PHILADELPHIA – Texas A&M freshman LaQue Moen-Davis won the Penn Relays championship division of the long jump amid bright skies and cool temperatures inside Franklin Field with an opening round leap of 21 feet, 2 1/2 inches (6.47).
It marks the first time an Aggie has won the long jump at the Penn Relays since the event was added for the women in 1978. Moen-Davis’ mark, aided by a 3.3 wind, becomes the 10th best mark in Penn Relays history. It’s also the second best winning mark over the past 10 years.
“At first I didn’t know how good the first jump was, it just felt good coming out of the run I had,” Moen-Davis said. “It’s nice to have a big mark that everyone else has to chase, but I was trying to get after my own mark too.”
After producing the winning mark on her opening jump, Moen-Davis followed with marks of 20-7w (6.27), foul, 20-9.75 (6.34), foul, foul. Her 21-2.5 measurement is fourth best collegiately and tops in the SEC under any conditions. Any of the marks by Moen-Davis would have won the competition.
“A couple of the fouls I had were in the same distance range of my first jump,” noted Moen-Davis. “I kept trying to get out further than the first mark I had.”
Runner-up to Moen-Davis was Jamaican La Toya Powell of Turabo with a 20-6.25 (6.25w) effort while North Carolina’s Chrishawn Williams, third at last week’s ACC meet, finished third with a 20-1.75 (6.14).
“It felt good to be out here competing and it was a good atmosphere, so I had fun,” said Moen-Davis, an Omaha, Nebraska, native who is familiar with windy, 50 degree conditions. “This is my type of weather, so it was a good day to go out and get after it.”
In qualifying relay races the Aggie women led the field advancing to Friday’s Championship of America final with a time of 44.33 seconds. Oregon posted the second best time of 44.34 while LSU turned in a 44.36. The rest of the eight-team final will consist of UTech of Jamaica (44.73), Kentucky (44.87), Johnson C. Smith (45.04), G.C. Foster (45.07) and Norfolk State (45.41).
Texas A&M ran the sprint relay with the foursome of LaKeidra Stewart, Ashton Purvis, Kamaria Brown and Ashley Collier. The Aggies, who are the current collegiate leaders with a 42.56 from the Texas Relays, have won the past four Penn Relays 4×100 finals and will seek to become the first school to win a Championship of America 4×100 title five consecutive years during Friday’s race at 11:50 p.m. (CST).
Jena Hemann placed eighth in the college division high jump with a clearance of 5-6 while Annie Kunz had three misses at the opening height.
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics