Inside out

Trackmen head outside after indoor NCAA Championships

It's time to break out the wind pants and sweatshirts.

The Penn State men's indoor track team ended its indoor season this weekend with the NCAA Championships held at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. The Lions were represented by John Gorham, George Audu and Neal McNutt.

Gorham and Audu competed in the long jump competition and McNutt competed in the 35-pound weight throw. Audu attempted one jump in the competition but couldn't continue due to a sore knee.

"I felt sorry for George," Lion coach Harry Groves said. "He has been a hard worker all season long."

Audu has been suffering from tendonitis in his hamstring, which caused him to favor one leg and lead to inflammation in his knee, Groves said.

As for Gorham, he leaped 24-8 ¼ finishing seventh overall in the competition and was named All-American for the second time. Gorham qualified for nationals on his last jump of the season at the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletics of America (IC4A) Championship.

"There was a lot of pressure," Gorham said after the IC4As. "On my last jump I qualified for nationals and won the meet. I was pumped."

The last representative for the Lions was McNutt, who has been solid in the 35-pound weight competition all season long. He said making the top 15 in the nation was great.

"I was a little intimidated in the beginning," McNutt said, "but I had a plan going into to the competition."

McNutt said he wanted to get a safe first throw and then go after it. The plan seemed to work, because he finished seventh with a mark of 64-8 ¾ and was also named an All-American.

Overall, Groves said he was pleased with the results of the indoor season, considering the competition the Lions faced.

"We ran into highly competitive competition," Groves said. "No one was easy."

Some of the highlights of the season were the 11 wins including a second-place finish at the IC4A and a eighth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships.

The Lions finished 19th overall in the men's track power ratings, receiving 220.74 points. The top team in the nation was Florida, which received 255.42 points.

McNutt said he is looking forward to the outdoor season, with his goal to qualify for nationals in the hammer throw. He said he is also excited to see how the team performs.

Groves said he is looking forward to picking up some events not involved with the indoor season like the javelin and relays. He added the team is looking for a strong showing from Carl Wolter and Troy Burkholder in the javelin.

Don't forget your long johns.