University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vols Head To Philly
April 26, 2011 | Women's Track
April 26, 2011
TWO BIG MEETS AWAIT TENNESSEE TRACK & FIELD THIS WEEKEND
* For the second straight weekend, the Tennessee men's and women's track & field teams will split up and participate in two different meets.
* As is tradition at UT, the Vols and Lady Vols will make the annual trip to Philadelphia for the Penn Relays. This year's meet at Franklin Field will be the 117th edition.
* A handful of Big Orange throwers, meanwhile, will head to Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, for the 102nd Drake Relays.
* Both meets run Wednesday through Saturday, but the clubs from Rocky Top will not begin participation until Thursday.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE UT TRACK & FIELD MEET NOTES
TENNESSEE TRACK & FIELD NOTES PACKAGE 
117TH PENN RELAYS
* The Penn Relays, known as the oldest and largest of all relay meets in America, will be held for the 117th time.
* Historic Franklin Field, in the urban and Ivy League setting of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania campus, will once again serve as the venue for the meet, which dates back to April 21, 1895.
* Franklin Field was named for one of our nation's founding fathers and the founder of the University of Pennsylvania, Benjamin Franklin.
* More than 22,000 entries and 33 hours of competition are in store for fans, who flock to the meet from all over the nation and world to watch college and high school competitors as well as the USA vs. the World showdown of Olympic-caliber athletes on Saturday.
* That portion of the meet will be broadcast on ESPN2 from 8 to 10 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday.
* Saturday attendance at the meet has averaged 48,000 for the last six years, and makes the meet the best attended track & field event in the United States each year, and one of the highest attended in the world.
* In 2010, 54,310 showed up on Saturday, many there to witness Jamaica's Usain Bolt compete in the USA vs. the World competition.
PENN RELAYS WALL OF FAME INDUCTION FOR 2004 SMR UNIT
* The 2004 Lady Vol sprint medley relay unit of Tianna Madison, Toyin Olupona, DeeDee Trotter and Kameisha Bennett will be welcomed into the Penn Relays Wall of Fame this weekend.
* They will be inducted during a dinner on Friday night at the Sheraton Philadelphia University City and acknowledged at Franklin Field on Saturday.
* That quartet set a meet record of 3:41.78 for UT's first women's victory in that event, a mark no team has come within four seconds of matching since that race.
102ND DRAKE RELAYS
* The Drake Relays, touted as Iowa's premier sporting event, will feature 115 events during the 102nd running of the meet.
* Only five UT throwers are making the trip to Des Moines, but this meet will offer them an opportunity to compete at the same venue that will play host to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, June 8-11.
WEBSITE INFO. AND LIVE RESULTS LINKS
* For the Penn Relays website, click here.
* For a meet schedule and live results from the Penn Relays, click here.
* For the Drake Relays website, click here.
* For the Drake Relays results link, click here.
* UT meet recaps and results of Vol and Lady Vol competitors will be sent to the media after each day of competition. That information also will be posted on www.utsports.com and www.utladyvols.com.
LIVE STREAMING OF PENN RELAYS WILL BE AVAILABLE
* Live video/audio coverage of the Penn Relays is being offered this year on a pay-per-view basis, with single day or three-day packages available.
* For the Penn Relays TV site, click here.
USING TWITTER TO FOLLOW THE VOLS & LADY VOLS
* Be sure to follow Tennessee track & field on Twitter: @Vol_Track and @LadyVol_Track.
