UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State track & field's Carter Fitzgerald and Jean Starr were honored as the Nittany Lions' recipients of the Big Ten's Sportsmanship Award for the 2023 outdoor campaign, the conference announced Friday.
Fitzgerald, a true freshman, and Starr, a newly-minted Penn State alumni, scored their first career points at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships last week. Both demonstrate characteristics of a true Penn Stater, displaying excellence and integrity in and out of competition.
THE HONOREES
Starr's one-year improvement from her junior to senior seasons in the hammer throw is one of the brightest spots in the outdoor season for Nittany Lions. Starr entered the year with a previous PR of 49.36m and will end her senior season at Penn State as the fifth-ranked hammer thrower in school history with an opportunity to improve upon her 58.75m current mark. Her 9.39-meter improvement over one year turned her into a conference contender and highlights her strength, determination, and dedication to the Nittany Lion track & field community.
In his first outdoor season with the Nittany Lions, Fitzgerald made an immediate impact as a member of the Nittany Lions 800-meter squad that was consistently ranked top-three in the nation. In the postseason, Fitzgerald was called upon to run the 400 and the 4x400 relay. He didn't skip a beat, setting a personal-best 47.85 in the open 400 and ran the third leg in the Nittany Lions bronze medal-winning 4x400 relay squad at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.
Both Starr and Fitzgerald will continue their 2023 outdoor seasons with a trip to Jacksonville next week for the NCAA East Preliminaries.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateTFXC) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatetfxc).
