UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State track & field flips the calendar to its outdoor season as it heads to Philadelphia to compete in the Penn Challenge Saturday.
The all-day event is hosted at Penn’s Franklin Field and begins at 11 a.m. with the women’s discus at 11 a.m. The women’s long jump begins the jumping events at 12 p.m., while the running events start at 1 p.m. with the women’s 1500-meter run.
2025 OUTDOOR RECAP
Six Nittany Lions earned All-America honors in 2025 and four of them are returning for the new season. Three of the four were part of a 4x400-meter relay squad that finished as second team All-Americans: Handal Roban, Max DeAngelo and Jake Palermo. Maddie Pitts completes the quartet after she earned a second team in the Women’s Heptathlon.
Allon Clay also returns for 2026 as the reigning Big Ten champion in the 800-meter run and he begins his outdoor season fresh off capturing a third-place finish in that event during the NCAA indoor championships last week.
NITTANY LIONS LAST WEEK
It was another solid showing at the NCAA indoor championships for Penn State as the men’s and women’s teams earned a combined 13 All-America honors, including six on the first team. Clay, Roban and Yukichi Ishii all earned first-team recognition in the men’s 800-meter run, with Palermo, Pitts and Ajani Dwyer (in the men’s 60-meter run) rounding out the six.
Seniors Ryan Henry (in men’s shot put), Matt DeMatteo (part of the men’s distance medley relay team), Niko Schultz (in two events) and Hayley Kitching (in the women’s 800-meter run) were named second team All-Americans in their final trip to nationals. Freshman Boh Ritchie also earned a second-All-American recognition.
WHICH EVENTS FEATURE A NITTANY LION?
- Women’s 200-meter dash: Angelina Massey
- Women’s 100-meter hurdles: Massey
- Women’s High Jump: Katie Becker, Gwen Cudmore, Hannah Riolo, Jenna Young
- Women’s Long Jump: Massey
- Men’s Long Jump: Joe White
- Men’s Shot Put: Brady Mider
- Men’s Discus: Sam Engebretson, Matthew Sarnowski
- Women’s Javelin: Audrey Freidman
- Men’s Javelin: Nolan Carey
- Women’s Hammer: Gabby Cope, Gabrielle Deglau, Alex Pancoast
- Men’s Hammer: Collin Burkhart, Engebretson, Sarnowski
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the team on our social media pages: Facebook (PennStateTFXC), X and Instagram (both @pennstatetfxc). Live updates on race day regarding weather, start times and other important notes will be posted on X.