Florida Gators
Penn Relays
Pair of Women?s T&F Relays Turn In Top-Eight Performances at Final Day of Penn Relays
Saturday, April 29, 2006 | Women's Track and Field
The University of Florida women's track and field team had a pair of relay teams finish in the top-10 as the only Gators to compete on the third and final day of the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa. The 4x200m relay tandem placed eighth, while the 4x800m team finished seventh in their respective fields.
Sophomore All-American Lakecia Ealey (Albany, Ga.), freshman Nene Kamate (Jamaica, N.Y.), junior Dominique McLeggan (Weston, Fla.) and sophomore All-American Natalie Knight (Snellville, Ga.) mirrored the team's eighth-place finish Friday evening as Knight anchored and crossed the finish line at the 1:35.33 mark. Earlier Saturday, freshman Shannon Leinert (Wildwood, Mo.), senior Amanda Schommer (Vero Beach, Fla.), junior Kecia Johnson (Gainesville, Fla.) and sophomore Kristen Johnson (Atlanta, Ga.) placed seventh with a clocking of 8:42.13.
“We have a couple of rookies that have never run a 4x200, and they got a little excited and left a little early without the handoff,” UF women's head coach Tom Jones said. “However, they did get a good opportunity to run. The 4x800m girls did a great job. The first two kept us in the hunt, and I was proud of their time as a group. For that team to run and place like they did at this level of competition, it was a good job.”
Leinert got the group off to a fast start with a 2:06.90 time on the first leg, while Schommer moved the group up in the field after clocking 2:07.90 in the second leg. Kecia Johnson and Kristen Johnson sealed the top-10 finish with runs of 2:11.60 and 2:13.00 in the final two legs.
“All in all, I think we had a pretty good showing at the Penn Relays and got one more athlete qualified for the regional meet,” Jones explained. “It was definitely a positive experience for our team at this meet, and we'll continue to get ready for the SEC Outdoor Championships.”
The Gators return to action May 11-14 in Fayetteville, Ark., for the 2006 Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships.
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