Penn State sprinters go 1-2 in 200

In their first trip to Hayward Field, Penn State’s Xavier Smith and Malik Moffett finished one-two in the men’s 200-meter dash in the Pepsi Invitational at Hayward Field Saturday afternoon.

They didn’t know it immediately after their race, but their efforts contributed to what ended up being an exhilarating comeback effort by Nittany Lions that ended in a first-place tie with host Oregon.

Smith finished in 20.96 seconds for a half-second personal best, and Moffet completed his best time of the season at 21.27 seconds. In total the effort netted their team 16 crucial points.

The duo took a victory lap down the backstretch of Hayward after their race and soaked in the cheers from a Hayward Field crowd that was unlike any audience either have them had ever experienced

“The atmosphere is great, the fans are crazy,” Smith said. “It’s the beginning of April and it feels like we’re at Nationals already.”

“I’ve never been to a meet where they had this many people; it was a little nerve-wracking at first for me,” Moffett said. “It’s really exciting.”

Smith also finished first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.61, while Moffett finished fifth in the long jump with a leap of 23 feet, 7 inches.

The two sprinters said it was the first time Penn State has traveled to Hayward as a team since 2008. It was worth the trip for the No. 19 Nittany Lions, who drew even with the No.1 Ducks on the final event of the afternoon and finished tied with Oregon at 181.5 points.

“I freaking hate ties,” Oregon head coach Robert Johnson said. “And I hate losses even more; a tie kind of feels like that.”

The Nittany Lions trailed Oregon by three points going into the 4×400-meter relay, and they were able to draw even after winning the relay in 3:08.26. Washington finished second in the relay, and Oregon finished third.

The victory was significant for Penn State, which is third-highest ranked team in the Big Ten.  Illinois (No. 9) and Ohio State (No. 13) sit ahead of them.

Jarrid Denney

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