EUGENE, Ore. – Hayley Kitching finished her record-setting sophomore season in the Blue & White with a fifth-place finish in the women's 800-meter final Saturday evening in Hayward Field.
Kitching clocked a 2:01.05 in her fifth-place run, her fastest 800-meter time in NCAA competition, to earn First Team All-America honors in the event for the second time this season. With her fourth-place finish in the indoor 800-meter final, Kitching became the first Nittany Lion woman ever to earn First Team All-America in the both the indoor and outdoor 800-meter finals in the same season.
"It was great to see Hayley earn First Team All-America honors today in the 800 to close out our women's team's season," said head coach John Gondak. "This was one of the program's best years as a whole recently and I am proud of how the entire team competed through all three seasons. We'll have most everyone back next year, so big things lie ahead for Penn State cross country and track and field."
Kitching's fifth-place run put the Nittany Lion women tied for 43rd in the country, the team's highest finish since it placed 33rd at the national meet in 2021.
NOTABLES
- Kitching is the Penn State women's team's second-ever 800-meter First Team All-American (Terri Pioli, 1981), and its first in the event in the NCAA era (1982-present).
- Additionally, Kitching's fifth-place finish is the highest-ever 800-meter finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships for a Penn State woman. (Pioli placed sixth in the event in 1981.)
- The First Team All-America honor is Penn State's first in a track event since Danae Rivers placed fourth overall in the 1500-meter run in 2021.
- Kitching became the first Nittany Lion woman ever to collect First Team All-American recognition in both the indoor and outdoor 800-meter finals in the same season, and just its second to do so over a full career (Pioli).
- Penn State has earned an individual First Team All-American honor on the women's side for the second season in a row, as Mallory Kauffman finished sixth in the nation in the shot put last season.
- This season, Kitching set the Penn State school record in the 800-meter run at the Australian National Championships where she clocked a 2:00.70.
UP NEXT
Select Penn State athletes and Nittany Lion alumni will return to Eugene to compete in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials from June 21-30 at Hayward Field.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateTFXC) and X/Instagram (@pennstatetfxc).