And with the finish of the men’s 5,000-meter open/club race, the second day of the 129th Penn Relays comes to a close. We’ll be back tomorrow bright and early with the final — and arguably most eventful — day of the nation’s oldest and largest track and field competition, as multiple Olympians are set to take the stage.
The final event of the second day of the 129th Penn Relays was the men’s 5,000-meter open/club race, and it was not a quiet one.
Lead changes were abound in the first 1,000 meters of the race, but at the 1,800-meter mark, Jack Shea of Shore AC and Nick Dahl of Empire Elite led the pack. Cameron Miller of GRC-Tracksmith moved into the lead at the 3,600-meter mark.
Shea, Miller, Dahl, and Lucas Rackers of HopTC continued to fight for the lead. The group of four continued to build a gap between themselves and the rest of the pack.
At the finish line, however, it was Dahl who took home the victory with a time of 14:11.82. Miller was about two seconds behind to finish in second place and was followed by Shea and Rackers.
Photo by Lydia Tong
In the second-to-last event of the evening, athletes took to the track for the women’s 5,000-meter open/club race.
Morgan Lee of GRC-Tracksmith held the lead from the kickoff until Chloe Thomas, who ran unattached, moved her way to the front at the 2,200-meter mark. Lee fell to the seventh spot with six laps to go and ultimately finished in ninth place with a time of 16:53.24.
Thomas and Sophia King, who also ran unattached, led the pack with four laps to go. Thomas put in another gear for the last 400 meters — widening the gap between her and King. Thomas ultimately never let up the lead for the rest of the race, finishing in a time of 15:53.49 to claim the win. King came in second place, stopping the clock at 15.57.71. The two were the only runners to run under 16 minutes.
Photo by Lydia Tong
The field events closed out with the college women’s javelin throw, in which the Ivy League showed out. Princeton javelin thrower Niki Woods won with a 49.85-meter distance — breaking the record of 48.20 meters set in 2001. Woods competed and won the high school girls’ javelin throw at the Penn Relays as a senior in high school. Fellow Tiger thrower Kameil Crane finished in fourth place with a throw of 43.15 meters.
Penn sophomore multi-event specialist Madison Knier, in her second year competing in the college women’s javelin throw at the Penn Relays, placed sixth with a 42.69m throw. Last year, she threw 41.44 meters.
The field continues to be booked and busy with collegiate competition, with the college men’s pole vault in a field mainly comprised of East Coast student-athletes. Ultimately, Monmouth pole vaulter Dalton Yeust finished first in the college men’s pole vault, winning the tie over Rhode Island pole vaulter Mason Brubaker as Yeust had one less failed attempt.
Notably, Penn freshman pole vaulter Alex Georgiev — seeded second in the field with a personal best of 5.13 meters — competed. Georgiev cleared the opening 4.55 meters comfortably but was eliminated at the next height of 4.70 meters. He ultimately finished in 17th place.
Photo by Kenny Chen
Just like the college women’s 4x400-meter relay, the top two teams from each of the four men’s heats — plus the next-fastest third-place finisher — will qualify for tomorrow afternoon’s final.
The first heat saw William & Mary lead for most of the race and take a commanding win. The next three teams all finished within 1.2 seconds of each other, but Monroe College emerged second. Third-place Villanova finished with a time of 3:13.28 and eventually qualified for the final as the lone wild-card team.
In the second heat, UMBC and Morgan State led for most of the race. However, after a bad third exchange for Morgan State, the Retrievers emerged victorious at 3:08.94.
Next up, High Point jumped out to a quick lead in the third heat, as Chicago State and Johns Hopkins led a chasing group. The Panthers won handily, finishing with 3:07.36 — the fastest time in any heat to claim the top qualifying spot by over five full seconds ahead of second-place Georgetown.
The fourth and final heat was quite close throughout. Heading into the final lap, three teams were within a second of each other. East Stroudsburg ultimately crossed the finish line in first while Lock Haven took the all-important second spot. The final is scheduled for 5:25 p.m. tomorrow.
