PHILADELPHIA, Pa. --- The Tusculum University men's 4x100-meter relay team finished eighth in the Championship of America Invitational at the 125th Penn Relays on Saturday at Franklin Field.
Running before a crowd of more than 40,000 fans and a national television audience, the Pioneer quartet of Gibran Williams, Widchard Guervil, Xavier Billups and Kedar Ashford crossed the line in 41.45 seconds as the only non-NCAA Division I team in the field.
Houston won the event in 39.23 seconds, followed by Clemson (39.62), Virginia Tech (40.16) and Auburn (40.33). Tusculum placed ahead of Troy, which did not finish the race. Houston, which had been disqualified for an illegal handoff, was later reinstated as the winner.
Tusculum qualified for the Championship of America by placing ninth overall in Friday's trials with a time of 40.90 seconds.
125th Penn Relays
College Men's 4x100 Championship of America Invitational
1. Houston, 39.23
2. Clemson, 39.62
3. Virginia Tech, 40.16
4. Auburn, 40.33
5. Coppin State, 40.42
6. Monmouth, 40.59
7. North Carolina Central, 41.11
8. TUSCULUM, 41.45
Troy, DNF