PHILADELPHIA -- Virginia Wesleyan College's women's 4x100 relay team produced a final time of 49.78 to place third in their heat Thursday at the 120th Penn Relays.

Senior Courtney Mebane (Virginia Beach/Tallwood), sophomores Shakira Mills (Hampton/Bethel) and Tiana Hughes (Stafford/Brooke Point), and rookie Tiffany Lennon (Carrollton/Smithfield) competed in a heat that included Division I's Marshall University, Army, and Colgate University, and Division II's Shaw University. Ursinus College and Keystone College were also in the nine-team heat, along with Hagerstown Community College and Kingsborough Community College.  Marshall placed first with a time of 47.16, while Army finished steps in front of VWC with a time of 49.78.  The top three were the only quartets to break 50.0.

Virginia Wesleyan's time was also the fifth fastest among 20 Division III teams entered in the relay. Gwynedd Mercy College had the fastest DIII time at 49.14, followed by Rowan University (49.44), Moravian College (49.60), and Johns Hopkins University (49.67).

Texas A&M University turned in the fastest time overall with a 44.09 finish, while the University of Oregon was runner-up at 44.30. Overall, 105 quartets raced in the event.

The remaining Penn Relays schedule for VWC's student-athletes is as follows:

FRIDAY, April 25
12:30 p.m. -- Men's 4 x 100m Relay  (Reyes, Fowlkes, Cole, Lott)
1:30 p.m. --  Men's 4 x 200m Relay  (Lott, Cole, Hawkins, Elmore)
1:50 p.m. -- Women's 4 x 200m Relay  (Mebane, Mills, Daniel, Lennon)
3:30 p.m. -- Men's 100m Dash  (Lott)
3:30 p.m. -- Men's Long Jump (Fowlkes)
4:45 p.m. -- Men's 4 x 400m relay  (Reyes, White, Sivels, Elmore)

Link to the Penn Relays website:

http://pennrelaysonline.com/Results/schedule.aspx?t=d&d=f