Men's Track & Field set for Penn Relays
April 24, 2012
AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 10 Texas Men’s Track & Field team will travel to Philadelphia, Pa. this weekend for the 118th running of the Penn Relays. “It is something that is over 100 years old and Texas has always been represented well there,” said head coach Bubba Thornton. “We have won 36 of the championship plaques. It is good for the people of the east to see our brand up there. It is a special brand because of the university and our athletic program across the board. So we are looking forward to going up and competing.” Texas has shown its tradition of success at Penn Relays with 14 individual relay championships. The most recent came in 2009 in the 4x800m relay. Three of the titles have come in the distance medley relay event. “Texas is all about tradition and we have all these plaques around our facility that were won at Penn Relays so that shows we have a tradition there as well,” said Rhodes. The event held at Franklin Field in Philadelphia has become known as one of the top track meets nationwide. “It is a great atmosphere with all the Jamaica fans that come and all the schools from the Northeast have people come so it really gets you excited to run,” said senior Dereck Dreyer. “It is great having that kind of a crowd like Texas Relays because it gives you an adrenaline rush.” That atmosphere is something Texas has experienced on a regular basis as Thornton takes his team to the meet on an annual basis. “It is similar to Texas Relays but there is a lot more people and it is all about track & field,” said senior Trevante Rhodes. “It is a good feeling to be there with coach (Bubba) Thornton because he knows so many people in the track world and they treat us well up there.”
This weekend marks the end of the regular season for UT as they start preparing for the Big 12 Outdoor Championships May 11-13 in Manhattan, Kan. “It is the biggest meet to compete at on a high level before the postseason,” said Dreyer. “If you do well at Penn Relays you will have a lot of confidence in yourself going into the conference meet. We are all hoping to do well and boost that confidence.” |
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