Madison, Wisc. Feb. 26, 2006 - Penn State Women¡¯s Track and Field finished fourth today at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, hosted by the University of Wisconsin. Penn State finished with 85 points and competed in one of the most competitive Big Ten Indoor Championships Head Coach Beth Alford-Sullivan has been exposed to. Michigan finished first with 126 2/3 points, Illinois finished second (112), and Minnesota finished third (104.83).

All-American and senior Jennifer Leatherman (Yellville, Arkansas) finished first in the 20 lb. weight throw with a toss of 74-10 ?. Leatherman¡¯s throw broke a Camp Randall, Big Ten meet and All-Big Ten record with her NCAA automatic qualifying throw. This is the second year in a row that Leatherman collected the Big Ten title in the shot put and weight throw.

¡°Jen showed great composure in the shot put yesterday,¡± said Sullivan. ¡°She came in as the defending Big Ten Champion, threw her personal record and made it into the finals. Today in the weight throw she was absolutely impressive. She came into the competition really relaxed and had a lot of fun. She is now fully prepared for the next step.¡±

Penn State¡¯s 4x400 meter relay team broke a Camp Randall record and finished first in the event with a time of 3:41.98. The relay team included junior and All-American Shana Cox (Westbury, New York), junior Briene Simmons (Decatur, Georgia), freshman Aleesha Barber (Decatur, Georgia) and sophomore Dominique Blake (Bronx, New York). This is Penn States first time being Big Ten Indoor Champions in the 4x400 meter relay.

Barber ran an NCAA provisional qualifying time in the 60 meter dash (8.35) and finished fourth in the event. Teammate and junior Kamilah Salaam (Wilmington, Delaware) finished seventh in the event with a time of 8.57.

In the 200 meter dash Cox finished second with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 23.92. Cox also finished second in the 400 meter dash with another NCAA provisional qualifying time of 53.41.

Senior Sara Shoaff (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) finished seventh in the 200 meter dash with a time of 24.60. Blake finished sixth in the 400 meter dash with a time of 56.23. Blake also place in the 600 meter run where she finished fifth in a time of 1:32.81. Simmons finished third in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:10.35. Junior Lena Bettis (Riverside, California) finished sixth in the triple jump with a mark of 39-11 ?.