University of Houston Athletics
Eli Hall Named American Athlete of the Week
5/2/2017 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
HOUSTON â€" Junior sprinter Eli Hall has been named the American Athletic Conference Track Athlete of the Week for his performance at the 123rd Penn Relays, the league office announced Tuesday.
Hall helped the Cougars to their first sprint relay title in 28 years, while also collecting an individual title en route to being named the Individual Athlete of the Meet at one of the nation's most historic events in Philadelphia.
Hall and the Cougars' 4x200-meter relay team of Amere Lattin, Mario Burke and Jacarias Martin qualified for the finals with a time of 1:23.44 in the preliminary rounds to book their ticket to the Championship of America race. Hall anchored the Cougars in each race, including the final where Houston ran 1:21.17 to claim the Penn Wheel.
The result was Houston's first win in a sprint relay since 1989, when then-athlete Leroy Burrell claimed gold for the 4x100-meter relay squad. The victory was also the first for Houston in the 4x200 at Penn since Carl Lewis helped lead the team to a win in 1980.
Individually, Hall posted one of the top races in Penn history in the 100-meter dash, when he crossed the line in a wind-aided 10.00 to win the Championship of America race. Hall's time moves him to No. 6 in the NCAA this season and earned Houston its second-consecutive win in the event after then-senior LeShon Collins claimed the title last season.
The victory in the 100 was Houston's eighth at Penn, a feat no other team in the history of the Penn Relays has accomplished.
The honor for Hall is the second of his career after being named track athlete of the week during the indoor season, following his record-setting performance in the 200-meter dash at Mark Colligan Memorial in Lincoln, Neb.
COUGAR AWARDS
Houston has now won a combined 19 Track & Field Athlete of the Week awards during the indoor and outdoor seasons. Sophomore Amere Lattin has earned four track awards in 2017, while junior Tonye'cia Burks has claimed the field honor three times including back-to-back weeks on April 11 and April 18.
Junior Cameron Cornelius has taken home a field award in each of the indoor and outdoor seasons, while Tori Williams has won three track awards this season (two indoor, one outdoor). Junior Cameron Burrell earned two track and one field awards during the indoor season, while Brian Barraza and Samiyah Samuels have each earned the honor once.
UP NEXT FOR HOUSTON
The Cougars return home to host their final meet of the regular season, the Tom Tellez Invitational. The meet is scheduled for Friday, May 5, and will serve as Houston's Senior Day event.
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Players Mentioned
