UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Continuing the Penn State track & field 2024-25 preview series is the Nittany Lion sprints/hurdles group.
The Nittany Lion sprint squad has big shoes to fill in 2025 with the departure of 200-meter national champion and school record holder Cheickna Traore to the professional ranks. This year’s group, comprised of veteran talent and standout newcomers, is primed to make strides as competition resumes in 2025 on Saturday, Jan. 18 when Penn State hosts the Nittany Lion Challenge.
WOMEN’S TEAM
The Penn State women’s sprint group returns DMR All-American Zoey Goldstein to its squad for her fifth season as a Nittany Lion. The grad student owns top-ten program marks in the outdoor 200m and 400m and is a member of two school record-holding relay teams. Additional returners include senior Lauren Princz and sophomores Kylie Jacoutot and Ryleigh Hearn.
The women’s group welcomes six freshmen and two transfers to its group in 2025. Meghan Quinn, who holds multiple school records at Bucknell, along with Abasiono Akpan, a two-time NCAA East First Round qualifier in the 400-meter hurdles at Auburn, seek to be immediate contributors to Penn State’s squad in the new year.
MEN’S TEAM
Big Ten 4x400-meter champions Austin Gallant, James Onwuka, and Korbin Martino return to the Nittany Lion men’s sprint group, along with NCAA Championship 4x400 runner Matt DeMatteo.
The men’s sprint group’s incoming group is loaded with top talent, highlighted by standout freshman Ajani Dwyer and graduate student Damoy Allen. Dwyer made waves in the first meet of Penn State’s season, clocking a blazing 6.55 in the 60-meter dash, the second-fastest mark in school history behind only Traore. Allen comes to Penn State following a successful career in the short sprints at Iowa in which he competed at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on the Hawkeyes’ 4x100-meter relay team.
Additional newcomers include freshmen Scotty Coffi, Max DeAngelo, Ryan Johnson, Jesufifunmi Olugbenga, Jake Palermo, and Josh Stolarski.
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