PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Penn State track & field program capped a strong showing for the Nittany Lions at the 125th running of the Penn Relays on Saturday. The Nittany Lions won three events on the final day of competition.
RECAP
In the first event of the day, Mark Porter got the Nittany Lions off on the right foot by winning the college men's javelin throw. Porter set a new personal-best with a throw of 220-2 (67.12m). Porter increased his career-best mark by 1.59m that he had set last season. Porter's distance is currently in the top-40 in the NCAA.
"It felt amazing. I just wanted to go for it on my last throw and put my all into it. It was special after coming here last year and seeing how excited everyone is, it got me very excited to compete this year." Mark Porter said about his personal-best mark and competing at the Penn Relays.
Morgan Shigo continued the Nittany Lions winning ways by capturing the men's hammer throw championship. Shigo launched his best throw a distance of 234-4 (71.45m) to capture his first Penn Relays watch.
"It honestly feels amazing. I competed at this meet in high school, so it feels great to end my college career with my first watch. After coming up just short last year, I was determined to come in here this year and get that watch." Shigo said of earning his first Penn Relays watch. "It was so cool to have almost 20 family members in the crowd cheering me on. It really made my final Penn Relays special and something that I'll always remember."
Competing in his final Penn Relays, senior Devin Bradham finished second in the men's high jump championships. Bradham advanced to the final two competitors to attempt a height of 2.18m in the championship final. To achieve this, Bradham cleared 7.05 (2.15m) on his final attempt at the height.
"The feeling today was unreal. I told my coach and teammates the entire week, 'When I get the crowd to get the clap going, the energy is going to be insane.' That's exactly how it was with the crowd cheering me on. It took me three years to make the championship event of the high jump. I took advantage of this opportunity and ended up proud of myself and what I was able to achieve so far."
In the Nittany Lions final event of the Penn Relays, the 4x400 team won the women's 4x400 eastern final. The team of Antoinette Bradley, Danae Rivers, Victoria Tachinski, and Alexis Holmes clocked a time of 3:39.50 to win the event. Freshman Alexis Holmes capped a strong run by the Nittany Lions. Holmes ran 51.22 on the anchor leg to secure the Nittany Lions win.
"I am thrilled with our performance at the Penn Relays this weekend. From Morgan winning the Championship in the hammer to our women winning their first wheel in 11 years in the Sprint Medley, it was a great weekend in Philadelphia for Penn State track & field. I am confident our performances this weekend will be a great springboard into the Big Ten Championships." Head coach John Gondak said of his program's performance.
The Nittany Lions return home for their final regular season meet of the year, the Jim Thorpe Open on May 3.
For more information of Penn State track & field, visit gopsusports.com.
