March 2, 2010

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: March 2, 2010 - With national signing period underway, the Director and Head Coach of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan and the Nittany Lions have announced the signings of six outstanding recruits from around the country. The Nittany Lions' 2010 signing class includes national sprint star Brady Gehret (Altoona, Pa.), middle-distance standouts Kalyn Fisher (Lewisburg, Pa.) and Rebekka Simko (Mentor, Ohio) , outstanding throwers Taylor McNally (Ennis, Mt.) and Jane Swenson (Brandon, S.D.), multi-event prospect Brittany Howell (Wyncote, Pa.), and promising sprinter Kathryn Wolf (Potomac, Md.).

"I'm very excited and inspired by our 2010-2011 recruiting class," said Sullivan. "These athletes represent outstanding young people that will make a significant impact at the Big Ten and NCAA levels as well as on campus and in the community at Penn State. We can't wait to see what is in store for these future Nittany Lions."

Brady Gehret, a local product from Altoona, Pa., is one of the most highly-touted sprint recruits in the country this year, and is currently ranked No. 1 in the U.S. at 400-meters with a personal-indoor best 48.06. Gehret recently impressed amongst high-caliber competition, winning the junior 300-meter dash at the New Balance Games at the New York Armory. Gehret's performance of 33.51 is the top time in the country this year, as well as the sixth-fastest ever run in the high school ranks. As a junior, Gehret clocked a sensational 47.02 for the quarter mile outdoors, and placed fifth at the 2009 USATF Junior Outdoor Championship. Also a tremendous relay runner, Gehret anchored Altoona's 4x400-meter relay with a blistering 45.7 split in the Penn Relays preliminaries, before going on to help his team to a sixth-place finish in the elite Championship of America. Gehret was also a member of the seventh-place 4x100-meter relay at Penn, as part of the only American squad to qualify for the Championship section. The Altoona relays, which also included current Nittany Lion freshman Aaron Nadolsky (Altoona, Pa.), would continue to impress at the 2009 Nike Outdoor Championships, taking second in the 4x400, and third in the 4x100, against the country's best high school competition.

From nearby Lewisburg, Pa., Kalyn Fisher has been one of the top middle distance athletes in the Pennsylvania ranks over the past several seasons with a personal best of 2:12.19 for 800-meters. Fisher has won the PIAA AA state title in the 800 in during both her sophomore and junior seasons in 2007 and 2008, and was also a member of the state champion 4x800-meter relay during both campaigns. Fisher was also state runner up in the 800 as a freshman, and was a member of the silver-medal winning 4x400-meter relay in 2008, and the third-place 4x400 in 2009. Fisher has already run 2:15.50 for the 800 in 2010 - one of the top 15 fastest performances nationally. An athlete with tremendous range, Fisher also owns personal bests of 58.36 for 400-meters, and 5:01.04 for the mile run. Fisher was also a standout soccer player while at Lewisburg Area.

Brittany Howell will join assistant coach Fritz Spence's jumps and multi-events squad after a decorated career at Cheltenham High School. Howell was the 2009 PTFCA Indoor State Champion in the long jump, before earning runner-up honors in the event at the 2009 PIAA AAA State Championships with a leap of 18-9.50, to go along with fifth-place effort in the girls' 100-meter hurdles. An outstanding prospect in the combined events, Howell boasts personal bests of 18-11 in the long jump, 14.52 in the 100 hurdles, and 9.06 in the 60-meter hurdles. In 2010, Howell is ranked second in the state in the long jump, and third in the 60-meter hurdles.

Taylor McNally will make to trip to Happy Valley from Ennis, Mt., where she has already enjoyed an outstanding career at Ennis High School. McNally began to make a name for herself on the national scene as a sophomore, winning 2008 Montana State titles in the shot put and discus and went on to post first-place finishes in both events at the USATF Region 11 Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships. She would also go on to claim silver-medal honors in the shot put at the USATF National Junior Olympics. McNally's personal-best toss of 44-9 in the shot put as a junior was the top mark in Montana in 2009. Outside of track and field, McNally was an all-conference middle hitter for the Ennis volleyball team, and also played basketball.

Along with Fisher, Rebekka Simko will also join the mid-distance ranks with head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan and assistant coach John Gondak. Over her first three years at Gilmour Academy in Ohio, Simko has won an impressive eight OHSAA gold medals, to go along with a trio of second-place finishes. Last spring, she finished 11th in the 800-meters at Nike Outdoor Nationals with a personal-best performance of 2:11.70. Simko is a two-time defending state champion in the 400-meters, and took top honors in the 800 last year. She and her Gilmour Academy teammates also hold the Ohio state record in the 4x800-meters at 9:13.89. Simko, who also competed in cross country as a prep, holds impressive PRs from 400-meters to the 1600-meter run, with credentials of 56.11 in the 400, and a 4:57 for the 1600.

Another addition to assistant coach T.J. Crater's throws contingent will be athlete Jane Swenson - a transfer from Moorpark College, in Moorpark, Calif. Swenson turned in a trio of top three finishes at the Southern California Junior College Finals, placing first in the hammer, second in the shot put, and third in the discus. Swenson would go on to turn in a second-place effort in the shot put at the California Junior College State Championships. Originally from Brandon, S.D., Swenson won a South Dakota state title in the shot put in 2007 while competing for Brandon Valley High School. Swenson was a three-time conference champion in the shot put, and twice won conference titles in the discus. An outstanding overall athlete, Swenson was also an all-state basketball player as a prep.

Maryland sprint product Kathryn Wolf will be a welcome addition to Associate Head Coach Chris Johnson's heavily talented sprint crew. Last year, Wolf had quite a weekend at the Maryland 4A State Championships, placing third in the 100- and 200-meters, and fifth in the 400-meters individually, while running on Winston Churchill's fourth-place 4x100-meter relay. Wolf has also been running well in 2010, finishing second in both the 55-meter dash and 300-meters at the Montgomery County Championships last month. All told, Wolf's resume includes personal bests of 11.90 in the 100, 24.54 for the 200, and 55.98 in the 400.