UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State track & field team put together a fantastic season-opening weekend, competing in three meets from Dec. 6-7.
Brian DiCola took down the Penn State school record in the 5K with an outstanding 13:40.25 in Boston. The redshirt freshman topped the previous school record, held by Timothy McGowan since 2017, by over six seconds in his track debut for the Nittany Lions.
Freshman sprinter Ajani Dwyer put the track & field world on notice, recording a 6.55 in the 60-meter dash in his collegiate debut, good for the early NCAA lead and the second-best performance in school history, just 0.01 behind reigning Big Ten 60m champion and Penn State legend Cheickna Traore. Additionally, cross country All-American Florence Caron picked up on the oval right where she left off on the grass, clocking a 15:36.11 in the 5K in her opener. Caron’s mark is the second-fastest 5K time in school history.
Overall, Penn State athletes earned eight event wins and achieved three top-five program marks across the Penn Opener, the Bison Opener, and the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in the first competition weekend of the new indoor season.
PENN OPENER SUMMARY
Maddie Pitts and the Nittany Lions’ women’s multi-event athletes began Penn State’s 2024-25 indoor season by competing in the pentathlon at Penn’s brand new Ott Center for Track & Field on Friday evening. Pitts posted a 3,944 total score in the pentathlon, winning the event with a performance just shy of her personal best in the event. Pitts finished top-two in each of the five events, with wins in the 60-meter hurdles (8.85), high jump (5-4.5, 1.64m), and long jump (18-7.25 (5.67m).
BISON OPENER SUMMARY
Dwyer began Penn State’s outing on the track at Bucknell in the 60-meter dash with a blazing 6.60 in his preliminary heat. The freshman then followed up with an eye-opening 6.55 in the finals, becoming the early NCAA leader in the event in his collegiate debut.
The women’s 60-meter sprinters had a successful day as well, with Meghan Quinn earning the win in the finals with a 7.60, followed by Dani Prunzik in second with a 7.63 and Zoey Goldstein in third with a 7.64. Freshman Addyson White placed fifth in the finals with a 7.70.
Joe White won the men’s long jump with a 22-10.5 (6.97m) to start things off in the field events for the Nittany Lions. In the women’s long jump, grad transfer Gabriella Recce placed third with an 18-3 (5.56m) best leap.
Emi Erekosima finished second in the men’s triple jump, leaping 47-9.75 (14.57m). On the women’s side, Lizzie Schreiber earned the event win with a 40-1.5 (12.23m) jump.
In the throws circle, Alex Pancoast (56-7.5, 17.26m) and Gabi Deglau (55-9.25, 17.00m) placed second and third in the women’s weight throw. Nathan Williams (64-6, 19.66m) and Collin Burkhart (61-2, 18.64m) finished as the top two collegians on the men’s side.
Penn State swept the top two spots in the men’s shot put, with Ryan Henry taking the crown with a 62-0 (18.91m) personal-best toss in his first meet as a Nittany Lion. Henry’s mark is just two centimeters away from Penn State’s top-five list. Dylan Lambrecht came in second with a 57-8.5 (17.59m) throw.
Isaac Osifo won the men’s high jump with a 6-10.25 (2.09m) mark, while Robert Allen finished second with the same clearance, a personal-best mark. The Penn State women took each of the top four spots on the women’s side. Gwen Cudmore (5-8.75, 1.75m) set a lifetime-best mark to earn the win while Hannah Riolo (5-7, 1.70m), Morgan Casey (5-3, 1.60m), and Jenna Young (5-3, 1.60m) rounded out the top four finishers in the meet.
Freshman Mason Bucks topped the final results in the men’s pole vault, earning the win with a 16-4.75 (5.00m) clearance in his collegiate debut. Tristan McGarrah placed second with the same clearance, while Jonathan Petersen finished fourth overall with a 15-5 (4.70m) mark.
SHARON COLYEAR-DANVILLE SEASON OPENER SUMMARY
Hayley Kitching competed in her first collegiate mile to begin action in Boston for the Nittany Lions. The star middle-distance runner clocked a 4:37.57 to take ninth overall in her season opener. A personal-best 4:03.53 effort for Tanner Piotrowski placed him 16th overall in the men’s mile, while teammate Luke Seymour finished just behind, at 19th overall, with a 4:03.84. Kevin Haas clocked a 4:10.34 for 33rd.
In the men’s 800m, Olivier Desmeules turned in the fastest performance by a collegian, placing second overall in the race with a 1:48.38.
Allon Clay made his Penn State debut with a 2:22.55 in the men’s 1K, finishing sixth overall ahead of teammate Antonio Abrego, who placed tenth with a 2:23.99.
Caron’s outstanding 5K came in Penn State’s penultimate event of the opening weekend. The senior placed 16th out of 161 finishers with the second-fastest mark in school history, a 15:36.11 mark. Teammate Claire Daniels posted a personal-best 16:18.13, earning 65th in the meet.
DiCola concluded Penn State’s weekend with his record-setting outing in the 5K. DiCola, a track redshirt freshman in his first in-uniform competition as a Nittany Lion, clocked a 13:40.25 to topple the Nittany Lions’ seven-year-old record.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions will take a month-long break before resuming their season in the new year, hosting the Nittany Lion Challenge at home in the Multi-Sport Facility and Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track on Saturday, Jan. 18.
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