Philadelphia Tribune - Index

Philadelphia Tribune - Penn relay Supplement - Friday, April 24, 2009 - Index

Page 10
Donald Hunt
Tribune Staff Writer
Cyrus Jones, Lincoln University’s
head track and field
coach, usually brings a very
competitive team to the Penn
Relays every year. The Lions
have been one of the stronger
small college programs at the
nation’s oldest track and field
event. Jones hopes his team
will perform at a high level
again this spring.
“It’s certainly a delight for
us to come into the Penn Relays,”
Jones said. “We get a
chance to compete against all
of those schools from around
the country. They certainly
try to do well. So, we can be
there on Thursday and Saturday
when the big crowd is
there. It has always been a
delight for me. I enjoy it immensely.”
Jones has been very
pleased with the men’s 4x100
meter relay, which includes
Anthony Bishop, Rushane
Scott, Davon Goldsborough
and Jermaine Morris.
“These guys have a lot of
potential,” Jones said.
Philadelphia Tribune Friday, April 24, 2009
Lincoln upholds
strong team tradition
Coach pleased with athlete performance, delighted to attend
Above, a Lincoln runner participates in a relay event. Cyrus
Jones, Lincoln University’s head track and field coach, usually
brings a very competitive team to the Penn Relays every
year. The Lions have been one of the stronger small college
programs at the nation’s oldest track and field event.
“They did well during the
indoor season. Anthony
Bishop and Jermaine have
been running really well.
Jermaine is a great 110meter
hurdler. They should
have a real good spring.
Overall, I think our 4x100meter
relay has a chance at
the Penn Relays. For our
team, the indoor season and
the meets leading up to the
Penn Relays are very important
for us.”
Bishop and Morris had
solid performances in the
IC4A Championships at
Boston University. Bishop
was sixth in the 55-meter
dash with a time of 6.42.
Morris placed sixth in the 55meter
hurdles in 7.4.
Jared Randle is the Lions’
outstanding long jumper. He
earned a bronze medal in the
meet. Randle, a 6-foot-1 junior,
jumped 23-8 at the
meet. Aaron Hunter, an Academy
Park graduate, jumped
22 at the IC4A.
“Jared will be coming down
to the Penn Relays,” Jones
said. “He’s a real good long
jumper. He has a chance to
do some good things. Jared
has gotten better each meet.
We’re excited about him.
Aaron has a lot of talent, too.
He’s really competed well
during the indoor season.
He’s off to a good start outdoors.
Aaron and Jared will
be our jumpers.”
On the women’s side, Jones
is expecting big things from
the Lions 4x400-meter relay
team, which includes Alisha
McKeithan, Antonia Jones,
Donneisha Smith and Kristina
Rembert. Lincoln clocked
a 3:52.33 in the 4x400-meter
relay during the indoor season.
McKeithan, a Strath
Haven product, has run a
56.81 indoors. She’s definitely
a key member of the relay
team.”
“The women have really run
well,” Jones said. “They
should have a great opportunity
to do well down there. Alisha
has run some good times
for us. We’re hoping she’ll
have a big outdoor season.
She’s a big part of the 4x400
meter relay.”
Jordean Matthews, a terrific
all-around athlete, will be
long jumping for the Lions.
Matthews is also a great
triple jumper.
Jones hopes the men and
women can make a real good
showing at the Penn Relays.
Athlete returns to Relays as coach
Donald Hunt
Tribune Staff Writer
Eric Mobley, Temple men and
women’s first year head track
and field coach, knows how big
the Penn Relays is every year.
The former Central High and La
Salle University track standout
competed as a high school and
college athlete at the nation’s
largest track and field carnival.
Mobley has some great memories
from running at the relays.
He’ll have an opportunity to relive
some of them when he
comes to Franklin Field for the
meet.
“It’s huge for me,” Mobley
said. “The one time that really
stands out
when we
on our
Public
League
section.
We ran the
4x400
meter
relay. We
got a
plaque. We
Eric Mobley
got to take
our picture
with Bill Cosby. It was me,
Mark McCall, Jarrod Washington
and Courtney Taylor.
“I’ve always had good memories
running down there. Then,
coming back with La Salle, I had
a chance to run in the IC4As
down there. I ran with the Oak
Lane Youth Association when I
was eight years old. I’ve had a
great experience with the Penn
Relays. Now, I’m going down to
the Penn Relays as a head
coach. That’s really something.”
Mobley came to Temple from
The College of New Jersey
where he won 16 conference
championships. In addition, he
has seven years as a Division I
assistant coach, which includes
two seasons as an assistant at
Temple from 2002-04. He plans
to put the Owls track and field
programs in the spotlight. He
feels the Penn Relays will help
him accomplish his goals.
“The Penn Relays gives us a
chance to watch a lot of kids,”
he said. “It’s awesome for us. I
think the kids can watch our
team run. It’s good exposure for
our team. And being from
Philly, it makes our team more
attractive. You know, some of
our best athletes have been
from Philly. We’ve had people
like Travis Ellis who went to
(Bishop) McDevitt, Elliott Gaskins
from Dobbins and others.
These guys helped Temple
make its mark in track and
field. ”
Since taking the job, Mobley
has received a lot of calls from
coaches and athletes throughout
the Philadelphia area. He
feels the Owls have a lot of potential.
He’s excited about
being a head coach in his
hometown.
“The response has been
good,” he said. “I’ve been getting
a lot of calls. I’ve heard
from a lot of coaches in the
area. I really appreciate the interest.
That really helps us. We
want to keep a lot of best athletes
in the area. If we can do
that, we’ll see a big difference.
Right now, I really like the kids
we have on this team. They’re
all working extremely hard.
We’re coming off a pretty good
indoor season. I’m looking forward
to see what we can do in
the spring.”