Welch Repeats as Penn Relays Champion
Saturday, April 25
Philadelphia, PA – The University of Findlay men's and women's track and field team traveled to Pennsylvania, taking part in the Penn Relays on the third and final day of competition. The Penn Relays are the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States and has been running since 1895. More than 15,000 athletes from various high schools and colleges across the country gather to compete in more than 300 events.
Justin Welch defended his Penn Relays title from last season with another victory in the Men's Hammer Throw Championship. He defeated athletes from seven Division I schools including LSU, South Carolina, Wake Forest, Rutgers, and Florida State. His throw distanced 224'02" and earned met automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championship. The toss was more than twelve feet further than the nearest finisher, an athlete from Cornell.
Ashland, OH – The team also sent athletes to participate in the Ashland University Alumni Open, an event that has taken place over the last two days.
Women
Sophomore Liz Streacker took third place in the hammer throw as she was able to hurl the hammer a distance of 54.27 meters. That distance earned her the provisional distance in the event. Sophomore teammate Erica King was also able to earn a provisional as her throw of 53.24 meters earned her a fourth place finish.
In the 400 meter dash, junior Samantha Grippe finished with a time of 59.95, good enough for eighth place.
Freshman Milani Glass participated in the 100 meter hurdles and took seventh place with a time of 15.02. Glass also participated in the triple jump and took sixth place with a jump that measured 10.17 meters.
Senior Taylor Ackerman finished in eighth place in the long jump as she soared to 5.17 meters.
Men
Junior Derek Spindler was able to finish second in the pole vault as he leaped to a height of 4.77 meters, good enough to earn him the provisional mark in the event.
The teams will be back in action as they compete at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Championship which begins in Hillsdale, MI next week, Wednesday April 29.