Skip to content
Sports
Link copied to clipboard

Johnny Gregoreks returns to Penn Relays, posts sub-4-minute mile time

The former Oregon star, part of a winning relay in 2015, posted the third-fastest time in carnival history in the mile.

N.C. State’s Gabriele Cunningham, right, won the college women’s 100-meter hurdles championship at the Penn Relays on Saturday.
N.C. State’s Gabriele Cunningham, right, won the college women’s 100-meter hurdles championship at the Penn Relays on Saturday.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer

Johnny Gregorek enjoyed some success at the Penn Relays with Oregon in 2015 when he participated on the winning distance medley relay team anchored by All-America Edward Cheserek.

Gregorek, now representing Asics, returned to the carnival Saturday and made his own mark, recording the third-fastest time in Penn Relays history in the Olympic Development mile, a clocking of 3 minutes, 54.94 seconds.

"Last time I won a gold watch it was with a lot of help from (Cheserek) on the anchor leg," Gregorek tweeted after the race. "Nice to do it all by myself this time!"

Three other runners broke 4 minutes in the race, including former Temple star Travis Mahoney, the winner of Thursday night's steeplechase, who crossed the finish line in 3:59.96.

Short of historic double.

Gabriele Cunningham, a junior at North Carolina State, made a noble try at attempting to become the first woman in carnival history to win the 100-meter hurdles and the 100-meter dash in the same year.

Cunningham, the fastest qualifier in the heats of both races on Friday, captured the hurdles in 13.20 seconds, edging out three rivals in a photo finish. She came back 20 minutes later for the 100 dash and finished fourth in 11.45. Clemson's Rebekah Smith took the race in 11.31.

Smith also ran one of the 200-meter legs Friday on the Tigers' winning sprint medley relay team.

Athletes of the meet.

Nicole Hutchinson, who led off Villanova's victorious women's distance medley and came back the next day to anchor the successful 4×1500 unit, was named women's relay athlete of the meet.

Houston's Kahmari Montgomery was named men's relay athlete of the meet following his sizzling 43.38-second anchor leg on the Cougars' winning 4×400 team.

Individual athletes of the meet were Austin Droogsma of Florida State in the shotput and Anna Rohrer of Notre Dame in the 10,000.

Giving them a show.

Penn sophomore Sean Clarke was involved in an entertaining battle with Notre Dame's Neal Richartz before an enthusiastic crowd seated near the pole vault area and finished second with an effort of 17 feet, 4 ½ inches.

Richartz made his only attempt at 17-4 ½ and at the eventual winning height of 17-8 ½. Clarke cleared his second try at 17-4 ½ but missed all three attempts at 17-8 ½.

They came out.

The final-day attendance was announced as 47,756, bringing the three-day total at Franklin Field to 108,755.