Track and Field's 4x400 Meter Relay Finishes First on Final Day of Penn Relays; Fernandez Sets School Record

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Track and Field's 4x400 Meter Relay Finishes First on Final Day of Penn Relays; Fernandez Sets School Record

4.25.15 | Women's Track and Field

PHILADELPHIA - The final day of the Penn Relays did not end for Temple track and field without excitement. A first-place finish and new school record was achieved at Franklin Field on Saturday to cap off an outstanding weekend for the Owls.

"The Cherry and White was out front for everyone to see on Saturday and that is all we were trying to do," said head coach Elvis Forde. "I couldn't have asked for anything more from this weekend and we all are very pleased with how our team performed."

Temple's 4x400m relay team claimed themselves Penn Relays champions after winning the College Women's 4x400m ECAC event Saturday evening. The team made up of Hollis Coleman, Demeshia Davis, Kenya Gaston and Kiersten LaRoche earned a first-place finish with a time of 3:42.75. Temple improved their time from Thursday's 4x400m relay which was 3:53.88.

"This was one of the most exciting things I've seen so far this season for our team," said Forde. "I had one last talk with our relay team before they went out and asked them how it would feel to hear thousands of people cheering for them as they cross the line first. Kenya was behind when she began the last leg of the race but she was able to pull ahead and that's when the crowd erupted for our team. It was a very special moment for them and the memory will last a lifetime."

Earlier in the day, Blanca Fernandez placed fourth overall and was the top collegiate finisher in the Olympic Development Women's Mile with a personal-best and school-record time of 4:39.88. Fernandez's mark broke the outdoor mile record time of 5:05.00 which was set in 1982 by Nancy Deneka. This was also the first time ever that Temple had an athlete competing in this section of the Penn Relays.

"This is just the beginning for Blanca," said Forde. "Her commitment and dedication is going to take her very far. I was happy that she was able to experience the magntitude of the Penn Relays and what it meant to perform so well in that type of atmosphere."

Over the three-day event, Temple track and field set three school records including Fernandez's from today. Jenna Dubrow set a new 10,000m school-record time of 35:21.46 on Thursday and the Sprint Medley team of Gaston, Fernandez, Jimmia McCluskey and Bionca St. Fleur recorded their school-record finish Friday with a time of 3:56.77.

Today's 4x400m relay finish was the second top-10 mark of the weekend for the Owls. On Thursday, McCluskey placed eighth in the long jump out of a field of 53 with her distance of 5.62m.

"People are starting to recognize us," said Forde. "The entire coaching staff is doing great things for our team and all of our expectations were exceeded this weekend."

TU has one meet remaining before heading to the conference championships. On Saturday, May 2, Temple will compete at the Princeton Open in Princeton, N.J. Then, on May 14-17 the Owls will travel to Storrs, Conn. for the 2015 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships.

Temple at the Penn Relays | Penn Relays Official Site