As junior Ryan Foster crossed the finish line in Saturday's 1,000-meter run, he had no idea what he just accomplished.
Not only did he break the Penn State school record with a blazing first-place time of 2: minutes, 19.60 seconds, he also set the mark for both the meet and the facility.
He wasn't done there.
His time is officially the fastest indoor 1,000-meter run ever by an Australian. Not only that, it was also the second-fastest time run in the 1,000-meter in NCAA indoor track history and currently sits atop the charts as the current 2010 world's fastest time.
The performance led an impressive meet for the men's indoor track and field team.
"I'm pretty excited," a humble Foster said, referring to the Australian national record. "It was nice to get a Penn State and facility record as well. It was a good day."
Head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan was very pleased with the effort. She said Foster has been on a mission since struggling with injuries earlier in his Penn State career.
"[Foster] trained well over the summer and fall, and that translation is that his strength is up and he is ready to run," Alford-Sullivan said.
Along with Foster, fellow junior Owen Dawson had a great race, also finishing under the former Penn State record in 2:21.98.
With performances like this one, the team may see a move up in the indoor track national rankings. In its preseason rankings, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) ranked Penn State's men's team No. 50 in the nation.
Alford-Sullivan believes her team will be a lot more competitive than the early prognosis suggests.
"I think we are much better than the 50th-best team," Alford- Sullivan said. "I think you will see our guys gain a lot of ground."
Besides the 1,000-meter run, the team saw many other solid performances throughout the day, including an exhilarating 4x400 race. After the first three legs, the Nittany Lions were behind, but freshman Casimir Loxsom pulled off a come-from-behind victory. The team completed the race in a season-best 3:14.50.
"I don't think I've heard this place rocking like this since Big Ten's last year," Alford-Sullivan said. "It's just an exciting way to do it."
Alford-Sullivan said it has always been her vision to have great relay teams. She said a terrific 4x400 team is important because it's the primary relay in track.
In the field, junior throwers Blake Eaton and Joe Kovacs continued their success in the shot put, posting throws of 57 feet, 9.75 inches, and 58 feet, 67.5 inches, respectively.
"Today we pretty much came in with the plan to be consistent," Eaton said. "We pretty much showed that, so I was happy with the performance."
When Foster looks overall at the team, he is pleased where the Lions currently sit.
"I think we're coming along really well," Foster said. "The throwers have been stepping up and the middle-distance guys have kind of kept going where they were last year. We're as good or getting better than we were last year."
Last year the team had its highest finish ever, placing third in the Big Ten. That said, Foster knows the team cannot become complacent.
"Anything less than a step forward is a step back," Foster said. "This program has been built to a point where this is a team that needs to put itself in position to win the Big Ten title."
