Mississippi State
Penn Relays (O)
Wesela, Jackson Claim Wins At Penn Relays On Friday
April 29, 2011 | Track & Field
On Day 2 of the Penn Relays at historic Franklin Field, the Slinger, Wis., junior overcame an early flat throw to win the shot put with a toss of 56-4.
It's the third time in as many weeks he's won this event, starting with the Jace LaCoste Invitational two weeks ago and continuing with the Mississippi Open last weekend.
"This is a big meet," said an elated Wesela, who also finished 9th in the discus with a throw of 160-7. "A lot of big name guys are here, and to come here and win is pretty special. It felt good to have Mississippi State across my chest today."
It was a special afternoon as well for freshman Marcus Jackson. In his first showing at the Penn Relays, the Carrolton, Miss., product won the high jump with a personal best leap of 7-1. His previous best of 7-00 came at the Texas Relays back in early April.
As for qualifying rounds, the 18th-ranked Bulldogs will also be running Saturday in the 4x100-, 4x200- and 4x400-meter relays, while Garren Hendricks advance to the finals of the 100-meter dash after crossing the finish line at 10.70.
The Lady Bulldogs had a productive day as well, turning in four Top 10 finishes.
Leading the way was the shuttle hurdle relay squad of Keisha Wallace, Racquel Farquharson, Talisha Lee and Brittany Covington, whose time of 57.94 earned the team a 6th-place finish. Also, the 4x100 team of Farquharson, McCaleb, Baker and Jody-Ann Muir ran 45.68 to finish 8th.
In addition, the 4x1500 relay team of Chloe Phillips, Renee Masterson, Haley Greenwell, Katie Huston placed 9th after posting a season-best time of 18:27.31.
Action at the 117th running of the Penn Relays concludes on Saturday. MSU's first event is slated for 12:25 p.m. with the men's 4x100m relay. The Lady Bulldogs' first event is the 4x400m relay at 4:45 p.m.
Friday's Results
Men
4x100 Heats
MSU: 5th, Justin Christian, Garren Hendricks, Tavaris Tate, James Harris, 39.94.
4x200 Heats
MSU: 4th, Tavaris Tate, O'Neal Wilder, Garren Hendricks, James Harris, 1:22.58
4x400 Heats
MSU: 9th, James Harris, O'Neal Wilder, Randy Patterson, Tavaris Tate, 3:09.64
100m Dash Heats
MSU: Garren Hendricks, 10.70.
High Jump
Winner: Marcus Jackson (7-1), Mississippi State
Shot Put
Winner: Ed Wesela (56-4), Mississippi State
Discus
Winner: Cody Riffle (178-10), Michigan
MSU: Ed Wesela, 160-1.
Women
4x100
Winner: Virginia Tech, 45.01
MSU: 8th, Racquel Farquharson, Richesa McCaleb, Taneisha Baker, Jody-Ann Muir, 45.68
4x200 Heats
MSU: 9th, Richesa McCaleb, Racquel Farquharson, Jody-Ann Muir, Brittany Covington, 1:36.10
4x1500
Winner: Boston College, 17:25.19.
MSU: 9th, Chloe Phillips, Renee Masterson, Haley Greenwell, Katie Huston, 18:27.31
Shuttle Hurdles
Winner: Texas A&M, 53:41
MSU: 6th, Keisha Wallace, Racquel Farquharson, Talisha Lee, Brittany Covington, 57.94.
100m Hurdles
Winner: Natasha Ruddock (13.39), Texas A&M
MSU: 14th, Keisha Wallace, 13.83