Photo by Carly Zhao
Collegiate relay races continue on the track with the heats of the college women’s 4x400-meter relay and teams aiming for a spot in tomorrow’s championship relay. The top two of each heat and the next three fastest overall advance.
The first heat began with a close opening leg, but UMBC pulled away from the pack during the second 400 meters. UMBC stayed neck and neck with Norfolk State while entering the final leg, but despite their strong start, UMBC was overtaken by Norfolk State and William & Mary, which finished in the first and second spots of their heats, respectively. Norfolk finished comfortably in first with a time of 3:40.44 — good for first overall — followed by runner-up William & Mary, which had a time of 3:42.89.
The second heat began with Lehigh taking the lead following the first handoff, but Lehigh was overtaken by Coppin State in a close second leg. Chicago State moved up two places during the third leg, and its anchor made a strong push to ultimately win the heat with a final time of 3:43.74.
Lincoln and American went stride-for-stride during the first lap of the third heat, and the two took the lead heading into the first handoff. Richmond pulled ahead of Lincoln and Troy during the second and third legs, and American fell to last — widening the gap as it headed into the final 400 meters. With a strong finish from its anchor, Richmond won the third heat with a time of 3:42.89, which was good for third overall.
The schools that are set to compete in tomorrow’s college final are Norfolk State, William & Mary, Richmond, UMBC, Chicago State, Tory, Rider, Rowan, and Lincoln.
Photo by Carly Zhao
The field continued to stay busy with the college women’s triple jump competition. Throughout the event, the rankings saw a good amount of movement as athletes progressed through attempts.
Howard jumper Jazmyn Wajd won the event with a jump of 12.33 meters on her fifth attempt. With her last attempt being her best, she rose to the top right at the end. Coming in second place was Rutgers jumper Ayotunde Folawewo, who had a jump of 12.29 meters on her second attempt.
Folawewo held the top spot for a while until Wajd surpassed the former in her final attempt. The top three athletes’ results were all in close range. UMES Jonysha Prucien moved to third place from fifth place on her last attempt, which was a jump of 12.27 meters.
Representing the Red and Blue, junior jumper Ijeoma Eziri had a strong start with a jump of 12.03 meters. This secured her a fifth-place finish as her subsequent attempts failed to top her first jump. Eziri placed 17th in this event in the 2024 Penn Relays, with a jump of 11.66 meters — marking a significant rise in standing this year. Teammate and sophomore jumper Paris Ivery, who was meant to be a competitor, did not show in the event.
Photo by Lydia Tong
Collegiate competition in the field events continued with the discus throw. Bowie State thrower Yassine Kamara won the event, with a throw of 50.84 meters on her fifth attempt. Kamara had a significant lead over her competition — a difference of 2.34 meters.
UConn thrower Emily Alty came in second place, with her fifth attempt throw traveling 48.50 meters. Few athletes attempted a sixth throw, but those who did were not able to top Kamara’s strong showing. Other competitors’ best throws were within close range of each other, making Kamara’s win a standout.
Junior thrower Stella Inman represented Penn. Her throw of 41.82 meters on her third attempt placed her at a 17th place finish for the event. Inman’s performance was a slight decrease from her mark of 43.63 meters at last year’s Penn Relays.
The schedule continued with the college men’s sprint medley Championship of America. The college men’s sprint medley relay features one of the longer standing records in the Penn Relays, which was a 3:12.88 time set by Abilene Christian in 1995. The most recent of the top ten times in this event was set during the 2001 Penn Relays.
In the first heat, Monroe College won handily with a time of 3:24.61. Howard came out of the second heat victorious, and the Bison set a new record for the fastest time overall.
