UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State track & field's Cheickna Traore and Hayley Kitching were each recognized as Big Ten Track Athletes of the Championships following their record-setting performances at the conference's indoor track & field championship meet last weekend.
The pair of Traore and Kitching gives Penn State its first-ever sweep of the conference's Track Athlete of the Championships awards in the same season. Traore's honor on the men's side is the Nittany Lions' second Big Ten Men's Track Athlete of the Championships award during indoor season in school history (Casimir Loxsom, 2013) while Kitching's honor is the fifth for the women's team.
Rounding out this round of conference awards, Kitching and Christopher DeSousa were named Penn State's recipients of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the women's and men's teams, respectively.
THE HONOREES
Traore collected three Big Ten titles on championship Saturday at the 2024 conference championships. The sprinter began with the 60-meter title, setting a school and championship meet record with a 6.54 to win the crown. Traore then collected the 200-meter title with another Big Ten Indoor Championship record 20.44. He finished his day anchoring Penn State's 4x400-meter relay group to a Big Ten title with a 3:06.36.
Kitching concluded her outing with a pair of Big Ten titles, the first of her career. Kitching won the 800-meters with a 2:04.08 and then, just about an hour later, won the 600-meters with a school record-setting 1:26.97.
WHAT'S NEXT
Traore and Kitching are set to lead a Penn State squad that recently announced seven qualifying entries to the 2024 NCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. The national meet is slated for March 8-9 in New Balance's the TRACK facility in Boston.
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