Eli Hall-Thompson leads the way for Cougars on final day of Penn Relays

History was on the agenda as the Cougar men's track & field team started the final day of the Penn Relays. It had been 27 years since Head Coach Leroy Burrell set the 100m meet record at 10.10s and 28 years since the Cougars had won a relay at Penn. The Cougars were in prime position to make history in both events as three of their relay teams had qualified for their respective finals and three of the eight 100m finalists were members of the Cougar track & field team.

Junior Eli Hall-Thompson qualified for the 100m final with the fastest time overall, 10.14s. He improved his time, running 10.00s to win the event. This marks the second straight 100m Penn Relays championship for the Cougars after LeShon Collins' victory in 2016.

Were it not for the race taking place in non-legal wind conditions, Hall-Thompson's time would have been the new Penn record. His time is currently No. 5 in the country.

Sophomore's Mario Burke and John Lewis III joined Hall-Thompson in the 100m final. Burke ran a season best 10.17s to finish third. His time puts him in a tie for No. 12 in the NCAA. Lewis III placed sixth with a time of 10.34s.

The Relays

After the men's 4x100m relay team of junior Cameron Burrell, Burke, sophomore Jacarias Martin and Hall-Thompson ran the fastest qualifying time, hopes were high that the men could win the Cougar's first relay championship since 1989.

However on the day of the final the Cougars were the only team to receive a DNF in the race. But the day was far from over as the men still had the 4x200 and 4x400 to run in.

In the 4x200m, the Cougars won the relay with a time of 1:21.17s. Burke, Martin and Hall-Thompson were joined by sophomore Amere Lattin. Hall-Thompson ran the anchor leg to help beat G.C. Foster College.

The Cougars may have only managed a fourth place finish in the 4x400m relays, but their goal had been accomplished. With their victory in the 4x200m the Cougars had won their first Penn Relays championship since Coach Burrell and company won the 4x100m in 1989.

For his victory in the 100m, the Penn Relays named Hall-Thompson the College Men's Athlete of the Meet for Individual Events. He will be a key presence for the Cougar's quest for a second straight American Conference Outdoor Championship and a national title in the 4x100m relay.

-----------------------

Photo's courtesy of Penn Relays Facebook page

Comments

Eli Hall-Thompson, 2017 Track Athlete of the Meet

At the 2016 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, LeShon Collins was named the Track Athlete of the Meet after he won the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay. That year the Cougar men won the conference title by a total of 55 points. This year the Cougars won by 44.50 points, 40 of which came from the contribution of junior sprinter Eli Hall-Thompson. Hall-Thompson, the NJCAA national champion, started championship Sunday on the anchor leg for the men's 4x100m relay. Along with junior Cameron Burrell and sophomore's Mario Burke and Jacarias Martin, the four won the race in a meet record 38.70s, a whole second faster than the runners up Connecticut. Then in the individual sprinting events, Hall-Thompson came into the final with the fastest 100m and 200m preliminary times. In the 100m he ran 10.11s and in the 200m he ran 20.40s. In the 100m final, running into a headwind, he nearly matched his preliminary time with a run of 10.19s. His time wa...

Burke, Hall-Thompson blazing trail to London

Of the Cougars competing at their respective countries track and field championships this weekend, sophomore Mario Burke and junior Eli Hall-Thompson have punched their tickets to the IAAF World Championships in London this August. Mario Burke became the Barbados national champion in the 100m by running 10.12s in the final on Saturday. He followed up that performance with a time of 20.60s in the 200m Sunday evening. Burke’s time placed him in third place. For Burke, his qualifying for Worlds is the culmination of goals he set at the start of the season. After medaling for Barbados in consecutive summers at the U-20 level, the 2015 CARIFTA Games and 2016 IAAF U20 World Championships, it was Burke’s goal to represent his country at Worlds. Burke had already helped Barbados qualify for Worlds in the 4x100m earlier this year at the IAAF World Relays. There Barbados finished second behind Team USA. With the experience of competing at both the Indoor and Outdoor NCAA Cha...

Chasing Bolt

As a boy growing up in Barbados it would have been impossible to avoid following the success' of Usain Bolt. The Jamaican sprinter has captured the world's imagination for the last nine years and is arguably the greatest sprinter of all time. Bolt announced that the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London would be his final competition, so everyone in the track & field world is waiting to see if someone can beat Bolt in his last race. Among those vying for Bolt's crown is Barbados' own Mario Burke. The rising junior for the Cougars has been getting primed for international competition these last two years. After missing out on the Olympics last summer, Burke is ready for his first senior level international meet. Burke punched his ticket to London by becoming the Barbados 100m national champion with a time of 10.12s. This after a season where Burke not only found success in the relay, helping the Cougars win the NCAA 4x100m national championship, but indivi...

The Sub 9 Club

Search This Blog