EUGENE, Ore. -- Juniors Rachel Fatherly (Williamsport, Pa.) and Tori Gerlach (Perkasie, Pa.) represented the Nittany Lion contingent Thursday on day two of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Historic Hayward Field. Both Fatherly and Gerlach tallied top-15 finishes in their respective events.
Fatherly competing in her first NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships recorded a 10th-place finish in the women's shot put with her throw of 54 feet, 8.25 inches.
On her final throw in flight one, Fatherly posted her best mark of 54-8.25, which moved her into ninth, but minutes later in flight two, Auburn's Rachel Dincoff secured the final qualifying spot with her toss of 55-0.
On the track for the Nittany Lions, Gerlach finished 14th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with her time of 10 minutes, 14.79 seconds.
Throughout the race Gerlach was in qualifying position, but with two laps to go, Gerlach stumbled over a barrier on the homestretch putting her out of the top-five and automatically qualifying for the final. Despite the fall, she still had an opportunity to qualify based on time and she picked herself back up to finish seventh in the first heat.
With the first heat in the books, Gerlach had to wait for the result of heat two. In the end, the second heat featured the final qualifier based on time.
Tomorrow, Brannon Kidder (Lancaster, Ohio) runs in the final of the 800-meter run at 5:50 p.m. (PDT) and Steve Waithe (Parkville, Md.) will be competing in the triple jump at 4:30 p.m. (PDT)Despite missing the final of the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Gerlach is slated to compete in the 5,000-meter run on Saturday with Elizabeth Chikotas (Hellertown, Pa.) at 4 p.m. (PDT)
For more on Nittany Lion track & field, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.