A&M wins Penn Relays 4 x 200, Phiri claims 100
Apr 26, 2008 | Track and Field
April 26, 2008
A windy day, with cooler temperatures, greeted athletes on Saturday?™s version of the 114th Penn Relay Carnival at Franklin Field, but a crew of Aggie women had an excited feeling from winning a Championship of America title in the 4 x 200 relay.
Texas A&M women denied LSU a 12th Penn Relays title in the 4 x 200 as Porscha Lucas powered away from the Tigers anchor Kelly Ann Baptiste for a 1:31.21 ?- 1:31.77 victory.
LSU led off with Brooklynn Morris and held a lead over the Aggies until the final exchange when Simone Facey handed of the baton to Lucas.
The running order of Khrystal Carter, Allison George, Simone Facey and Porscha Lucas won A&M?™s first relay at Penn since 1997 when the Aggies claimed a title in the shuttle hurdle relay.
After posting the third fastest time in the history of the Penn Relays during yesterday?™s qualifying race, the winning time for Texas A&M today became the fifth-fastest recorded at the Penn Relays.
Gerald Phiri won a Championship of America title in the 100 meters, becoming the first Aggie to do so, running a 10.37 to better the field into a headwind of -0.9 mps. Dominique Stafford finished fourth in 10.60. Runner-up in the race was UTSA?™s Teddy Williams (10.46) while TCU?™s Justyn Warner (10.57) finished third.
The time for Phiri, who is a freshman, also bettered the winning time in the Olympic Development 100. John Capel won that race in 10.38 with a -0.8 headwind while Mike Rodgers was runner-up in 10.45.
Earlier in the day Phiri ran the second leg of A&M?™s 4 x 100 relay that placed third in a very tight finish. With Richard Adu-Bobie leading off while Dominique Stafford and Chris Dykes followed Phiri, the Aggies were in the hunt for a title with LSU and Tennessee.
In the sprint down the homestretch with the anchor legs even for a few meters, LSU?™s Trindon Holliday pulled ahead for a 39.18 victory with Tennessee?™s Rubin Williams claiming second in 39.21 while Dykes finished third in 39.27 ahead of Florida?™s Calvin Smith, who crossed the line in 39.33.
Defending NCAA champions Florida State were in the race as well, but were disqualified. They posted a time of 39.64 that would have placed fifth.
Swirling winds inside the stadium resulted in a -4.1 headwind for the women during their 100-meter final. Khrystal Carter placed third in 12.00 behind the winning time of111.86 by Jamaica?™s ShellyAnn Fraser. Gabby Mayo (12.10) and Allison George (12.10) placed eighth and ninth.
Lindsey Adams raced to a fifth place finish in the 100 hurdles, running a time of 13.45.
Field events on the final day of the Penn Relays resulted in a fifth-place finish for Zuheir Sharif (52-1 ?Ľ / 15.88) in the triple jump while teammate Tyron Stewart placed seventh (51-3 ?ľ / 15.64). TCU?™s Jonathan Jackson won the event with a 54-3 ?ľ (16.55) that equaled the top outdoor collegiate mark set in 2008 by A&M?™s Julian Reid two weeks ago.
In the college men?™s triple jump a third Aggie jumper, Melvin Echard, placed fifth with a mark of 49-3 (15.01).
The final races of the day for A&M resulted in the men?™s 4 x 400 placing sixth in 3:10.05 while TCU won the event in 3:07.83. Partly due to the conditions, it was the slowest winning time in the event at Penn Relays since 1980.
For the Aggie women, a time of 3:36.38 left them in fifth place in the 4 x 400. Penn State won the race in 3:31.44, the slowest winning time at Penn since 1999.
