Dividion II Abilene Christian wins amidst controversy

Penn Relays history stretches back 101 years. But even this proud tradition could not continue without a major controversy. The Abilene Christian men's team had one of the best performances in school history at this year's Carnival, winning two Championship of America relay events. But other schools are claiming the Wildcats' performances were not fair, and George Mason even threatened to drop out of the Relays if the Texas school was allowed to compete. Most schools at Penn Relays are Division I schools. Division I has certain eligibility requirements, including age -- nobody above 24 is eligible -- and residency. Division II, however, has none of these requirements. Abilene Christian came to the Carnival with a team that included a 31 year-old from Zimbabwe and a 27 year-old from South Africa. With such a team, the Wildcats were able to dominate the competition. "It's very difficult for a college athlete from Texas to compete with someone who's been running competitively for the last four years in South Africa," a source close to the situation said. Abilene Christian head coach Les Kittering did not think the difference in eligibility requirements was an issue. "Everybody has their own rules. I'm just honored to be here, and to show everybody what we can do. These are the best relays there are in the United States, and it's an honor to run here," he said. Tim Baker, the director of Penn Relays, has stated he will look into the situation before next year's Relays. He was unavailable for comment Monday. George Mason, which led the protest against Abilene Christian, finished second behind the Wildcats in the 4x800 meter championship. At the beginning of the bell lap, the Patriots held a slim lead over Abilene. The anchor for Abilene was 31-year-old Savieri Nghidi, who blew past George Mason while running the fastest leg of anybody in the event. Abilene won by almost two seconds. The controversy did not lessen Kittering's satisfaction. "This is a school record and by far the best we've run," he said. "Our university has a long standing tradition in track. This is by far the best four by eight team we've put together." George Mason and many other schools were infuriated Abilene Christian was able to compete. Kittering just said it felt good to defeat all the schools that didn't think his team should be there. Now they both await Tim Baker's ruling.