June 1, 2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Twenty-One Nittany Lions will compete for a chance to be a national champion next week at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships after a weekend in Lexington, Ky. that featured a few school record performances as well as multiple personal bests on The Road to Eugene.
The first Penn State athlete to punch a ticket to Eugene was Madeline Holmberg who qualified by finishing in the top-24 during the regular season with a score of 5,636-points including a heptathlon school record in the shot put with a mark of 42'-6.25" (12.96m).
The men's 4x100-meter relay of Karson Kowalchuk, Dan Chisena, Xavier Smith and Malik Moffett qualified for the NCAA meet in school record fashion shaving off almost a half second (.40) from their previous best of 39.48 from the 123rd Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa. back in late April. The last Penn State sprint relay to finish the season with All-American honors was in 1973 when Doug Finkel, Mike Sands, Jim Scott and Fred Singleton finished sixth at the NCAA meet.
The 100-meters saw Xavier Smith finally break through and claim the school record as his own. Smith is the school record holder in the indoor 60-meters (6.66) and holds the fastest time in the 100-meters under all-conditions (10.10) to go along with his run of 10.32 this past weekend. The time of 10.32 erased the 42-year-old record of 10.34 set by Mike Sands back in 1975 when he ran a 10.1 second hand held time in the event. Though the performance advanced Smith to the quarterfinal he missed advancing to the NCAA meet by one one-hundredth of a second (.01) the following day.
Malik Moffett qualified for the NCAA meet by posting the No. 2 time in program history, running 20.49 seconds over the half lap to punch his ticket in one of three events that the junior will compete in at the championships. Moffett now holds the No. 2 time in program history as well as the fastest time in program history under all-conditions (19.87).
Penn State continued its success in the 800-meters qualifying three athletes through to Eugene to compete for a national championship. Isaiah Harris - school record holder in the event - easily advanced crossing the line with the best time from the East running 1:45.92 while teammate Domenic Perretta left it all on the track diving across the finish line to secure his first trip to Eugene in a time of 1:47.87. Danae Rivers will represent Penn State on the women's side as she qualified in 2:02.68 making a return trip to the NCAA meet after finishing third in the mile during indoor season in College Station, Texas.
Three of the four legs that will compete on the men's 4x100-meter relay will hit the track again for the 4x400-meter relay as Penn State qualified for the big stage with Chisena, Smith, Tyreek Mathis and Harris clocking the second-fastest time in school history running 3:03.48 (46.3, 45.6, 45.6, 45.6).
Tori Gerlach will compete for a national championship once again returning to the NCAA meet after redshirting the 2016 season. Gerlach ran at the NCAA meet in 2015 doubling with 5,000-meters and the 3,000-meter steeple, this season it will be a one race trip in Oregon as Gerlach will focus on the 3K steeplechase entering the meet after running 10:04.62. Gerlach holds a season best of 9:50.60 in the event that was No. 2 in the world at the time it was recorded back in April.
Tessa Barrett returns to the NCAA Championships in the 5,000-meters after running 16:01.59 - the No. 5 time in program history - looking to improve upon her appearance at the NCAA meet last season in the same event.
Moving up to 10,000-meters, Jillian Hunsberger will return to a championship meet after finishing with All-American honors during cross country this past November in Terre Haute, IN. Hunsberger, the Big Ten silver medalist in the 10,K battled her way through the 25 lap race to cross the line in the third-fastest time in program history at 33:52.41 to lock up her spot on the plane to the west coast.
As mentioned, Moffett will compete in three events in Eugene, the 4x100-meter relay, 200-meters and the long jump. The Big Ten Champion and school record holder in the event with his seed of 26'3" (8.00m) qualified for the meet with a mark of 24'-8.25" (7.52m) on his final attempt in the event at the First-Round meet. The three tickets to Eugene are the most by a Penn State athlete this season.
Penn State will field two triple jumpers at the NCAA Championships in Bryce Williams and Dannielle Gibson. Williams qualified for the meet with a personal best of 52'-2" (15.90m) that is the No. 7 mark in program history, while Gibson's mark of 43'-5" (13.23m) was enough to secure her second-straight outdoor championships after finishing 11th last season.
Hannah Mulhern will make her debut at the NCAA Championships after posting a new school record in the pole vault with her clearance of 13'-5.25" (4.10m). Mulhern a junior from Altoona, Pa. also holds the No. 2 mark in program history during indoor season at 13'-6.50" (4.13m).
Penn State will have three on the runway in the men's javelin vying for the NCAA title this year as Michael Shuey, Michael Biddle and Ryan Kerr all qualified through to Eugene following First-Round action. Shuey waited until his final throw to punch his ticket to the meet posting a mark of 242'-5" (73.89m) - the best mark in the East - while Biddle finished with a best of 220'-5" (67.18m) and Kerr at 214'-7" (65.42m). Penn State's trio in the javelin is the most in the event at this year's championships.
Jon Yohman turned in a personal best performance to punch his ticket, finishing the meet with a mark of 62'-9.25" (19.13m) - the No. 6 performance in program history - and will compete in the shot put at the NCAA meet for the first-time in his career.
Joining Yohman in the shot put will be Obeng Marfo who will also be making a first appearance at the meet following a throw of 53'-7.5" (16.34m) at the NCAA East First-Rounds. Marfo holds the No. 5 throw in program history with her mark of 53'-11" (16.43m) earlier this season.
A Second-Team All-American in the discus last season, David Lucas returns looking to improve upon his 15th-place finish in 2016. Lucas advanced to Eugene with his throw of 186'-3" (56.78m). Lucas holds the No. 3 mark in program history with his mark of 201'-6" (61.43m) from earlier this season.
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