April 27, 2008

Clemson's Mitch Greeley Claims Pole Vault Championship at Penn Relays

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Mitch Greeley added another feat to his impressive list of credentials in track & field after winning the pole vault championship at the 113th edition of the Penn Relays. It marked the second straight win in the event for the Clemson senior, who was crowned ACC champion last weekend in Atlanta, GA. It was his first-ever Penn Relays title.

Greeley and teammate Chris Spear both cleared 17'0.75" Saturday, but Greeley did so in fewer attempts. Greeley also held off Maston Wallace of Texas, who finished runner-up. For Spear, it was an outdoor personal best and the fifth-best clearance in Clemson history. Both student-athletes have qualified for the East Region Championships, which will be held May 30-31 to determine who will advance to the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.

Women's 4x800m Relay Team Finishes Clemson's Efforts at Penn Relays

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The women's track & field team wrapped up three days of work Saturday at the 113th running of the Penn Relays at historic Franklin Field. The Lady Tigers' 4x800m relay team finished 21st with a time of 9:23.58. The group was composed of three freshmen - Joanie Castagno, Christina Mason, and Jill Yandle - as well as junior Candice Johnson.

It was a successful week on several fronts for the Lady Tiger program. The shuttle hurdle relay team of Krystal Barringer, Patricia Mamona, Michaylin Golladay, and Polly Hardy finished fourth on Friday with an outstanding time of 56.35. The time ranks second in Clemson history for the shuttle hurdle relay.

Mamona experienced success individually in both horizontal jumps. The sophomore from Portugal was sixth place in the triple jump (42'6.25") and 11th in the long jump (19'4").

Freshmen Lead Blue Devils At Penn Relays

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Duke Track and Field team finished competition today in the historic Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pa. Three freshmen, one sophomore and two relay teams paved the way for Duke. Results are available at www.thepennrelays.com.

On Thursday afternoon, freshman Amy Matulewicz threw a personal-best 147'-3" in the javelin. That qualified her for the NCAA Regionals for the first time this season and placed her second all-time at Duke. Matulewicz's distance won the college javelin throw, earning her a prestigious Penn Relays Championship.

Freshman Ryan McDermott placed 10th in the 3,000m steeplechase on Thursday night in Philadelphia with a time of 9:03.24. That mark earned him the fourth-fastest steeplechase run in school history and qualified him for the NCAA Regionals for the first time in his college career. McDermott was the high school national champion in the 2,000 and 3,000 meter steeplechases last year.

Titles by Williams and England Highlight FSU's Trip To Penn Relays

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - In the City of Brotherly Love it was a pair of Florida State female track and field athletes that were getting the admiration. At one of the world's biggest weekends for track and field, the Seminoles' Kim Williams and Hannah England came away with victories during the 115th Penn Relays at Franklin Field.

The duo each brought home a title to highlight Florida State's three-day trip. Williams (Kingston, Jamaica) was victorious in the championship division of the collegiate women's triple jump. England (Oxford, England) captured the mile championship in the Olympic Development race.

For Williams this was her fourth-straight Penn Relays title in the triple jump. Prior to enrolling at Florida State, she won three consecutive titles in the high school ranks. Her leap of 13.42m/44-0.5 won by nearly a foot and put in her in the Penn Relays' all-time top ten.

Lemons Paces Jackets on Final Day of Penn Relays

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - James Lemons II placed third in the men's triple jump championship to lead the Georgia Tech men's and women's track & field teams on the final day of the historic Penn Relays at Franklin Field on the University of Pennsylvania.

Shantia Moss, a senior from Tamarac, Fla., placed second in the women's 100-meter hurdles championship with an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 13.17.

The men's 4x800-meter relay team featuring E.C. Gibbs, Billy Mateker, Tim Guglielmo and Nazar Trilisky placed 24th with a time of 7:47.93.

In the men's triple jump championship, Lemons placed third with an NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 52 feet, 8 inches. Sophomore Alphonso Jordan landed in eighth place with an NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 50 feet, 10 inches.

Terps Capture Division Title at Penn Relays

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The University of Maryland men's 4x400-meter relay squad won the IC4A division of the event to highlight Terrapin performances this weekend at the Penn Relays, held at historic Franklin Field.

The Terrapins ran a time of 3:09.93 in the trials, then went 3:11.62 in the finals to earn the victory over other teams in the IC4A division. Jeremy Samuels, Anthony Walker, Kyle Rauser and Sean Lowe ran the faster mark in the prelims.

Also for Maryland, David Edwards-Brennan finished fourth in the men's high jump at 6-8.25, while Sal Delhierro had a season-best mark of 55-0.25 in the men's shot put.

