CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Penn State track & field team followed their strong opening day at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships with another successful showing in day two on Saturday.
The Nittany Lions stormed out of the gate, claiming two individual championships early in the afternoon. Maddie Holmberg got things started by becoming Penn State's first Big Ten heptathlon champion since 2014. Entering Saturday with the lead, Holmberg picked up right where she left of on Friday by winning the long jump with a mark of 6.16m (20-2.5). She put the finishing touches on the victory in the final event, finishing second in the 800m run with a career best 2:15.11.
David Lucas added another championship to his successful Penn State career, claiming his first Big Ten Outdoor title with a throw of 60.06m (197-0). The victory marks the first Big Ten discus championship in Penn State men's track & field history. The toss was Lucas' first 60+ meter discus throw since the 2018 Penn Relays.Also scoring for the Nittany Lions was Breana Gambrell, who placed fifth in the women's long jump with a top mark of 6.04m (19-9.75) with was her best jump of the season.
Penn State also had success in Saturday's preliminary round events with several Nittany Lions setting PRs throughout the day to advance to Sunday's finals. In the women's 100-meter hurdles, both Yasmin Brooks (13.19) and Ekaterina Hupalo (13.70) set personal bests to advance. Brooks' time is the third fastest in Penn State history. Sincere Rhea advanced on the men's side in the men's 110h, setting a PR of his own with a 13.89 time. After qualifying for the men's 1500m final with a personal record on Friday, Evan Dorenkamp set a PR in the men's 800m run with a time of 1:49.32 to advance to his second final of the meet. Isaiah Claiborne (1:49.94) and William Ashenfelter (1:50.63) also set PRs in the event.
Penn State heads into the meet's final day with 34 Nittany Lions slated to compete in the finals on Sunday. The Nittany Lions enter day three in second place on the men's side, trailing Iowa by 2.5 points. Penn State stands in fifth on the women's side.
The last day of the Big Ten Championships kicks off at noon with a trio of women's field events.
DAY TWO RESULTS: https://live.pttiming.com/?mid=2253
DAY ONE RECAP: https://gopsusports.com/news/2021/5/14/track-field-big-ten-day-1-recap.aspx