May 14, 2017
RESULTS
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's track & field team captured their first Big Ten championship in program history Sunday afternoon at the Nittany Lion Outdoor Track with a team total of 117-points over the three day meet.
The Penn State women's team, who captured the 2017 Big Ten indoor title, finished third behind Purdue (133) and Minnesota (105.5) scoring 101-points.
"It's a great feeling for them," said head coach John Gondak.
"They competed really hard this weekend, this has been personally a date I've had on the calendar for three years when we first found out we were going to host in 2017 as a goal to host a great championship and have two teams that could contend. It's been a fantastic year, our women finished second in cross country and won indoors and we finished third today, to be top-three during all-three seasons is outstanding. Our men were second indoors and first outdoors so both programs are in a great spot right now and we have some outstanding recruits coming in... the future is really bright!"
Bryce Williams got things started on the final day for Penn State finishing seventh in the men's triple jump with a best of 51'-5.75" (15.69m).
David Lucas took fifth-place in the men's discus with his mark of 184'-11" (56.37m) adding another three-points to the Nittany Lions total.
The first women's event of the day, the shot put, featured a third and fourth-place finish by Obeng Marfo and Alyssa Robinson with their best throw of 53'-11" (16.43m) and 53'-3.5" (16.24m), respectively.
On the track the women's 4x100-meter relay of Quenee Dale, Keianna Albury, Kiara Lester and Tichina Rhodes combined to run 45.68 scoring four points with their fifth-place finish.
Adding to the Nittany Lions total was Dannielle Gibson and Kaitlyn Lopez (40'-8.75"/12.41m) combining to score 12-points in the women's triple jump finishing first and seventh. Gibson's mark of 45'-1.75" (13.76m)w is the No. 1 mark in program history under all conditions as the wind was above the allowable 4.0 meters per second.
Kayla Zoschg scored in the women's javelin with her mark of 147'2" (44.86m) - a season best - finishing eighth.
Danae Rivers and Julie Kocjancic both scored in the women's 1,500-meters with Rivers earning silver medal honors in the race running 4:21.86 followed by Kocjancic in 4:26.83.
The men's 400-meters brought a top-10 mark and bronze medal performance from Dan Chisena who ran 46.16 - the No 6 time in program history. Freshman Tyreek Mathis also scored in the event running 47.10 for eighth-place.
Xavier Smith, Karson Kowalchuk and Malik Moffett scored in the 100-meters in a race that saw all three athletes finish under the school record mark of 10.34 seconds from 1975. Smith took second in the 100-meter final in a wind-aided time of 10.10 that is the all-conditions No. 1 mark in program history. Kowalchuk followed up with a fourth-place finish in the all-conditions No. 2 mark in program history of 10.22 seconds while Malik Moffett finished sixth in the all-conditions No. 3 time in program history of 10.26 seconds.
Penn State also scored in the 100-meters on the women's side with Keianna Albury grabbing a eighth-place finish in the event running 11.67.
A three-time Big Ten Champion in the 800-meters, Isaiah Harris made it 4-for-4 on Sunday afternoon locking up the title in 1:49.68 bringing along teammate Domenic Perretta who scored two points with his seventh-place finish in 1:51.37. The title by Harris is the fourth-straight for the sophomore who has swept indoor/outdoor titles in the event for two years straight.
It's only fitting that following an indoor/outdoor sweep in the 800-meters by Isaiah Harris, freshman Danae Rivers completed the indoor/outdoor sweep on the women's side for the Nittany Lion.
Rivers grabbed her second Big Ten 800-meter title in 2:04.14 in a close race with Ohio State's Rachel Weber who was right behind in 2:04.45. Rachel Banks mirrored Perretta's finish in the men's race finishing seventh for the women in a time of 2:07.35.
Moffett, the men's long jump champion, returned to the track for the final of the men's 200-meters that would prove to be a very quick one. Moffett finished the race in 19.87w - the No. 1 all-conditions time in program history - and the eighth-fastest wind aided mark in NCAA history. Moffett was joined on the medal stand by teammate Xavier Smith who finished in 20.23w.
Albury, who scored earlier in the day in the 100-meters, returned to add points for Penn State in the 200-meters with her eighth-place finish in a time of 23.46 - the No. 5 time in program history.
The women's 5,000-meters brought home an additional seven-points behind fifth and sixth-place finishes from Tessa Barrett and Jillian Hunsberger with their times of 16:25.80 and 16:26.18, respectively.
Rounding out the meet for the Penn State men were Dan Chisena, Xavier Smith, Tyreek Mathis and Isaiah Harris who combined to run 3:05.22 the No. 3 time in program history for second-place in the event while the women's 4x400-meter relay took sixth with their time of 3:40.86.
Following the meet the Big Ten released first and second team All-Big Ten performers, Nittany Lions on that list include:
2017 BIG TEN OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Women's All-Big Ten First Team:
Dannielle Gibson, Penn State
Danae Rivers, Penn State
Women's All-Big Ten Second Team:
Jillian Hunsberger, Penn State
Men's All-Big Ten First Team:
Isaiah Harris, Penn State
Malik Moffett, Penn State
Men's All-Big Ten Second Team:
Dan Chisena, Penn State
Tyreek Mathis, Penn State
Timothy McGowan, Penn State
Morgan Shigo, Penn State
Michael Shuey, Penn State
Xavier Smith, Penn State
Penn State will remain home to train for a week before traveling to Lexington, Ky. to take part in the NCAA East First-Round hosted by the University of Kentucky May 25-27.
For more on Nittany Lion track & field, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.