UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The 2018 Penn State women's track & field recruiting class has been ranked No. 1 by Track & Field News. The 18-member class is represented on a national and international level.
"It is a great honor for our women's 2018 recruiting class to be ranked at the top of the list according to Track & Field News," head coach John Gondak said. "Our coaches put a lot of effort into bringing outstanding student-athletes to Penn State and it is great to see them recognized for their efforts."
According to Track & Field News, "No. 1 quartermiler Alexis Holmes (51.21 HSL for No. 7 on the all-time list, plus 23.46), No. 1 putter Payden Montana (51-0 HSL, plus 164-11), No. 3 hammerer Gianna Rao (189-1) & No. 4 long jumper Breana Gambrell (20-4½/20-8½w). And for good measure, top 20 discus thrower Piper Klinger (160-0) as the Penn Staters make only their second First 5 appearance ever (they were previously No. 4 in '03)."
"We had an amazing group of athletes join Penn State cross country and track & field this year and we are excited to see how they progress in our program," Gondak added. "The last time our women's team was ranked in the top five for recruiting – that class led to multiple national champions, team trophy finishes at the NCAA Championships as well as starting our stretch of success in the Big Ten, which includes winning more Big Ten women's championships than any other school over the last 10 years."
The Nittany Lions begin their 2019 track & field campaign with the Bison Opener hosted by Bucknell University, Nov. 30-Dec. 1.