University of Oregon
The 121st Penn Relays
Ducks Double Up at Penn Relays
04/25/15 | Track and Field
PHILADELPHIA – The Ducks were wheeling and dealing at the Penn Relays on Saturday, winning both the men's distance medley relay and women's sprint medley relay to bring home a pair of Penn Wheels thanks to strong anchor legs from Edward Cheserek and Annie Leblanc.
The men's DMR team defended its Penn Relays Championship despite replacing three seniors from the 2014 team. The group of Johnny Gregorek, Marcus Chambers, Niki Franzmair and Cheserek combined for a winning time of 9:33.86.
"It was a great team effort,” said associate head coach Andy Powell. “The overall plan for the first three legs was to try to get Ed (Cheserek) the baton in second. The guys executed perfectly."
Gregorek led things off in the 1,200-meter leg, passing to Chambers for the 400-meter leg. Gregorek was one of four runners in front to pass off the baton virtually at the same time, allowing the Ducks to avoid the chaos which ensued at the first exchange.
Chambers' 400 split was clocked at 47.90, moving the Ducks from second to first before passing to the freshman Franzmair. Franzmair ran a strong third leg, setting up Cheserek for the mile anchor exactly as planned.
It did not take long for Cheserek to close the 10-meter gap on the leader, and with 400 meters left in the race and four teams in the lead pack, it was going to come down to a kick. Villanova's Jordan Williamsz made the first move with 250 meters remaining, but Cheserek responded, passing Williamsz around the final turn and creating separation down the home stretch while crossing the finish line with a split of 3:59.44.
"I was prepared,” Cheserek said. “I was just waiting for him to take the lead a little bit. I stayed with him and saved energy for the last 200 meters. My coach told me to sit in second and make the move on the last lap when you feel strong."
The women's sprint medley team of Jasmine Todd, Jenna Prandini, Raevyn Rogers and Leblanc won Oregon's first title in the event, edging out Clemson in 3:44.59.
All-American sprinters Todd and Prandini put the Ducks in front through the pair of 200-meter legs, handing off to Rogers, who split 54.1 during her 400-meter leg.
When Leblanc received the baton, it was a three-team heat with not much separating the Ducks with UTech (Jamaica) and Clemson. Clemson's three-time NCAA 800 Champion Natoya Goule carried the stick for the Tigers and created a little separation from Leblanc by the end of the first lap. But Leblanc was patient and waited to make her move in the last 150 meters, and is now making a habit of chasing down competitors in the final 100 after doing the same in both the 800 and 1,500 at the Oregon Relays last weekend. She brought another kick on Friday, out-leaning Goule by .12 seconds.
“When I saw that straightaway, I just gave it my all,” Leblanc said. “I could feel the energy of my teammates and my coaches. I usually can't hear anything, but for some reason I could today. The wind was really, really strong but in Oregon we're kind of used to any kind of weather, so I just didn't want it to get in my head. I gave it all.”
The final relay for the Ducks will be the men's 4xMile, Saturday at 10:15 a.m. PT. Leblanc and Daniel Winn will each run individually in the Olympic Development Mile.
Players Mentioned
