Penn Relays

http://www.pennathletics.com/news/2017-penn-relays-preview-4-college-men-s-sprint-relays-04-21-2017

The Cougars have the fastest seed time in this year’s men’s 4x1, 38.59, quicker than the 16-year-old meet record of 38.68 set in 2001 by TCU. It is the second-fastest college time for the 2017 season, behind the 38.57 run by LSU in narrowly defeating Houston at Mt. SAC in California earlier this month.

Houston’s lineup is Coach Burrell’s son, Cameron; Mario Burke, Jacarias Martin and Eli Hall-Thompson. Burrell and Burke were both finalists in last month’s NCAA indoor 60, where Burrell finished 2nd, for the second year in a row, and Burke 7th. Burrell, whose PR is 10.16, also finished 2nd in the Penn Relays College 100 in 2014. The meet record for that event is 10.10, run by his father, in 1990.

In the 4x2, Houston has the second-fastest seed time, the 1:23.13 the Cougars ran in winning the Texas Southern Relays. The top entry mark is 1:22.48, by South Carolina, the defending champions. Their anchor is the South African Ncincillilli Titi, the current outdoor collegiate leader in the 200, at 20.14.

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http://www.uhcougars.com/sports/c-track/spec-rel/042617aaa.html

AN HONOR FOR COACH BURRELL
Head Coach Leroy Burrell has been named as the Honorary College Referee for Relay Events at the most prestigious meet in his hometown of Philadelphia. Burrell has been a staple in Philadelphia track & field for three decades beginning with leading Penn Wood High to a state championship in 1985.

In 1989 and 90, Burrell won the 100-meter dash at the Penn Relays, setting the meet record in his performance. In his professional career, Burrell returned to set the Olympic Development Record in the 4x200-meter relay at Penn alongside teammates Carl Lewis, Floyd Heard and Michael Marsh. In 2010, Burrell was honored by being named to the Penn Relays Wall of Fame.

RELAYS HOPE TO STEAL THE SHOW
The Houston men enter the 2017 Penn Relays in a prime position to win their first sprint relay championship in nearly 30 years. Houston last won the 4x100-meter relay championship in 1989, with Leroy Burrell leading the team. This season’s team of Cameron Burrell, Mario Burke, Jacarias Martin and Eli Hall enters with the top seed in the event and the nation’s No. 2 time at 38.59, which they ran at the Mt. SAC Relays earlier this month. Houston’s top time already sits below the current meet record of 38.68 set by TCU in 2001.

Houston will try to claim its first victory in the 4x200-meter relay at Penn since current assistant coach Carl Lewis helped them capture the crown in 1980. The Cougars will field the same lineup for the 4x2 and enter with the second-fastest seed time in the event at 1:23.13, which they ran at the TSU Relays to open the season.

The men will also enter with the meet’s best seed in the 4x400-meter relay. Houston broke the school record at the Mt. SAC Relays when it ran 3:04.38 and clocked the nation’s No. 10 time this season. The squad of Amere Lattin, Raymund Clarke, Burke and Trumaine Jefferson look to claim Houston’s first 4x400-meter relay Penn Wheel in school history.

DISTANCE AND THROWS KICKS IT OFF
The Penn Relays begin on Thursday, and the Cougars will open up with a trio of women’s throwers. Sophomore Nora Monie starts the competition in the women’s discus at 8 a.m., Thursday morning, while the respective No. 1 and No. 2 athletes in school history in the hammer throw, Mikaila Martin and Taylor Scaife will compete at 1:30 p.m.

Distance events open the evening of the first day at Penn, beginning with defending American Athletic Conference Champion Selena Sierra in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 7:10 p.m. Sierra holds the school record in the event and 2017’s 57th fastest time.

A pair of Cougars will end the opening night with Maddie Brown and G.J. Reyna competing in the women’s and men’s 5,000-meter run, respectively.

GOING BACK-TO-BACK?
Houston looks to defend its crown and bring home another Penn Relays wheel when they take the track in the men’s shuttle hurdle relay. The 2016 squad ran 56.78 to edge Cornell and take the crown. The 2017 team returns sophomores Amere Lattin and Raymund Clarke to the competition.

A NEW 100-METER DASH CHAMPION?
The 2016 Penn Relays saw Houston’s first individual champion in 23 years when then-senior LeShon Collins won the 100-meter dash in 10.48. Collins will represent Team USA in the 4x100-meter relay at this year’s carnival, however the Cougars bring a stacked lineup into the straight-track competition.

