Weekend Recap: Collegiate Records Fall In Relay Events

The last weekend of April always delivers.

Legendary relay carnivals such as the Drake Relays and Penn Relays are the headliners, but that doesn’t mean individual events can’t shine, too.

From The USTFCCCA InfoZone: Meets & Results | Records & Lists

It was a great weekend for collegiate track & field across the nation.

Let’s find out which moments stood out the most.

Onward, Crimson

Move over, Villanova.

You too, Washington.

Harvard now has the best distance medley relay in collegiate history.

The Crimson, with 2024 NCAA DI mile champion Maia Ramsden on anchor, set an absolute collegiate record in the event at the Penn Relays on Friday. Harvard’s quartet got the baton around in 10:37.55, which obliterated Villanova’s 36-year-old outdoor CR by nearly 11 seconds and surpassed Washington’s indoor CR by nearly six seconds.

Sophia Gorriaran handed off the baton to Chloe Fair in seventh place after a 3:20.36 split over 1200 meters. Fair brought the Crimson up to fourth with a 53.20 split over 400 meters, followed by Victoria Bossong’s 2:02.54 marker on the third leg, which kept Harvard in third. Ramsden showed why she is the premier collegiate miler with a 4:21.47 anchor that sent the Crimson past both eventual runner-up Providence (10:39.04) and eventual third-placer Virginia (10:48.55).

4xMile Record-Smashing at Penn Relays

Smash, Smash, Smash!

Three teams did that to the 4xMile Collegiate Record at the Penn Relays, each shaving more than 10 seconds under the previous standard.

Villanova was fastest at 15:51.91, with Virginia (15:52.30) and Georgetown (15:52.56) following closely. Those squads now rank Nos. 2, 4 and 5 on the all-time world list. The only foursome ever faster is Ireland, which clocked 15:49.08 in 1985. The previous CR of 16:03.27 was set by Oregon in 2009.

Villanova, Virgnia and Georgetown were close throughout. The Wildcats’ foursome was comprised of Sean Dolan (3:59.32), Luke Rakowitz (4:00.09), Dan Watcke (3:58.18) and Liam Murphy (3:54.32). Virginia, which led after 3 legs, anchored with Gary Martin (3:55.22) while Georgetown closed fastest with Abel Teffra (3:54.26).

The Hoyas’ all-U.S. team broke the American outdoor record of 16:08.54 set by in 1984 by Athletics West. It’s also faster than the indoor U.S. record of 16:03.68 by Brooks Beasts in 2019. Lucas Guerra (3:59.61), Parker Stokes (3:59.89) and Camden Gilmore (3:58.82) preceded Teffra’s anchor leg.

Bow Down To Washington

Washington’s women made sure they wouldn’t leave Franklin Field without a collegiate record.

The Huskies made history in the City of Brotherly Love on Saturday, taking down an 11-year-old collegiate record in the 4×800 relay with their 8:17.28 clocking. That was 0.17 seconds faster than Villanova ran on the same track back in 2013.

Marleigh Preigh led off for Washington in 2:07.94, followed by Wilma Nielsen in 2:05.06. Then Samantha Friborg and Chloe Foerster brought it home in 2:02.12 and 2:02.17 on the third and fourth legs, respectively.

Providence actually crossed the finish line first, but without a baton, after it was knocked out of Shannon Flockhart’s hand while she attempted to block Foerster from passing down the homestretch. The Friars were DQ’d.

Cartwright Scorches Another 100H

One of these days Denisha Cartwright is going to catch a legal wind.

When that happens, the NCAA DII 100-meter-hurdle record is gone.

Cartwright stormed to the event title at the Drake Relays in 12.71 (+2.1). The wind was 0.1 m/s over the allowable, which sends Cartwright’s mark into the all-conditions area. Perfect conditions would make that mark No. 2 in NCAA DII history – just 0.01 seconds off the 11-year-old division best – but alas it sits as the fifth-fastest effort regardless of conditions.

Patzka Makes History … Again

Christian Patzka had a historic season debut in the 5000 meters.

Patzka, who won the NCAA DIII indoor title in the event last month, ripped around the track at the Gary Wilson Invitational in 13:51.23 to move up to No. 2 on the all-time divisional chart. The UW-Whitewater standout previously had been ninth all-time before setting a PR of nearly four seconds.

There is a logjam at the top of the all-time list with Patzka, Dhruvil Patel and Spencer Moon all separated by just 0.42 seconds from second to fourth. Patel ran his 13:41.50 back in 2019, while Moon added his 13:51.65 marker to the ledger earlier this month.

This wasn’t the first time this season that Patzka clocked an all-time mark. Patzka went 8:43.98 in the steeplechase at the Bryan Clay Invitational for the fifth fastest performance in NCAA DIII history. He was already the second fastest man in divisional annals with his 8:42.46 clocking to win the NCAA title last year (That was actually the NCAA DIII record for all of one week until Christopher Collet covered the distance and cleared the barriers in 8:38.46).

Antkoviak Hurdles Into History

Hannah Antkoviak’s name dots the NAIA all-time chart in the 400-meter hurdles.

“Dots” might be putting it lightly, though.

With her 56.20 clocking at the Drake Relays on Friday, which is a known NAIA record, Antkoviak now owns the top-6 marks in division history and eight of the top-10. Antkoviak improved her PR by 0.51 seconds to place first out of 26 total athletes in the event.

Iowa Western CC No. 2 All-Time DMR in NJCAA History

Iowa Western CC strengthened its hold of No. 2 on the NJCAA all-time list in the men’s distance medley relay, winning the Drake Relays in 9:47.50. That’s an improvement of 11.00 seconds on their previous best of 9:58.50 from last year that was already No. 2 all-time.

The Reivers won by 2.43 seconds over Augustana (S.D.) with the foursome of Flynn Pumpa (3:04.64 for 1200), Michael Francois (46.80 for 400), Mohammed Kowa (1:48.53 for 800) and Geoffrey Ronoh (4:07.54 for 1600). The all-time NJCAA best is 9:41.65 by Ranger (Texas) in 1985.

LSU Invitational Produces Fast Times

Winds teetered with the legal limit of 2.0 meters per second all day at the LSU Invitational.

The home team found a legal wind reading of 1.8mps to their liking for the women’s 100 hurdles, with three Tigers running sub-12.90 in the same race: Leah Phillips (PR 12.71), Shani’a Bellamy (PR 12.77) and Alia Armstrong (12.84).

Above-allowable readings accompanied Dajaz Defrand of Florida State clock 10.88w (+2.8) to turn back Thelma Davies of LSU (10.92w) and Kaila Jackson of Georgia (10.97w) in the women’s 100. Godson Oghenebrume of LSU was fastest in the men’s century at 10.00w (+2.3). Tranard Folson of Indian Hills (Iowa) CC clocked a wind-legal PR of 10.06 (+1.7) racing in an invitational section.

In the 200s, McKenzie Long of Ole Miss was fastest among the women at 22.21w (+2.2) over Davies’ 22.39w, but Defrand had a wind-legal 22.58 (+1.1) in a separate section. Auburn’s Makanakaishe Charamba was the leading man at 20.11w (+2.3), and Folson had another PR – 20.53 (0.0) – in an invitational section.

Field action highlights included LSU’s Claudio Romero approach his 67.29m/220-9 PR with a heave of 66.57m/218-5 and Wayne Pinnock of Arkansas launch a long jump of 8.44m/27-8¼w for the farthest all-conditions outdoor mark in the world thus far this year.