Florida State University Athletics
Throwers Launch Weekend At 125th Penn Relays
4/24/2019 7:05:05 PM | General, Men's Track and Field, Track and Field
Penn Relays Schedule
Tom Jones Memorial Schedule
FSU’s ACC Auto Qualifiers
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Entering the final meets of the regular season the Florida State track & field teams aren’t just racing the clock and chasing marks. They are also battling the calendar.
With the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships coming up quickly (May 9-11), the Noles are running out of time to position themselves for spots on the conference championship roster and in the NCAA postseason.
“There are limited opportunities to hit big performances in outdoor track & field due to weather, injuries and competition, so I see this weekend as a critical one for us,” FSU coach Bob Braman said, as the Noles prepare for competition. “The Penn Relays and Tom Jones Memorial will be great opportunities for our kids to drop season-bests, ACC marks and NCAA Region marks.”
The action begins Thursday at venerable Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pa., where seven throwers under the guidance of director of field events Dorian Scott, will embark on competition over the next three days. Three of those competitors – Veronika Kanuchova (hammer), Lauri Paredes (javelin) and Shanice Love (discus) – enter the meet as strong contenders, if not favorites.
“Penn is a key target for our throwers every year and this year we are in the unique position to perhaps win three coveted Penn Relays titles,” Braman said. “That may be a first at FSU, and those three ladies will be carrying the flag for us in front of a big crowd.”
The Noles won a pair of field event titles last season and are looking to increase that total at the 125th Penn Relays.
Kanuchova will lead the action off Thursday at 1 p.m. Owner of the No. 5 mark in the NCAA this season (67.21 meters/220-6), the Slovakia native is fresh off a school record performance at Mt. SAC Relays, the top seed in the field and eager to improve on her 2017 runner-up Penn Relays finish. Teammate Nadia Maffo will also compete in the championship section of the hammer.
Paredes ranks No. 7 nationally in the javelin and is also chasing her first Penn Relays title after placing third a year ago. The Paraguay native owns a season and collegiate-best throw of 55.38m (181-8) and is seeded second in the field behind Auburn’s Kylee Carter (57.45m/188-6), which ranks third nationally.
Love will defend her Penn Relays discus title on Friday (11:30 a.m.) and will try and extend the Noles’ streak of consecutive wins in that event to four years with a fifth title in the last six. The junior from Jamaica is the top seed and ranked No. 3 in the NCAA this season (61.54m/201-11); just 18 inches off the meet record held by her former teammate and three-time champion, Kellion Knibb.
“We have quite a tradition in the women’s discus and Lovie is looking to keep it going,” Braman said. “She’s been great all year, but every time she throws she’s looking to add to her legacy.”
In addition to those in FSU uniform, two Noles freshmen – Paul Stafford and Matthew Newland – who are redshirting this season, will compete as unattached athletes Thursday at 11 p.m. in the 10,000-meter run.
“Both Stafford and Newland have had great freshman years for us and they’re eyeing a Junior National qualifying time,” Braman added.
Contributors to FSU’s NCAA Championship-qualifying cross country team in the fall, they hope to follow in the footsteps of their teammate Steven Cross, who ran 29:31.22 in 2017 to finish second while competing unattached. Cross went on to win USA Junior and Junior Pan American gold medals.
The balance of the Noles competing over the weekend will travel to the University of Florida for the Tom Jones Memorial, which will be contested Friday and Saturday. The meet will provide an opportunity for a number of athletes to register ACC and NCAA East Preliminary marks, most notably sprint standouts Andre Ewers (100), Darryl Haraway (100, 200) and Jayla Kirkland (100).
Indoor All-American Bryand Rincher is also slated to make his season debut in the 100-meter dash, while Peta-Gay Williams eyes her return in the 100-meter hurdles.
Both the men’s and women’s 4×100 and 4×400 relays are slated to compete on Saturday, where improved baton work and faster times are the targets for their formidable groups.
“The Tom Jones Memorial Invitational will be a key meet for our men’s sprinters,” Braman said. “Many of our indoor stars are on the mend and ready to finally compete healthy. Andre is looking to run a quality 100m race and our 4×100 relay is looking to dip under the 39 second barrier.
“Much of our women’s sprints and distance squads had big weekends in California, but others are looking to join that parade. Field events will be looking to score region and national marks as well. Overall, the competition is going to be really strong in Gainesville with rivals Miami and Florida putting their best kids on the line as well.”
In addition to keen competition, the meet, expanded to a two-day format for the first time, has a special connection to Braman.
“The Tom Jones Memorial has a personal place in my heart as Tom was my high school coach and he was an early inspiration for me to getting into the coaching profession,” Braman said. “He was a great role model for me and I’m thankful for all he did for me.”
You can keep up with the Noles throughout the next three days with Twitter updates @FSU_Track, which will be followed by nightly recaps posted to Seminoles.com.
ACC Honors Jones For Record Run
Florida State junior Cortney Jones’ school record-setting 100-meter hurdles performance Saturday at the Mt. SAC Relays earned her a share of ACC Women’s Track Performer of the Week honors, which were announced by the conference office Wednesday.
Jones took down Anne Zagre’s 2014 school record when she ran 12.82 to finish second overall – first among collegians – behind world-record holder Keni Harrison. Jones’ times ranks No. 4 in the world this year and No. 2 in the NCAA.
It is the first ACC Performer of the Week honor for Jones since her 2017 freshman season. The Conyers, Ga. native finished third in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Women Climb Two Spots To No. 6 Nationally
Monday’s release of the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Track & Field Ratings Index saw the Seminole women climb two spots to No. 6 among NCAA Division I teams. That’s the same spot the Noles began the season.
Beginning with the preseason ranking, the Noles have strung together five consecutive appearance in the top 10 this season; the first time that has happened since the start of the 2010 season.
