Maryland Readies for 122nd Penn Relays

4/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field

By: Maryland Athletics

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The University of Maryland track and field teams are set to compete in the 122^nd running of the Penn Relays at Franklin Field on the campus of Penn University. The three-day event will begin Thursday, April 28 and run through Saturday, April 30.

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A Look at the terps

Maryland will have athletes/relays entered in events Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Thursday Events: Women's Throwing events (Discus, Shot Put, Hammer), Women's 400m Hurdles, Women's Long Jump, Women's High Jump College, Distance Night- 3k Steeplechase, 5000m
Friday Events: Men's 400m Hurdles, Women's Triple Jump, Women's Championships Discus, 4x200m Relays, Women's High Jump Championship, Men's Distance Medley Relay, Women's Shuttle Hurdle Relay, Men's 110m Hurdles, Sprint Medley Relay
Saturday Events: 4x200m relay finals, 4x800m relay
Maryland's sprint medley relay will be one to watch on the women's side, as junior Micha Powell, senior Lisa Meneau, junior Catherine Voelpel and junior Alexandra Lucki took down a 11-year record in the event earlier this season. The quartet combined to run 3:54.92 at the Pepsi Florida Relays, and will gunning for Maryland previous Penn Relays Record (3:55.37, 2005) in the event.
The Terps have also seen decades-old records in field events fall this season, as senior Chioma Onyekwere became the school's top discus thrower on April 9. Her throw of 54.24 meters (177-11) won the event at the Virginia Quad Meet, and she will look to be a factor in a highly competitive field this weekend in Philadelphia.

Coach's corner

“Maryland has always had a rich tradition of bringing home Penn Relays hardware,” said head coach Andrew Valmon. “Our goal in this meet is to remain competitive in the head to head competition with some of the best programs in the country. I think this is a great time to honor the history of Maryland at Penn and continue to excel. We are excited about all of our relays and the depth that we have to put on the table here. I am also looking for some strong performances in the field and individual events."

a look at the field

Several of the nation's top collegiate runners and field athletes will again be showcased at Franklin Field at one of the nation's oldest and most storied track & field meets.
On the women's side, Oregon's women, the reigning NCAA team champions, return to the Relays. Oregon's 4x100 relay recorded the third-fasted time in NCAA history already this season, a time that is only a tenth of a second from the Relays meet record.
Oregon is also the defending champion in the sprint medley relay, while Duke and Tennessee will also be domestic contenders. South Carolina, Auburn and Florida State are all currently favorites for the sprint hurdle relay.
In the 4x1500 and 4x800 races, Oregon, Villanova, Georgetown and Oklahoma State are amongst the top contenders. Georgetown is the reigning NCAA indoor champion in the DMR, and will be challenged by Villanova, Oklahoma State, Dartmouth and Penn State.
In the men's sprint relay races, Jamaica's UTech returns to defend its championships in both the 4x100 and 4x200. It has won the shorter relay three years in a row, the 4x200 twice in succession.
The leading domestic entries in the 4x100 and 4x200 include Houston (39.14 best this spring), Florida State (39.41), Tennessee (39.48), Western Kentucky (39.66) and South Carolina (39.71/1:21.93).
Florida's 4x400 relay and sprint medley relay teams are primed for victories this weekend, while South Carolina will look to defend its sprint hurdle relay record.
Villanova is one of the many contenders in the DMR, a list that includes Penn State, Oklahoma State, Indiana and Georgetown. In the men's 4x800 and 4xmile, the top contenders are Georgetown, Villanova, Penn State, Indiana, Providence, Columbia and the hometown Penn Quakers.

at last year's event

The Terps had several standout performances at last year's Penn Relays.
The men's distance medley relay team of Dan Trettel, Alex Leto, Tom Hogarty and Jakub Zivec captured the college section title with a combined time of 9:55.91.
The foursome of Brandon Thompson, Clyde Gross, Trey Sherman and Lionel Wilson notched a mark of 1:27.12 in the prelims to qualify for the IC4A finals.
In the women's shuttle hurdle relay, the squad of Lisa Meneau, Noella Anyangwe, Taylor Tucker and Thea LaFond finished in a time of 56.43 to place third in the championship race. The mark sits at No. 2 on Maryland's all-time list.
Micha Powell, Taylor Tucker, Shade Pratt and Myah Hicks delivered a time of 3:57.68 in the sprint medley relay to place ninth.

next up

The Terps will return home for their final meet of the season at the Kehoe Track & Field Complex for the Kehoe Twilight Meet on Friday, May 6. Events are slated to start at 5:00 pm.

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