IOWA CITY, Iowa. – The Nittany Lions track & field program opens the Big Ten Outdoor Championships Friday and competes through Sunday. Penn State looks to add to its trophy case after a successful history at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
The Nittany Lions open competition on Friday with four field event finals, six track events, and the first five events of the decathlon.
Noah Swaby is set to compete in the decathlon for the Nittany Lions. Swaby will participate in the 100m dash, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m dash on Friday. Swaby will complete the decathlon on Saturday with the 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and the 1500m run. The freshman ranks ninth all-time in Penn State history with 7,218 points with his performance earlier this season.
Danae Rivers looks to defend her 1500m Big Ten championship that she captured last season. Rivers ran 4:27.47 en route to the top of the podium last year at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Rivers is schedule to run in both the women's 800m and 1500m races this weekend and currently leads the Big Ten in both events.
Morgan Shigo leads the Big Ten in the men's hammer throw and ranks sixth in the NCAA in the event. Shigo was a first team All-American in the men's hammer throw last season and holds the school record in the event.
Alexis Holmes ranks in the top-five in both the women's 200m and 400m races. Holmes was a first team All-American in her first indoor season, finishing fourth in the 400m in the NCAA. Holmes was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the 400m Big Ten champion during the 2019 indoor season.
Domenic Perretta looks to defend his 800m indoor Big Ten championship that he won earlier this spring. This led to an appearance in the NCAA Indoor Championships for Perretta and a second team All-American honor. Perretta currently ranks third in the Big Ten in the 800m event.
PENN STATE'S BIG TEN HISTORY
The Nittany Lions have captured six Big Ten team titles in their history. The men's program won their first title in 2017 while the women's program won titles in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014. John Gondak was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2017.
Penn State has claimed 106 Big Ten individual championships since 1992 with three coming last season. Michael Biddle (javelin), Danae Rivers (1500m) and Isaiah Harris (800m) each won individual titles in 2018. Harris set the Big Ten Championship record in the 800m in 2018 with a time of 1:45.31.
The Nittany Lions have also boasted nine Athlete of the Championships in their history, all coming since 2002.
Danae Rivers looks to capture her third Big Ten title in 2019. Rivers won the 800m title in 2017, the same year she was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Rivers second Big Ten title came in 1500m in 2018.
FOLLOW ALONG
All the action of the Big Ten Outdoor Championships can be found here.
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
LIVE RESULTS
WATCH
For more information on the Penn State track & field program, visit gopsusports.com.
