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PHILADELPHIA – East Stroudsburg University won the Wetzler/Pennsylvania men's 4x400m relay for the first time since 1985 and set two school records to cap one of the fastest days in school history on Friday at the 116th annual Penn Relays.
ESU set records in the 4x200 and 4x400, clocked the fastest time among Division II schools in the 4x200 and second-fastest in the 4x100 to qualify as an alternate for Saturday's consolation final at historic Franklin Field.
The Warriors' foursome of senior
Chris Reddick, juniors
Greg Pammer and
Negus Graham and sophomore
Ian Melhorn ran a time of 3:15.39 to best the nine-team field from the Keystone State in the 4x400, including second-place West Chester (3:15.77) and five Division I schools.
Reddick, Melhorn, Graham and senior
Andrew McCloskey may have put together an even more impressive performance in the 4x200 a couple of hours earlier.
The Warriors' time of 1:25.36 broke the 34-year old school record by more than two seconds and was the fastest among Division II schools, including national powers St. Augustine's (1:25.37) and Abilene Christian (1:25.57). The squad was second in its heat and 14th overall out of 69 schools.
The previous mark of 1:27.74 set by Elbert Price, Ed Guers, Gary Jackson and Woodrow Johnson in 1976 was the longest-standing relay record and one of the five oldest records in ESU history.
The 4x400 record of 3:16.27 that was broken on Friday was set in 2008 by Tony Prudente, Ed Kiser, Pammer and Reddick, who currently holds one individual school record (indoor 200) and all five relay records under 400 meters.
ESU also scorched the track in the men's 4x100m relay, clocking in at 41.43 seconds – 22nd of 87 schools participating, and second behind St. Augustine's in Division II. The Warriors are the second alternate for the consolation final, which will be run Saturday at 1:20 p.m.
Reddick and Melhorn ran on all three relays on Friday. In the 4x100, junior
Asher Ashfield led off, followed by Melhorn, Reddick and McCloskey. ESU was third in its heat, bested only by North Carolina A&T and Seton Hall, and finishing ahead of Abilene Christian (41.64).
In the women's 4x200m relay, freshman
Lauren Ventrella, senior
Trina Carito and freshmen
Lauren Hannan and
Tara Getz ran a time of 1:46.90, sixth in their heat which featured Houston, Clemson, Tennessee and Maryland.
All four Warriors ran splits at or under 27.0 seconds while competing without junior
Jasmine Johnson, whose 24.5 split last year at Penn was the fastest in school history.
Two ESU athletes also competed in individual events on Friday. Senior
Matthew Gallup cleared the opening height of 15-1 in the Eastern pole vault and senior
Paul Wagner had a mark of 48-7 1/4 to place 17th in the Eastern shot put. Wagner will be entered in the College hammer throw on Saturday, an event that he set the ESU and PSAC record in last week at 203-2.
Senior
Drew Miller (Eastern triple jump) and the men's 4x800m relay will also compete on the final day of the Penn Relays.
On Thursday, junior
Lynn Mayer reached the NCAA Division II automatic qualifying mark and finished second in the women's Eastern high jump with a mark of 5-9 3/4, and senior
Janelle Smith hit the provisional standard and finished eighth at 5-7.
ESU Relay Splits
Men's 4x200 (1:25.37) – Graham (21.4), Melhorn (21.4), Reddick (21.2), McCloskey (21.5)
Men's 4x400 (3:15.39) – Reddick (48.6), Pammer (49.5), Graham (47.7), Melhorn (49.2)
Women's 4x200 (1:46.90) – Ventrella (26.6), Carito (26.6), Hannan (26.4), Getz (27.0)