NCAA Indoor Championships PreviewNCAA Indoor Championships Preview

NCAA Indoor Championships Preview

March 8, 2018

Gillam Indoor Stadium
College Station, Texas
Host: Texas A&M University

Friday, March 9
1:15 p.m. ET

Saturday, March 10
3:00 p.m. ET

Meet Info | Live Results | Meet Notes

ESPN3 LIVE Stream Links: Friday | Saturday

MEET PREVIEW

Athletes Competing
Dan Chisena Danae Rivers
Isaiah Harris Morgan Shigo
Maddie Holmberg Xavier Smith
Terrance Laird Bryce Williams
David Lucas
Kier Miner


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.
- Ten Nittany Lions will represent Penn State track & field this week at the 2018 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships, Mar. 9-10 at the Gilliam Indoor Stadium in College Station, Texas on the campus of Texas A&M University. The meet will be broadcast live on the ESPN family of networks.

CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDS
Isaiah Harris, Terrance Laird, David Lucas, Morgan Shigo, Dan Chisena, Xavier Smith, Kier Miner and Bryce Williams will be representing the Nittany Lion men, while Danae Rivers and Maddie Holmberg will compete for the Penn State women.

Five Nittany Lions will be making their return to the NCAA Indoor Championship meet, while Laird, Lucas, Shigo, Holmberg, and Williams will be making their NCAA Indoor Championships debut.

SEEDS (Based on their regular season performances)
Rivers - 3rd (800-meters)
Lucas - 4th (Weight Throw)
Harris - 7th (800-meters)
Laird - 8th (200-meters)
Chisena, Smith, Miner, Harris - 9th (4x400-meters)
Holmberg - 10th (Pentathlon)
Williams - 11th (Triple Jump)
Shigo - 12th (Weight Throw)

RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS

Isaiah Harris and Danae Rivers enter the meet having previously earned first-team All-American honors during last year's indoor championships.

USTFCCCA HONORS
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its regional awards, with Penn State receiving three award winners - one of nine schools with three or more award recipients.

  • Mid-Atlantic Region Men's Track Athlete of the Year - Isaiah Harris
  • Mid-Atlantic Region Women's Track Athlete of the Year - Danae Rivers
  • Mid-Atlantic Region Men's Field Athlete of the Year - David Lucas

Harris, who is undefeated in 800-meter finals at the indoor/outdoor Big Ten Conference meet will compete for a national championship in the event this week in College Station, Texas. Harris is the school record holder at Penn State both indoor and outdoor with a personal best of 1:44.53 outdoor and 1:46.24 indoor and is currently ranked No. 7 in the NCAA with a season-best of 1:47.38 set at the Iowa State Classic on Feb. 10 in Ames, Iowa. Harris leads the Big Ten Conference and is No. 1 in the event in the region.

Lucas, the school record holder in the men's weight throw, earns his first regional athlete of the year honor from USTFCCCA. Lucas blew the old school record in the weight throw away posting a season-best mark of 23.31m (76'-5.50") that is currently No. 4 in the NCAA and No. 2 in the Big Ten Conference. Lucas will compete for a championship in the event at the NCAA meet hosted by Texas A&M Mar. 9-10.

Rivers, a sophomore from Derby, Conn., will participate in her second NCAA Indoor Championships in as many years this coming week in College Station, Texas where she will run the 800-meters.

Rivers broke her own record in the 800-meters this season running 2:03.13 in her season-opening race in the event at the Clemson Invitational. Rivers captured her second-straight Big Ten Indoor title at the championships a few weeks ago in Geneva, Ohio and is currently ranked No. 3 in the NCAA and No. 1 in the Mid-Atlantic Region and the Big Ten Conference.

PENN STATE COMPETITION SCHEDULE

FRIDAY-

1:15 p.m. ET - Pentathlon 60-meter hurdles (Holmberg)
2:00 p.m. ET - Pentathlon High Jump (Holmberg)
4:00 p.m. ET - Pentathlon Shot Put (Holmberg)
5:00 p.m. ET - Pentathlon Long Jump (Holmberg)
~5:30 p.m. ET - Pentathlon 800-meters (Holmberg)
8:10 p.m. ET - Men's 800-meters Semifinal (Harris)
8:20 p.m. ET - Women's 800-meters Semifinal (Rivers)
8:30 p.m. ET - Men's 200-meter Semifinal (Laird)

SATURDAY -

3:00 p.m. ET - Men's Weight Throw FINAL (Lucas, Shigo)
6:00 p.m. ET - Men's Triple Jump (Williams)
6:20 p.m. ET - Men's 800-meters FINAL (Qualifiers)
6:30 p.m. ET - Women's 800-meters FINAL (Qualifiers)
6:40 p.m. ET - Men's 200-meter FINAL (Qualifiers)
7:30 p.m. ET - Men's 4x400-meter relay FINAL (Chisena, Smith, Miner, Harris)


NCAA Track & Field On ESPN3

ESPN has exclusive broadcast rights for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. The following broadcast schedule (all times Eastern) outlines all LIVE and rebroadcasts for the 2018 NCAA In­door Track & Field Championships:

Friday, March 9..........................6:30 p.m. (ESPN3)
Saturday, March 10......................5:00 p.m. (ESPN3)
Sunday, March 11........................7 p.m. (ESPN2 | Tape Delay)

For more on Nittany Lion track & field, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.