PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, April 24-26 — The wealth was spread across the women’s collegiate slate at the 129th Penn Relays, with different schools winning the seven relay titles.
Texas A&M’s Jasmine Montgomery ran down TCU’s Bryce Brazzell on the 4 x 100 anchor, giving the Aggies a 43.75 win over the Horned Frogs (43.92). “I trusted my teammate [Bria Bullard], I knew she was gonna come in at the right time,” Montgomery said. “As long as I got the stick, I’m good. We’re all fast enough.”
TCU didn’t go home empty-handed, however, having taken the 4 x 200 (1:33.04) the day before. Duke, powered by a 50.56 anchor for Lauren Tolbert, won the 4 x 400 (3:27.77).
In the 4 x 800, NCAA Indoor champ Makayla Paige of North Carolina patiently followed Clemson’s Gladys Chepngetich until the final straight before kicking by for a comfortable win, 8:20.24 (No . 8 school) to 8:21.39 (No. 9), with Washington 3rd in 8:22.10.
Easing the sting for Chepngetich was the previous evening’s sprint medley, a runaway win for the Tigers (3:42.50) that she cemented with a 2:03.23 carry.
Virginia took the distance medley in 10:42.16 (No. 8 all-time on the collegiate list), thanks to a 4:21.45 carry from Margot Appleton, who outkicked Providence’s Kimberley May (4:24.54 to finish a 10:42.57).
“It hurt the last 200, but I wanted to win so badly, and I wanted to win for them [her teammates] because everybody did their part today,” said Appleton. “We’ve been here every year since freshman year, and it seemed like we had the pieces to win a couple of years, and we just didn’t quite get it. I’ve always wanted to win a Penn Relays wheel [winner’s plaque]. We had a rough outing indoors in the DMR [failing to qualify for NCAAs] and just to come back from that was awesome.”
For Providence, the DMR loss compounded the frustration they faced last year, losing to Harvard in the distance medley and a dropped baton that cost them the 4 x 800 title. But finally in the 4 x 1500 on the final day of the meet the Friars squad earned its redemption with an aggressive strategy of putting top runners Shannon Flockhart and May on the middle legs. After taking the baton from Cara Laverty, Flockhart quickly gapped the field and turned the race into a time trial. May and Alex Millard continued to pad the lead for the win, in 16:59.88, No. 3 on the all-time collegiate list. “The confidence was just building throughout the race,” Millard said.
Flockhart noted that exorcising last year’s demons was top of mind during the rain-soaked race. “Everything that was supposed to have gone wrong has gone wrong for us in the relays before,” she said. “This was going to be the last time that me, Kim and Alex are here, so we just wanted to go out with a bang, and we did that.”
Josette Andrews took control of the open 1500 at halfway and ran away from the field over the final 200 to clock 4:01.76, her fastest in two years. “I was feeling really good so I just wanted to not leave anything to chance, to really push it,” she said. “I’ve had a great last 8 weeks of training, so I really wanted to get a big effort today to see where I’m at.”
Other open event winners included Bailey Lear in the 400 (51.21) and Sammy Watson in the 600 (1:28.22, the time hard to gauge since runners ran long after starting from the wrong line). Nia Akins, a Penn grad whose image graces a giant poster hanging in Franklin Field, took the 800 (2:00.49) after blasting the first lap in 56.35. “I was able to get out hard, and I paid for a little bit, but it was learning experience, something to take away. I’m excited for the rest of the season,” said Akins, who is back in the Philadelphia area training under Derek Thompson. “I’m under a new program and we’re just experimenting with different things and just seeing what I can do.”
Olympic silver medalist Shanieka Ricketts of Jamaica topped the triple jump standings at 46-6 (14.17).
Down at the throwing complex, Harvard’s Milina Wepiwé and TCU’s Irene Jepkemboi produced strong marks. In the discus, Wepiwé’s second round 196-0 (59.75) held up for the win over the 195-4 (59.54) of Cincinnati’s Amanda Ngandu-Ntumba. Jepkemboi’s win in the javelin played out in the opposite timeline, sealing the title with her final effort, 185-3 (56.46).
NC State’s Grace Hartman showed her range with a solo 4:07.19 in the collegiate 1500, winning by over 5 seconds.
PENN RELAYS WOMEN’S RESULTS
400: 1. Bailey Lear (US) 51.21.
600(long; start set at wrong staggers): 1. Sammy Watson (US) 1:28.30; 2. Sarah Jane Underwood (US) 1:28.86;… 6. Ajee’ Wilson (US) 1:31.48.
800: 1. Nia Akins (US) 2:00.49; 2. Emily Richards (US) 2:02.80; 3. Gabrielle Wilkinson (US) 2:02.85.
1500: 1. Josette Andrews (US) 4:01.76 (out WL, AL); 2. Dani Jones (US) 4:03.21; 3. Nozomi Tanaka (Jpn) 4:05.44; 4. Adelle Tracey (Jam) 4:06.23; 5. Gracie Hyde (US) 4:08.62; 6. Laurie Barton (US) 4:09.06; 7. Kate Mitchell (US) 4:09.90 PR.
