Hoosiers make mark at Penn Relays

The No. 9 women's track team made its mark at the Penn Relays, the world's top track and field meet, this weekend in Philadelphia. \nOn the first day of the three-day event, senior Jennifer Brown took third in the college championships round of the shot put. Brown was one of three athletes to throw above 50-feet. Her best throw of 51 feet, 1.75 inches is her fourth NCAA provisional qualifying mark this season. Brown downed her nearest competitor, Jill Camarena of Stanford, by over one foot and beat Ohio State's Alexis McCall by four feet.\nAlso on the first day, sophomore Rose Richmond took seventh of 22 competitors, topping competitors from Alabama, Miami, Kent State, TCU and LSU with a jump of 18 feet, 10.5 inches.\nIn the second day of Penn Relays competition at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field, the Hoosiers remained strong.\nJunior Heather Colyer took fifth out of eight competitors in the discus throw championships with a mark of 161 feet, 1 inch. Sophomore Rachelle Boone won her heat of the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.51 seconds, the fourth fastest of 20 athletes. It was her third NCAA provisional mark this season. Boone stayed consistent at 11.51 seconds on the final day of competition. She took third in the 100-meter championship finals, defeating Monica Twum of Texas Christian, Jimyria Hicks of Oklahoma and Camille Harper of Mississippi State.\nIU's 4x200 meter relay team triumphed over 50 competing schools to take fifth overall with a time of 1:33.99. The Hoosiers topped Mississippi State and Seton Hall, which were the only two teams to run in the 1:34 range.\nThe Hoosiers, like their men's counterparts, also sent a squad to West Lafayette for the Boilermaker Open at Purdue University. \n The women recorded five top-three performances and two wins. Freshman Jennifer Cobbina took first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.53 seconds, a season best and the first time Cobbina has broken 25 seconds. She later took second place in the long jump.\n Also winning an event was freshman Jaclyn Taylor in the discus with a mark of 98-feet, 8-inches. Sophomore Amanda Bell continued her improvement as she rebuilds following lost time due to injury, taking second in the 5,000-meter race with a time of 17:53.68. Junior Dana Thomas took third in the javelin with a mark of 115 feet, 3 inches, a career best by more than five feet.