Anna Willard's 4:13.9 split en route to 4x1500m collegiate record for Michigan at the Penn Relays (© Kirby Lee)
The University of Michigan women made the most of their only attempt of the season at the 4x1500m Relay with a collegiate record at the 113th Penn Relays at the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field on Friday (27).
17-year-old record falls
The Wolverines’ quartet of Katie Erdman, Genna Gall, Anna Willard and Canadian Nicole Edwards timed 17:15.62 to eclipse the previous collegiate standard of 17:18.10 set by Villanova at the 1990 edition of the Penn Relays.
“It’s a goal that we had since the beginning of the indoor season, we talked about the Penn Relays,” Edwards said.
Erdman, a senior, and Gall, a sophomore, opened with 4:22.0 and 4:21.4 legs before Willard turned the race into a time trial with a 4:13.9 split – the fastest of the field. Edwards, a junior, closed with a 4:18.3 leg to give Michigan the record.
As Edwards ran down the homestretch, she had to force herself not to look at the clock on the scoreboard.
“I figured when I crossed the finish line that I would find out,” said Edwards, who was third at this year's NCAA indoor championships in the Mile. “I knew that we were on pace. I knew all I needed to do was to keep it together, keep my form and finish and we would get the record."
Edwards, who finished 12th in the NCAA cross country championships in November to help Michigan to their third place finish in the team standings for the Wolverines’ best finish since 1994, said that the cohesiveness of training with Erdman, Gall and Williard played a big part in the record on Friday.
The quartet will go after another win today in the 4x800 relay today on the final day of the three-day meeting.
“The four of us can train together any day,” Edwards said. “That’s why we’re so good because we have each other to push us."
Stormy weather almost sabotaged Michigan’s record attempt on Friday. The meet was delayed for 2½ hours because of heavy rain and lightning, which forced the evacuation of the stadium. Conditions were cool and calm, though, by the time the 4x1500m Relay began.
“The weather had to avail for us to have the opportunity,” Michigan coach Mike McGuire said. “When you add up the splits, it made sense that we would go after it. Running 1500 metres in an open race is a little different animal. It’s not quite as easy as it looks but I would be a lying Irishman if I didn’t say we were looking (at the record) a little bit."
Other Friday highlights...
Louisiana State University, anchored by Kelly Ann Baptiste (TRI), won the women’s 4x100m Relay in 43.66 in race featuring five of the top six 200m runners in the world this year. The University of South Carolina, featuring World Junior champions Shalonda Solomon and Natasha Hastings, was second in 43.80.
Auburn with Kerron Stewart (JAM) was third in 43.95 and Texas Christian University, led by standout Virgil Hodge (SKN), was fourth in 44.27. Stewart, the world 200m leader, was also the top qualifier in the 100m preliminaries in 11.22.
In the 4x200m Relay, South Carolina’s Solomon and Hastings led the Gamecocks to the top women’s qualifying time of 1:33.86.
Centrowitz takes down 35-year-old meet record in boy's mile
In the high school competition, Matt Centrowitz of Maryland's Broadneck High, the son of former U.S. 5000m record holder Matt Centrowitz Sr., won the Mile in 4:08.38 to dip under the previous Relays standard of 4:08.7 which had stood since 1972. Last year's winner of the 3000, the younger Centrowitz was clocked in 3:52.56 at 1500m.
Eleanor Roosevelt won the girls 4x800m Relay over Jamaica’s Holmwood Tech, 8:51.19 to 8:51.23, in a spirited homestretch duel to move into second on the all-time U.S. high school list.
Kirby Lee for the IAAF