Junior Cameron Burrell enters the event with the No. 28 time in the NCAA this season after running 10.26 earlier this year, while sophomore John Lewis III ranks 29th in the nation at 10.27. A triple jumper by trade, sophomore Cameron Prejean holds the nation’s 72nd fastest time at 10.58.

Sophomore Mario Burke returns from international competition, where he helped his native country of Barbados to a silver medal in the 4x100-meter relay at the IAAF World Relays last week. Burke claimed bronze in last year’s 100 at the Penn Relays after running 10.52.

Junior Eli Hall enters his first 100-meter dash with the Cougars this weekend after missing the beginning of the season due to an injury. Hall broke the school record in the indoor 200-meter dash in just his first race on campus.

_LATTIN HUNGRY FOR MORE _
Sophomore Amere Lattin is set to compete in his second Penn Relays, looking to add an individual title to the shuttle hurdle relay championship from a year ago. Lattin finished fifth in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2016 Penn Relays in a field that saw three Cougars finish among the top-5.

Lattin enters competition with the No. 13 time in the110-meter hurdles after running a wind-aided 13.73 earlier this season.

LOADED LONG JUMP FIELD
The Cougars will enter three athletes in the long jump competition at Penn. Junior Trumaine Jefferson enters the Championship of America event with the nation’s 24th best mark this season at 25-3.5 (7.71m), while Cameron Burrell will jump for the first time this season in the event.

Antwan Dickerson enters the college long jump with the No. 74 mark in the NCAA this season at 24-5.0 (7.44m).

THROWERS LOOK FOR BIG MARKS
The Cougars will have a pair of throwers in competition on Saturday, when Cameron Cornelius and Alex Garza enter the shot put. Cornelius will compete first in the Championship of America portion with the nation’s No. 16 mark at 61-11.5 (18.88m) entering competition. Garza enters with the No. 50 mark in the NCAA at 59-0.0 (17.98m) and will throw later in the afternoon in the college competition.

Welcome home. Former Penn Wood High star Leroy Burrell, who still holds the carnival and Franklin Field record in the 100, returns to the carnival as an honorary referee. He also brings to town his Houston Cougars, who include his son, Cameron. The younger Burrell will run in the 4x100-meter relay and the open 100 and also compete in the long jump.

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THROWS OPEN IT UP
The morning began with a pair of Houston throwers in action on Thursday morning. Sophomore Nora Monie was in the ring first for the women’s discus. Monie launched a personal best 164-4 (50.10m) to finish fifth in the competition.

Sophomore Mikaila Martin followed with her top throw this season in the women’s hammer throw. Martin’s best mark traveled 187-10 (57.26m), falling just 10 inches shy of her own school record to finish sixth.

DISTANCE TAKES THE NIGHT
A trio of Cougar distance runners opened track events for Houston at the Penn Relays, beginning with senior Selena Sierra in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The school record holder in the event finished in 10:30.87 to place 14th.

Junior Maddie Brown and sophomore G.J. Reyna closed out the night in the women’s and men’s 5,000-meter run respectively. Brown finished 34th in 17:19.45, while Reyna set a new personal best with a 68th place finish in 14:57.04.

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4x100 POSTS TOP TIME
Running events on Friday opened with the men in the 4x100-meter relay. Entering the event with the top seeded time of 38.59, the Cougars did not disappoint in the prelims. Houston’s squad of Cameron Burrell, Mario Burke, Jacarias Martin and Eli Hall ran 39.29 to punch their ticket to Saturday’s final. Houston will run the event at 12:40 p.m., Saturday.

4X200 MOVES ON
Houston’s second attempt at a relay on Friday produced nearly the same result. The men’s 4x200-meter relay team of John Lewis III, Curtis Brown, Martin and Hall ran 1:23.49 to qualify third overall for the final. The Cougar crew will be on the track at 1:45 p.m., Saturday in the Championship of American race.

4x400 QUALIFIES ON TIME
The Cougars made it a clean sweep on qualifiers as the men’s 4x400-meter relay team reached the finals on Friday. Houston’s team of Amere Lattin, Daniel Ford, Burke and Trumaine Jefferson ran 3:09.49 and outlasted the field to qualify seventh for the final.

The men’s 4x400 squad will be back on the track on Saturday at 5 p.m., in the final event of the 123rd Penn Relays.

With the relay qualifications, Houston put itself in a prime position to win its first sprint relay championship at the Penn Relays since 1989 when the Cougars, led by then-athlete Leroy Burrell, won the 4x100-meter relay.

