Penn State track and field athletes achieved new program milestones on April 3 during the opening day of the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Florida. Two Nittany Lion competitors recorded marks that rank among the best in school history.
The meet is significant for Penn State as it provides an opportunity for athletes to compete against strong competition and measure their progress early in the outdoor season.
Marie-Éloïse LeClair led off with a standout performance in the women’s 200-meter dash, finishing with a time of 23.14 seconds. This result is now ranked as the fourth-best mark ever by a Penn State athlete in that event, surpassing the previous record by one hundredth of a second. In another highlight, Collin Burkhart set a personal best in men’s javelin with a throw of 221 feet, six inches (67.53 meters), which moves him to third all-time among Nittany Lions for this event.
Other notable performances included freshman Nolan Carey placing fifth in men’s javelin with a throw of 211 feet (64.32 meters). Matt DeMatteo finished his run in the men’s 400-meter hurdles at 52.38 seconds, while Ryan Watson closed out Friday night by running his personal best time of 3:43.33 in the men’s 1500-meter run.
The team will continue competing at the Florida Relays on Saturday, beginning with men’s discus events scheduled to start at 9 a.m.