But all eyes were on the third and final heat, which featured the event’s defending champion, TCU, and Penn. The Quakers team consisted of junior hurdler Shane Gardner running the 200-meter sprint, sophomore sprinter Nayyir Newash-Campbell running the second 200m sprint, sophomore hurdler Ryan Matulonis running the 400m sprint, and junior long-sprinter Alec Jackson running the 800m sprint.
Penn fought strongly but remained toward the back of the pack throughout the event. The front of the pack featured an intense five-way battle for victory throughout the final lap. In the final meters, Georgetown pulled ahead of the other schools and ultimately won with a time of 3:16.20, the fastest collegiate mark this season.
Penn State and Texas A&M rounded out the podium, and Penn finished ninth overall. The top five teams were separated by under one second.
Photo by Carly Zhao
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The program returned to collegiate competition with the college women’s sprint medley Championship of America. Clemson — the event’s defending champions — led the pack during the first three legs of the relay’s final heat, gaining separation from the other runners by the third 400-meter leg. With an easy first-place standing going into the final two laps, Clemson’s anchor led the school to a first-place heat finish at 3:42.50, which was good for first place overall.
Dartmouth and Howard finished in second and third place overall, with times of 3:49.74 and 3:53.03, respectively.
The event’s first heat was easily won by Towson, who finished the race with a time of 3:58.06, a school record. Towson runners took the lead during the first three legs of the relay, widening the gap in the final 800 meters, to finish four seconds ahead of the heat’s runner-up, Rider.
The event’s second heat was taken by St. John’s, who overtook runner-up Georgia Southern with a strong finish in the final half of the 800-meter leg. St. John’s, with a final time of 3:58.10, overtook both James Madison and Georgia Southern in the final leg to win the heat.
Though Penn did not compete this year, in 2024, the Penn’s women’s sprint medley team finished third, running a time of 3:42.32, which is the sixth-best time for the event in Penn Relays history.
Photo by Kenny Chen
In the high school boys’ 4x800-meter relay, schools from Jamaica have come out victorious in this event in eight of the last nine Penn Relays. However, reigning champion Jamaica College and 2023 winner Chatham were not present in this year’s field, giving way for a new champion to rise to the occasion.
Following the first leg, Tennessee’s Christian Brothers held a narrow lead as the teams began sorting themselves. A strong second leg from St. John’s College gave it a sizable advantage at the halfway point of the race.
The third leg saw St. John’s College’s lead evaporate because of dedicated chasing efforts from both IMG Academy and Rockhurst. St. John’s College regained a narrow advantage early in the anchor leg, but with 300 meters to go, the three schools were neck and neck. Down the final stretch, Rockhurst had the superior kick and won the race with a time of 7:33.83, silencing the Jamaican crowd. St. John’s College and IMG Academy rounded out the podium with times that were just 0.43 and 0.62 seconds behind, respectively.
Photo by Lydia Tong
The day of competition continues with the high school boys’ mile run championship. The race lineup was composed of athletes from a diverse group of schools, including high schools in Jamaica, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Coming into the race, Soheib Dissa of Newtown was seeded first in the field with a PR of 4:04. He led the field after 400 meters with a first lap of 1:04.39.Furman track and field commit Zachary Youngblood of Chattanooga Christian took over the lead at the 1200m mark. However, the pack remained within two seconds of each other.
Youngblood pulled even further ahead throughout the bell lap, finishing in a strong 4.10.07. Second went to Carter Smith of Mifflin County in 4:11.14 with a solid gap. To round off the podium, Herbie Johnson of Roundwood Park finished third in 4:12.13.
Similar to the mile, the high school boys’ 3000-meter championship field was composed of athletes from locations ranging from New Jersey to the United Kingdom. Ultimately, Gainesville’s Trent Daniels took home the crown.
Notably, Penn track and field commit Vinay Raman competed in this event, running for Hershey. He is the reigning Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association District III Class 3A champion in the 1600m race.
After the first 600 meters, Andy Condon of John Jay led the pack with a time of 1:41.89, but the runners remained tightly clustered. Caleb Tenney of St. Vincent Pallotti took the lead for the next 800 meters, leading the pack to the 1400m mark in 3:57.89.
