April 21, 2010
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Several of Maryland's track & field alumni were crowned champions at the legendary Penn Relay Carnival. This year's crop of Terrapins will head to Philadelphia this weekend to try to join the likes of Renaldo Nehemiah, Kierra Foster and current head coach Andrew Valmon.
Maryland is competing in four field events and ten relay events. Competition begins Thursday and runs through Saturday,
"The relays that we are participating in will allow us to put forth solid teams that can achieve some competitive marks," said Valmon. "Maryland has a great tradition at the Penn Relays with many plaques to show for our historic efforts. Our team will be proud to represent this tradition and legacy."
A trio of throwers who has exceeded expectations all season will represent Maryland in field events this weekend. Kristen Batts and Moriah Young will compete in the discus throw and shot put, respectively. Both student-athletes hold ECAC-qualifying marks this season and will look to continue their success this weekend. Jessie Echard, fifth-place finisher in the hammer throw at the ACC Outdoor Championships, will represent Maryland in the event on Thursday.
Ashley Hendrix will compete in the ECAC section of the long jump to see how she fares against regional competition.
The Terrapins have several strong relay teams in action this weekend. The men's and women's teams have a deep core of middle-distance runners, which should lead to positive results.
Friday's 4x200 preliminaries will see Dareem David, Legonn Haskins, Jeremy Samuels and Floyd Hawkes compete on the men's side. For the women, Alexis Booker, Arielle Statham, Tolulope Olugbemi and Melony McKay should make a strong bid for the finals on Saturday.
Both programs will field a team in the sprint medley relay as well. John Davenport, Floyd Hawkes, Jeremy Samuels and Tommy Friscia form a very strong team in the relay, comprised of two 200-meter segments, one 400-meter segment and one 800-meter segment. On the women's side, DeAnna Brown, Arielle Statham, Melony McKay and Kelley Pry form an equally tough team.
Only the men will compete in the distance medley relay on Friday. Josh Finkle, Shawn David, Max Bruno and Mike Cator will compete in the relay for the Terps.
Saturday's marquee event is the 4x800-meter relay, an event that Maryland set regional qualifying marks on the men's and women's side this season. For the men, Greg Jubb and Ben Diestel will join Friscia and Bruno in the relay. The foursome ran a blazing 7:33.37 at the Colonial Relays earlier this year, the fastest time in school history. Pry will reunite with Taylor Bumpas, Erin Matyus and Christina Nelson to improve on their best time of 9:01.52, the third-fastest time in school history.
Maryland's depth will shine through in the 4xMile relay on Saturday. Diestel and Jubb will team up with Greg Kelsey and Kyle Gaffney for the Terrapins. All four student-athletes have the ability to run the mile in under four minutes, led by Jubb, who ran a team-best 3:51.85 at the ACC Championships last week.
One notable omission from several of these relay teams is junior Kiani Profit, who will rest after competing in nine events at the ACC Championships last weekend.
Results can be tracked all weekend at www.thepennrelays.com.
