UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State track & field takes the next step in its journey to the national championships as it prepares to compete in the NCAA First Round. The four-day meet begins in Lexington, Kentucky on Wednesday, May 27 and runs through Saturday, May 30. The meet will be live-streamed all four days on ESPN+ (subscription required).
33 Nittany Lions earned spots in the first round, which was announced May 21. Among the competitors include Allon Clay and Hayley Kitching, who triumphed in the men’s and women’s 800-meter run, respectively, at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.
Seven athletes competing in the first round also hold program top 3 performances, with Kitching (in the women’s 800-meter run) and Ajani Dwyer (in the men’s 100-meter dash) both having program records.
NITTANY LIONS LAST TIME OUT
The blue and white delivered a lot of noteworthy performances during the Big Ten Outdoor Championships in Lincoln, Nebraska May 15-17. Nolan Carey made a statement on the opening day, throwing a fourth-place 245-2.00 (74.72m) in the men’s javelin, scoring eight points in the team competition. Carey’s distance was the second-furthest in program history as well.
Alex Pancoast and Collin Burkhart will be among the athletes in Lexington and both hammer throwers turned in solid showings at the conference championships. Burkhart took seventh in the men’s event with a 215-6.00 (65.68m), while Pancoast led a trio of Nittany Lions in the women’s event at 184-3.00 (56.16m).
Day 2 at Big Ten Outdoors saw four Nittany Lions place on the podium. Hannah Riolo tied a personal best set earlier this season when she recorded a 5-10.75 (1.80m) in the women’s high jump, placing sixth for the meet. Avery Miller finished fifth in the women’s heptathlon with 5,317 points, moving her into fifth in program history.
Both men’s podium finishers on Day 2 came in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Ryan Watson placed fourth at 8:54.19, while Logan Strawser finished seventh at 8:58.77.
In addition, Ajani Dwyer’s qualifying time of 10.04 in the men’s 100-meter dash improved his program record by 0.02 seconds.
The final day featured multiple runners take center stage. Clay ran a 1:46.58 to capture the men’s 800-meter run, ensuring First-Team All-Big Ten honors with his performance. Niko Schultz placed third, while Andrew Regnier claimed eighth. Clay’s qualifying time of 1:45.11 moved him into third in program history and Regnier’s 1:46.10 gave him the eighth-fastest in program history.
Kitching ensured another first-place finish for Penn State when she outpaced the field in the women’s 800-meter run, running a 2:01.77. The senior completed a sweep of both the indoor and outdoor 800-meter events as well.
Several other Penn State runners scored points in the team competition with their performances at the meet. Marie-Eloise LeClair shined in two events, placing fifth in the women’s 100-meter dash and seventh in the women’s 200-meter dash. The Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada native is in the field for both events in the NCAA First Round.
Moving to the men’s track athletes, Dwyer placed fifth in the 100-meter dash at 9.93w, while Nick Sloff also earned fifth in 1500-meter run at 4:02.42.
The last event of the meet also saw the blue and white earn points in the 4x400-meter relay. Fitzgerald, Matt DeMatteo, Schultz and Jake Palermo ran a sixth-place 3:09.73.
DAY-BY-DAY PREVIEW
The meet will feature the men’s events on Wednesday and Friday, while the women’s events will be on Thursday and Saturday. The initial rounds of several track events will be Wednesday and Thursday, with those who advance competing on Friday and Saturday.
Wednesday begins with Burkhart in the men’s hammer at 10 a.m., with the men’s 800-meter run being the last event featuring Nittany Lions at 7:50 p.m. Clay, Schultz and Regnier will be joined by Yukichi Ishii and Kaleb Nastari in that event.
Other competitors slated for Wednesday include Dwyer in the men’s 100-meter dash, Palermo in the men’s 400-meter dash and Carey in the men’s javelin.
The first event Thursday is Pancoast in the women’s hammer at 10 a.m., while Claire Daniels concludes the events featuring Nittany Lions at 9:10 p.m. with the women’s 10,000-meter run. Kitching will be joined by Tayissa Buchanan, Allison Johnson and Boh Ritchie in the women’s 800-meter run, scheduled for 7:50 p.m.
Friday includes Allen and Campbell in the men’s high jump at 2 p.m., Watson in the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase at 5:40 p.m. and the men’s 4x400-meter relay at 8:45 p.m.
Saturday features Riolo in the women’s high jump at 2 p.m. and Allison Dougherty in the women’s 3000-meter steeplechase at 5:40 p.m.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the team on our social media pages: Facebook (PennStateTFXC), X and Instagram (both @pennstatetfxc). Live updates on meet day regarding weather, start times and other important notes will be posted on X.