Penn State hosted the National Open at its indoor track facility, where athletes broke multiple school records on Friday. Standout performances included new marks in the mile and 800-meter races. The event highlighted the Nittany Lions' strong season.
The Penn State National Open took place over the weekend at the Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track in University Park, Pennsylvania, drawing dozens of teams. On Friday, the Nittany Lions dominated with several record-breaking efforts.
In the men's mile, junior Nick Sloff set a new school record of 3:54.90, securing the win and surpassing Evan Dorenkamp's 2022 mark of 3:55.02. This came just a week after Sloff broke the men's 3,000-meter record with 7:48.55 at the Penn Elite. Teammates Ryan Watson, Brian DiCola, Justin Healey, and Logan Strawser also posted personal bests, finishing in the top 10.
The women's 800 meters saw senior Hayley Kitching shatter her own school record, clocking 2:00.1—nearly two seconds faster than her previous best. Freshman Boh Ritchie followed closely with 2:01.60, earning the No. 2 time in Penn State history.
In the men's 800 meters, senior Handal Roban established a new record of 1:44.91, breaking Isaiah Harris' prior mark and improving on his own No. 5 position by over two seconds. Graduate students Allon Clay and Yukichi Ishii placed third and fourth with 1:45.17 and 1:46.37, setting the No. 2 and No. 5 school times, respectively.
Other highlights included senior Maddie Pitts' pentathlon score of 4,239 points, ranking No. 3 in school history, with personal bests in the 60-meter hurdles and shot put. Tristan McGarrah won the men's pole vault at 5.10 meters, while Collin Burkhart took first in the men's weight throw with 21.22 meters. Sophomore Alexandria North won the women's 400 meters in 54.04, and Jake Palermo set a meet record in the men's 400 meters at 45.98.
These performances underscore Penn State's historic season, with the team entering the event highly ranked.