PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, April 24-26 — The buzz surrounding the high school boys 4 x 400 at the 129th Penn Relays was almost as loud as the crowd at Franklin Field, and the race did not disappoint. The Bullis School (Potomac, Maryland) was looking to break up recent Jamaican domination and become the first American 4 x 400 team to win at Penn since 2007.
Alas, Jamaican school Kingston College got the victory (in a scorching 3:05.93) in a tight battle with Bullis and Calabar, another team from the Caribbean island nation, but Bullis anchor Quincy Wilson put on quite a show. Following teammates Mickey Green (48.3), Cam Homer (46.6) and Colin Abrams (47.37), Wilson got the baton in a distant 5th. He roared through the first 200 to close the gap but didn’t quite have enough to match the final homestretch surge from Kingston’s Marcinho Rose (45.04).
Still, Wilson split a sensational 43.99 (second fastest ever by a prep) to seal 2nd place in 3:06.31. That sliced more than a second off the 3:07.40 HSR set 40 years ago by Hawthorne (California).
“I’ve been on the big stage, so I said if they had any pressure, if they were nervous, put it all on me,” said Wilson, who last year finished 6th at the Olympic Trials and earned relay duty at the Paris Olympics. “That’s the best thing I can do because if they’re going to throw the pressure on me, I’m going to throw it back on God.”
The Bullis girls also finished runner-up to a Jamaican team — Hydel, which smashed the meet record with 3:30.42 (a time that would have placed 3rd in the college final). The Americans, anchored by Sydney Sutton in 52.44, clocked 3:33.30, the No. 3 U.S. prep time.
Also climbing up the all-time list was the girls DMR team from Union Catholic (Scotch Plains, New Jersey), running 11:24.53 to smash a 13-year-old meet record and move to No. 6. Soph Paige Sheppard anchored with a 4:41.65 split, then came back the next day to run on the 7th-place 4 x 400 squad.
The boys DMR was also won by a quick quartet from the Garden State when Christian Brothers Academy (Lincroft, New Jersey) broke the tape in 9:59.17.
Rockhurst (Kansas City, Missouri) won the boys 4 x 800 in 7:33.83 thanks to a 1:51.72 anchor from Henry Acord, who passed St. John’s College (Washington, DC) and IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) in the final stretch.
Blair Bartlett (Lawrenceville School, New Jersey) outkicked defending champion Addy Ritzenhein (Niwot, Colorado) in the girls 3000, 9:13.60 to 9:20.16, and broke the 1985 meet record of Cathy Schiro (9:15.3).
Veronica Vacca (Mt. St. Joseph, Flourtown, Pennsylvania) took the pole vault at 13-3 (4.04), her fourth straight title in the event. She joins Carol Lewis (long jump, 1978–81) and Nicole Sims (shot put, 1990–93) as 4-time Penn champions in a girls event.
The top boys field event performance came in the discus, won by Ashton Hearn (Christian Brothers, Memphis, Tennessee) at 210-11 (64.30).
PENN RELAYS HS RESULTS
Boys Events
Mile: 1. Zachary Youngblood (Christian, Chattanooga) 4:10.07; 2. Carter Smith (Mifflin, Pa) 4:11.14.
3000: 1. Trent Daniels (Gainesville, Va) 8:10.43; 2. Will Sheets (Catholic, Covington, Ky) 8:11.60.
4 x 100: 1. Calabar (Jam) 39.79; 2. Carroll, Washington, DC 40.04; 3. Kingston College (Jam) 40.16.
4 x 400: 1. Kingston College 3:05.93 (MR) (McLeod 47.5, Smith 46.7, Lee 46.69, Rose 45.04);
2. Bullis, Potomac, Md 3:06.31 HSR (old HSR 3:07.40 Hawthorne, California ’85) (Mickey Green 48.3, Cam Homer 46.6, Colin Abrams 47.37, Quincy Wilson 43.99 [second-fastest HS split ever]);
3. Calabar (Jam) 3:06.52 (Gallimore 45.70); 4. Excelsior (Jam) 3:07.98 (Wright 46.91); 5. Jamaica College (Jam) 3:08.06.
4 x 800: 1. Rockhurst, Missouri 7:33.83 (HSL);
2. St. John’s, Washington, DC 7:34.26; 3. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Florida 7:34.45.
DisMed: 1. Christian Brothers, Lincroft, NJ 9:59.17 (HSL);
2. Ridgefield, Ct 10:01.22; 3. Episcopal, Newtown Square 10:01.23.
HJ: 1. Chavez Penn’ (Jam) 6-10¾.
PV: 1. Jackson Gray (Woodford County, Ky) 16-0.
LJ: 1. Rikoy Hunter’ (Jam) 23-11½.
TJ: Michael-Andre Edwards’ (Jam) 52-4.
SP: 1. Despiro Wray’ (Jam) 68-5¾.
DT: 1. Ashton Hearn (Christian Brothers, Memphis) 210-11; 2. Joseph Salmon’ (Jam) 202-3; 3. Ben Shue (Bergen, Oradell, NJ) 198-11.
JT: 1. Addison James’ (Jam) 216-6.
Girls Events
Mile: 1. Dylan McElhinney (Hunter, NYC) 4:39.89; 2. Abigail Hennessy (Westford, Ma) 4:40.01.
3000: 1. Blair Bartlett (Lawrenceville, NJ) 9:13.90; 2. Addy Ritzenhein (Niwot, Co) 9:20.16.
5000W: 1. Savanagh O’Callaghan’ (Ire) 25:51.09; 2. Julie Scheffler (Scarsdale, NY) 26:07.50.
4 x 100: 1. Edwin Allen (Jam) 44.23; 2. Hydel (Jam) 44.65; 3. Bullis 44.99.
4 x 400: 1. Hydel 3:30.42 (Johnson 52.94, Jody-Ann Daley 52.37);
2. Bullis 3:33.30 (HSL) (3 HS) (Campbell 52.94, Sutton 52.44);
3. Edwin Allen 3:36.14; 4. Holmwood Tech 3:38.80.
4 x 800: 1. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Florida 8:40.51 (HSL) (2 HS) (Del Solar 2:07.58);
2. Alphansus Davis (Jam) 8:46.23; 3. Edwin Allen 8:46.57.
DisMed: 1. Union Catholic 11:24.53 (HSL) (6 HS) (Sheppard 4:41.65);
2. South Lakes, Reston, Va 11:45.85; 3. West, Springfield, Va 11:50.04.
HJ: 1. Shanniqua Williams’ (Jam) 5-11½.
PV: 1. Veronica Vacca (Mt St Joseph, Flourtown) 13-3.
LJ: 1. Lilly Ver Beek (James River, Buchanan, Va) 19-11.
TJ: 1. Jade Anne Dawkins’ (Jam) 43-3.
SP: 1. Jessica Oji (Livingston, NJ) 52-4½.
DT: 1. Najhada Seymoure’ (Jam) 167-4.
JT: 1. Dior-Rae Scott’ (Bah) 159-4.