Covington Catholic’s Will Sheets took the lead as the field passed the mile mark. A leading pack of runners solidified at around the 2000m mark, with Sheets, Daniels, and Luke Pash of Ridgewood pulling away from the field.
Pash, Daniels, and Sheets began to spread out across the back straightaway around the 2400m mark, with Sheets leading Pash ahead of Daniels, who made a push at the 2600m mark to overtake them. The three maintained a sizable lead on the rest of the field.
Daniels executed a final surge over the last 300 meters to win the race in a time of 8:10.43. Sheets finished second with a time of 8:11.60, with Pash rounding out the podium in third, recording a time of 8:17.51. Raman finished fifth with a time of 8:20.25.
Photo by Lydia Tong
Related:The high school girls’ mile run and 3000-meter championships — which kicked off at 4:50 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively — saw impressive finishes and record times set.
Dylan McElhinney of Hunter and Abigail Hennessy of Westford came first and second respectively in the high school girls’ mile run championship, running the third and fourth fastest high school girl miles of the meet so far with times of 4:39.89 and 4:40.01. McElhinney became a two-time champion in the event and the first woman to earn two consecutive watches in the event since Angel Piccirillo of Homer Center in 2011.
The high school girls’ 3000-meter championship kicked off with Caroline Barton of Carolina Day in the lead after the first 200 meters. Addison Ritzenhein of Niwot took the lead at the 1400m mark, staying in first until the final leg, where Blair Bartlett of Lawrenceville overtook her to finish in first with a time of 9:13.60. Bartlett finished over six seconds ahead of the rest of the competitors.
In the first heat of the college men’s 4x400-meter Championship of America relay heats, Texas A&M handed off into the third leg first, with Pitt and Houston following tightly behind. Aggies sprinter Auhmad Robinson widened the lead and handed off first to Texas A&M anchor and middle distance specialist Kimar Farquharson, who held off the field to secure Texas A&M’s heat victory with a time of 3:05.14. Houston and Pitt finished neck and neck in 3:07.11 and 3:07.42, respectively, to qualify for the finals tomorrow.
In the second heat, South Florida took a decisive lead, and Penn followed in second place. Sophomore sprint/hurdles specialist Alex Sadikov started off the first leg for the Quakers, followed by sophomore sprinter Nayyir Newash-Campbell and freshman distance specialist Benjamin Markham. In the final leg, Navy middle distance specialist Jacques Guillaume overtook Penn sophomore sprinter and hurdler Ryan Matulonis to briefly take over second place. However, Matulonis persevered and led the Red and Blue to a time of 3:05.49 — allowing them to qualify for the championship race and finish third overall. South Florida finished first with a time of 3:04.32 to become the top qualifier for the final.
TCU handed off first in the third heat, with Howard following tightly behind. TCU sprinter Destin Drummond ran a strong third leg, handing off first for the bell lap, with Howard staying a close second in what seemed like a two-team race. In the last straightaway, however, Norfolk State sprinter Vincent Bond Jr.’s strong final push propelled the team past Howard and TCU to win the heat with a time of 3:06.86. TCU sprinter Dominic Byles carried the Horned Frogs into second to qualify the team for the championship race as well.
Photo by Kenny Chen
The first heat of the college women’s 4x400-meter Championship of America saw two teams, Howard University and Texas A&M, take an early and decisive lead on the rest of the field. A strong third leg by Howard sprinter Zoe Turner put Howard in first coming into the final handoff, but on the anchor leg Texas A&M sprinter Jaydan Wood was able to overcome on the race’s last curve to win the first heat in 3:33.11. Wood and her teammates will be automatic qualifiers for the 4x400m Championship of America race. Howard, who finished second in the heat, will join the Aggies in the final.
