After months of shattering records and building confidence, a select few Penn State women's track and field athletes may have wanted to finish the indoor season on a better note.
Senior thrower Jennifer Leatherman and sophomore sprinter Shana Cox each earned All-American honors, while a late-qualifying 4X400-meter relay team gave a strong showing at this past weekend's NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
With only five athletes competing in the meet, Penn State finished tied for 26th with a total of eight points.
Leatherman placed third in the 20 lb. weight throw and eighth in the shot put. Leatherman earned her second All-American honor in as many years after transferring from the Naval Academy, but after competing in her home state, it's obvious she wanted more.
Penn State women's track and field coach Beth Alford-Sullivan is not displeased, however.
"After a lot of training, hard work and motivation, maintaining a top three finish [in the weight throw] is amazing," Alford-Sullivan said. "The winner [Georgia junior Jenny Dahlgren] really ran away with it with some incredible throws."
Dahlgren's winning throw of 78-10.5 feet was easily the nation's best mark this season. She came into the competition ranked third in the nation in the event behind Leatherman and Southern Illinois sophomore Brittany Riley, who finished fifth in the competition.
Alford-Sullivan has nothing but praise for Leatherman and her efforts.
"It was a difficult weekend with some tough competition, but we had a good weekend," she said.
Cox improved upon last year's 11th-place finish in the 400-meter dash, moving up to seventh place in a close and extremely challenging field with a time of 52.76 seconds. Like Leatherman, Cox earned her second consecutive All-American honor.
Iowa sophomore Kineke Alexander, the Big Ten Champion in the event, added a National Championship to her stellar résumé with a time of 52.16 seconds. An intense rivalry with Cox is almost certain to develop in the future.
Cox also anchored the 4X400 team, which qualified for Nationals just the week before in Ames, Iowa. The extremely young team -- made up of Cox, freshman Aleesha Barber and sophomores Briene Simmons and Dominique Blake -- finished twelfth.
"It was great experience for the younger runners," Alford-Sullivan said. "The big-stage competition could prove invaluable in the future."
Cox was satisfied with her performance and hopes to learn from her experience for the upcoming spring season.
"It gives me motivation because I know where I need to be," Cox said. "I'm hungry."
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