Penn Relays 2007: Women’s College Individual Events Preview
Posted April 24th, 2007 at 9:39 PM by thefinalsprint.com
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
Kelly Baptiste of LSU is back to defend her championship in the women’s 100-meter dash at this year’s Penn Relays, but she will have her hands full.
Baptiste will face Kerron Stewart of Auburn, who won both NCAA indoor sprint titles last month in Fayetteville, and Courtney Champion of Tennessee, who was second to Stewart in the 60-meter final. Baptiste finished third in that race.
A year ago, Baptiste ran 11.10 win the Relays 100, a personal best and a new national record for her native Trinidad.
Champion won the Florida Relays 100 this spring, while Stewart was second in the NCAA outdoor 100 championship last June in California.
And there are a host of other challengers in a great 100 field for the women this year, including:
Nyoka Cole of U-Tech (Jamaica); Virgil Hodge of TCU, a scorer in the indoor 200; Murielle Ahoure of George Mason, fifth here a year ago; Sherry Fletcher and Brooklynn Morris of LSU, both scorers indoors; Gloria Asumnu of Tulane, fourth in that NCAA 60; and Cleo Tyson, a teammate of Champion’s at Tennessee.
The women’s 100 at the Relays has produced prestigious champions this young century, including Marshevet Hooker of Texas in 2005, Lauryn Williams of Miami in 2004 and Muna Lee of LSU from 2001-03. Williams and Lee both made the 2004 Olympic team, and Hooker went on to be an NCAA champion.
In the women’s 100 hurdles, the 1-2 finishers from this year’s NCAA indoor final will be present, with champion Shantia Moss of Georgia Tech again facing the runner-up, Jessica Ohanaja of LSU.
Moss comes to Penn off a loss – she was upset over the weekend by freshman Kristi Castlin of Virginia Tech at the ACC Championships, where Castlin ran a stunning wind-aided 12.81 to win by .01. Ohanaja, meanwhile, won the Texas Relays this spring. She will be joined here by teammate Nickiesha Wilson, who ran a world-leading time in the 400 hurdles over the weekend.
Others in the field include Monique Morgan of Villanova, an NCAA scorer who was fourth here last year; Yvette Lewis of Hampton, winner of the Florida Relays; and Nia Ali and Celriece Law of Tennessee, both of whom made the NCAA indoor final.
In the throws, Michelle Carter of Texas will try to win her first Penn Relays championship in her senior season. She was second to Laura Gerraughty of North Carolina a year ago, then was beaten by Gerraughty again at last year’s NCAA outdoor. At this year’s NCAA indoor, Carter lost to Sarah Stevens of Arizona State in the final round. Here at Penn she will face, among others, Khadija Talley of Miami, Ashley Muffet of Kentucky and Sarah Vance of Buffalo.
Talley is also in the discus field. She won the ACC title last week by an inch over Jocelyn White of North Carolina. White, who was second here last year, was the Relays’ high school champion in 2004, representing Delsea (N.J.) High School. Talley, who won Florida Relays this year, was third here a year ago. Precious Akins of South Carolina, fourth at NCAAs last year, and Billie-Jo Grant of Virginia are also in the discus field.
In the javelin, Anna Raynor of UNC-Wilmington will look to defend her championship against, among others, Daina Pucurs of Duke and Kara Patterson and Lindsey Blaine of Purdue. Raynor threw a personal-best 172-11 to win the Relays a year ago, then went on to place fourth at NCAAs. Patterson and Blaine both placed here last year, while Pucurs won the ACC title over the weekend.
In the hammer, the leading contenders are Shanna Dickenson of Tennessee, Astin Steward of Purdue, Marjorie Grap of Bucknell and Tiffany Evans of Radford.
Sarah Wilfred of Cornell, coming off an excellent indoor season, is the favorite in the women’s high jump. Sarah set a meet record in winning the Heps indoor title in February in New York, jumping a lifetime-best 6-1 1/4, and went on to place fifth at NCAAs. She was second at the Relays last year to Destinee Hooker of Texas, who is not defending her championship. Also in the field are three other 6-foot jumpers: Caroline Wolf of Texas A&M, Debra Vento of Duke, and Viktoria Andonova of Miami. Wolf has placed in the past two NCAA meets.
The horizontal jumps are led by two Miami jumpers, Brenda Faluade and Amy Seward. Both were finalists in the NCAA indoor long jump, and Faluade has also jumped 44 feet in the triple.
Other contenders in the long jump are Jeomi Maduka of Cornell, Yvette Lewis of Hampton and Gayle Hunter of Penn State. Hunter is also entered in the heptathlon.
In the triple jump, other 43-foot jumpers include Alyce Williams of Florida State, Yasmine Regis of A&M, April Williams of Toledo, and Lewis. Lewis was the NCAA indoor champion in 2006 and the runner-up this year.
Jodi Unger of Arkansas will defend her Relays championship in the women’s vault, competing along with her teammate Stephanie Irwin and another 13-foot vaulter, Alexandra Gonzalez of Turabo (Puerto Rico). Others include freshman Katelyn Rodrigue of LSU, Lara Jones of Duke, Mallory Peck of Purdue and the Heps champion, Jessica Kloss of Princeton.
The favorite in the 400 hurdles is Kaliese Spencer of U-Tech (Jamaica). Spencer lost by just .04 to Dominique Darden of Miami here a year ago. She also won the World Junior championship for Jamaica in Beijing in 55.11.
The surprise newcomer in this event is Sherlenia Green of Virginia Tech, who won the ACC title over the weekend in a shocking 56.66, just ahead of her freshman teammate, Queen Harrison. They both finished ahead of their better-known rival, Erin Crawford of Virginia.
Another hurdler having a fine freshman season is Krystal Cantey, who won the Florida Relays for South Carolina in 57.40.
And returning to the Relays after a long absence will be Sheryl Morgan of Nebraska. She won the high school intermediate hurdles in 2003 while a student at Holmwood Tech.
In the college distance races on Thursday evening, BYU runners Kassi Andersen and Amy Fowler are the top entries in the steeplechase, along with teammate Whitney McDonald in the 5,000 and 10,000.
Aine Hoban of Providence, Salome Kosgei of Iona and Lindsay Donaldson of Yale are scheduled to run in the 5,000, while Tennessee’s Katie Van Horn is slated to compete in the 10,000.
Written by: Jack Pfeifer
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Tags: jack pfeifer, Penn Relays, penn relays preview, womens college individual preview
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