By now I have discussed quite a few aspects of Track and field, and for some of you, you may be thinking, “I really could care less about this sport.” However, for all my fellow Penn Staters, today is the day that you will learn a bit more about track and field at our very own school!
Penn State has a Division I track program, and they are a member of the Big Ten conference. The team has had decades of outstanding accomplishments from breaking records back-to-back within Big Ten championships, and Penn State has even produced Track and Field Olympians. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, there were two Nittany Lion Track team members who got to compete, one included Joe Kovacs, a recent Penn State graduate who won a silver medal in shot put. Our other competitor was Michael Shuey who competed in the javelin, however unfortunately succumbed to a lower-body injury.
Don’t be fooled, competing and medaling at the Olympics is not a new accomplishment for our track team. Our Multi-Sport Facility here on main campus is home to The Horace Ashenfelter III indoor track, where our team trains and sometimes hosts meet. It is named after a former Penn State track athlete who went on to become an Olympic champion in the 3000-meter steeplechase as well as the world
record holder in that event. Like all the athletes that make up our track team here at State College, Ashenfelter truly encompassed and presented what it means to be a product of the Penn State community. Although track and field does not receive as much attention as football does at Penn State, the work that our track athletes put in and the things they accomplish make up the true definition of a champion. After all, that is just what WE ARE!