HOUSTON BOASTS ONE-THIRD OF 100-METER FINAL
The Cougars put on a show in the preliminary heats of the 100-meter dash on Friday. Houston qualified three athletes for the final, giving Houston one-third of the nine-sprinter field.

Junior Eli Hall posted the opening round’s top time when he crossed the line in a wind-legal 10.14. Hall’s new personal best ranks him No. 9 in the NCAA this season. Sophomore Mario Burke ran a season-best 10.43 to qualify fifth, while John Lewis III qualified sixth in 10.46.

The trio will compete in Saturday’s final at 2:50 p.m.

LATTIN PUNCHES 110-METER HURDLE TICKET
Sophomore Amere Lattin punched Houston’s fourth finals ticket of the day when he qualified for the 110-meter hurdle final. In the prelims, Lattin crossed the line in 14.07 to qualify fifth overall. Lattin will compete in the finals at 2:20 p.m., on Saturday.

GARZA CLAIMS SHOT CHAMPIONSHIP
Senior thrower Alex Garza took home Houston’s first championship with a win in the college division of the men’s shot put. Garza qualified for the finals with a mark of 56-3.75 (17.15m) on his second attempt. On his fifth attempt, Garza launched the shot a personal best 59-2.0 (18.03m) to move into the lead and eventually win the event.

COUGARS PODIUM IN LONG JUMPS
Houston entered a competitor in each of the championship and college divisions of the men’s long jump on Friday. Junior Trumaine Jefferson was on the runway first in the championship portion. Jefferson posted a season best, but wind-aided, mark of 25-4.75 (7.74m) to finish second by just eight-tenths of an inch.

Antwan Dickerson followed in the college division of the long jump. Dickerson leapt 24-2.25 (7.37m) on his final attempt to move into third and collect bronze.

THE REST OF THE BEST
A pair of throwers posted top-10 finishes at each of the Penn Relays and the Longhorn Invitational. In Philadelphia, junior Cameron Cornelius finished seventh in the Champions of American shot put competition with a top throw of 59-5.5 (18.12m), while in Austin, senior Damon Thompson launched the hammer 182-3 (58.39m) to also take seventh.

The Cougars wrapped up the day with the men’s sprint medley relay. Houston’s team of Cameron Prejean, Curtis Brown, Raymund Clarke and Chris Ibarra finished sixth in 3:22.90.

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takeoff_twan Had a great week at Penns the team did they thing. We hit a couple speed bumps but we got time to fix it. I’m posting this vid cause I foul’d a 8.18 26’10 (barely). This is deff a confidence booster. I know if I can get on the board then it’s curtains. After this jump Carl looked at me after they measured it cause I was the last jumper smiled and said “it’s on”. If he believes in me then I KNOW I will do it. Trust the process! Patience is key!_

http://www.uhcougars.com/sports/c-track/recaps/042917aaa.html

The Houston Cougar men’s 4x200-meter relay squad, and sprinter Eli Hall won Championship of America races as the Cougars wrapped action at the 123rd Penn Relays and the Longhorn Invitational on Saturday.

FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP IN 28 YEARS
Eyeing their first sprint relay championship at the Penn Relays since 1989, the Cougar men’s 4x200-meter relay squad of Amere Lattin, Mario Burke, Jacarias Martin and Eli Hall were on the track for Saturday’s final. Houston qualified for the finals with the third-fastest seed time of 1:23.44 on Friday.

The Cougars rushed out to a blistering pace and finished the 800-meter relay in 1:21.17 for their first sprint championship in 28 years (1989, 4x100-meter relay). The victory was Houston’s second all-time in the 4x200-meter relay and its first since 1980, when then-athlete Carl Lewis led the squad.

Houston has now claimed a Penn Wheel at the carnival in back-to-back seasons after winning the men’s shuttle hurdle relay at the 2016 competition.

HALL TAKES GOLD IN 100-METER DASH
Junior Eli Hall was back on the track in the 100-meter dash, alongside teammates Mario Burke and John Lewis III in a final that saw one-third of the competitors wearing Cougar red. With the wind at his back, Hall ran one of the top races in Penn history when he crossed the line in a wind-aided 10.00 to claim the championship.

Hall’s mark moves him to No. 4 in the NCAA this season and gives Houston its second consecutive Penn Relay Championship of America title after LeShon Collins won the race in 2016. The Cougars have won eight 100-meter dash championships at the Penn Relays, the most for any school in the 123-year history of the event.

