Florida Gators
Penn Relays Carnival
Track and Field Concludes Successful Second Day of Penn Relays
Saturday, April 24, 2010 | Track and Field
Junior thrower Kemal Mesic (Sarajevo, Bosnia) won the men's shot put and Florida advanced its men's 4x100m and 4x200m relays to the Championship of America finals at the 116th Penn Relays Carnival on Friday at historic Franklin Field.
Mesic came out strong with a second throw of 18.92m/62-1 to capture the men's shot put event. The All-American became the first Florida athlete to capture that event in the storied history of the Penn Relays Carnival.
The nation's top-ranked men's 4x100-meter relay team won its heat in a time of 39.88 to advance to the Championship of America to be contested Saturday at 1:25 p.m. ET. The quartet consisted of Chris Rainey (Lakeland, Fla.), Jeremy Hall (Jacksonville, Fla.), Terrell Wilks (New Haven, Conn.) and Jeff Demps (Winter Garden, Fla.). Teams making Saturday's Championship of America include Texas A&M, TCU and Southeastern Conference foes Kentucky and LSU.
The world-leading 4x200-meter relay team won its heat in a time of 1:22.39 to advance to the Championship of America to be contested Saturday at 2:40 p.m. ET Saturday. The quartet consisted of Tony McQuay (Riviera Beach, Fla.), Hall, Wilks and 16-time All-American Calvin Smith (Lutz, Fla.). Saturday's Championship of America includes Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Tennessee.
“We had a good day today,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “Kemal won the shot put and our relays ran well. We had some bumps in the road today, but those are going to happen. We'd rather them happen now than later on at championship time. We're going to get after it tomorrow and we're looking forward to seeing how our team responds to a little bit of adversity.”
Sophomore jumper Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.) placed ninth in the men's long jump championship with a leap of 7.37m/24-2.25.
High jumper Frankie Hammond (Hollywood, Fla.) and Bryan Turner (Gainesville, Fla.) each recorded season-best marks in the men's high jump with leaps of 2.08m/6-9.75 each.
The men's 4x400-meter relay placed 11th overall in the prelims in a time of 3:09.54 following a dropped baton on the final handoff. That quartet will compete in the college championship final at 5:40 p.m. ET Saturday.
The final day of the Penn Relays Carnival begins at 10 a.m. ET Saturday from Franklin Field. Complete results and a recap will be available at www.GatorZone.com.
For the latest information on Florida track and field, log on to www.GatorZone.com/trackfield or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team's Twitter account @GZTrackField or www.twitter.com/GZTrackField.
117TH PENN RELAYS CARNIVAL (APRIL 22-24, 2010 – PHILADELPHIA, PA.)
Friday, April 23, 2010
Men's Shot Put Championship – 10 a.m. ET
1. Kemal Mesic – 18.92m/62-1
Men's High Jump College – 10 a.m. ET
9. Frankie Hammond – 2.08m/6-9.75
10. Bryan Turner – 2.08m/6-9.75
Women's Discus Championship – 11 a.m. ET
10. Keely Medeiros – 45.16m/148-1
Men's 4x100m Relay Prelims – 12:35 p.m. ET
2. Florida (C. Rainey, J. Hall, T. Wilks, J. Demps) – 39.88 Q
Men's 4x200m Relay Prelims – 1:50 p.m. ET
2. Florida (T. McQuay, J. Hall, T. Wilks, C. Smith) – 1:22.39
Men's Long Jump Championship – 2 p.m. ET
9. Christian Taylor – 7.37m/24-2.25 w
Men's 4x400m Relay Prelims – 4:35 p.m. ET
11. Florida (R. Anderson, T. McQuay, P. Wilson, C. Smith) – 3:09.54
END OF REPORT
