Flashes gain top finishes at Penn Relays

After three days of competing at the Penn Relays, the Kent State men’s and women’s track and field teams recorded top finishes and regional qualifying scores.

With a regional-qualifying score of 56-1.25, senior Brent Shelby placed No. 6 in the shot put, marking the fifth time he’s qualified this season. He then went on to finish No. 9 in the discus throw with a regional-qualifying toss of 170-11.

The Flashes also placed No. 10 in the distance medley relay with a time of 9 minutes 55.03 seconds, while junior Marc Johnson finished No. 18 in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.76.

Also leading the men in the field was junior Shamel Smith, who tied for No. 11 in the high jump and matched his personal-best score of 6-6.75.

In Saturday’s competition, Andy Nicholas finished No. 5 in the men’s hammer throw, tossing 63.52 meters.

With the only first-place finish for both men’s and women’s teams, sophomore LeVania Henderson threw 53-8.5 in the shot put, marking the fifth time she’s qualified in the event. Henderson also placed No. 5 in the discus throw with a new personal-best 153-3 toss.

Senior Kelly Braden finished No. 2 in the hammer throw with a personal-best 187-6, while freshman Bekah Stoltz placed No. 3 in the javelin throw with her own personal best of 158-9.

On the track, the women’s distance medley took a second-place finish with a time of 11:37.62, while senior Jenny Fascione grabbed her first regional-qualifying time of the season with 10:41.62.

The competition included more than 200 teams from across the United States, five of which were from the Mid-American Conference. These teams were Akron, Eastern Michigan, Toledo and Western Michigan and Kent State.

— Amanda Vasil