Florida State University Athletics
Talent, Ranked Teams Abound At 40th FSU Relays
3/21/2019 8:33:40 PM | General, Men's Track and Field, Track and Field
Live Results
Friday College Meet Program
Friday High School Meet Program
Complete Schedule
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The 40th version of the FSU Relays, set for Friday and Saturday at Mike Long Track, will mark the only home event on the outdoor track & field calendar for the Seminoles this season.
The eight-team collegiate field, which will compete exclusively on Friday, boasts the strongest collection of programs since it became an invitation-only team event back in 2015. The host Noles play no small part in that, entering the meet with the women ranked No. 6 in the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s (USTFCCCA) Preseason Ratings Index, while the men check in at No. 11.
The eight-school field includes Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia Tech, Liberty, Pitt and Virginia Tech. There are eight teams – three men and five women – ranked among the top 25 in the USTFCCCA’s rankings, which were released this week.
Alabama is the top men’s team at No. 3, with Florida, fresh off its NCAA Indoor title, checking in at No. 4.
Florida (No. 10), Alabama (No. 12), Virginia Tech (No. 18) and Georgia Tech (No. 25) account for the other top 25 women’s teams.
Friday’s action begins at 9:30 a.m. with the hammer throw and concludes with the invitational high school 3200-meter races set for 7:45 p.m. The 3200 is the marquee event among three high school events sprinkled throughout the opening day. Saturday’s slate belongs exclusively to the high schools.
Admission to Mike Long Track for both days is free.
Special Recognitions Friday: Seniors & Alumnae
The lone home meet on Florida State’s schedule means the program will recognize 26 seniors in a ceremony scheduled for Friday at 11:30 a.m. Those being honored before their final competition at home include:
Women: Mackenzie Baysinger, Elizabeth Cobb, Shaquania Dorsett, Madison Harris, Shauna Helps, Althea Hewitt, Fatema Jaffer, Veronika Kanuchova, Jessica Lonas, Militsa Mircheva, Safia Morgan, Jogaile Petrokaite, Rougui Sow and Melissa Zyla.
Men: Christoff Bryan, Matthew Butler, D’Mitry Charlton, Andre Ewers, Michael Hall, Darryl Haraway, Toby Hardwick, Tyson Murray, Istvan Szogi, Michael Timpson Jr., Brandon Tirado and Armani Wallace.
At 6:10 p.m. on Friday, Florida State will welcome back several dozen alumnae, who will be recognized on the track as part of the year-long celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Women’s Athletics at FSU. Athletes from the inaugural 1969 team, the 1984 and 1985 NCAA Championship teams and those from more recent years are scheduled to attend.
Keep an Eye on these Noles
Outstanding athletes abound in the collegiate field, but there are a few Noles set to compete who have distinguished themselves already…junior Shanice Love opened her outdoor season with the nation’s top mark in the discus at the FAMU Relays last weekend…Cortney Jones and Lauri Paredes Meza, coming off third-place finishes at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships, will open up in the 100 hurdles and javelin, respectively…Ka’Tia Seymour, FSU’s school record-holder in the 100-meter dash competes for the first time since placing third at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 60…FSU hammer record-holder Veronika Kanuchova make her first appearance in uniform since placing fifth at the 2017 NCAA Championships…Trey Cunningham was fourth at the ‘18 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 110 hurdles and will face a strong field off his third-place NCAA Indoor 60 hurdles finish…the Noles men will also field a solid 4×100 relay group.
High School Field Flush with Talent
Historically one of the finest high school meets in the south is once again stout. Friday’s prep schedule includes deep fields of boys and girls in the 800, 200 and Invitational 3200. A year ago 8 meet records fell, pushing the total of new meet records to 18 over the past two years. This time out nearly 1,200 athletes representing 144 schools from eight states will take their crack at the record book. Saturday’s full slate of high school action will include loaded fields across multiple events.