South Florida sprinter Amenda Saint Louis handed off first in the second heat. However, Duke and South Florida made decisive moves to advance in the race’s final meters, with Duke sprinter Lauren Tolbert pulling away on anchor to win the heat in 3:31.34 and qualify for the final. South Florida, Rutgers, and Hampton also qualified for tomorrow’s final.
In the third heat, TCU sprinter Samarra Monrroy started off strong and handed off first — a lead the team wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the race. Pittsburgh opening leg sprinter Je’Nyia Burton put the Panthers close behind at the beginning of the second leg, but TCU hurdler Amelliah Birdow pulled away from the pack to widen the Horned Frogs’ lead. TCU secured the heat victory with TCU sprinter Morgan Maddox’s anchor leg. Pittsburgh nabbed a spot in the championship with a time of 3.35.10, and Maryland and Clemson also secured spots in tomorrow’s final.
Photo by Kenny Chen
Four American high schools and five Jamaican high schools took their places on the track for the most anticipated event of the day: the high school boys’ 4x400-meter Championship of America relay. The top time of the event in the heats was held by the Bullis School — anchored by the youngest-ever track and field Olympic gold medalist Quincy Wilson. The Bullis School came into the title race with the opportunity to become the first American team to claim the title in over a decade.
The school’s biggest competition would come from three-time defending champions Kingston College, who entered the field with a field-best, season-best event time of 3:07.46. With three straight wins already under its belt, Kingston College was looking to become just the second school to win four straight 4x400m championship titles. As the opening pistol sounded, the crowd immediately rose to its feet.
Even while setting a new national record in the 4x400m, it simply wasn’t in the cards for the Bullis School today. Wilson’s blistering 43.99-second final leg — which helped the team cross the finish line with a time of 3:06.31 to take his team from fifth place to second place — ultimately wasn’t enough to catch Kingston College, which finished with a time of 3:05.93. Wilson’s 43.99-second last leg beats the Penn Relays record that he set one year ago.
Unfortunately for Wilson and the Bullis School, they will have to wait another year for a new opportunity to earn that elusive Penn Relays championship watch.
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Penn saw two of its student-athletes take to the track for the heats of the college men’s 110-meter hurdles, aiming to punch a ticket to tomorrow’s title race. Junior multi-event specialist Jake Rose saw his chances fade after he placed fifth in his heat with a time of 14.24.
After a career year where he claimed the 2025 Ivy League heptagonal championship title in the 60m indoor hurdles, junior hurdler Shane Gardner finished his heat in third place with a time of 13.87. He ultimately had to wait for two more heats to run before finding out if he advanced to the finals.
Gardner had the seventh-fastest time in the field ahead of the last heat, falling one spot after the final group competed but securing his spot in tomorrow afternoon’s college men’s 110m hurdles championship.
Photo by Kenny Chen
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In the heats of the college women’s 100-meter hurdles, Texas A&M hurdler Jaiya Covington blazed to the front to finish first with a time of 13.00, with Norfolk State hurdler/jumps specialist Brooklyn Robinson and Howard hurdler Marcia Sey finishing 0.25 and 0.29 seconds behind, respectively.
Freshman sprints/hurdles specialist Chikaodinaka Akazi represented Penn, finishing third in her heat with a time of 13.42. While she didn’t finish first in her heat, her performance secured her sixth place overall, qualifying her to compete in tomorrow’s championship race at 3:30 p.m.
In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it affair, the college women’s 100-meter dash heats were headlined by the return of TCU’s two-time defending champion Iyana Gray, who returned to Franklin Field in search of a third straight title in this event. Gray did not disappoint, winning the fourth heat with a field-best 11.60-second race.
Junior sprinters Fore Abinusawa and Christiana Nwachuku represented the Red and Blue in the event. In the second heat, Nwachuku crossed the finish line with a time of 11.75 seconds — good for a 9th place finish and the last and final spot in tomorrow’s title race.
