The Saturday events at this year's Penn Relays started off with all eyes focused on the weather in addition to the track. Steady showers fell throughout the morning, letting up just after noon and resuming a few hours later. Runners struggled somewhat to deal with the conditions, with more collisions and falls than usual. The sun did finally peek through the heavy clouds at around 1:45 p.m., but only for a few minutes.
In the men's 4x100-meter IC4A Championship relay, East Carolina finished first with a time of 40.41 seconds. Penn was supposed to compete in this race, running in Lane 2, but did not show up on the track. A spokesperson for Penn Athletics said that the team decided to skip the race in order to rest up for the Heptagonal Championships next weekend.
Louisiana State won the Championship of America relay in 39.06 seconds, the seventh-fastest ever in a Penn Relays college race. Southeastern Conference schools swept the top three positions, as Florida finished second with a time of 39.25 seconds and Tennessee finished third with a time of 39.88 seconds.
Things went better for the Penn women, who won the second section of the lower tier of the 4x800m relay in 9:07.71. Stanford won the Championship of America relay with a time of 8:32.02 -- its first ever title in that event. North Carolina finished a close second in 8:32.40.
In the 4xMile race, Michigan set a new national collegiate record with a time of 16:04.54. Arkansas finished second, marking the second time in as many days that the Razorbacks fell to the Wolverines in a distance relay. Arkansas held the previous 4xMile record, a time of 16:07.96 set at the 1999 Penn Relays.
Earlier in the day, the high school boys' 4x400m relays were the center of attention for the Franklin Field crowd, which filled much of the lower deck but stayed out of the upper deck until the early afternoon to avoid the rain. A total of 19 Jamaican schools participated in this event, giving the many fans clad in green and gold their money's worth, and three qualified for the Championship of America relay. Bishop McDevitt, whose women's basketball team was once coached by current Penn coach Patrick Knapp, won the boys' Philadelphia Catholic League relay with a time of 3:26.79, while Simon Gratz won the Public League race with a time of 3:19.37.
West Catholic's girls team was back in the spotlight again as well, finishing first in the tri-state 4x100m relay with a time of 47.16 seconds. Star Nicole Leach -- who was later named the Outstanding High School Athlete of the entire meet -- ran the second leg.
In the high school boys' 4x100m Championship of America, Holmwood Tech finished first in 40.82 seconds. Simon Gratz finished seventh in 41.91 seconds.
In the college 4x200m Championship of America, Florida held off Louisiana State for a spot atop the winners' platform. The Gators won in 1:20.94, the eighth-fastest time in Penn Relays history, while the Tigers finished in 1:21.06. Early favorites Arkansas did not finish because of a baton drop in the handoff from the second to third legs.
In the men's Olympic Development mile run, 2004 Penn graduate Sam Burley finished in sixth place with a time of 4:07.89. It was Burley's first race since surgery earlier this year to treat compartment syndrome, which is a pinched nerve between the muscle and muscle sheath, in his left foot.
"I ran on it for two years, actually," Burley said.
The former Quaker, who ran this year for Asics, was pleased enough just to be back at the track he called home for four years.
"I love the relays, so it feels fantastic to be back," he said. "I went to [the] Drake [Relays] last year, but I miss Penn."
Joseph Koskei, affiliated with New Balance, won the race in 4:06.20.
After Burley's race, the sprinters took center stage on what is normally the home side of Franklin Field for Penn football games. In the 100m dash Championship of America, Penn's Grafton Ifill finished fifth with a time of 10.56 seconds. The race was tightly contested throughout, and the top three sprinters finished within six one-hundredths of a second of each other. Florida International's Kevon Pierre finished first in 10.33 seconds; UNC-Charlotte's Derrick Johnson finished second in 10.35 seconds; and Lerone Clarke of Lincoln (Missouri) finished third in 10.39 seconds.
"I think I had a good race," Ifill said. "I'm happy with my performance."
Ifill transferred to Penn this past season from Clemson, and this year marked his first time running in the Penn Relays.
"I love it -- I'm looking forward to next year again," he said. "I really enjoyed myself with all the crowd, and my family was here."
In the always popular Men's Masters (75 years and older) 100m dash, relative youngster Edward Cox, 77, came in first with a time of 15.37 seconds. The oldest runner, 88-year-old Champ Goldy, finished seventh with a time of 18.67 seconds. James Wiggins, who celebrated his 87th birthday on Saturday, finished last with a time of 24.25 seconds.
The Penn men's 4x800m team placed fourth in the Championship of America race with a time of 7:26.88. Michigan won the race in 7:22.59, and Kent State just barely denied the Quakers third place with a time of 7:26.66.
"It was amazing just to be in the heat, and just getting the baton in second place behind Michigan was a pretty cool feeling," said Penn's Tim Kaijala, who ran the anchor leg for the Red and Blue. "Before I ran the race I couldn't even stand in the stadium -- I was so jittery, I had to go for a walk. I've never run before this many people before."
On the field, Penn senior Jim Malizia placed fourth in the men's javelin Championship of America with a throw of 63.52 meters or 208 feet, 5 inches.
The Philadelphia-area high school boys 4x400m championship race saw a thrilling finish that brought the mostly non-local crowd to its feet. Simon Gratz finished first in 3:18.98, but was disqualified after its anchor runner knocked Camden's anchor over the rail boundary at the edge of the track. Camden therefore won the race with a time of 3:20.78.
The high school boys 4x400m Championship of America race went to Wolmers of Kingston, Jamaica, much to the delight of the Jamaican fans at the finish line. Wolmers finished in 3:12.07. Perennial power Long Beach Poly of Long Beach, Calif., finished second in 3:12.35. DeMatha Catholic of Hyattsvile, Md. -- alma mater of Penn basketball player Steve Danley -- finished third in 3:12.40.
South Carolina won the college women's 4x400m Championship of America in 3:28 flat, the second-fastest time ever at the Penn Relays. It was the Gamecocks' fourth Championship of America in this year's Relays. Miami came in second with a time of 3:29.27. Florida won the men's 4x400m Championship of America in 3:03.34, with 400-meter indoor world record holder Kerron Clemon running an unofficial anchor leg time of 44.9 seconds. Texas Tech finished second in 3:03.43 and Mississippi State finished third in 3:03.44.
In the next-to-last race of the day, the Penn women's 4x400m team came in last in the ECAC Championship Relay, finishing in 3:24.91. East Carolina won the race in 3:30.98. Most of the teams withdrew before the race was won, leaving only four competitors when the starting gun went off.
Saturday's announced crowd of 44,612 brought the three-day Penn Relays total to 108,809. That is 3,892 fewer than last year's record three-day total of 112,701.
