IOWA CITY, Iowa – Junior Danae Rivers continued her dominance at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, winning both the 1500m and 800m championships on Sunday. Freshman Alexis Holmes won the Nittany Lions fourth Big Ten title of the weekend by winning the 400m dash. The Nittany Lions totaled 10 medals during the three days of competition at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.
Recap
The reigning 1500m champion, Danae Rivers looked to defend her title during Sunday's 1500m final. A strong field of competitors looked to dethrone Rivers from the opening gun. Rivers patiently remained in the middle of the pack until the final lap of the race. On the final lap, Rivers made her move. Navigating through the other runners, pushed to the front of the pack. On the final straightaway Rivers took the lead and won her second straight Big Ten title in the 1500m in a time of 4:17.69.
Rivers won her second title of the day in the women's 800m race. Along with her 1500m championship, Rivers climbed the podium a second time with an equally impressive showing in the 800m. Rivers set a facility record in dominant fashion. Through the first 400m the race was close between the eight competitors. On the final lap, Rivers displayed her breakaway speed that brought her the 800m NCAA Indoor national championship earlier this spring. The 800m title was the second of her career as she won the event in 2017 during her freshman year. Rivers ran 2:04.71 in the race.
Freshman Alexis Holmes continued her hold on the 400m race in the Big Ten. Following up her 400m indoor Big Ten championships, Holmes completed the sweep of the event in 2019. Running a facility record 52.17, Holmes cruised to the 400m title and the fourth individual championship overall for the Nittany Lions on the weekend. Finishing just behind Holmes was junior Kiara Lester who ran a collegiate-best 54.08 to place third.
Lining up for the Nittany Lions in the men's 800m race was sophomore Domenic Perretta. Competing against a strong field, Perretta crossed the line in 1:48.75 to finish second in the event.
In the 100m dash, Justin Ofotan turned in a collegiate-best 10.39 to place fifth in the event.
The Nittany Lions next compete in the NCAA East Prelims beginning on May 23.
Full list of Nittany Lion medal winners:
Morgan Shigo – Men's Hammer Throw – Big Ten Champion (First in Penn State History)
Danae Rivers – Women's 1500m – Big Ten Champion (2nd Straight Big Ten Title in the 1500m)
Danae Rivers – Women's 800m – Big Ten Champion (2nd Big Ten 800m Title, 2017)
Alexis Holmes – Women's 400m – Big Ten Champion
Domenic Perretta – Men's 800m – 2nd Place
Madison Smith – Women's Javelin – 2nd Place
Mark Porter – Men's Javelin – 2nd Place
Michael Biddle – Men's Javelin – 3rd Place
Kiara Lester – Women's 400m – 3rd Place
Noah Swaby - Decathlon - 3rd Place
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