ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Penn State track & field team collected a pair of silver medals on day two of the Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by Michigan at U-M Track & Field Stadium.
The Nittany Lion women come in at fourth place (46 points) through the second day of competition, thanks to a pair of second-place finishes, one by Maddie Pitts in the heptathlon and one by Makenna Krebs in the steeplechase.
MEDALISTS
Pitts closed out her heptathlon scoring 5,422 points, finishing just 17 points shy of the top finisher. The sophomore continues to improve, as her new PR moves her up to fifth in Penn State history. Her 5,422-point total is the best mark since Maddie Holmberg in 2018.
Krebs posted a 10:21.73 to take second overall in the steeplechase, picking up another eight points for the Penn State women's team.
ADDITIONAL SCORING EVENTS
Penn State had two scoring finishers in the men's shot put, with Duane Knisely leading the way. Knisely finished fifth overall with a 60-6.75 (18.46m) best throw while Lucciano Pizarro placed seventh with a 59-7 (18.16m) toss. The pair earned a combined six points for the men's squad.
FINALS QUALIFIERS
Penn State sent three athletes to final races that will take place Sunday afternoon. First, Hayley Kitching and Allison Johnson qualified to the women's 800-meter final. Kitching won her heat in 2:05.25, the top qualifying mark of the day. Johnson finished second in her heat, running a 2:06.87.
In the men's 800-meter trials, Handal Roban posted a 1:48.69 heat-winning mark to move on to Sunday's finals.
UP NEXT
Penn State will conclude competition at the 2024 Big Ten Outdoor Championships Sunday.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateTFXC) and X/Instagram (@pennstatetfxc).