Maryland at Nittany Lion Challenge
January 18, 2025
State College, PA
10:00 AM
COLLEGE PARK, MD - The Terps track and field team is back in action for the 2024-25 indoor season this weekend at the Nittany Lion Challenge in State College on Saturday, January 18. The meet will start at 10 AM at the Ashenfelter III Indoor Track. Maryland will compete against teams throughout the region including Army, Bucknell, Georgetown, Loyola, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Robert Morris, Saint Francis, Syracuse, and UMBC.
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A peek at the scheduLe
- This will be the second meet of a three-month Indoor season leading up to Big Ten Championships in Indianapolis, IN on February 28Â and the NCAA Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach, VA on March 14-15.
- The Terps will compete in some of the toughest meets on the collegiate indoor track and field schedule, including the Penn State National Open, the Clemson Tiger Paw Invite, and the Valentine Invitational in Boston, MA.
The Terps are set to compete in eight meets this year to prep for the Big Ten and NCAA Championships.
Navy Invitational Recap
- Armanie Coleman sets new program record for the 200 meters with a time of 23.69
- Chioma Njoku won the weight throw with a throw of 20.66
- Samantha Payne won the 500 meters with a time of 1:13.57, the 4th fastest in Terps history.
- Simone Cooper won the shot put in her first collegiate meet with a toss of 13.3 meters.
- Katerina Talanova (2:56.45) won the 1,000 meters and Kami Joi Hickson (2:58.07) took 2nd.
- Reese Delp took 2nd in the 800 meters with a time of 2:16.03
- Emmi Simon placed 2nd in the 3,000 meters at 9:59.10
- Isabella Castillo took 3rd in the 60-meter hurdles at 8.91
- Nyla Cherry with a new personal-best mark of 5.67 meters in the long jump, securing 3rd.
Samantha Payne
Last Time at the Nittany Lion Challenge
- Eric Albright finished fifth in the mile with a time of 4:09.56
- Andrew Harmon took fourth in the weight throw with a mark of 57-03.50
- In the 60 meters, Victoria Teasley took second with a time of 7.54
- The 400 meters had three Terps finishing in the top 10 with Madison Depry in third (57.19), Maya Mosley in fifth (57.30), and Lydia Robling in sixth (57.74)
- Kami Joi Hickson placed fifth in the 600 meters at 1:33.68, the sixth-fastest time in the 600 Meter in Maryland Indoor Record books.
- Terps took fifth in the high jump with Jennessa Wolfe clearing 5-feet, 6.25 inches.
- Tolu Akinduro took second in the triple jump with mark of 40-feet, 2.25 inches.
Current terps in the Indoor record books
- 14Â Terps are among the program's all-time top 10 on the women's indoor team.
- Victoria Teasley holds the program record for the 60-meter dash (7.45 seconds), while Armanie Coleman holds the ninth-fastest time (7.58 seconds).
- Coleman set a new program record in the 200 meters (23.69 seconds) this past December at the Navy Invitational.
- Lydia Robling and Madison Depry are sixth (39.77 sec) and eighth (39.96 sec) in the 300 meters, respectively.
- Robling also ranks ninth all-time in the 400 meters (55.45 sec).
- Samantha Payne ranks fourth all-time in the 500 meters (1:13.57) - a mark she set in December at the Navy Invitational.
- Kami Joi Hickson holds the sixth-fastest time in the 600 meters (1:33.68), the fourth-fastest mark in the 800 meters (2:09.51), and the eighth-best time in the 1,000 meters (2:52.56).
- Katie Turk is just behind Hickson on the 1,000-meter chart at ninth (2:52.60).
- Katie Altieri ranks fifth all-time in the 3,000 meters (9:38.42) and third in the 5,000 meters (16:45.03).
- The quartet of Turk, Maya Mosley, Emma Pegg, and Emmi Simon are tied for 10th all-time in the distance medley relay (11:45.76).
- Jennessa Wolfe ranks 10th in the high jump (5' 8.75").
- Tolu Akinduro ranks fourth in the triple jump (41' 11.75").
- Chioma Njoku ranks second in the weight throw (69' 9.00").
Olympians In Paris
- A trio of Terps competed this past summer in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Maryland celebrated as Thea LaFond won Gold in the triple jump becoming the first Track Terp to medal in the Olympic games. LaFond posted a mark of 15.02 meters (49-feet, 3.5 inches) - a new Dominica national record in the event. She was the 10th Gold medalist in Maryland history and the first Terp student-athlete to win Gold since Vicky Bullett in 1988.
- With a throw of 77.92 meters, Maryland track and field assistant throws coach Rudy Winkler placed sixth in the hammer throw finals. The mark was his best effort at the Olympic games after he posted marks of 71.89 meters in 2016 (Rio) and 77.08 meters in 2021 (Tokyo). The sixth-place finish was also his best showing at the Olympics improving upon his previous high of seventh in Tokyo.
- Chioma Onyekwere represented Nigeria in the discus after making her second Olympic games.
- Additionally, assistant coach Danielle Siebert served as Women's Head Manager for Team USA – her second straight Olympic Games on the staff.
Maryland Track & Field was represted by four Terps at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
