As one banner from last year's first and only Big Ten Championship hung from the rafters, one Penn State runner seemed to stand out just the same on ground level.
Over two days, redshirt freshman Shana Cox managed to defeat a Penn State track legend in the 200-meter dash, break a facility record in the 400-meter and almost bring her 4x400 relay team to victory against the No. 1 track team in the nation, Tennessee.
"She just ran intelligently and very productively, which was excellent," Penn State coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "Even taking care of one of our all-time greats."
On the second of the two-day Penn State National Open, Cox was taking on a field of competitors that included Connie Moore, the school's first-ever track athlete who competed in the Olympic Games this summer. Cox finished with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 23.48 seconds. Moore was second in the heat to Cox, third overall, with a time of 23.97 seconds.
"It's a great indicator of where [Cox] is at," Alford-Sullivan said. "As a young aggressive Nittany Lion she showed up today, and that was what we were hoping for."
For Cox, it was extra special because Moore was her host during her recruiting visit as a high school senior. Cox spent her redshirt season watching Moore compete and earn 11 All-American honors.
"It was nice having someone you look up to in a race with you," Cox said.
Breaking the facility record was not easy for Cox either. In the 400-meter she was competing against Tennessee's Nicole Cook, who was the 800-meter national champion last year. Cox used strategy around the 300-meter mark and used her speed to get around Cook through lane two and cut back into lane one as fast as possible coming down the final stretch. The crucial turn was close, literally.
"I didn't think it was going to be that close," Cox said. "We kind of bumped elbows as I passed."
Cox still came away with a record time of 52.75 seconds, which is also another NCAA provisional qualifying time.
"It's a 23-year-old school record, which is older than most the kids on our team, and maybe everybody on the team," Alford-Sullivan said.
In the 4 x 400, the Penn State team kept up with Tennessee. At one point the Lions had a lead when Cox handed off to sophomore Kamilah Salaam. Despite eventually coming in second to Tennessee, Penn State ended up with a new team record in the race with a time of 3:45.84.
"It's a great feeling being in it with Tennessee," Alford-Sullivan said. "That's a great sign we're stepping up and getting there."
The level they hope to get back to is the one that got the Lions their first Big Ten title last year. On Saturday, they unfurled the championship banner.
"It was a sentimental time, and it represents what we're all about and what we're trying to do," Alford-Sullivan said.
On Friday, the Lions started well. In the weight throw, junior Jennifer Leatherman was second with throw of 19.63 meters, and senior Kate Johnston was third with a throw of 19.11 meters.
Also sophomore Kelly Nesbit tied for third with a jump of 3.66 meters. Penn State was also second in the distance medley relay with a time of 11:45.28. But Alford-Sullivan still didn't believe that she saw the best her team had to offer on the first day of competition.
"I was disappointed with the, for lack of a better expression, moxie of our team," Alford-Sullivan said.
On the second day, Cox and the banner stole the show, but the rest of the team also picked it up.
Senior Kayla Matrunick placed fifth in the 3,000-meter run. In the mile run, junior Tracey Brauksieck was fifth with a time of 4:51.32. Leatherman was fourth in the shot put with a throw of 14.39 meters.
"We had some excellent performances, but even more than that, I felt Penn State showed up for it and took charge of it," Alford-Sullivan said.
This is good news for the Lions, who are looking to add a few more banners.
"It's going to be a daily motivation for us to get more company up there and hang more up there in the rafters," Alford-Sullivan said.
