CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Penn State track & field team's multi-event athletes and hammer throwers began competition in Charlottesville on Thursday.
Chloe Royce and Maddie Pitts finished the first four events of the heptathlon in ninth and tenth place overall. Both athletes set personal bests in the high jump competition and Pitts also collected one in the 100-meter hurdles. Jean Starr continued her excellent start to the season with her third consecutive PR in the women's hammer throw competition.
EVENT SUMMARY
Penn State's heptathletes started off the afternoon with the first four of their seven events. Royce (14.32) and Pitts (14.56) each recorded season-best times in the 100-meter hurdles. Both also hit PRs in the high jump, with Royce clearing 5-7 (1.70m) and Pitts jumping 5-3.25 (1.61m). Both Nittany Lions maintained their positions through the shot put and 200-meter dash events, with Royce finishing the night with 3,165 points and Pitts with 3,112.
In the women's hammer throw, Jean Starr, for the third meet in a row, set a personal-best mark in the hammer throw. Her latest mark, a 187-8 (57.21m) effort, is the No. 8 throw in Penn State history. For the men, Tyler Merkley finished as the top collegian in the men's hammer throw field with a 235-1 (71.66m) effort. Teammate Collin Burkhart came in fifth with a 207-3 (63.17m) throw.
UP NEXT
Penn State will be back in action tomorrow when the bulk of competition at the Virginia Challenge kicks off at noon.
VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT COACHES SHINE
Penn State's contingent of volunteer assistant coaches also made the trip to Charlottesville with the team to compete in the hammer throw.
Reigning hammer throw world champion, and Nittany Lion volunteer assistant, Brooke Andersen, set the world No. 3 all-time mark in the women's hammer throw with a 261-10 (79.80m) effort in her first competition of the 2023 outdoor season. The effort smashed both Virginia's facility record and the Virginia Challenge meet record.
On the men's side, volunteer assistant Sean Donnelly won the competition with a 241-5 (73.58m) throw.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateTFXC) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatetfxc).
