The Penn Relays are a historic event where track and field athletes from every level — middle school to professional — gather in Philadelphia for a three-day competition that hosts over 430 events. It’s one of the few times a year when crowds of over 40,000 gather for a track meet, and the experience cannot be replicated anywhere else.

“It’s like living in a city,” said Michigan coach Fred LaPlante. “There is a harshness and a toughness. You’re going to get pushed around when you go to get your pin number, you’re going to get pushed around in your races. You have to embrace the whole experience.”

Though no team score is kept at the meet, Michigan still finished with some standout performances. On day two of competition, redshirt sophomore Cody Riffle shined the brightest when he finished second in the championship division in shot put with a throw of 18.80 meters. He closed out his weekend by taking fourth in the college division of discus with a throw of 53.34 meters.

Riffle hopes to ride the confidence he got at the Penn Relays into upcoming events like the Big Ten Championships and Nationals.

“What I liked about the Penn Relays was I was proving to myself that I could still have a really good performance against good competition, nationally,” Riffle said.

Michigan’s distance medley relay, composed of redshirt sophomore Nathan Karr, fifth-year senior Matthew Campbell, senior Brendon Blacklaws and redshirt freshman Jeff Sattler, took 12th on Friday. It was one of two non-conventional relays that Michigan took part in. The other was the sprint medley relay of senior Aaron Taylor, Campbell, sophomore Philip Washington and freshman Nate Chapman that placed 14th.

Senior Jack Greenlee tied for fourth in the college division of pole vault with a jump of 4.80 meters. Redshirt sophomore Patrick Cochran finished ninth in the college division triple jump, while redshirt junior Ethan Dennis earned eighth place in champions division hammer throw. Redshirt freshman Scotty Albaugh, who competed on the first day, placed 12th in his first collegiate 10,000-meter run.

Freshman Stephen Burk, who took 17th in the college javelin throw, has been to the Penn Relays with a couple of his teammates in high school. But this was the first time with a full team and coaching staff, at the college level, making the trip to Philadelphia. Having the block ‘M’ on his chest changed things for Burk.

“The difference was it kind of stands for something more than yourself,” Burk said. “You have something to represent more than your own name. You’re part of something bigger and it was an honor to compete in something that has been a tradition for so long.”