UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's track & field/cross country earned the No. 20 spot in the USTFCCCA Division I Track & Field and Cross Country Program of the Year standings for the 2023-24 competition year, the association announced Tuesday.
Following standout cross country, as well as indoor and outdoor track and field seasons, the Penn State women, led by head coach John Gondak, earned a final national ranking in the women's program of the year standings for the first time since 2017-18. To receive a final ranking, a program must score points at each one of the contested NCAA Championship meets in a full academic season: cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field.
The Penn State women wrapped up their year as the 31st-ranked team at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and earned the same ranking at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships while placing 42nd at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. In the final program of the year rankings, Penn State finished ahead of cross country team title winner NC State and cross country team runner-up Northern Arizona, highlighting the well-rounded aspect of the Nittany Lion women's group through the entirety of the 2023-24 competition year.
LOOK AHEAD
Select Nittany Lions are set to continue competition this summer at various national and international meets. Most notably, multiple current and former Penn State athletes are set to compete at the 2024 USATF Olympic Trials in order to secure a berth to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where 200-meter NCAA Champion Cheickna Traore has already locked down his spot.
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