LEWISBURG, Pa. – Despite a rain-shortened day on Sunday, the Penn State track & field squad had a strong showing at the Bison Outdoor Classic on Saturday April 13 and Sunday April 14. The Nittany Lions earned seven event wins and came away with one top-ten program mark at Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium.
Hayden Healey's first collegiate 10K late Saturday night was the highlight of the weekend. Healey won the race in 29:14.92, the second-fastest Penn State 10K since 1987 and fastest since 2012. The mark goes down as the seventh-best in school history.
Whether it was from veterans or newcomers, Head Coach John Gondak's group's outing at the Bison Outdoor Classic was littered with standout performances.
SATURDAY TRACK EVENT SUMMARY
Justin Healey started track action for the Nittany Lions by setting a PR in the men's steeplechase with a 9:23.68 mark.
In the invite section of the women's 1500-meters, Maddie Ullom took second place with a 4:16.39 mark while Makenna Krebs (eighth, 4:22.77), Sarah Pickering (ninth, 4:23.60), and Sophia Toti (11th, 4:25.84) each posted strong finishes. Krebs and Pickering's marks were personal-bests. The men's 1500-meter crew also recorded solid finishes with four athletes in the top 16, led by Ryan Watson (fourth, 3:46.66), Luke Seymour (sixth, 3:48.55), and Tanner Piotrowski (ninth, 3:48.30) in the top ten overall.
Faith DeMars won the invite section of the women's 5K, recording a 16:23.36. Allison Dougherty (sixth, 16:37.12), Claire Daniels (ninth, 16:45.12), and Charlotte Costich (tenth, 16:54.63) each recorded personal-best marks in their top-ten finishes while Kaylee McCullough rounded out the Nittany Lion finishers in 11th overall with a 16:56.72.
Healey capped off the Nittany Lions' night on the track with just the second-fastest Penn State 10K since 1987 with a 29:14.92 winning time in his event debut. His mark is the seventh-fastest 10K time in school history and is the fastest since Kyle Dawson went sub-29:00 in 2012.
SATURDAY FIELD EVENT SUMMARY
Multi-event athlete Maddie Pitts finished 18th overall in the open section of the women's shot put on Saturday afternoon, throwing 39-11.5 (12.18m), finishing inches shy of her lifetime PR in the event.
In the men's high jump, Isaac Osifo earned the event win, clearing 6-8 (2.03m) on his first attempt while Timothy Watson finished second overall, achieving the same height on his second attempt.
SUNDAY TRACK EVENT SUMMARY
Penn State's women's 4x100-meter relay team started Sunday afternoon's events on the track with a win. The group of Lauren Princz, Jermecia Brown, Pitts, and Zoey Goldstein clocked a 45.64 to win the event by more than a second over the second-place team.
In the invite section of the men's 800-meters, Yukichi Ishii clocked a 1:48.28 to win the event. His teammates Darius Smallwood (1:49.22) and Olivier Desmeules (1:49.85) set season-best marks in fourth and fifth. Antonio Abrego's 1:51.84 was also a season-best time.
A pair of Penn State freshmen recorded PRs in the women's 400-meter dash. Ryleigh Hearn clocked a 55.88 while Kylie Jacoutot ran a 56.06, both finishing in the top ten overall. In the men's 400, Matt DeMatteo clocked a 48.60, finishing 15th.
Continuing in the sprints, Brown earned the win in the women's 100-meter dash, clocking a 11.69. Behind her, Goldstein set a PR with an 11.83 to claim third place. In the men's event, Patrick Abel finished fourth overall with a 10.63 while Austin Gallant stopped the clock in 10.83 in his 100-meter dash debut.
SUNDAY FIELD EVENT SUMMARY
Hailey Zurich won the women's pole vault competition, clearing 12-7.5 (3.85m) on her first attempt. Teammates Meredith Baham and Victoria Atkinson tied for fourth overall with the same clearance, achieving the height on their second attempts.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions will travel to Charlottesville, Va. for the Virginia Classic on April 19-20.
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