In the third heat, Abinusawa came out strong out of lane five and was able to push her way across the finish line in first place with a time of 11.61 seconds — securing a place in tomorrow’s title race. She will enter tomorrow’s race with the field’s second best time, just 0.01 seconds behind Gray.
The winner of each heat, along with the next five fastest times, advanced to the college women’s 100m dash championship — slated to take place tomorrow afternoon at 3:40 p.m.
The title-chasing field will feature George Southern’s NaJ Watson, Howard’s Kailei Collins, home crowd favorites Abinusawa and Nwachuku, TCU’s Iyana Gray, Applachian State’s Kendall Johnson, Georgia Southern’s Shatalya Dorsett, G.C. Foster’s Mickaell Moodie, and Georgia Southern’s Devine Parker.
In the college men’s 4x200-meter Championship of America relay, it was all South Florida. South Florida sprinter and three-time program record holder Abdul-Rasheed Saminuled off from lane six before passing the baton to South Florida sprinter and Jamaican native Alexavier Monfries. South Florida sprinters Jaleel Croal and Nathan Metelus took over for the last two legs to claim the victory with a time of 1:21.06, giving the defending champions another title.
No. 2 men’s track and field team Texas A&M finished in second with a time of 1:22.23, and Houston rounded out the podium in third.
From the opening pistol, the college women’s Championship of America 4x200-meter relay was a three-team race, as South Florida shot out into the lead with Texas Christian and Howard close on its heels. Despite the early edge, the Bulls couldn’t hang on as the Horned Frogs and the Bison thundered past them.
TCU proved to be the best relay team on the track, as the Horned Frogs crossed the finish line with a time of 1:33.04 — 0.85 seconds in front of Howard and 1.06 seconds in front of South Florida.
The college men’s Championship of America distance medley resulted in another hard-fought win. University of Washington crossed the finish line first to claim its first college men’s distance medley championship in history. Oregon and Texas A&M rounded out the podium in second and third. Villanova, the defending champion, finished in fifth with a time of 9:28.14.
At the 1200-meter mark, Washington was in eighth place with Villanova in the lead. However, Washington sprinter Bodi Ligons surged in the next 400 meters to move the team into third. Texas A&M claimed the lead in that leg of the race.
Washington distance specialist Nathan Green took over for the final 1600 meters and powered past Texas A&M to finish in first with an overall time of 9:25:22.
Competitors in the college women’s long jump championship took flight starting at noon. Each athlete had three attempts to post their best jump. From there, the best nine jumpers advanced and then had three more chances to post their best jump possible for the win.
Five Penn jumpers were among the 33 competitors. Freshman sprinter Mary Rozier headlined for the Red and Blue: With a performance of 5.79 meters to put her in fourth place, she earned herself a spot in the next stage of the event. Rozier ended up placing third in her Penn Relays debut, earning a spot on the podium.
Four other Quakers competed in this event, including senior sprinter Chloe Williams at her last Penn Relays. Usually a triple-jump specialist, junior jumper Ijeoma Eziri came out strong with an initial jump of 5.56 meters. Sophomore multi-event specialist Raina Pietrzak warmed up as the event went on, posting increasingly better jumps that topped at 5.44 meters.
Four Ivy League athletes competed in the top nine, vying for the top spot. Cornell jumper Tia Taylor and fellow Big Red multi-event specialist Maddie Packer could not best Rozier’s marks this afternoon.
Yale sprinter Dominique Romain’s first jump of 5.94 meters appeared insurmountable for most of the afternoon, but Morgan State’s Tia Jackson claimed victory with one jump left, posting a mark of 6.12 meters.
Photo by Takeru Matsunaga
After two consecutive third-place finishes in the college women’s distance medley, Virginia has gone the distance and claimed the Championship of America crown.
After the first 1,200 meters, Virginia held fourth and maintained that position for the next 400 meters, while Providence, Clemson, and Penn State battled for the top spot. Clemson had remained consistent in second place, but distance runner Silvia Jelelgo turned on the jets to bring them into first.
