Feb. 15, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.- The Nittany Lion women's 4x400-meter relay took third in the elite invitational section, Friday night at the Tyson Invitational. The foursome of Briene Simmons (Decatur, Ga.), Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.), Shana Cox (Westbury, N.Y.), and Dominique Blake (Bronx, N.Y.) combined to run 3:37.14 - the second-fastest time of the season by a Lion relay - in front of a packed house at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
"It was an excellent opportunity for our senior-laden, NCAA-bound 4x400 relay team to gain the exposure for the event and for the entire Penn State program," said Director of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan following the race.
Simmons led off with a 55.1 split, navigating out of the five-team fray coming down the home stretch to put the Lions in first going into the first exchange. Simmons passed the baton to Hunter, who clocked 54.7 on the second leg, handing off to Cox in good position among the pack. Cox, who ran an NCAA-leading 52.57 in the open 400-meter earlier today, would bring the Lions back within striking distance with a 53.0 split, lessening the gap that LSU had put on the entire field. Blake anchored with a 53.5 readout, holding onto third place behind winner LSU (3:35.01), and a late-kicking South Carolina team (3:36.37).
Action in Arkansas continues tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. Live results can be found at www.flashresults.com. Check back to www.GoPSUsports.com tomorrow evening for a full Penn State recap.
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