UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Six members of the Penn State track & field program head to Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2019 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships. The meet is hosted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the City of Birmingham at the Birmingham CrossPlex, March 8-9.
Maddie Holmberg (pentathlon), Danae Rivers (800-meters) and Alexis Holmes (400-meters) will represent the Penn State women, while David Lucas (weight throw), Morgan Shigo (weight throw) and Domenic Perretta (800-meters) will represent the Penn State men.
FOLLOW ALONG
ESPN3 will stream the championships live starting at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday, March 8 and starting at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 9. A re-air of the championship will take place starting at 10 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 10 on ESPN2 and again on Monday, March 11 starting at 10 p.m. ET on ESPNU. Live stats will be available via flashresults.com.
LOOKING BACK AT THE 2018 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Last year at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, 10 members of the Penn State track & field program qualified to the championship meet in Texas.
2019 returners Maddie Holmberg (pentathlon) and Danae Rivers (800-meters) finished seventh in their respective events, earning All-American status. David Lucas was also an All-American, winning the gold medal in the weight throw.
DEFENDING HIS TITLE
David Lucas is the reigning champion in the men's weight throw. At last year's NCAA Indoor Championship, Lucas recorded a distance of 24.02m (78-9.75) for the gold medal and the Penn State school record. He became the first men's track & field athlete at Penn State to stand atop the podium at a NCAA Indoor Championship since 1990.
BIG TEN CHAMPIONS
Penn State track & field saw three individual champions at the 2019 Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Feb. 23.
Freshman Alexis Holmes picked up her first career conference title in the women's 400-meters, cruising past the competition in a Penn State school record time of 52.14.
Penn State swept the men's and women's 800-meter run titles, as Danae Rivers won her third-straight title in meet-record time of 2:03.45 and Domenic Perretta won his first conference championship in 1:48.24.
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
Heading into the meet, five of the six qualifying Nittany Lions have marks in the top-10 of their respective events.
No. 3 | Danae Rivers | 800-meter run | 2:02.94
No. 4 | Alexis Holmes | 400-meter dash | 52.14
No. 6 | Maddie Holmberg | Pentathlon | 4219
No. 8 | David Lucas | Weight throw | 22.47m
No. 8 | Morgan Shigo | Weight throw | 22.47m
No. 17 | Domenic Perretta | 800-meter run | 1:48.09
THE BOWERMAN WATCH LIST
Danae Rivers remains on The Bowerman 2019 Women's Watch List, most recently being named to the Pre-NCAA Indoor Watch List on Feb. 27 as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Rivers was originally named to the Mid-Indoor Watch List on Feb. 6. She is the first female student-athlete in Penn State program history to be named to the watch list.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
The Nittany Lions have not been short of record achievements throughout the 2019 indoor track & field season, etching 11 performances in the record books, including six school records.
SCHOOL RECORDS SET IN 2019
60-meter dash | Will Henderson | 6.65
400-meter dash | Alexis Holmes | 52.14
800-meter run | Danae Rivers | 2:02.94
1,000-meter run | Danae Rivers | 2:38.58 (also the collegiate record)
Mile | Danae Rivers | 4:29.47 (also 10th-fastest time in collegiate history)
5,000-meter run | Tim McGowan | 13:46.49
NO. 20 IN THE NATION
The Penn State women's track & field program ranks No. 20 in the nation, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The women's program has been in the top-25 of the rankings throughout the entire indoor season.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Penn State track & field program wraps up the indoor season at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships and will have a week off before the outdoor season begins on March 22 at the Sun Devil Invitational in Tempe, Ariz.