But it always comes down to the last leg. Virginia distance specialist Margot Appleton faced a tall task in the final 1,600 meters. Sitting outside the podium, Appleton had ground to make up. And make it up she did: She ran a 4:21.25 split to cross the finish line first and win the event for Virginia.
Photo by Anjali Kishore.
The college men’s field events continued with the long jump. Student-athletes took turns taking three jumps apiece, and the nine best performances were awarded tickets to the final round of the event. The top nine then had three more chances each to post the best jump of the event.
The sole Quaker on the field was freshman jumper Takunda Mhete. At the Ivy League Indoor Heptagonal Track and Field Championship, Mhete’s 7.05-meter jump earned him a fifth-place finish.
Mhete’s first two jumps of the day did not count. On his third attempt, he jumped 6.79 meters to move into fifth place. With a spot in the top nine, Mhete earned three more attempts to go for the title.
Mhete leapt ahead in the standings with a 7.12-meter jump on his fifth attempt — a new career best. He sat in first place for one round but was overtaken by Birmingham’s Oreofeoluwa Adepegba and Lincoln’s Jude Butumbi.
Adepegba won the event with a jump of 7.34 meters.
Photo by Takeru Matsunaga
The high school boys’ 4x100-meter Championship of America relay was another high-stakes race that bled yellow, black, and green.
Coming into the race, seven of the 10 qualifiers were Jamaican high school teams. However, the top qualifier out of the heats was Washington’s Archbishop John Carroll with a time of 41.03 — five-hundredths of a second ahead of Jamaica’s Excelsior, last year’s champion.
Franklin Field, especially its strong Jamaican contingent of fans, hummed with anticipation as the boys took to the track. Ultimately, Calabar of Jamaica crossed the finish line with a time of 39.79 for a dominant win — its first since 2018. Archbishop John Carroll came in second, and Jamaica’s Kingston College rounded out the podium in third.
Excelsior, the champion in this event at the 2024 Penn Relays, finished in fourth with a time of 40.36 — a 0.09-second improvement over its time last year.
Photo by Uma Mukhopadhyay
Penn Relays moved at breakneck speed as the college men’s 4x100-meter relay events continued. Like the college women’s event, each heat winner automatically qualified for the Championship of America final. South Florida — the reigning champion — came out looking to leave its competition in the dust. The team finished in 39.24 seconds — 0.1 seconds faster than their winning time last year.
Houston, who placed third at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in this event and second at last year’s Penn Relays, was a big name coming into the event. But Houston sprinter Brice Chabot had to chase down Albany sprinter Rajay Morris in the final 100 meters, sending the crowd rising to their feet. Mere thousandths of a second separated the pair as they crossed the finish line, but Albany had the edge and won the heat.
The fourth heat brought another photo finish as Texas A&M and G.C. Foster went toe-to-toe. The old phrase “iron sharpens iron” was proven true as the two teams finished with the second- and third-fastest times overall.
Of the nine teams who qualified for Saturday’s final, five competed last year. Pitt, who posted the fourth-fastest time this year at 39.89 seconds, will be looking for redemption after not finishing the race last year.
The stakes were as high as the sun in the sky for the college women’s 4x100-meter relay. Winners of the four heats, as well as the five next-fastest teams, advanced to tomorrow’s championships to set the field of nine.
Penn sent its group of senior sprinter Caia Gelli, junior sprinter Christiana Nwachuku, freshman sprinter Milan Ramey, and junior sprinter Fore Abinusawa to compete. This is virtually the same team that qualified in the event for the NCAA championships last year — except now, Ramey takes the place of 2024 College graduate and 2024 Paris Olympian Isabella Whittaker.
The Quakers went out with blazing speed and clocked a time of 44.60 to win their heat outright. In the last 100 meters, Abinusawa left Albany sprinter Shantae Pryce behind her to win the heat. Their final time was the sixth fastest of the top nine finishers.