Following the conclusion of the meet, Hall was named College Individual Athlete of the Meet, the first time in program history that a Cougar has won the award.

Burke finished the race in third in 10.17 moving him to No. 8 in the nation this season, while Lewis III placed sixth in 10.37.

LATTIN RUNS STRONG IN 110-METER HURDLES
Sophomore Amere Lattin was the fourth Cougar in action as an individual on Saturday after qualifying for the finals of the 110-meter hurdles in 14.07 on Friday. In the Championship of America event, Lattin crossed the line in 13.91 to place fourth.

4X400-METER RELAY CLOSES WITH TOP-5 FINISH
The final event of the 2017 Penn Relays, was the Championship of American Men’s 4x400-meter relay, where the Cougars were in action in lane three. Houston’s team of Amere Lattin, Raymund Clarke, Mario Burke and Trumaine Jefferson crossed the line in 3:07.32 to place fourth and officially close the relay carnival.

FOUR TOP-5 FINISHES AT TEXAS
Four Cougars picked up top-5 finishes while competing at the Longhorn Invitational. In the distance, Houston had a fourth place finish in each of the men’s and women’s 3,000-meter runs after Jahnavi Schneider ran 4:47.58 in the women’s race, and Blake Contreras ran 4:08.61 for the men.

In the middle distance, Britani Gonzales set a new season best in the 800-meters after finishing fourth in 2:15.67, while in the pole vault, Haley Houston went up-and-over the bar at 12-7.5 (3.85m) to match a personal best and finish fourth.

COLLINS SHINES IN FIRST POST-GRADUATE PENN
The Penn Relays are always special for alum LeShon Collins, who returns home to Philadelphia for the event. However, Collins made sure 2017 was an even more special year, taking home two tiles at this season’s carnival.

Representing Team USA, Collins was on the track as the first leg of the men’s USA vs. The World 4x100-meter relay. Collins helped his squad, also consisting of Wallace Spearmon, Beejay Lee and John Teeters, run 38.87 and take the championship. Collins was in action for the first time since leading Team USA to the gold medal in the 4x1 at the IAAF World Relay Championships last week.

Later in the afternoon, Collins was on the track as an individual, representing Team Perfect Method in the Olympic Development 100-meter Dash. Collins crossed the line first in 10.11 for his second-consecutive 100-meter dash championship at Penn after winning the Championship of American race as a senior in 2016.

A LOOK BACK AT THE WEEKEND AT PENN
Senior Alex Garza took home Houston’s first individual championship of the weekend, winning the college competition of the men’s shot put on Friday. Garza qualified for the finals with a mark of 58-6.0 (17.83m) before launching the shot 59-2.75 (18.05m) in his fifth attempt to take the gold.

Houston entered a competitor in each of the championship and college divisions of the men’s long jump on Friday. Junior Trumaine Jefferson was on the runway first in the championship portion. Jefferson posted a season best, but wind-aided, mark of 25-4.75 (7.74m) to finish second by just eight-tenths of an inch.

Antwan Dickerson followed in the college division of the long jump. Dickerson leapt 24-2.25 (7.37m) on his final attempt to move into third and collect bronze.

The Cougars saw three more throwers reach the finals at Penn, including Cameron Cornelius who made the final for the Shot Put Championship of America. Cornelius’ top mark went 59-5.5 (18.12m) to place him seventh. Meanwhile, Nora Monie set a new personal best in the discus at 164-4 (50.10m) to finish fifth, while Mikaila Martin just missed breaking her own school record in the hammer throw when she finished sixth in 187-10 (57.26m).

AN HONOR FOR COACH BURRELL
Head Coach Leroy Burrell has been named as the Honorary College Referee for Relay Events at the most prestigious meet in his hometown of Philadelphia. Burrell has been a staple in Philadelphia track & field for three decades beginning with leading Penn Wood High to a state championship in 1985.

In 1989 and 90, Burrell won the 100-meter dash at the Penn Relays, setting the meet record in his performance. In his professional career, Burrell returned to set the Olympic Development Record in the 4x200-meter relay at Penn alongside teammates Carl Lewis, Floyd Heard and Michael Marsh. In 2010, Burrell was honored by being named to the Penn Relays Wall of Fame.

UP NEXT FOR HOUSTON
The Cougars return home for the final meet before the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships, when they host the Tom Tellez Invitational on Friday, May 5 at the Carl Lewis Complex.

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