The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Penn Relays
Track & Field heads to 121st Penn Relays
04.22.2015 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Longhorns eye coveted Penn Relays Wheels
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Complete Texas Notes
AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Track and Field team heads to the oldest track meet in the United States this week as the Longhorns are set to compete at the 121st Penn Relays. Considered by many to be the most prestigious relays meet in America and started in 1895, the Penn Relays traditionally brings the best sprint and distance relay squads to Philadelphia and historic Franklin Field to go head-to-head on the track.
This year, Texas will compete in the 4x100, 4x200, 4x400 for the men and women and the men's 4xMile and women's 4x1,500 in addition to a handful of individual running and field events.
On the line will be the highly coveted Penn Relays Wheels - the giant wooden trophies handed out to winners. Texas has won 37 relay events in Penn Relays history and hopes to add to that list of success this year.
Texas has its eyes set on the record books as well. Last year, the team of Briana Nelson, Courtney Okolo, Kendall Baisden and Ashley Spencer set the Penn Relays record in the 4x400. With three of those four runners back for 2015, the Longhorns hope to make a push for that record again.
The Longhorns have won the most women's 4x400 titles at Penn Relays as well. Texas has crossed the line first a total of 11 times for the women. South Carolina is next with six victories. No other school has won more than two.
Each year the Penn Relays also brings in top talent from Jamaica. This meet is an important one to the island nation as its top high schools and colleges bring teams to compete. Texas sophomore Senoj-Jay Givans competed at the Penn Relays twice during his high school days.
The meet also coordinates a series of relays pitting top American professionals against international athletes for what is tabbed as USA vs. The World. Two Texas alumnae are among the pool of athletes eligible for Team USA. Marshavet Hooker is listed in the USA pool for the 4x100 and Briana Nelson is in the 4x400 relay pool of athletes.
Action for the main events gets underway on Thursday from Franklin Field after a heptathlon and decathlon earlier in the week. The first event for Texas will be the women's college pole vault at 10 a.m. Eastern on Thursday to start the three days of competition.
Fans can watch the action live online at FloTrack.org with a subscription to the site's FloPro services. Some local radio stations in Philadelphia will also be airing coverage, which can be heard online at power99.com, wdasfm.com and iheartradio.com. Fans can also use the iHeartRadio app on their phones.
Fans are encouraged to keep up and interact with the meet on Twitter by using the hashtag #PennRelays. Updates for all events and other activities can be found by following @PennRelays on Twitter as well. The Texas Track & Field account @UTexasTrack will provide updates on events the Longhorns are competing in. Live results will be provided by flashresults.com.
Tickets can be purchased online at thepennrelays.com. The meet's site also will have in-depth coverage, updates and more throughout the meet.
Events to Watch
• Women's 4x400m Championship of America: Texas broke the Penn Relays record last year and returns 3 of those 4 runners. The Longhorns will be up against rival Texas A&M in what should be one of the top events of the entire meet.
• Men's 4x400m Championship of America: Texas A&M, LSU and Texas are all in a field loaded with All-Americans.
• Men's 4x100m Championship of America: TCU and LSU have won this event 9 times and will see strong competition. Watch out for back-to-back champ UTech from Kingston, Jamaica. The Penn Relays has a tradition of bringing in the top high school and college talent from the island nation.
• Men's 4xMile Championship of America: A rarely-held event, the 4xMile will have distance fans drooling this year. Texas will go head-to-head with some of the top distance programs in the NCAA. Some media members in the track and field community are calling for the first-ever sub-16 by a collegiate team.
• Shuttle Hurdles: Although Texas is not competing in the Shuttle Hurdles, it also is a rarely-held event that brings excitement to the track.
Texas Track & Field Notebook
Longhorns Both in Top 10 Nationally
• This week the men and women both hold spots in the top 10 of the USTFCCCA Rankings. The women move up one spot to No. 3 and the men held their spot at No. 6.
• Texas is among six schools that have their men and women ranked in the top 10.
• The Big 12 Conference is well represented in the top 25 with five women's teams and four men's teams ranked this week. Four of the women's teams are ranked No. 11 or better.
Okolo Beats the Best
Courtney Okolo recently defeated Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross head-to-head at the Michael Johnson Classic in a Texas past vs. present heat. Sophomore Kendall Baisden also bested the Olympian to finish second.
• Okolo crossed the line in a world-leading time of 50.99 seconds
• Okolo was named Big 12 Female Track & Field Athlete of the Week
• It was the 3rd honor for the women in 4 weeks after Morolake Akinosun won a pair
Standard Bearers
• Texas currently holds seven collegiate records combined among the men and women. The nearest competitor is Arizona and Colorado with five.
2015 The Bowerman Watch List
The most prestigious award in collegiate track and field, The Bowerman, is awarded by the USTFCCCA annually to the top male and female track and field star annually. Since its inception in 2009, the winners combined to win three Olympic medals in 2012.
• 3-time NCAA champion Ryan Crouser is on the men's April watch list.
• NCAA outdoor 400m champ Courtney Okolo is on the women's April watch list.
• Okolo was a finalist for the 2014 award after breaking the collegiate record in the 400.
Men's Throwers Perform Well in Waco
Texas came away with a win and 3 runners-up for a strong showing at the Michael Johnson Classic
• Clint Harris won discus: 55.21 meters (181-2) to improve on his season best
• Will Spence 2nd in discus: 54.66 meters (179-4)
• Will Spence 2nd in shot put: 17.83 meters (58-6.00)
• Fabian Dohmann 2nd in javelin: 66.63 meters (218-7)
Givans Runs with Nation's Best
In another loaded field, sophomore Senoj-Jay Givans went toe-to-toe with the nation's best sprinters at the Michael Johnson Classic. Among those he faced was 2014 NCAA champion Trayvon Bromell and 2013 champ Charles Silmon.
• Givans took 3rd place in an exciting finish with his time of 10.15 seconds
• Bromell won in 10.02 seconds and Texas A&M's Shavez Hart took second in 10.10
• Givans time was just .05 off his own school record
Players Mentioned
