March 6, 2017
USTFCCCA RELEASE
NEW ORLEANS, LA-- The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its regional awards Monday afternoon, with Penn State receiving five award winners - tied with Arkansas for the most in the nation.
Third-year head coach John Gondak continues to see the accolades roll in as he was named the Mid-Atlantic Women's Head Coach of the Year, while second-year Associate head coach Erin Tucker and Assistant Coach Angela Reckart earned Mid-Atlantic Men's and Women's Assistant Coach of the Year honors, respectively.
Most recently, Gondak led the women's track & field team to its fourth Big Ten indoor title in program history. Penn State's four indoor championships since 2004 are the most of any school in the Big Ten conference, with Minnesota and Ohio State in second having won three.
Erin Tucker was instrumental in leading the Penn State men's team to their highest finish in program history at the Big Ten Indoor Championships as the Nittany Lions finished second at the Big Ten Indoor meet. His 4Ã-400-meter relay team set the All-Time Big Ten Conference record at 3:04.80, while Xavier Smith the Big Ten 60-meter Big Ten Champion and Malik Moffett a bronze medalist in the 200-meters at Big Ten Championship were a part of the 33 points scored by Tucker's athletes.
Angela Reckart was just as big a part of the success for the women's team as Tucker was for the men. Reckart coached the distance group to a combined 32-points including a silver medal and the No. 2 time in the NCAA by Penn State's Tessa Barrett running a school record time of 15:28.99 in the 5,000-meters.
Bryce Williams (State College, Pa.) and Danae Rivers (Derby, CT) both earned USTFCCCA awards as Williams was the Mid-Atlantic Men's Field Athlete of the Year and Rivers was named the Mid-Atlantic Women's Track Athlete of the Year.
Williams wrapped up a season that saw him return from missing the entire 2016 year with an ACL injury by earning a silver medal in the triple jump at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Geneva, Ohio.
The junior from State College finished the 2017 indoor season with a best of 51'-8.25" (15.75m) that ranked No. 24 in the NCAA.
Rivers, the freshman phenom, will participate in her first NCAA Indoor Championships this coming week in College Station, Texas where she will run the Mile and as a member of the women's Distance Medley Relay.
Rivers currently holds three individual records (600-meters, 800-meters, Mile) as well as a member of the school record Distance Medley Relay who set the new time of 11:01.16 at the Penn State Tune-Up.
Penn State will travel to College Station, Texas for the 2017 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships Mar. 10-11 on the campus of Texas A&M.
ESPN3 will stream the meet live on March 10 starting at 6:25 p.m. ET and March 11 starting at 4:55 p.m. ET.
A re-air of the championship will take place on Sunday, March 12 starting at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
For more on Nittany Lion track & field, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.