Musketeers Travel to Penn Relays

Thursday, April 28

Philadelphia, Pa.

All Day

Xavier University

Penn Relays

04.27.16 | Track and Field

Three-day meet begins on Thursday, April 28

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier track and field travels to the Penn Relays on April 28-30 in Philadelphia, Pa. The three-day meet is being held at historic Franklin Field.

ABOUT THE PENN RELAYS

This year there will be more than 22,000 entries, about half of whom will be high schoolers, and the three-day attendance is likely to top 110,000 for the third year in a row. Saturday attendance has averaged 48,000 for the last six years, and makes the meet the best attended track event in the United States each year, and one of the best attended in the world.

Through 116 editions of the meet, more athletes have run at the Penn Relays than at any single meet in the world. More spectators have watched the meet than any in the world except the Olympics and World Championships. And the Penn Relay Carnival remains the same whirlwind of activity that has always excited fans young and old.

MEET PARTICIPANTS: WOMEN

Victoria Chiller, Sydney Larkin, Sarah Clark and Meghan Vogel - Distance Medley Championship
Event 159 - Thursday, 5:40 p.m.

Sarah Mazzei - 3,000-meter run
Event 207 - Thursday, 8:40 p.m.

Madeline Britton - 10,000-meter run
Event 215 - Thursday, 10:30 p.m.

QUOTING COACH ORNER

"Sarah will be competing in the elite section of the 3K against some of the top runners in the country. She qualified for the race with her 1,500-meter run time in California a few weeks ago and will look to set the school record in the outdoor 3K after breaking the school record in the event at the BIG EAST Championships."

"This will be the second time in the past two years Maddie has run the 10k. This time around I think she's a lot more prepared and ready to run with the field at Penn. The goal for Maddie will be to get as far under 35:00 minutes as possible to try and secure a place at the first round of NCAA's."

"The women's DMR has a great opportunity on Thursday night. Most of the girls on the relay have never run in a meet of this caliber so it will be a great learning experience. I'm confident we have four girls that will rise to the occasion."

MEET PARTICIPANTS: MEN

Zachary Polk, Russell Platt, Sean Farnan and Nolan Daniels - Sprint Medley Relay
Event 379 - Friday, 6:50 p.m.

Jordan Shepherd, Grayson Jenkins, Josh Phelan and Grant Stapleton - Distance Medley Relay
Event 346 - Friday, 2:35 p.m.

Zachary Polk - Long Jump
Event 713 - Friday, 3:30 p.m.

QUOTING COACH ORNER

"I think we have one of the top sprint medley's in the college section. If we can nail our handoffs, I think our guys have a chance of placing really well in this event."

"If you would have talked to me three weeks ago I would have told you that the men's DMR wasn't going to get into the Penn Relays. Over the past two weeks we've had several guys come back from injury and really impress on the track. All four guys have been racing really well lately and I know they're ready to step up to the challenge at Penn."

"Zach is ready to pop a national qualifying mark in the long jump and what better place to do it then at the Penn Relays. He's a guy who always jumps his best under pressure and at big meets. He should have the exact environment in front of 55,000 people on Friday."

UP NEXT

Xavier travels to the Kentucky Relays on May 7 for its final tune-up before the BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 12-13.