May 23, 2018
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State track & field program heads to Tampa, Florida, for the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Preliminary Round, May 24-26. The three-day meet is held at the USF Track & Field Stadium on the campus of the University of South Florida.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow along with a live stream on FloTrack.org, but must have an account to access the stream, while live results can be found on GoPSUsports.com.
MEET INFO
Thirty-seven Nittany Lions have qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round and are looking to move on to the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The top-48 individuals and top-24 relays have qualified for this weekend and the top-12 finishers at the meet will move on to Eugene, Oregon.
LAST TIME OUT
Penn State track & field last competed on May 11-13 in Bloomington, Indiana, at the 2018 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships. At the Big Ten meet, Penn State saw three Nittany Lions win gold, two silver medal outings, and two bronze medal finishes.
Michael Biddle won the men's javelin throw with a personal-best toss of 239-7, Isaiah Harris won the men's 800-meter run in a meet, and facility, record time of 1:45.31, and Danae Rivers finished first in the women's 1,500-meter run in 4:27.47.
RETURN TRIP TO EUGENE
Ten Penn Staters will be competing to make the trip back to Eugene, Oregon, after making the trip in 2017.
Looking to head back to Eugene, Oregon, in 2018 will be: Michael Biddle, Isaiah Harris, Maddie Holmberg, David Lucas, Malik Moffett, Hannah Mulhern, Danae Rivers, Xavier Smith, Jon Yohman, and Bryce Williams.
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
Heading into the meet, the Nittany Lions have 10 performances that rank in the top-25 between the men's and women's programs.
No. 2 | Isaiah Harris | men's 800-meter run | 1:45.31
No. 5 | Danae Rivers | women's 1,500-meter run | 4:10.82
No. 5 | Maddie Holmberg | heptathlon | 5976 points
No. 7 | David Lucas | men's discus throw | 200-0
No. 11 | Michael Biddle | men's javelin throw | 239-7
No. 11 | Morgan Shigo | men's hammer throw | 233-0
No. 11 | Will Henderson, Anton Porter, Xavier Smith, Malik Moffett | men's 4x100-meter relay | 39.21
No. 13 | Danae Rivers | women's 800-meter run | 2:03.78
No. 16 | Kier Miner, Xavier Smith, Samuel Reiser, Isaiah Harris | men's 4x400-meter relay | 3:05.13
No. 19 | Maddie Holmberg | women's long jump | 20-10.75
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Throughout the 2018 outdoor season, Penn State track & field has set 28 school record book performances, which includes seven school records.
SCHOOL RECORDS SET/TIED IN 2018:
Men's hammer throw | Morgan Shigo | 233-0
Men's sprint medley relay | Xavier Smith, Malik Moffett, Kier Miner, Isaiah Harris | 3:15.25
Men's 100-meter dash | Xavier Smith | 10.32
Women's 1,500-meter run | Danae Rivers | 4:10.82
Women's pole vault | Katie Jones & Hannah Mulhern | 13-6.25
Women's sprint medley relay | Keianna Albury, Kiara Lester, Deja Davis, Danae Rivers | 3:47.80
Heptathlon | Maddie Holmberg | 5,976 points
No. 22 IN THE NATION
The Penn State men's track & field program ranks No. 22 in the nation, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
In the national rankings, Penn State is the number four Big Ten team as Illinois checks in at No. 17, Nebraska is No. 18, and Ohio State is No. 20.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions that finish in the top-12 in their respective events this weekend will advance to the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The meet takes place at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, June 6-9.