Feb. 13, 2008
Entries and Meet Information | Meet Notes
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Hitting the road for the second time in as many weeks, the Nittany Lion track and field teams will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., this weekend, for the Tyson Invitational, one of the most prestigious events of the entire indoor on both the collegiate and professional calendar. Competing at the same venue as the NCAA Championships in March, the Nittany Lions will undoubtedly face national-level fields, as several Penn State athletes have qualified for the elite invitational sections.
Leading the way will be the women's 4x400-meter relay, which is now ranked third in the country thanks to a blistering 3:35.12 at last weekend's Virginia Tech Elite meet. The Lions have been invited to compete in the invitational 4x400, which is scheduled for 8:40 p.m. CST, Friday night as part of the elite Tyson Invitational portion of the weekend. The meet will be broadcast from 5-7 p.m. on Sunday, February 17, on ESPN.
The elite competition is set to feature 17 women's teams and 15 men's teams ranked in the top 25, including four of the top five rated women's teams in the NCAA, as well as the No. 10 Nittany Lion women. The Lions will also get their first taste of Big Ten competition this season, as Michigan, and Indiana are scheduled to be in attendance.
After an impressive season debut last weekend, senior Shana Cox (Westbury, N.Y.) looks to be back in top form after three provisional marks at Virginia Tech. Cox, who is now ranked seventh in the NCAA at 400-meters, will take on a stellar quarter mile field, which is set to include national leader Brandi Cross of South Carolina, along with Kentucky's Jenna Martin and Miami's Krista Simkins, who are both ranked in the NCAA top four. Cox will compete in the 400, along with 4x400 mates Dominique Blake (Bronx, N.Y.) and Fawn Dorr (Akron, N.Y.).
Others who will compete in elite sections up against top collegiates and professionals alike include Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) in the invitational 3000-meters, Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio) in the Olympic Development mile, Mark Miller (Shillington, Pa.), and Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.) in the men's Olympic Development 800-meters, as well as Briene Simmons (Decatur, Ga.) in the women's Olympic Development 800.
Live results will be available throughout the meet at www.FlashResults.com. Check www.GoPSUSports.com for full results and recaps following both days of competition.
Nittany Lion Notes
Top 10 Time ...
Up one spot from last week, the Nittany Lion women are now ranked 10th in the NCAA, according to the latest USTFCCCA rankings. Thanks to six new provisional qualifiers at last weekend's Virginia Tech Elite meet, the Lions are now the third-ranked Big Ten squad behind No. 3 Michigan, and No. 8 Minnesota. LSU and Tennessee are currently the top two rated teams in the country.
A Big Weekend for Bettis ...
Thanks to a pair of career-best jumps and two NCAA performances at last weekend's Virginia Tech Elite meet, senior Lena Bettis (Riverside, Calif.) has been named Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week, announced by conference offices on Tuesday. The honor is the second of Bettis' decorated career, and the fifth win by a Nittany Lion this season.
Last Time Out ...
Totaling nearly a dozen provisional marks on the weekend, the Penn State track and field teams finished up a high quality weekend of competition, last Saturday at the Virginia Tech Elite meet at Rector Field House. Leading the Nittany Lion charge was senior Shana Cox (Westbury, N.Y.), who put up her first individual provisional mark of the season, sophomore Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio), who clocked one of the top five 3,000-meter performances in the NCAA, and senior Lena Bettis (Riverside, Calif.), who recorded her second NCAA performance of the weekend. The women's 4x400-meter squad also shined in its unquestionably its toughest competition of the season, running 3:35.12 - the nation's second-fastest performance.
A Dominant Debut ...
Making her first appearance of the season at the Virginia Tech Elite meet last weekend, senior and seven-time NCAA All-American Shana Cox motored to a provisional-qualifying 53.67 for 400-meters - the best time in the Big Ten this season, as well as the seventh-fastest time nationally. Cox was three-for-three in provisional marks is her first competition of the year, hitting the standard in the 400, and running legs on the NCAA qualifying 4x400, and distance medley relay, providing impressive sub-53 second splits in both races.
Three Jumpers Jumping ...
The Lions posted a total of four provisional qualifying performances in the horizontal jumps at last weekend's Virginia Tech Elite meet, with Lena Bettis leading the way with NCAA marks in the long jump and triple jump. Clarence Smith also got his name on the NCAA list for the first time this season with a Big Ten leading leap of 50-11.50 (15.53) in the triple jump, while Gabriela Baiter posted a mark of 41-11.50 (12.79) as the top Lion finisher in the women's field.