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ended up getting even fewer competitive events because Penn State's 4x400 relay team struggled. Before the Big Ten cham- pionship meet, he had run only two 800s all season. "I didn't race as much throughout the season; I know last year I raced a lot," Harris said. "I think that near the end of the season, I was a little banged up with some small injuries. This year, we pushed that back. I've been feeling really good and no little injuries." Harris didn't run as much during the indoor season, either, but he finished sec- ond at the indoor national champi- onships behind Saruni. But by the time he got to outdoor NCAAs, Gondak said he could tell Harris had an extra "pop." "We had a feeling," Gondak said before the final. "We ran a few less races indoors and a few less races outdoors. Hopefully that has allowed him to feel fresher." It did. Harris became the first male Penn State athlete to win an outdoor NCAA championship on the track since 1973 and the school's first NCAA outdoor champion since 1993. Prior to his victory on June 8, the most recent Nittany Lion to win an outdoor national championship was Brian Milne, a fullback on the football team who also threw the discus for the track team. Harris's race turned out to be his last for the Lions. When he arrived for the 800- meter final at the USATF Outdoor Cham- pionships in Des Moines, Iowa, in late June, it was as a Nike-sponsored runner. He finished in 1:47.11, placing second be- hind Olympian Clayton Murphy. It was his first race as a professional and a major milestone in his career. But his final race as an amateur will not soon be forgotten. "We consider ourselves 800 U," Harris said. "So I think it was due time for us to have a champion." ■ Isaiah Harris wasn't the only Penn State athlete to shine at the NCAA out- door championships June 6-9 at Ore- gon's Hayward Field. In addition to Harris's national championship in the 800-meter race, three Nittany Lion women garnered first-team All-America honors, while two throwers on the men's side did likewise. Junior Maddie Holmberg closed out the heptathlon with 5,833 points to take third place. It was the second-highest point total of her career and it gave Penn State its best-ever finish in the heptathlon. "It's so cool to finish third," Holmberg said. "Penn State is a phenomenal school in both academics and athletics, so to have something that goes down in history in Penn State athletics is amazing. I'm honored." On the track, sophomore Danae Rivers placed eighth in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4 minutes, 12.36 seconds. Her first-team All-America honor was the first of her outdoor career, and her third overall. "First-team All-American sounds pretty good," Rivers said. "It's been a long season, so I can't complain. I thank God for the opportunity and I tried my best not to give up." In the field, senior Megan McCloskey closed out her Nittany Lion career by clearing a height of 5 feet, 10 inches to tie for fourth place in the high jump. She earned first-team All-America honors for the first time, calling the honor "very sweet." "My whole family was here," she added. "I was really happy. My teammates have been behind me for four years and it's a great way to finish out." On the men's side, junior Morgan Shigo garnered first-team All-America honors with a sixth-place finish in the men's hammer throw. He broke his own school record with a toss of 237-8, which moved him to fourth after four rounds of throws. He fouled his fifth attempt and then on his sixth and final throw, he recorded a personal-best toss of 237-9. His finish was the highest for Penn State in the event since Al Jackson was fifth in 1976. Junior David Lucas brought home first- team All-America honors in the discus by placing seventh with a throw of 186-7. It was the highest finish for the Nittany Lion men since Brian Milne won the NCAA outdoor crown in 1993. In the team races, the Penn State men finished in a tie for 18th with 15 points, while the women were 24th with 11.5 points. "We are the only program in the Big Ten with both genders finishing in the top 25," coach John Gondak said. "Our coaching staff did a fantastic job prepar- ing the team to compete this weekend, and I'm really excited about everything we accomplished." ■ TRACK & FIELD Six Nittany Lions claim first-team All-America honors at nationals Former Penn State standout Darrell Hill captured gold in the men's shot put on June 23 at the USATF Outdoor Championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Hill, a 2015 graduate who now is sponsored by Nike, went into the :nal in :;h place with a long throw of 67 feet, 3.5 inches on his third at- tempt. Then on his fourth attempt, he tallied a mark of 70-1 to move into :rst. Hill then bested his previous mark on his :;h attempt with a dis- tance of 70-9.25, which held for the winning mark. Along with Hill in the men's shot put, Nittany Lion alumnus Joe Ko- vacs of Velaasa/New York Athletic Club :nished :;h with his mark of 68-0.5. ■ Hill wins shot put title at USATF championships

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