Frogs Travel To Historic Penn Relays
4/20/2010 12:00:00β―AM
April 20, 2010
SCHEDULE | MEET SITE | VIDEO | LIVE RESULTS
FORT WORTH, Texas - Following 15 first-place finishes at the 11th annual TCU Invitational, the Horned Frogs will send a solid nucleus to Philadelphia for the 116th running of the prestigious Penn Relays.The three-day meet will begin on Thursday and continue through Saturday at Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Thursday's action is set to begin with the women's long jump at 11 a.m. CT.
"This is one of the most prestigious meets in the country. We are really excited about it. Anytime you are able to go to Penn and compete in front of 40,000 people on the final day, it is special," said head coach Darryl Anderson. "There are a lot of high ranked teams competing this week in Philadelphia, so it should be a really good test for our relays and student-athletes. We will also have a smaller contingency going over to Norman for the Sooner Invitational. I really think that the women will turn the corner at Oklahoma this weekend. Our lady throwers have really started to step up lately, so I am excited to see what they can do against some really good competition."
The prestigious meet, which also boasts high school and Olympic divisions, is one of the premiere events in track and field around the world. Simply put, over 1,000 teams and 4,000 athletes will be in competition this week in Philadelphia. Collegiate ranked teams competing at the 2010 Penn Relays are Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami FL, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech and several others.
Tape delayed coverage of the 116th Penn Relays will be broadcast to a worldwide audience on ESPN2.
TCU will also send several members of its squad this weekend to Norman, Okla., for the Sooner Invitational. The two-day meet, which will begin on Friday, will take place at John Jacobs Field on the campus of Oklahoma. Competition is slated to begin on Friday at 2 p.m. CT with the men's javelin. On Saturday, the Frogs will take to the track at 2:05 p.m. CT with the women's 100-meter hurdles. Field events on Saturday in Norman will begin at Noon with the women's shot put.
Meet Information
Fans not able to attend the Penn Relays or Sooner Invitational this week can follow all the action live by logging onto www.gofrogs.com. There you will find a link to the live results tab and video, which is located on the schedule page. Following action in Philadelphia and Norman each day, a full recap and final results will be posted on the TCU athletics website. Additional meet information for the Penn Relays can be found on www.thepennrelays.com.
TCU History At The Penn Relays
TCU has enjoyed great success in the previous 115 years of one of the nation's premier outdoor track meets. The Frogs made TCU history last spring when the women's 4x400 clocked the highest finish ever in program history in the Women's Championship of America final.
In 2008, the Frogs captured five event titles, including the men's 4x400 crown. Former Horned Frog great Jonathan Jackson, who was named College Athlete of the Meet, added his name to the record books with the 10th-best leap in the men's triple jump in Penn Relays history.
Overall, the men and women's teams have combined to win 11 individual and 12 relay titles at Franklin Field. The Frogs have also had two men and two relay teams named the Outstanding Male College Athlete/Individual for the meet. In 2008, TCU brought its Wall of Fame total to two as the men's 1991 4x100 unit joined the 1986 4x200, which set a collegiate record at Penn, on the prestigious wall. Finally, the Frogs' have set two Penn Relays records on the men's side in the 4x100 and 4x200. Overall, TCU owns the top 4 4x100 times ever clocked in Penn Relays history, including six out of the top 10. The Frogs also own the top 3 times posted in the men's 4x200 in Philadelphia.
The 2009 Penn Relays
The women's 4x400 earned runner-up honors in the Championship of America final to lead TCU in front of 47,904 spectators on the final day of competition at the 115th running of the Penn Relays. The unit, which consisted of Kishelle Paul, Jessica Clarke, Hayley Shade and Jessica Young collected second-place honors with a NCAA regional qualifying time of 3:33.63 seconds at Franklin Field. The second-place finish was the highest finish ever posted in the Women's Championship of America final in program history.
In a field that featured six of the nation's top-20 sprinters, Young clocked an NCAA regional qualifying time of 11.46 seconds to cross the finish line in fifth-place in the finals of the 100 meters at Franklin Field. In the college finals of the men's 4x100, Andon Mitchell, Otis McDaniel, Mychal Dungey and Justyn Warner opened the day, finishing fifth overall with an NCAA regional qualifying time of 40.22 seconds.
Men's 4x100 Relay Ready To Explode At Penn
With the Penn Relays upon us, TCU is starting to see the men's 4x100 accomplish some special things heading into competition in Philadelphia. Overall, the Frogs' No. 3 ranked unit will test its speed this week against five of the nation's top 10 relays, including No. 1 Florida, No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 7 Auburn, No. 8 LSU and No. 10 Mississippi State. TCU comes into Penn with the third and ninth-fastest times clocked this year in the NCAA, while the Gators have posted three of the nation's top 10 times.
At the Texas Relays, the men's 4x100 quartet of Skye Dawson, Charles Silmon, Mychal Dungey and Mark Barnes exploded to a second-place finish in Austin with a seasonal-best time of 39.20 seconds. Upon further look, the unit earned runner-up accolades with the No. 1 time posted in the Mountain West Conference and No. 3 time in the NCAA this spring. It is also the fastest time recorded by a men's 4x100 at TCU since the 2006 season and the second-fastest time ever clocked in Mountain West Conference history.
Top Marks In The Mountain West Conference
Heading into the Penn Relays, TCU currently holds the top spot in the Mountain West Conference in eight different events. Overall, the Horned Frogs lead the conference in the men's 100, 200, 400, 110-meter hurdles, 4x100 and 4x400. On the women's side, the Purple and White top the conference in the 4x100 and 100-meter hurdles. In addition, TCU has the top-four times posted in the men's 100 and 200 meters.
TCU In World Rankings
Heading into the prestigious Penn Relays, TCU has recorded two marks that currently rank in the top 30 in the world standings according to IAAF.
Sophomore Whitney Gipson is ranked in the top 30 in the world in the women's long jump, while the men's 4x100 clocked the No. 7 ranked time in the world rankings at the Texas Relays according to IAAF.
The National Rankings Breakdown
Halfway through the outdoor season, the Frogs have nine student-athletes and two relays ranked in the top 40 in the national rankings. Freshman Charles Silmon leads TCU in the men's 100 meters, ranking No. 16 in the nation, while junior Mychal Dungey currently sits No. 31 in the men's 200 meters. In the men's 5,000 meters, junior Festus Kigen broke out last week, climbing to No. 26 at Mt. SAC. On the women's side, Rose Tanui is currently No. 20 in the NCAA after her showing in California.
Junior Kristal Juarez heads into this weekend ranked No. 37 in the women's 400 meters. In the 110-meter hurdles, fellow junior Jordan Pitts is currently ranked No. 26 in the NCAA, while the men's 4x100 sits No. 4 in the NCAA. On the women's side, TCU sits No. 37 heading into the Sooner Invitational in the 4x100.
TCU has dominated the women's long jump rankings with both Whitney Gipson and Neidra Covington ranking in the top 30 in the NCAA. Gipson is currently No. 10, while Covington follows at No. 30. Covington also moved into the top 10 in the women's triple jump at the Texas Relays, soaring to the No. 14 jump in the country.
Senior Tommy Killen leads the Frogs in the men's discus, ranking No. 10. He will look to improve his standing this weekend in Norman.
Up Next
TCU will open the month of May at the Texas Invitational in Austin. Competition is slated to begin on Saturday, May 1.
