Penn track and field had seen success during the indoor track season with the men’s and women’s teams placing second and third, respectively, at the Ivy Indoor Heptagonal Championships. With a strong start to their outdoor season, eyes shift to the Penn Relays Carnival, where many of the new freshman class will make their debut. Here are some Quakers to look forward to at this year’s Relays.
Chikaodinaka Akazi
Freshman hurdler Chikaodinaka Akazi had made leaps in her freshman season with the Red and Blue. At the Penn Challenge on March 22, she nabbed a first-place title in the 100m hurdles, and she repeated this stellar performance at the Hurricane Collegiate Invitational a week later. Akazi also found success in the 60m hurdles, where she placed sixth at the Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Track and Field Championships.
At this year’s Relays, Akazi is slated to appear at the 100m event with a high possibility of placing within the top 20 times. With her trajectory over the past couple of weeks, don’t be surprised to see her outdo expectations.
Alex Georgiev
With the departure of now-graduate Scott Toney and Jimmy Rhoads last year, the pole vaulting team was missing some gaps, leaving now-senior Benedikt Sachta as the team’s sole pole vaulting specialist. But when freshman pole vaulter Alex Georgiev joined the team this past year, the holes began to be patched in.
At the Tiger Paw Invitational in February, Georgiev hit a personal best of 5.13m, placing second and surpassing even Sachta and Toney in their freshman-year performances. At the Indoor Heptagonal Championships, Georgiev scored a 5th-place finish at a lower height, but still performed spectacularly, especially as a freshman. At his home turf, audiences should expect Georgiev to raise the bar and excel.
Takunda Mhete
Hailing from Zimbabwe, freshman jumper Takunda Mhete has been springing into action since his collegiate debut at last year's Penn Open, where he placed first in the triple jump event. Since then, Mhete has been nothing but consistent and reliable, representing Penn in both the long jump and triple jump events and making strides against seasoned competitors. His fifth-place finishes in both events at the Indoor Heptagonal Championships can speak for themselves.
At the Relays, he is expected to appear in these two events again, this time on a larger stage. With a triple jump performance well enough to be in the top 100 of the nation, Mhete is expected to leap forward at Franklin Field.
L’Mio Edwards
Speed is the essence in a track event. Having speed in long distance events is another ordeal, and freshman distance runner L’Mio Edwards is up for the challenge. Edwards placed seventh in the mile at the Indoor Heptagonal Championships, but there was still fuel in the tank to aid the relay team to finish sixth in the 4x800m relay the next day.
At the Carnival this year, this freshman is slated to be on both 4x800m and 4x1500 relay teams and will play a crucial role in taking the baton home. This freshman is speedy and enduring too.
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