record time of 1:45.31 en route to the top spot in the men's 800-meter run. Harris' time Sunday is a season-best.
"I was feeling really good during the final 200 of the race and that is where I feel the strongest, but today I would say that I have felt better than I have ever felt," Harris said on his race. "I just knew I had to get around the leaders going into the final turn and hold them off down the final straightaway."
With his title on Sunday, Harris has been a part of the Penn State men's track program that has won eight 800-meter run titles in the past 10 years (2009-12, 15-18). Casimir Loxsom held the previous Big Ten Outdoor Championships 800-meter run record when he took first in 2012 with a time of 1:46.12.
"It means a lot because Penn State is continuing the tradition of having really good 800 runners. I am glad to carry that tradition along," Harris added.
Also in the men's 800-meter run, Jordan Makins (Perth, Australia) crossed the finish line in 1:48.62 to place sixth.
After finishing second last year in the women's 1,500-meter run as a freshman, Rivers stood atop the podium on Sunday after she crossed the finish line first with her time of 4:27.47.
"I'm thankful to have this opportunity and I am blessed," Rivers said on winning the women's 1,500-meter run title.
Along with Rivers in the women's 1,500-meter run, Greta Lindsley (Lancaster, Pa.) completed the race in 4:32.14 to place eighth. The men's 1,500-meter run saw Colin Abert (Easton, Pa.) finish sixth with his time of 3:52.16.
The men's 4x100-meter relay of Will Henderson (Baltimore, Md.), Anton Porter (Bronx, N.Y.), Xavier Smith (Douglassville, Pa.), and Malik Moffett (Erie, Pa.) tallied a second-place finish with the No. 2 time in program history - 39.21. The time of 39.21 also broke the previous meet record of 39.33 set in 1993 by Ohio State.
On the women's side, the quartet of Brooke-Lynn Williams (Norton, Mass.), Keianna Albury (Eleuthera, Bahamas), Quenee Dale (Ypsilanti, Mich.), and Kiara Lester (Wenonah, N.J.) ran the No. 5 time all-time at PSU as they placed fifth - 44.69.
Junior Bryce Williams (State College, Pa.) posted a season-best mark of 52-0.50 to place fourth in the men's triple jump. Also in the field for the Nittany Lions, junior David Lucas (Lititz, Pa.) tallied a fifth-place finish in the men's discus throw with his mark of 194-11.
Three Nittany Lions tallied podium finishes in the men's 100-meter dash, as Smith led the charge in fifth (10.36). Moffett took seventh (10.48), and Henderson tied his personal-best time, and tied the No. 9 time in school history, from Saturday (10.49) to place eighth.
In the men's 200-meter dash, Moffett captured a third-place finish with his season-best time of 20.65 and Smith placed eighth with a time of 21.03.
Timothy McGowan (Northport, N.Y.) ran to a sixth-place finish in the men's 5,000-meter run with his time of 14:36.99.
Rachael DeCecco (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) edged Sommer Sharpe of Iowa at the finish line for a podium finish in the women's 400-meter hurdles, as DeCecco completed the race in 1:00.04 to place eighth.
The women's 4x400-meter relay of Deja Davis (Shelby Charter Township, Mich.), Kiara Lester (Wenonah, N.J.), Victoria Tachinski (Winnipeg, Manitoba), and Frances Bull (Mentor, Ohio) posted a season-best time of 3:39.27 to place seventh and in the men's 4x400-meter relay, Smith, Gary Ross III (Fort Washington, Md.), Samuel Reiser (Melbourne, Australia), and Harris combined for a time of 3:10.16 to finish sixth.
With the three-day meet in the books, Penn State tallied 15 performances in school history.
In the final team standings, the Penn State men finished fifth with 83 points and the Nittany Lion women placed ninth with 50 points.
Following the meet, Michael Biddle (Williamsburg, Pa.), Harris, and Rivers were named First Team All-Big Ten, while Henderson, Maddie Holmberg (Greensburg, Pa.), Moffett, Porter, and Smith were named Second Team All-Big Ten.
Penn State track & field now travels to Tampa, Florida, for the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Preliminary Round.
The 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Preliminary Round takes place at the USF Track & Field Stadium on the campus of the University of South Florida, May 24-26. To qualify for the NCAA East Preliminary Round, the top-48 declared individuals and top-24 relays are selected.