SHARON, Pa. — Faith Sullivan, a first-year physical therapist assistant student and multi-sport athlete at Penn State Shenango, earned a 1st place finish in the 800-meter competition with a time of 2:29.08 at the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Track and Field National Championship, becoming the first national champion for Penn State Shenango Athletics. 

The USCAA Championship was held in Springfield, Massachusetts, on April 25 and 26. Sullivan, a native of North Jackson, Ohio, also earned a 3rd place podium finish in the 1500-meter competition with a 5:06.39 time. 

"It is exhilarating. I love earning hardware," Sullivan said. "I had to make sacrifices to be successful. I wasn't always able to hang out with my friends because I had practice, or I had to study because I was going to be traveling. It has all been worth it because I love it!" 

"To finish 3rd in her first ever event at a track national championship is amazing, but to then follow that up with a 1st place finish in her second event made the day truly unbelievable," said Penn State Shenango Director of Athletics Brandon Padgett. 

Sullivan's championship-winning run caps off what has been a season full of successes in the various sports she has competed in. In the fall, Sullivan won the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) individual Women's Cross Country Conference Championship and was named to the USCAA 1st Team in Cross Country after finishing 4th at the USCAA Cross Country Championship. Additionally, Sullivan was named the 2024 PSUAC Female Golf Student-Athlete of the Year, an award based on academic achievement and community involvement. 

Now, winning the USCAA National Championship in the 800m and placing 3rd in the 1500m, Sullivan's accomplishments in the 2024-25 season will go down in history as the most successful season by an individual student-athlete for Penn State Shenango Athletics. 

"At first I didn't know that I actually won," Sullivan recalled. "I was looking for my mom after I crossed the finish line, then Brandon came over and I asked, 'did I win,' and he told me that I was a national champion." 

"I could not be more proud of Faith for her amazing performance," Padgett said. "Her willingness to cheer on runners from other schools while also focusing on her own mental and physical preparation on the day of the event is inspiring and shows why she is such a remarkable young woman!" 

What comes next for the most decorated individual student-athlete at Penn State Shenango? The answer is easy for Sullivan. 

"My goal is to come back stronger," she said, "with faster times, lower golf scores, and earn more records and titles."