UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State track & field program will be back in action for the first time in 322 days as the Nittany Lions host Rutgers and Maryland for the Nittany Lion Opener on Saturday, January 16.
The Nittany Lions will host three meets during the 2021 indoor season.
Follow Along
WATCH – Session 1 / Session 2
LIVE RESULTS – gopsusports.com/PSUTFLiveResults
MEET SCHEDULE
HEAT SHEETS
2020 Indoor Season Rewind
At last year's Big Ten Indoor Championships, the women's program placed third and had five Big Ten individual champions. This included Maddie Nickel (Holmberg) in the pentathlon, Katie Jones (pole vault), Kiara Lester (400m) and Danae Rivers (800m & mile). Rivers became the first student-athlete in Big Ten history to win four consecutive women's 800m Big Ten indoor titles.
On the men's side, Billy McDevitt continued the men's dominance in the 800m race. McDevitt won Penn State's fifth consecutive men's 800m title and the 11th in the last 13 years.
The 2020 indoor season saw three new Penn State records set. Alexa Parks broke the women's high jump record which had stood at Penn State since 1987. Parks became the first Nittany Lion in history to clear 6-0 (1.83m), breaking the previous record of 5-11.25 (1.81m) held by Antoinette O'Carroll (1987) and Brittnany Maun (2010).
Along with Parks, junior Victoria Tachinski became the new school record holder in the 600m race, running 1:29.04 to break the previous school record of 1:29.06 held by Danae Rivers.
Katie Jones also set a new school record in the pole vault event. Jones cleared the new Penn State record height of 13-11.25 (4.25m) to win the Nittany Lions second pole vault Big Ten title in program history.
2020 All-Americans
Four Penn State track & field student-athletes received All-America honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The USTFCCCA chose to award student-athletes All-America honors who had qualified for the 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships who were listed to compete in individual and relay events prior to the cancellation of the event.
Seniors Maddie Holmberg (pentathlon), Danae Rivers (Mile), David Lucas (weight throw) and sophomore Alexa Parks (high jump) each earned All-America honors in their respective events.
Holmberg earned first-team All-America honors in the pentathlon in 2018 and second-team All-America honors in 2019. Holmberg won just the second Big Ten title in the pentathlon in program history at the 2020 Big Ten Indoor Championships with her personal-best score of 4,274. Her score also ranks second all-time in Penn State history.
Rivers was set to compete in her fourth NCAA Indoor Championship prior to the cancellation. Rivers captured the Penn State program's first women's indoor individual national title in the 800m event in 2019 and earned All-America honors in each of her previous three trips to the Indoor Championships. Rivers was scheduled to run in the mile event at the 2020 Indoor Championships and ranked No. 4 in the NCAA. Rivers previously earned All-America honors in the mile event as a freshman in 2017 when she finished third.
Lucas looked to make Penn State history at the 2020 Indoor Championship as he attempted to become the first Nittany Lion to earn three All-America honors in the weight throw event. Lucas won the 2018 NCAA National Championship in the weight throw and placed eighth in 2019.
Lucas ranked sixth in the weight throw event heading into the NCAA Indoor Championships
Parks was set to compete in the first NCAA Indoor Championship of her career in the high jump event. Parks ranked fifth in the NCAA in the high jump event. Parks finished third at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in 2019 and placed fourth in 2020.
The Nittany Lions track & field program has earned 435 All-America honors in program history.
Additional 2020 Honors
Seniors Maddie Holmberg and David Lucas were each named Mid-Atlantic Region Field Athlete of the Year for the women's and men's awards. Assistant coach Fritz Spence was named the Mid-Atlantic Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year.
Maddie Holmberg collected the second Mid-Atlantic Region Field Athlete of the Year award after winning the award in 2019.
David Lucas also earned his second Mid-Atlantic Region Field Athlete of the Year award of his career. Lucas earned the honor for the first time in 2018 during his national championship season. Lucas was also named Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year in 2018.
Assistant coach Fritz Spence earned the fifth Assistant Coach of the Year honor of his career. It marked the first time in he has earned women's indoor assistant coach of the year. His previous honors include, 2017 USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Women's Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year, 2008 USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Men's Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year, 2008 USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Men's Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year and 2006 USTFCCCA Mid-East Region Women's Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year.
FULL INDOOR SCHEDULE
Jan. 16 – Nittany Lion Opener (University Park, Pa.)
Jan. 23 – Penn State Invite (University Park, Pa.)
Feb. 6 - @ Wolverine Invitational (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Feb. 12-13 – Big Ten Preview @ Spire (Geneva, Ohio)
Feb. 19 – Penn State Tune Up (University Park, Pa.)
Feb. 26-27 – Big Ten Indoor Championships (Geneva, Ohio)
March 11-13 – NCAA Indoor Championships (Fayetteville, Ark.)