At the 2024 Penn Relays, Texas A&M was disqualified. This year, the school finished as the top qualifier with a time of 44.05, giving its team the opportunity to avenge last year’s miss.
Photo by Takeru Matsunaga.
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George Washington took the crown in the college men’s distance medley relay with a time of 9:50.92.
Fordham and Navy followed in second and third places, respectively. George Washington distance specialist Michael Bohlke surged as the anchor leg, moving from ninth place at the 2,400-meter mark to first at the finish line.
Penn finished fifth, represented by the relay team of junior distance specialist Liam Going, sophomore sprinter Nicholas DeVita, freshman distance specialist Brady Golomb, and sophomore distance specialist George Keen. The Quakers were second at the 1,200-meter mark but fell to fifth by the 2,400-meter mark, maintaining that position until the finish line.
Photo by Lydia Tong.
Hydel’s 4x100-meter relay team — hailing from Jamaica — ran the fastest time of the event, finishing in first place in the fourth heat of the sixth round of the relay. The team finished in 44.55 seconds, beating their championship-winning time last year by 0.16 seconds. Edwin Allen High School, also from Jamaica, was a close second, running 44.64.
The results are reminiscent of the 2024 Relays, when Edwin Allen again came in second just behind Hydel. This year, Edwin Allen shaved 0.32 seconds off of their 2024 Penn Relays time. Four of the nine schools competing in the Championship of America field tomorrow will be from Jamaica. Notably, Excelsior, the first team outside of the qualifying field, will not compete. The top team from the United States was Bullis, for which Olympian Quincy Wilson will compete later today.
Penn track and field commit Sofia Swindell got a glimpse into her upcoming collegiate career as she competed in the sixth and final round of the high school girls’ 4x100m relay. Representing The Lawrenceville School of New Jersey, she anchored the relay, helping her team finish with a time of 47.89.
Swindell will race again tomorrow for the high school girls’ 4x100m Northeast championship.
Photo by Lydia Tong.
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Penn track and field commit Jessica Oji dominated the competition today at the high school girls’ shot put championship. Oji, competing for Livingston High School of New Jersey, wore bib No. 1 — foreshadowing her finish atop the podium and marking her second title at the Penn Relays.
Her competition did not come close to her mark. In the field of 15 competitors, Oji posted a mark of 15.53 meters — more than a full meter farther than the next closest throw. She was the only athlete to throw over 15 meters. Her sixth throw was her best of the day at 15.96m.
Today marked an improvement over her 2024 outing, when she won with a throw of 14.12m.
The high school girls’ discus throw bled black, yellow, and green. In the first field event of the day, Excelsior thrower Najhada Seymoure won the championship with a throw of 51.01 meters after finishing second last year with a 48.08-meter throw. Three other Jamaican athletes followed her to sweep the top four places, and two other Jamaican throwers placed in the top ten.
At the 2024 Penn Relays, six of the top ten finishers in this event were Jamaican athletes.
The first event of the morning was the high school girls’ 4x800-meter qualifying heats.
The 12 fastest teams across the four heats earned a spot in the finals, which will take place tomorrow. Leading the pack were IMG Academy and Alphansus Davis of Jamaica, who finished milliseconds apart.
Penn track and field commit Maggie McCabe got an early taste of her future with the Quakers. She anchored for Notre Dame Manhattan, moving her team up six places during her leg. She had the second-fastest split of her heat with a time of 2:11.73, but her team did not qualify for the finals.
Photo by Caleb Crain.
Newly appointed Penn President Larry Jameson appeared at the Penn Relays this morning.
Jameson has previously supported the Penn track and field program at the opening of the Ott Center for Track and Field. Though not actively used for competition during the Penn Relays, the center marks a significant milestone for the program, featuring a track and areas for throwing, high jumps, and pole vaults.
“[The donors’] generosity and vision will make all the difference for our student-athletes as well as support Penn’s partnership with our neighbors and with athletes from around the world,” Jameson said at the opening.
Photo by Caleb Crain