TEMPE, Ariz. – The Penn State track & field programs open team competition Friday and Saturday at the Arizona State Invitational in Tempe, Arizona. This marks the first team meet of the 2019 outdoor season. Last week, seven Nittany Lion student-athletes competed at the Yellow Jacket Invitational host by Georgia Tech. All seven student-athletes competed in the javelin events.
Indoor Season Recap
The Nittany Lions completed the indoor season at the NCAA Track & Field Indoor Championships. Danae Rivers captured the first women's indoor individual track & field national championship in program history in the 800-meter run. Alexis Holmes, Morgan Shigo, and David Lucas each earned first team All-American honors by finishing in the top eight in their respective events. Maddie Holmberg and Domenic Perretta each placed ninth at indoor championships.
The women's track & field team finished 11th in the country and the second highest finish among Big Ten schools.
Danae Rivers and Maddie Holmberg each earned postseason athlete of the year honors. Danae Rivers was named the Mid-Atlantic Track Athlete of the Year for the third consecutive season. Holmberg was named Mid-Atlantic Field Athlete of the Year.
Three Nittany Lions were Big Ten champions during the 2019 indoor season. Danae Rivers captured her third straight 800m Big Ten title. Freshman Alexis Holmes won the 400m Big Ten championship and Domenic Perretta captured the men's 800m championship.
Also, during the indoor season, Danae Rivers set the collegiate record for the 1000-meter race with a time of 2:38.58. Rivers also broke her own school record in the 800m with a time of 2:02.94.
Alexis Holmes rewrote the record books as well by breaking the 400m school record in a time of 52.14 seconds en-route to a Big Ten title and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA indoor championships.
2018 Outdoor Season
Last outdoor track & field season was another successful one for the Nittany Lions. Six Nittany Lion student-athletes earned first team All-American honors between both the men's and women's programs. Isaiah Harris continued the program's success in the 800-meter run for Penn State by capturing the 800m national championship last season. Harris placed second in the same event in 2017.
Morgan Shigo and David Lucas both earned All-American honors last season on the men's side. Shigo placed sixth in the hammer throw and Lucas finished seventh in the discus.
For the women's program, Maddie Holmberg, Megan McCloskey, and Danae Rivers each earned All-American status. Maddie Holmberg placed third in the heptathlon, McCloskey finished fourth in the high jump, and Rivers placed eighth in the 1500m.
The men's program finished fifth in the Big Ten and the women's team placed ninth after the Big Ten Championships.
Three Nittany Lions individuals captured Big Ten championships. Isaiah Harris set a Big Ten Championship record in the 800m during his championship-filled season. Michael Biddle captured his first Big Ten title in 2018 in the javelin throw.
Danae Rivers was the final Nittany Lion to win a Big Ten Championship, winning the 1500m title.
School Records Set In 2018
1500 M | Danae Rivers | 4:10.82
Sprint Medley | Keianna Albury, Kiara Lester, DeJa Davis, Danae Rivers | 3:47.80
Pole Vault | Hannah Mulhern & Katie Jones | 13-6.25 (4.12)
Heptathlon | Maddie Holmberg | 5,976
Heptathlon Events-Shot Put | Maddie Holmberg | 44-8.25 (13.62)
Heptathlon Events-Javelin | Maddie Holmberg | 127-0 (38.70)
100 M | Xavier Smith | 10.32
800 M | Isaiah Harris | 1:44.42
Sprint Medley | Xavier Smith, Malik Moffett, Kier Miner, Isaiah Harris | 3:15.25
Hammer Throw | Morgan Shigo | 237-9 (72.47)
Outdoor Schedule
Arizona State Invitational | Tempe, Ariz. | Mar. 22-23
Florida Relays | Gainesville, Fla. | Mar 28-30
Raleigh Relays | Raleigh, NC | Mar 29
Sam Howell Invite | Princeton , N.J. | Apr. 5-6
LSU Battle On The Bayou | Baton Rouge, La. | Apr. 6
Bucknell Classic | Lewisburg, Pa. | Apr. 13-14
Virginia Challenge | Charlottesville, Va. | Apr. 19-20
Bucknell Team Challenge | Lewisburg, Pa. | Apr. 20
Penn Relays | Philadelphia, Pa. | Apr. 25-27
Jim Thorpe Open | University Park, Pa. | May 3
NCAA East Prelims | Jacksonville, Fla. | May 23-25
NCAA Outdoor Championships | Austin, Texas | Jun. 5-8