Jan. 10, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Led by an NCAA provisional qualifying clearance from senior Ryan Fritz (Parkesburg, Pa.) in the high jump, the Nittany Lion track and field teams opened up their 2009 indoor seasons on Saturday, hosting the Penn State Relays at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track. Along with Fritz's impressive event-winning clearance of 7-1.75 (2.18), senior Emma Schmelzer (Bloomington, Ill.) would capture a pair of victories, winning the women's shot put and the weight throw. All told, the Nittany Lions took 10 individual event titles, while five Penn State relay teams captured victories.
"The Penn State Relays proved to be a great opener for the Penn State program," said Director and Head Coach of Penn State Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan. "The team was rusty and worked out the cobwebs from the winter break, and there is proof that we can be contenders on both the men's and women's sides later in the year. Fritz's performance displays his hunger to compete after redshirting the outdoor season, and it was exciting to see him open with an NCAA mark. We'll continue to train hard, press through the Penn State Open and prepare for the Penn State National at the end of the month."
Senior Clarence Smith (Coatesville, Pa.) came up just shy of a provisional performance in his triple jump victory, posting a leap of 50-6 (15.39) - just a centimeter shy of the NCAA standard. Smith would also finish second in the long jump with a mark of 23-1.25 (7.04). The Lions swept the women's horizontal jumps with senior Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) taking the long jump with a performance of 19-11.50 (6.08), and sophomore Gabriela Baiter (Greenlawn, N.Y.) winning the triple jump with a 39-3.25 (11.97) showing. The Lions swept the competition in the women's jumps, taking first through fourth in the long jump, and first through third in the triple jump.
Schmelzer's victories came thanks to marks of 45-7.25 (13.90) in the shot put and 59-5.50 (18.12) in the weight throw - nearly 10 feet in front of the second-place finisher. The Lion men provided to second place finishes in the throws with Blake Eaton (Allegeny, N.Y.) taking runner-up honors in the shot put, and Adam Thielemann (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) earning second in the weight.
The Nittany Lion men fared well in the relays winning the 4x400-meters, 4x800-meters, and distance medlay relays. Team members included Lionel Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.), Anya Uzoh (Laurel, Md.), Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia), and Mike Cadau (Mahanoy City, Pa.) in the 4x400, Owen Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), Matt Groves (State College, Pa.), Williams, and Foster - who closed in an impressive 1:49.6 - in the 4x800, and Mike Syrnick (Philadelphia), Nick Velgos (Marysville, Pa.), Kevin Fuller (Camp Hill, Pa.), and Teddy Quinn (Rush, N.Y.) in the DMR.
The Penn State women provided wins in a pair of relays, with Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.), Kathryn Fitzgerald (Pittsburgh), Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.), and Jessie Babcock (Irvine, Calif.) earning a victory in the 4xMile and Meghan Noecker (Reading, Pa.) - who split 3:35 for 1200-meters - Kerry Swayne (Horsham, Pa.), Liz Kearins (Doylestown, Pa.), and Leah Rosenfeld (Ridgefield, Conn.) anchoring with a 4:54 1600-meter split to win the distance medley.
The Lions got a 60-meter victory from Shavon GReaves (Lakewood, N.J.) - her second-straight Penn State Relays title in the event - in 7.57, while Cadau provided an exciting last lap to win the 500-meters, finishing in 1:02.94, coming within a heartbeat of the Penn State record of 1:02.58. Cadau had an outstanding afternoon overall, also taking second in the 300-meters in 34.47.
Brittany Maun (Greensburg, Pa.) topped the high jump field with a clearance of 5-7 (1.70) and Caitlin Fairbairn (Coatesville, Pa.) tied for first in the pole vault, topping out at 11-5.75 (3.50) to complete the Penn State sweep of the vertical jumps on the women's side.
The Lions will continue their homestand next weekend, hosting the Penn State Relays on January 17.