Track and Field Prepared for NCAA East Region PrelimsTrack and Field Prepared for NCAA East Region Prelims

Track and Field Prepared for NCAA East Region Prelims

Penn State travels to Jacksonville for first round of NCAA competition

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State track and field teams continue postseason competition with the NCAA East Region Preliminaries from Wednesday, May 28 to Saturday, May 31 in Jacksonville, Fla. Thirty-one individual entries and one relay team look to punch their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships during the four-day meet in Jacksonville.   

The Nittany Lions head into the first round of NCAA competition with 16 individual entries for the women’s squad and 15 individual entries plus one relay team for the men’s squad.  

MEET INFO: Championship Central | Schedule | Live Results     

ESPN+ LIVE STREAMS: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4     

PENN STATE QUALIFIERS  

The women's team is led by Florence Caron, who enters competition as the highest-ranked individual qualifier for Penn State, earning the No. 5 spot in the 10,000-meter race and No. 6 spot in the 5,000-meter race. Caron is fresh off a spectacular Big Ten Championship performance where she earned a silver medal in the 10,000-meter race and a bronze medal in the 5,000-meter race. Three Nittany Lions have declared entries in the 1,500-meter race: Kileigh Kane (No. 14), Ada Rand (No. 26) and Lea Hatcher (No. 31).  

Victoria Atkinson (pole vault) and Audrey Friedman (javelin) enter as the highest-qualified field athletes for Penn State, both ranked at No. 25 in their respective events.  

Three-time first-team All-American Handal Roban seeks to punch another ticket to Oregon and enters as the highest-qualified individual on the men’s team, sitting as the No. 4 seed in the men’s 800-meter race. Three other Nittany Lions join Roban in the men’s 800-meter race: Olivier Desmeules (No. 32), Big Ten Titlist Allon Clay (No. 33) and Darius Smallwood (No. 36). Nick Sloff sits as the only Nittany Lion with individual qualifications in two events and is slated to compete in the 1,500-meter and 5,000-meter races.  

Isaac Osifo comes in as the highest-ranked Nittany Lion men’s field qualifier, coming in at No. 6 in the high jump. The hammer throwing duo of Nathan Williams and Collin Burkhart both rank within the top- 20 of the event, No. 13 and No. 18, respectively.   

NITTANY LIONS SCHEDULE OF COMPETITION 

Wednesday, May 28: 

  • 6:30 p.m. - M 1500-meters (Quarterfinals on Friday) – Nick Sloff 
  • 7:25 p.m. - M 400-meters (Quarterfinals on Friday) – Jake Palermo 

Thursday, May 29: 

  • 7:25 p.m. - W 400-meters (Quarterfinals on Saturday) – Zoey Goldstein 
  • 7:50 p.m. - W 800-meters (Quarterfinals on Saturday) – Allison Johnson 

Friday, May 30:  

  • 5:15 p.m. - M 1500-meters Quarterfinals* 
  • 6:50 p.m. - M 400-meters Quarterfinals* 
  • 7:05 p.m. M 800-meters Quarterfinals* 

Saturday, May 31:  

  • 5:15 p.m. - W 1500-meters Quarterfinals* 
  • 6:50 p.m. - W 400-meters Quarterfinals* 
  • 7:05 p.m. - W 800-meters Quarterfinals* 

* = pending first-round qualification    

 

FULL 2025 OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD SCHEDULE 

Mar. 22 – Penn Challenge | Philadelphia, Pa. 

Mar. 27-29 – Raleigh Relays | Raleigh, N.C.    

Mar. 28-29 – LSU Battle on the Bayou | Baton Rouge, La.    

Apr. 4-5 – Florida Relays | Gainesville, Fla.     

Apr. 10-12 – Duke Invitational | Durham, N.C.  

Apr. 12-13 – Bison Outdoor Classic | Lewisburg, Pa.    

Apr. 18-19 – Virginia Challenge | Charlottesville, Va.  

Apr. 24-26 – Penn Relays | Philadelphia, Pa.    

May 2-3 – Larry Ellis Open | Princeton, N.J.   

May 16-18 – Big Ten Outdoor Championships | Eugene, Ore.  

May 28-31 – NCAA East First Round | Jacksonville, Fla.  

Jun. 11-14 – NCAA Outdoor Championships | Eugene, Ore.  

FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS 

Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateTFXC) and X/Instagram (@pennstatetfxc). Live updates on race day regarding start times and other important notes will be posted on X.