UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Norfolk State men's track team enjoyed its best weekend of the 2010 indoor track season on Friday and Saturday at the Penn State National Open. Josef Tessema led the way with a victory and school record in the mile, and rookie 400-meter runner Sean Holston became the Spartans' first provisional qualifier for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship this season.

Tessema ran a time of 4 minutes, 13.14 seconds to win the mile at Penn State for the second straight year. This year, his winning time was good enough to break David Kemboi's four-year old school record (4:13.86).

Holston ran a season-best time of 46.59 seconds to place second in the invitational section of the men's 400 meters. He finished a close second to UMES' Allodin Fothergill (46.52), but both eclipsed the NCAA provisional qualifying mark. The 46.59 is also an indoor school record for Holston, besting Paul Tucker's time of 47.86 in 1997.

Holston wasn't done, as he helped the Spartans' 4x400 meter relay team to a season-best time of 3:10.86 and a third-place finish in the invitational section. The time was less than half a second shy of qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championship, but improved their conference-best time by roughly two seconds. Holston was joined as usual by Thomas Speller, Tyrell Moon and Kenneth Smith.

Their performances capped a solid weekend for the Spartan track athletes. Sophomore Quinten Walker ran a personal-best time of 6.78 seconds in the 60-meter semifinals. He went on to take second in the finals in 6.80 seconds on Friday night. Freshman Vincent Brown also ran a season-best time in the 800 meters, placing eighth out of 26 runners in 1:53.63. And Speller was third in the invitational 200 meters in an indoor-best clocking of 21.61 seconds.

In the distance races, sophomore Amos Kipkosgei placed fourth in the 3,000 meters in a season-best effort of 8:32.31.

The Spartans will send a small contingent of runners to CNU's Vince Brown Invitational next weekend before attempting to win a fifth consecutive MEAC Indoor Championship, Feb. 11-13 in Landover, Md.