Dec. 6, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: December 3, 2010 - The Nittany Lion Track and Field squads are set to open the 2010-11 campaign this weekend, with the annual Blue-White Intrasquad Meet on Saturday, Dec. 11. Last year, the Penn State program engineered outstanding indoor and outdoor efforts, highlighted by Top 25 standings from both the men's and women's squads at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, including a fourth-place "Trophy Team" finish by the women's squad outdoors. All told, the Nittany Lions collected 22 NCAA All-America finishes, 12 individual Big Ten titles, three relay conference wins, and seven Penn State records in 2010, and are poised for even more successes in 2011.
This release is the third of a series of interviews with each event coach recapping their group's fall training, and preview the upcoming indoor and outdoor seasons.
Penn State High Jump, Multi-Events, and Pole Vault Preview
With an NCAA appearance from junior Jocelyn Witmer (Lancaster, Pa.) and several Big Ten scoring performances across the board during the 2010 campaigns, the Nittany Lions will look for more successes from the vertical jumps and men's multi-events again in 2011. Led by the experience of junior decathlete Anya Uzoh (Laurel, Md.), senior high jumper Bryson Hartzler (Belleville, Pa.), and senior pole vaulter Caitlin Fairbairn (Coatesville, Pa.), assistant Coach Drew Hardyk's event group is poised to continue to raise the bar during the upcoming indoor and outdoor seasons.
Hartzler will lead the men's high jump contingent following the graduation of four-time NCAA All-American Ryan Fritz. Hartzler, who topped out at a PR 6-10.25 (2.09) during the indoor season, collected a pair of solid finishes against Big Ten competition in 2010, finishing 10th indoors and 12th outside. The senior will be joined by sophomore Sean Reilly (Lagrangeville, N.Y.), who had a promising rookie campaign a year ago, highlighted by a collegiate-best clearance of 6-8.75 (2.05) outdoors. Freshman Jon Hendershot (Nazareth, Pa.) will also suit up for the Lions, after clearing 6-8 (2.03) as a prep.
Uzoh also looks to have a promising season ahead of him, after making great improvements over all 10 decathlon events during his first two years in a Lion uniform. Most recently, Uzoh totaled a personal-best 6966 to finish seventh in the decathlon at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, posting career-best performances in seven of the 10 events. Uzoh also soared to a personal-best 23-1.25 (7.04) in the long jump at the conference meet, which was the best mark by a Nittany Lion in the event all season. The Nittany Lions will also welcome freshman Michael Brode (Reedsville, Pa.) to the multi-events. Among his outstanding high-school credentials, Brode owns a personal-best 206-5 (62.91) in the javelin.
Witmer provided one of the great "Cinderella" stories of the spring a year ago, qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships after being the 48th and final entrant in the women's pole vault at the NCAA First Round. Witmer cleared an outdoor personal-best 12-9.50 (3.90) at the First Round competition on her way to her first-career appearance at the NCAA Finals. Witmer, who has cleared 12-11 1/2 (3.95) indoors, has been solid throughout her career with the Nittany Lions, turning in seventh-place efforts at both the Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 2010. Also back on the women's pole vault roster are Fairbairn and junior Amanda Palenchar (Bradenville, Pa.). Fairbairn owns a personal-indoor best of 12-11 1/2 (3.95), and also has several Big Ten scoring performances to her credit, while Palenchar also has a good deal of conference experience under her belt, posting a 13th-place finish at the 2010 Big Ten Indoor Championships.
On the men's side, the vault group will feature junior Jason Pelletier (Benton, Ark.) and redshirt-freshman David Patzer (Landisville, Pa.), who both have displayed outstanding improvements over the fall. Pelletier was the Nike Indoor National Champion in the event in 2008, while Patzer won top honors at the PIAA State Championships as a high school senior. Freshman Erick Artusio (Frederick, Md.) will also be in the mix, after winning indoor and outdoor Maryland state titles as a senior.
The Lions will also will also see senior transfer Lindsay Regan (Easton, Pa.), and freshman Lindsay Bacik (Pittsburgh, Pa.) on the runway this winter. Regan, who graduated from UCLA, enjoyed one of most outstanding high school careers in Pennsylvania history, winning four state indoor titles, and two state outdoor crowns, to go along with a pair of victories at Penn Relays. Regan's PR clearance is an impressive 13-6 (4.11).
The Blue-White Meet is scheduled for Saturday, December 11, beginning at 2 p.m. The Nittany Lions are also set to host a USATF Officials' Clinic in conjunction with the event. To sign up, or for more information on the clinic, contact Director of Track and Field Operations Jess Riden at jnr126@psu.