TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University women's track and field team will be well-represented during the running of the 125th Penn Relays at venerable Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania beginning Thursday, April 25.
 
Tiger student-athletes Shamika Burton, Gabrielle Gaygen, Taylor Giles, Hayley Horvath, Crystal Johnson, Michella Obijiaku, Liz Reid, Samantha Ronald, Naomi Roth, Phontavia Sawyer, Sydney Stith and Arianna Waller are excited to compete on track and field's biggest stage and in front of an energetic capacity crowd.
 
"I like the excitement of the Penn Relays," Burton said. "If you've never been to Penn Relays, it's an experience I want everyone to have. You should place attending the Penn Relays on your bucket list. My best memory of the Penn Relays is seeing the crowd go crazy and seeing so many Jamaicans come out and motivate the athletes to do their best."
 
Fans, especially those sitting in the southeast corner dressed in the colors and waving giant flags of their favorite country or school, will rise, shout, cheer, high-five and provide the lyrics of the greatest springtime anthem in the world while athletes zoom down the backstretch in heart-stopping photo-finishes: "Whoop!, Whoop!, Whoop!."
 
The unofficial April soundtrack begins softly and becomes a mounting crescendo over roughly 20 seconds as races move toward their thrilling conclusions.
 
"Hearing that (sound) definitely motivates me to run faster," Burton said of the timeless chant. "There's always good energy from the crowd because everybody wants to see you do well."
 
By the time the last baton has been exchanged in front of the iconic five-foot high gingerbread-colored brick wall early Saturday evening, more than 13,000 athletes will have taken part in this carnival with heart.
 
As a native of Kingston, Jamaica, the Penn Relays hold special significance to Burton, who competed in high school for Wolmer's Girl, one of the top programs in Jamaica.
 
"There's two sections," Burton said. "There's a Jamaican section and there's the USA section. It's always fun competition between the athletes. We look forward to the Penn Relays every year. (Running here in high school) was so much fun and pure excitement. It's usually a first time experience for most Jamaicans running in a big event like this. It's exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time."
 
Generations of fans trek from all over the world to share in the excitement of the excellence on track, which helps them create priceless lifetime memories. The Penn Relays are meaningful. Everybody attending is united by the tradition, pageantry and history of watching athletes from middle school, high school, colleges and Olympians compete.
 
In addition to winning a nice plaque for being a member of a winning 4 x 400-meter relay team in high school, Waller remembers meeting one of her favorite athletes in the Nike tent in Olympian Sanya Richards-Ross, who is serving as an honorary carnival referee along with Renaldo Nehemiah.
 
"I shook (Sanya's) hand and she actually helped me out of a block start," Waller said. "I'll always remember that. She signed autographs for a long time and then she helped people so it was awesome. It will be very nostalgic to compete at the Penn Relays especially since this will be my last time. The Penn Relays is cool because it's a little of everything."
 
Ranked seventh in the latest USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Regional Index, Towson is having a great outdoor season. The 4 x 100-meter relay team of Burton, Waller, Reid and Johnson set a school record (45.65) last weekend at the Morgan State Legacy Meet. The quartet has its sights on running faster.
 
In the field, Obijiaku (shot put) and Horvath (pole vault) have the top performances in their respective events in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
 
Following the Penn Relays, Towson will compete in the CAA Championships at Elon University beginning on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4.
 
NOTES: Did you know when the Penn Relays started in 1895, there were 44 states in the United States of America?


TOWSON'S SCHEDULE
 

DATE	EVENT	ATHLETES	RESULTS LINK
Thursday, April 25, 9 a.m.	Discus Throw	Taylor Giles	RESULTS
Thursday, April 25, 10 a.m. & 4 p.m.	Pole Vault	Gabrielle Gaygen & Samantha Ronald Hayley Horvath (will compete at 4 p.m.)	RESULTS
Thursday, April 25, 11:30 a.m.	Shot Put	Michella Obijiaku & Phontavia Sawyer	RESULTS
Thursday, April 25, 1:20 p.m.	4 x 100-meter relay	Shamika Burton, Arianna Waller, Liz Reid & Crystal Johnson	RESULTS
Thursday, April 25, 2:30 p.m.	Hammer Throw	Michella Obijiaku, Taylor Giles, Georgia Coleman & Naomi Roth	RESULTS
Friday, April 26, 11:30 a.m.	Discus Championship	Phontavia Sawyer	RESULTS
Friday, April 26, 4:45 p.m.	Javelin	Sydney Stith	RESULTS