University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
Penn Relays
Cougars Qualify Six for Penn Relays Final Day
4/28/2017 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
HOUSTON â€" The Houston Cougar Men's and Women's Track & Field teams qualified three relays and four individuals for the final day of the 123rd Penn Relays on Saturday in Philadelphia, while opening competition at the Longhorn Invitational in Austin.
ABOUT THE PENN RELAYS
Philadelphia, Pa. | Franklin Field | April 27-29
Meet Information | Meet Schedule & Results | USATF.TV
ABOUT THE LONGHORN INVITATIONAL
Austin, Texas | Mike A. Myers Track Stadium | April 28-29
Meet Information | Meet Schedule |
4x100 POSTS TOP TIME
Running events on Friday opened with the men in the 4x100-meter relay. Entering the event with the top seeded time of 38.59, the Cougars did not disappoint in the prelims. Houston's squad of Cameron Burrell, Mario Burke, Jacarias Martin and Eli Hall ran 39.29 to punch their ticket to Saturday's final. Houston will run the event at 12:40 p.m., Saturday.
4X200 MOVES ON
Houston's second attempt at a relay on Friday produced nearly the same result. The men's 4x200-meter relay team of John Lewis III, Curtis Brown, Martin and Hall ran 1:23.49 to qualify third overall for the final. The Cougar crew will be on the track at 1:45 p.m., Saturday in the Championship of American race.
4x400 QUALIFIES ON TIME
The Cougars made it a clean sweep on qualifiers as the men's 4x400-meter relay team reached the finals on Friday. Houston's team of Amere Lattin, Daniel Ford, Burke and Trumaine Jefferson ran 3:09.49 and outlasted the field to qualify seventh for the final.
The men's 4x400 squad will be back on the track on Saturday at 5 p.m., in the final event of the 123rd Penn Relays.
With the relay qualifications, Houston put itself in a prime position to win its first sprint relay championship at the Penn Relays since 1989 when the Cougars, led by then-athlete Leroy Burrell, won the 4x100-meter relay.
HOUSTON BOASTS ONE-THIRD OF 100-METER FINAL
The Cougars put on a show in the preliminary heats of the 100-meter dash on Friday. Houston qualified three athletes for the final, giving Houston one-third of the nine-sprinter field.
Junior Eli Hall posted the opening round's top time when he crossed the line in a wind-legal 10.14. Hall's new personal best ranks him No. 9 in the NCAA this season. Sophomore Mario Burke ran a season-best 10.43 to qualify fifth, while John Lewis III qualified sixth in 10.46.
The trio will compete in Saturday's final at 2:50 p.m.
LATTIN PUNCHES 110-METER HURDLE TICKET
Sophomore Amere Lattin punched Houston's fourth finals ticket of the day when he qualified for the 110-meter hurdle final. In the prelims, Lattin crossed the line in 14.07 to qualify fifth overall. Lattin will compete in the finals at 2:20 p.m., on Saturday.
GARZA CLAIMS SHOT CHAMPIONSHIP
Senior thrower Alex Garza took home Houston's first championship with a win in the college division of the men's shot put. Garza qualified for the finals with a mark of 56-3.75 (17.15m) on his second attempt. On his fifth attempt, Garza launched the shot a personal best 59-2.0 (18.03m) to move into the lead and eventually win the event.
COUGARS PODIUM IN LONG JUMPS
Houston entered a competitor in each of the championship and college divisions of the men's long jump on Friday. Junior Trumaine Jefferson was on the runway first in the championship portion. Jefferson posted a season best, but wind-aided, mark of 25-4.75 (7.74m) to finish second by just eight-tenths of an inch.
Antwan Dickerson followed in the college division of the long jump. Dickerson leapt 24-2.25 (7.37m) on his final attempt to move into third and collect bronze.
THE REST OF THE BEST
A pair of throwers posted top-10 finishes at each of the Penn Relays and the Longhorn Invitational. In Philadelphia, junior Cameron Cornelius finished seventh in the Champions of American shot put competition with a top throw of 59-5.5 (18.12m), while in Austin, senior Damon Thompson launched the hammer 182-3 (58.39m) to also take seventh.
The Cougars wrapped up the day with the men's sprint medley relay. Houston's team of Cameron Prejean, Curtis Brown, Raymund Clarke and Chris Ibarra finished sixth in 3:22.90.
WATCH IT LIVE
The 2017 Penn Relay Carnival will be broadcast live Saturday via USATF.TV and the NBC Sports Network. The USATV.TV broadcast will require a RunnerSpace +Plus subscription, which can be found HERE.
USATF.TV will offer full coverage of the final day of the Penn Relays. Saturday's coverage will open at 6 a.m., and run throughout the day.
NBCSN will also carry coverage for portions of the final day of the event. Saturday's coverage will broadcast from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.
AN HONOR FOR COACH BURRELL
Head Coach Leroy Burrell has been named as the Honorary College Referee for Relay Events at the most prestigious meet in his hometown of Philadelphia. Burrell has been a staple in Philadelphia track & field for three decades beginning with leading Penn Wood High to a state championship in 1985.
In 1989 and 90, Burrell won the 100-meter dash at the Penn Relays, setting the meet record in his performance. In his professional career, Burrell returned to set the Olympic Development Record in the 4x200-meter relay at Penn alongside teammates Carl Lewis, Floyd Heard and Michael Marsh. In 2010, Burrell was honored by being named to the Penn Relays Wall of Fame.
UP NEXT FOR HOUSTON
The Cougars return home for the final meet before the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships, when they host the Tom Tellez Invitational on Friday, May 5 at the Carl Lewis Complex.
AMERICAN OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS ON SALE NOW
The 2017 American Athletic Conference Championships make their way to Carl Lewis Complex and the University of Houston on May 12-14, and tickets for the event are on sale now.
Fans have the option of purchasing a 3-day pass beginning at $10 for adults and $6 for seniors/youth, or buying tickets for each individual day at $6 for adults and $3 for seniors/youth.
Tickets can be purchased by visiting UHCougars.com/tickets or clicking HERE, or by calling 713-GO-COOGS (713-462-6647).
FOLLOW THE COUGARS
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Players Mentioned
