NEWS & NOTES
You could almost hear the sigh of re-
lief. Or maybe that was just the last gasp
of air exhaled as everyone powered
through squats in Penn State's weight
room in early March.
It was test day. Divided into three
groups, everyone squatted as much
weight as they could, as many times as
they could. Derek Dowrey, as an exam-
ple, lifted a team-high 545 pounds... five
times.
It was exhaustingly painful just to
watch. For many of the Nittany Lions,
though, test day can be a welcome
sight, as it represents the final lift be-
fore a much-anticipated spring break.
And then, upon their return, spring
football.
For strength and conditioning coach
Dwight Galt, the completed winter
workout session was just stage No. 1 of a
long process meant to equip Penn State's
2015 football team with the physical
tools it will need in order to be success-
ful and, maybe more important, resilient
on the field. He's hoping to see the first
payoff this spring.
"It was a tough eight weeks," Galt said
of winter workouts. "Emotionally,
they've been through a lot. We jumped
right into it. There wasn't a big break af-
ter the bowl game, so this will be a real
much-needed break. The big thing is,
they're getting ready for what happens
FOOTBALL
Winter workouts give Nittany Lions a lift
IRON MIKE
Gesicki
was one
of the standouts
of Penn State's
off-season
weightlifting pro-
gram. Said Galt,
"He is a freak
show. I mean, he
is a heck of an
athlete."
Photo
by Tim Owen