On the women's side, the foursome of Libby Babcock, Erin Matyus, Christina Nelson and Kelley Pry set a school record in the 4x800 relay at 8:54.45, finishing third in the event.

Senior Toni Aluko finished fourth in the championship division of the women's high jump with a season-best 5-8.75. She also had an eight-place finish in the women's triple jump.

Hurricanes Complete Day Two of Penn Relays

PHILADELPHIA - The University of Miami's men's and women's Track and Field Teams wrapped up the second day of the prestigious Penn Relays on The University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field.

Four-time All-American Tim Harris led the men's sprint medley relay to a third place finish. The senior was joined by Van Dyke, Jones and Nelms for a time of 3:17.80. Mississippi State and Louisiana State were the only competitors to cross the line before the Hurricanes.

A day after qualifying for the Women's College Division Championship after a prelim time of 45.06, the 4x100 relay team of 2008 ACC Outdoor Performer of the Year Kristy Whyte, Tara Thomas, Charlene Fuller and Nene Kamate, won the event with a time of 45.04, their sixth NCAA Regional Qualifying time in the event on the season.

Tar Heels Wrap Up Competition At Penn Relays

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Austin Davis and Donte Nall along with other Tar Heels were in action on Saturday at the Penn Relays as the duo both tallied regional marks for the second consecutive week. Davis cleared 51-8.25 to tally his third regional mark of the year and eclipse the 51-foot mark for the second time in as many weeks. Nall continued to impress in the high jump as he cleared 6-11.5 en route to earning his fourth regional mark of the outdoor season.

Also in action on Saturday was freshman thrower Brian Moore who finished 10th in the championship division with a throw of 195-10. Meanwhile, the women's 4x400-meter relay team consisting of Dominique Jackson, Christine Johnson, LaToya James and Porscha Dobson tallied a third place finish as the group clocked a 3:41.89 in the race. In the only other relay action of the day that featured Tar Heels, the quartet of John Curtiss, Andrew Rotz, Adam Cunningham and Adam Smith finished in 7:38.39 for a 12th place finish.

NC State's Furst Finishes First in 5,000m at Penn Relays

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - NC State track and field's Stephen Furst finished first, once again. Just a week after winning the 5,000m and 10,000m runs at the ACC Outdoor Championships, the senior won the the 5,000m run at the prestigious Penn Relays. That time is the third fastest mark in school history and the fastest since 1992.

Furst's time was also his second NCAA Regional Mark in the 5,000m this season.

Chris Kollar finished 11th in the same event with a NCAA Regional Mark, running a 14:07.29.

Wolfpack's Washington Competes in Triple Jump at Penn Relays

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - NC State senior jumper DeMiracle Washington turned in her third-best mark of the outdoor season in the triple jump as the Wolfpack women's track and field team wrapped up competition at the Penn Relays.

Washington jumped 40'04.00" and finished 11th at the prestigious annual meet.

Virginia Women's 800m Relay Team Takes Title at Penn Relays

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Cavaliers' women's 4x200 meter relay team of Talia Wise, Janne'a Bridgeford, Kristina Chapman and Rashawnda James highlighted the final day of the prestigious Penn Relays, as the quintet was the first to cross the line in the 800m relay. Finishing in a time of 1:36.00 and qualifying for the ECAC Championships on May 16-18, the four Cavaliers combined for a time that was less than a second shy of the event record (1:35.19) set by Pittsburgh in 1999.

Two of Virginia's relay teams also finished runner-up on the day. The men's 4xMile relay of Kevin Tschirhart, Andy Biladeau, Alex Bowman and Andrew Jesien finished second, while the group of Conlon Bonner, Reuben Jones, Brian Lee and Adams Abdulrazaaq took second in the 4x100m relay. The men's 4xMile squad finished in 16:31.04, while the 400m relay completed the event in an IC4A-qualifying time of 41.17.

The day also saw the women's 4x800 team, consisting of Jen Hovland, Huma Husain, Susan Brooks and Lyndsay Harper finished eighth with an ECAC-qualifying time of 8:58.07.

Wake Forest's Loyd Takes 400m Hurdle Title at Penn Relays

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Michelle Loyd placed first among female collegiate competitors in the 400m hurdles on Thursday at the Penn Relays with a 58.95 finish. The Demon Deacons will continue competition Philadelphia through the weekend.

Alex Gove also had a top mark in the 400m hurdles, running a season best time of 1:01.08 taking 11th place overall.

In the 5000m event, Merry Placer posted a 17:18.90, followed by Caitlin Chrisman with a 17:34.16 finish and Marley Burns with a 17:41.32 mark.