St: 1. ***Debora Cherono’ (TxAM-Ken) 9:57.07; 2. Sydney Masciarelli (NC) 10:00.13; 3. **Kennady Fontenot (TxAM) 10:00.93; 4. *Sarah Trainor (Ct) 10:05.46.
5000: 1. *Vera Sjöberg’ (BU-Swe) 15:40.76; 2. ***Joy Naukot’ (WV-Ken) 15:49.37; 3. Brynn Brown (NC) 15:49.46; 4. Amina Maatoug’ (Wa-Neth) 15:51.96.
10,000: 1. *Sadie Sigfstead’ (Vill-Can) 32:39.54.
100H(-0.1): 1. *Oneka Wilson’ (Clem-Jam) 12.94; 2. *Jaiya Covington (TxAM) 13.00.
400H: I–1. **Amelliah Birdow (TCU) 56.97; 2. Aliya Garozzo (Duke) 57.01. II–1. JodyAnn Dixon’ (Clem-Jam) 56.86; 2. **Tia Williams (TCU) 57.50.
5000W: 1. Alegna Gonzalez (Mex) 21:22.66 NR; 2. Lauren Harris (US) 21:52.58 PR; 3. Noelia Vargas (CRC) 22:54.88 NR; 4. Maria Michta-Coffey (US) 23:22.81.
Relay Events
4 x 100: 1. Texas A&M 43.75 (Smith, Dickson, Bullard, Montgomery); 2. TCU 43.92; 3. Howard 44.31.
4 x 200: 1. TCU 1:33.04 (Harlin, Tucker, Brazzell, Gray);
2. Howard 1:33.89; 3. South Florida 1:34.10.
4 x 400: 1. Duke 3:27.77 (Garozzo 52.6, Jackson 52.5, McGinnis 52.09, Tolbert 50.56); 2. Texas A&M 3:29.12 (Wood 51.06); 3. Howard 3:32.81; 4. South Florida 3:33.06.
4 x 800: 1. North Carolina 8:20.24 (#8 school) (Masciarelli 2:07.13, Parks 2:01.99, Hernandez 2:05.14, Paige 2:05.98); 2. Clemson 8:21.39 (#9 school) (Sumner 2:05.18, Kosgei 2:02.73, Jelelgo 2:06.19, Chepngetich 2:07.29);
3. Washington 8:22.10 (Yerby 2:08.07, Foerster 2:01.35, Liebich 2:07.59, O’Sullivan’ 2:05.09); 4. Princeton 8:34.27; 5. Yale 8:35.53; 6. Penn 8:36.56.
4 x 1500: 1. Providence 16:59.65 (6 W; 3 C) (Laverty 4:18.6, Flockhart 4:13.8, May 4:12.4, Millard 4:14.9);
2. Washington 17:10.88 (8 C) (Cochran 4:17.4, Maatoug’ 4:20.6, O’Sullivan’ 4:20.6, Foerster 4:12.3);
3. Georgetown 17:12.99 (Riggins 4:17.5); 4. Penn State 17:13.14 (Rand 4:17.3); 5. Wisconsin 17:26.83.
SpMed: 1. Clemson 3:42.50 (Kitt, Calloway, Williams 52.8, Chepngetich 2:03.23); 2. Dartmouth 3:49.74; 3. Howard 3:53.03; 4. Norfolk State 3:56.22.
DisMed: 1. Virginia 10:42.16 (5 A; 8 C) (David 3:20.56, Fletcher 53.60, Jackson 2:06.45, Appleton 4:21.45); 2. Providence 10:42.57 (10 C) (Flockhart 3:18.59, Fenerty 55.21, O’Neil’ 2:04.12, May 4:24.54);
3. Georgetown 10:46.60 (Scrimgeour 4:27.35); 4. Clemson 10:46.97 (Kosgei’ 4:29.12); 5. Penn State 10:55.31; 6. Villanova 11:10.82.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Sanaa Barnes (US) 6-1½ (1.87); 2. Charity Hufnagel (US) 6-1½; 3. Vashti Cunningham (US) 6-½ (1.84); 4. Cierra Allphin (US) 6-½.
PV: 1. Chloe Timberg (Rut) 14-7½ (4.46); 2. **Avery Hilliard (Corn) 14-1¾ (4.31).
TJ: 1. Shanieka Ricketts (Jam) 46-6 (14.17); 2. Imani Oliver (Jam) 44-5¼ (13.54); 3. Mylana Hearn (US) 44-2w (13.46) (44-0/13.41).
SP: 1. Emily Fink (Army) 52-10¾ (16.12).
DT: 1. **Milina Wepiwé’ (Harv-Ger) 196-0 (59.75); 2. Amanda Ngandu-Ntumba’ (Cinc-Fra) 195-4 (59.54); 3. *Angeludi Asaah (Penn) 181-8 (55.39).
HT: 1. Emily Fink (Army) 216-4 (65.95); 2. Chioma Njoku (Md) 205-11 (62.77); 3. **Emilia Kolokotroni’ (Harv-Cyp) 205-1 (62.50).
JT: 1. **Irene Jepkemboi’ (TCU-Ken) 185-3 (56.46); 2. *Shea Greene (Prin) 174-0 (53.05).
