NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Penn State track & field team performed well at the Music City Challenge this weekend. The Nittany Lions recorded six more top-ten Big Ten marks, including Hayley Kitching's 2:03.90 perfomance in the 800m, setting the fourth-best time in school history.
Penn State performed well in Nashville, with multiple personal bests and top-ten Big Ten marks coming as the result of a strong weekend. The 800-meter run was a bright spot again for Penn State, with Kitching's 2:03.90 and Yukichi Ishii's 1:48.35 highlighting excellent improvements.
In addition to multiple track achievements, the solid marks that continue to roll in from Nittany Lion field athletes highlight the team's preparation for the postseason push with only one regular season meet remaining before the Big Ten Championships at the end of February.
NITTANY LIONS IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Kitching, a first-semester freshman, increased her claim to the fourth-best 800-meter time in Penn State history with a 2:03.90 during competition on Saturday afternoon.
PENN STATE IN THE RANKINGS
Penn State, who is no stranger to top-ten marks in the Big Ten, added or improved upon six of those during competition this weekend. Rankings are based on marks entering competition on Saturday, Feb. 11.
Women's Events
800m
- (2) Kitching (2:03.90)
- (3) Rachel Gearing (2:04.60)
- (9) Madaline Ullom (2:07.47)
Men's Events
400m
- (T-10) James Onwuka (47.48)
800m
- (5) Ishii (1:48.35)
4x400m Relay
- (5) Onwuka, Korbin Martino, Callum Dodds, Handal Roban (3:10.85)
FRIDAY EVENT SUMMARY
The field events kicked off the competition in Nashville, and Collin Burkhart posted a 63-0 (19.20m) throw to finish fifth in the open section of the men's weight throw. Tristan McGarrah followed with a personal-best effort in the men's pole vault, clearing the bar at 15-9 (4.80m).
Penn State's indoor program record holder, Cecelia Bacon, finished fourth in the women's high jump with a 5-8.5 (1.74m) clearance. Tyler Merkley continued field competition with a fifth-place finish in the men's weight throw invite section with a 71-8.75 (21.86m) throw. Luke Knipe slotted in at fourth place in the men's pole vault invite with a clearance of 16-6 (5.03m).
Freshman multi-event athlete Maddie Pitts posted a personal-best 19-5.25 (5.92m) effort in the long jump open to finish in third place overall.
On the track, the men's mile squad set two personal bests in a solid all-around effort. Jonah Powell (4:06.28) and Kevin Haas (4:07.56) both set personal records on the evening.
Callum Dodds finished second place in the men's 600m run with a time of 1:18.28.
The Nittany Lions' 200m sprint squads placed two inside the top-20 in both the men's and women's events. Jermecia Brown finished eighth with a 24.56 and Zoey Goldstein placed 14th with a 24.68 for the women's group while Korbin Martino crossed the line 13th (21.85) and Savion Hebron placed 16th (21.89).
In the final events of the night, Libby Benzer broke 17:00 in the 5,000m for the first time, finishing with a 16:56.97. For the men, Hayden Healey finished less than a second off of his PR in the 5,000m with a 14:30.83 while Behailu Bekele-Arcuri posted a 14:41.47.
SATURDAY EVENT SUMMARY
Christopher DeSousa started things off for Penn State on Saturday morning with a personal-best 8:29.45 in the men's unseeded 3,000m that beat his previous top time by nearly 12 seconds.
Penn State's multi-event athletes continued to post solid numbers in individual events, with Chloe Royce (8.94) and Pitts (9.01) competing in the women's 60m hurdles.
On the field, Meredith Baham finished third in the women's pole vault open with a clearance of 12-3.5 (3.75m)
Back on the track, Goldstein's 54.69 PR was good enough for fifth overall in the women's 400m seeded section, while Jermecia Brown finished seventh with a 56.03. For the men, three season bests from Onwuka (47.48), Martino (47.50), and Hebron (48.29) slotted in at third, fourth, and seventh, respectively.
The women's 800m followed, with Kitching posting a 2:03.90 to increase her own fourth-best time in school history and finish second overall. Gearing's 2:04.60 set a season best and Ullom's 2:07.47 cracked the top ten in the Big Ten.
In the men's 800m, Ishii posted a 1:48.35 PR to pass teammate Olivier Desmeules in the Big Ten standings.
Mallory Kauffman posted a 55-5 (16.89m) throw to claim fourth overall in the women's shot put invite. In the women's pole vault invite, Hailey Zurich placed third with a 13-2.25 (4.02m) clearance.
To wrap up the competition, Penn State's 4x400m squad of Onwuka, Martino, Dodds, and Roban won the event with a 3:10.85. The group of Hebron, Darius Smallwood, Carter Fitzgerald, and Ishii ran a 3:14.05 to finish eighth.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions will return to Happy Valley for the Penn State Tune-Up on Feb. 17. The meet will serve as the final regular season meet for the Nittany Lions before they travel to Geneva, Ohio for the Big Ten Championships, which will take place from Feb. 24-25.
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