Blue White Illustrated

the 1,000 for his 7rst time at the Nittany Lion Challenge and ran the 7rst sub-2:19 time in NCAA history to set the NCAA record at 2:18.26. With those credentials comes respect from his teammates – not only for his ac- complishments but for the hard work that made them possible. A9er the race in April, Harris waited patiently o8 to the side for Kidder to 7nish talking to the media a9er setting a meet record at the Pepsi Invitational. "Kidder is obviously a really good role model – seeing his work ethic every day, how he's always leading the pack, doing everything Coach says and doing the extra stu8," Harris said. "It's really good to have someone to look up to and just know what it takes to be great." Although Kidder, a kinesiology major, hopes to run professionally a9er gradu- ation, eventually he would like to coach when his career is 7nished. For now, he hopes to cap o8 his career with at least a shot at a medal in June and hopefully a chance to run in the Olympic trials, which means there's work to be done before then. "It's de7nitely a deep 7eld," Kidder said. "I've got to just do my best every day knowing those guys are sprinkled through- out the country doing their thing. It just keeps you motivated every day knowing there are a lot of guys to beat." ■ Penn State has excelled during the outdoor season, putting together a series of strong performances includ- ing a first-place tie with defending national champion Oregon at the Pepsi Invitational. The Nittany Lions finished with 10 event winners April 9 in Eugene, as the men's team totaled 181.5 points to tie second-ranked Oregon for first place. It was the first time in more than two years that the Ducks didn't emerge as victors in a meet at Hay- ward Field. The Penn State women amassed 166 points and finished sec- ond behind the host school. "I was really proud of the way both programs competed today," head coach John Gondak said following the four-team meet, which also included Washington and USC. "We had a fo- cus of coming to this meet and com- peting as compared to a focus on time or distance, and it really showed with how the team performed. They wore their Penn State uniforms with pride today." Nittany Lion senior Brannon Kidder set a meet record in the 800, finishing in 1 minute, 47.40 seconds, just ahead of teammate Isaiah Harris (1:47.87). On the women's side, Rachel Father- ley won the women's hammer throw, while Lauren Kenney, Natalie Shiffler and Sarah Stanley swept the javelin. Their big day in Eugene boosted the Penn State men to the No. 12 ranking nationally. The Lions continued their surge two weeks later at the Stanford Twi- light in California and the Bucknell Team Challenge in Lewisburg, Pa. Kidder won the 1,500 at Stanford, finishing in 3 minutes, 40.11 seconds, and Penn State racked up 18 individ- ual wins and 16 personal bests at Bucknell, sweeping the men's and women's team competitions. "Today was a day where our ath- letes were confident and competed well," Gondak said. "The type of en- ergy I saw displayed today on the track and in the field helps carry the momentum as we head into champi- onship season coming up here in just a few short weeks." OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD Nittany Lions surge to titles in recent meets

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