PHILADELPHIA – The Penn State track & field team began their outdoor slate with a successful day of competition at the Penn Springtime Invitational at Franklin Field.
The Nittany Lions earned seven event wins over the course of the afternoon, with the throws group earning five of those titles. The 20 members of the squad that Penn State sent to Philadelphia showed out, setting a solid foundation for the upcoming season.
EVENT SUMMARY
In the running events, the Nittany Lions featured multi-event athletes Maddie Pitts and Chloe Royce, as well as Allen Taylor in the hurdles events. Pitts, a freshman, earned two top-five overall finishes in the 200m (24.57) and the 100m hurdles (15.00). Taylor won the 110m hurdles competition with a 14.74 and followed up finishing second place in the 400m hurdles, tying his personal-best time of 53.63.
The Nittany Lion high jumpers started off the outdoor campaign strong as well. Cecelia Bacon tied her personal best, the sixth-best outdoor clearance in program history, with a 5-10.75 (1.80m) clearance to win the competition. Gwen Cudmore finished eighth with a 5-03 (1.60m) leap. On the men's side, freshman Timothy Watson led the way with a fifth-place finish, thanks to a 6-6.75 (2.00m) clearance.
The throwers for Penn State stole the show as the afternoon moved on. The javelin crew began the outdoor season with a strong showing from both the men and the women. Kevin Bartosh (218-08 (66.65m)) and Collin Burkhart (217.05 (66.28m)) went 2-3 for the men, while freshman Audrey Friedman posted a 151-09 (46.26m)) to finish second overall on the women's side in her first collegiate meet.
Mallory Kauffman carried over her indoor success with two victories today in Philadelphia. She started out with a 172-08 (52.64m) in the discus and ended with a 53-1.75 (16.20m) in the shot put to win both competitions.
In the men's shot put, Lucciano Pizarro earned another event title for the Nittany Lions, posting a 59-0.25 (17.99m) throw. Finishing in third and fifth, respectively, Duane Knisely (58-3.25 (17.76m)) and Dylan Lambrecht (56-03.25 (17.15m)) both set new personal records. Knisely also earned a fourth-place finish in the men's discus throw with a 166-11 (50.88m) effort.
In the hammer throw, Jean Starr bested her previous personal-best effort by over 20 feet, clearing 50 meters for the first time with a 183-02 (55.84m) throw to win the competition. For the men, Tyler Merkley, the reigning NCAA runner-up in the event, claimed first place with a massive 228-0 (69.50m) throw. Burkhart, fresh off his third-place finish in the javelin throw earlier in the day, posted a 205-08 (62.70m) to slot in at second place, behind his teammate.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions will split their squad next weekend, with members heading to Raleigh, N.C. next weekend from March 23-25 for the Raleigh Relays and to Coral Gables, Fla. on March 25 for the Miami Invitational.
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