Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/541265
in my career now, and no one has ever had the same leg turnover speed that Cas has," Symmonds said. "He's just so fast. … When I saw he made the team I was really proud of him. And now I get to train with him for another seven more weeks as we prepare for Beijing." Mackey will oversee that preparation and has also been pivotal in Loxsom's recent success. While it takes time to develop a relationship of trust and open communi- cation, the two seem to be hitting their stride. "I think Danny is really figuring me out as an athlete," Loxsom said. "I love Seattle. I love my training setup. I think we have a really good thing going as a team." Loxsom is now preparing for the world championships, which will take place Aug. 22-30 in Beijing. "It'll be fun," he said. "I think I'm going to handle it as kind of a learning experience, and then I'm moving into USAs next year to try to get on my first Olympic team. Gosh, there's just not much to complain about this year." ■ TRACK & FIELD Kovacs claims U.S. shot put title Penn State alum Joe Kovacs punched his ticket to the IAAF World Champi- onships on the final day of the United States Outdoor Track & Field Champi- onships last month at Oregon's Hayward Field. Kovacs finished first in the shot put with a throw of 71 feet, 8 inches, joining middle-distance runner Casimir Lox- som on the U.S. team. Loxsom finished third in the 800-meter run (1 minute, 45.35 seconds). A native of Nazareth, Pa., Kovacs competed along with Penn State senior Darrell Hill and volunteer assistant coach Ryan Whiting in flight two of the men's shot put. Hill and Whiting fin- ished sixth and seventh, respectively. Following the first three throws, Ko- vacs was in sixth with his toss of 67-9. On his fourth throw, he posted a mark of 71-8 to take the lead. On his first attempt, Hill recorded the second-best toss of his career (68-3) but was unable to top his mark in his final five throws, and Whiting posted his best mark of the afternoon on his fourth at- tempt (68-2.5). Heading into the final three throws, Hill, Kovacs and Whiting were in fifth through seventh place. Both Kovacs and Whiting throw professionally for Nike. The top three finishers in each event at the USATF event qualified for the IAAF World Championships, which will take place Aug. 22-30 at Beijing Na- tional Stadium, the site of the 2008 Summer Olympics. Nittany Lions finish 10th at nationals Led by All-America finishes from Brannon Kidder and Steve Waithe on the final day of competition, Penn State tied for 10th place with 17 points at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Cham- pionships June 10-13 at Oregon. It was the Nittany Lions' highest finish since they tied for eighth in 1966. "It's a great feeling finishing in the top 10 as a team," said John Gondak, head coach and director of Penn State cross country and track and field. "This meet is full of so many great competitors, and scoring points is hard. It's a challenge. To be able to finish in the top 10 is great for Penn State, it's great for our men's program. I'm really proud of our team this year." Kidder finished second in the 800- meter run with a time of 1 minute, 49.36 seconds, a 10th of a second be- hind champion Edward Kemboi of Iowa State (1:49.26). Over the final 200 me- ters, Kidder posted the fastest split (24.63). Waithe finished eighth in the triple jump after being seeded 17th going into the event. He scored one team point, giving the Lions 17 points. ■ SHOT IN THE ARM Kovacs' throw of 71 feet, 8 inches earned him an in- vitation to the world champi- onships. Photo courtesy of Penn State Athletics