April 25, 2018
By Matt Paras
NOTRE DAME, Indiana – After breaking a 50-year absence from the meet last year, the Notre Dame track & field team will return to the Penn Relays once again this weekend. The Irish are set to go against some of the best athletes in the country in the nation’s oldest track meet, which first started back in 1895.
“Penn Relays gives a lot of the kids the biggest crowds they will ever compete in front of in their lives and it is a great atmosphere,” said Hatherly-Piane Head Track & Field Coach Alan Turner. “For most of our athletes, this is the last meet that they will compete in before ACC’s. This is a great opportunity for them to prepare for the upcoming conference meet against a field of over 7,000 competitors.”
WHAT: Penn Relays
WHEN: April 26-28, 2018
WHERE: Franklin Field (Philadelphia, Pa.)
BROADCAST ($): USATF.TV Stream
LIVE RESULTS: Penn Relays Live Results
Heading into the Penn Relays, a number of Irish athletes are coming off strong performances this past weekend at the Michael Johnson Invitational and Virginia Challenge.
Nathan Richartz picked up his fifth win to stay undefeated this season in Waco when he cleared 5.51m (18-01.00). This was the fourth time this season that Richartz has cleared 18 feet and his best vault of the season (5.60m, 18-04.50) currently ranks fourth in the country. Richartz is the defending champion of the Pole Vault Championships. He won the event last year with a height of 5.30m.
Much like the name of the meet, the Penn Relays offer the opportunity for a number of relay races that aren’t run at many meets during the spring. The Irish are set to have a strong prescience in many of those relays this weekend.
The men and women will have a relay team in the distance medley championships and both squads look to repeat their success from the indoor season. Both indoor DMR squads earned All-ACC honors and advanced to the NCAA Championships in College Station. The men’s team had a spectacular run to earn a silver medal and first team All-American honors.
Another relay that the Irish look to perform well in is the Shuttle Hurdle Relay. Summer Thorpe, Naya Sharp, Grace Cronin and Madysen Hunter will represent the Irish in the event. Thorpe is coming off a runner-up finish and personal record of 13.40 last weekend in Waco. Hunter also set a personal record last weekend, she finished 17th with a 14.13.
The Irish will also have some familiar faces return to the track this weekend.
Junior Anna Rohrer will be back on the track for the 10000m run this Thursday at the Penn Relays. The Mishawaka, Ind. native has been sidelined due to injury and this will be her first appearance of the season. The last time she suited up for the Irish, she finished 16th overall at the 2017 NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Sophomore Troy Pride Jr. will also be back this weekend for the Irish. He opened the season at the Hurricane Invitational and has spent the past month in spring practices with the football team. Pride Jr. is set to run in the 100m dash Friday afternoon.
Jordan Shead, Cronin and Hunter will kick off the meet for the Irish Thursday morning. They will run in the 400m hurdles championships starting at 10 am ET.
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Matt Paras, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since January 2018. In his role, he coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse and cross country/track & field programs. A native of Warwick, Rhode Island, Paras is a graduate of the University of Louisville where he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Sport Administration. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, he worked at Vanderbilt University as the sports information contact for the women’s soccer and lacrosse programs.