PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, April 24–26 — After two picture-perfect days, the weather caused some havoc on the final session of the 129th Penn Relays, with two periods of intense downpours drenching Franklin Field. But over 40,000 fans turned out, capping a three-day total of 102,365. Over the course of the weekend, four colleges took the seven college men’s relay titles: South Florida (4 x 100 and 4 x 200), Texas A&M (4 x 400), Georgetown (4 x 800 and sprint medley) and Washington (4 x mile and distance medley).
South Florida completed the sprint double for the second year in a row, dominating Friday’s 4 x 200 in 1:21.06, more than a second ahead of Texas A&M (1:22.23). Conditions were less ideal for Saturday’s 4 x 100 final, but the Bulls were no less impressive, clocking 39.00 to finish well ahead of Pitt (39.76).
“Midway through the season, winning at a major meet like this is a big accomplishment,” said Alexavier Monfries, who ran the second leg on the 4×2 and third leg on the 4×1. “We still have bigger things to come, so this is a stepping stone to that.”
South Florida’s bid for a third victory was foiled in the 4 x 400 when Texas A&M’s Auhmad Robinson (44.98 split) overhauled Bulls anchor Gabriel Moronta coming off the final turn to take the win, 3:02.36 to 3:02.69.
On the longer end of the spectrum, Washington made the most of its trip east. In Friday’s DMR, Texas A&M’s Cutler Zamzow (45.83) had opened a lead on the 400 leg, then Sam Whitmarsh (1:46.74) maintained it on his 800. But on the anchor, Washington’s Nathan Green and Oregon’s Rheinhardt Harrison closed the gap on A&M’s Cooper Cawthra and that trio ran together until the final stretch. At that point Green, the NCAA 1500 champ in ’23, sprinted ahead for the win in 9:25.22, followed by Oregon (9:26.38) and Texas A&M (9:26.83). Gary Martin split 3:53.78 to bring Virginia (9:26.84) up for a close 4th.
The next day’s 4 x mile was run in the rain and immediately turned tactical, a marked change from last year’s barn burner, which saw three teams break 16:00. Instead, each leg became a sit-and-kick affair, with North Carolina and Villanova gapping the field at the final exchange. But Washington’s Green and Virginia’s Martin quickly joined UNC’s Ethan Strand and Nova’s Liam Murphy (who anchored the winning team the past two years).
Strand sprinted to the front down the final backstretch and looked to have the title in hand, but his legs gave out just 30 meters from the line and Green took advantage, taking the win in 16:24.61. Murphy also passed Strand to give Villanova the runner-up spot, 16:24.92–16:25.19, with Martin and Virginia (16:25.40) again in 4th.
This marked Washington’s first men’s titles at Penn. “It was super fun to come out here from Seattle, interrupt the East Coast thing and show what we can do,” said Kyle Reinheimer, who ran the Huskies’ 800 leg on the DMR. “It’s an insane atmosphere, nothing like we’ve gotten before.”
Tinoda Matsatsa anchored Georgetown’s SMR victory, then came back to run the third leg on the 4 x 800. He passed the baton to Abel Teffra just behind Oregon, with newly crowned NCAA indoor champ Matthew Erickson handling anchor duties. Michigan’s Brendan Herger and Penn State’s Handal Roban joined the fray, briefly boxing Teffra on the final curve. When a gap opened for Teffra with 70 meters to go, he surged through and outkicked Erickson, 7:13.95 to 7:14.10. “This has been like my sixth relay at Penn Relays over the last four years and I never got a wheel [the famed plaque given to winning teams] and so once I saw that opening I was like, this is it, this is my last shot,” said Teffra, the NCAA mile winner in March. “And the rest is history.”
On Thursday, three North Carolina runners who would later run the 4 x mile dipped under the meet collegiate record in the 5000 (13:33.7), which was set back in 1978 by another Tar Heel, Ralph King. Parker Wolfe (13:31.09) was just ahead of Strand (13:31.13), who nearly tripped over Wolfe at the line. Then Colton Sands (13:31.62) closed fastest, passing Wisconsin’s Bob Liking (13:32.52) to complete the sweep. “The goal today was to get a good workout, a good hard effort,” said, Strand, the NCAA Indoor 3000 champ. “We just chilled over the last 80 meters.”
An even older Penn record that went down was Norm Tate’s open triple jump mark of 52-4¼ (15.96) from 1968 (the last time the event was held) when Bermuda’s Jah-Nhai Perinchief went 55-3¾ (16.86) to win the competition.
Will Sumner won the 600 decisively in 1:17.36, though the distance was long after starting at the wrong line. Germany’s Robert Farken held off Shane Cohen to top the 800, 1:45.45 to 1:45.76.
Geordie Beamish, in his first race since running the steeplechase at the Paris Olympics while injured, won the mile in 3:56.85, kicking hard over the final 100 meters to edge Sam Ellis (who ran 3:56.88, but was DQed for pushing in the dash to the line) and Wes Porter (the official runner-up, at 3:56.92). “I’m just really happy to be back out here,” said the New Zealander, who won the ’24 World Indoor 1500 title. “The big goals are 4 or 5 months from now but winning the Ben Franklin Mile is a pretty cool way to start the year. I love coming here and I’m happy to be back and racing healthy.”
PENN RELAYS MEN’S RESULTS
600(long; start set at wrong stagger line): 1. Will Sumner (US) 1:17.36; 2. Jonathan Jones’ (Bar) 1:18.33; 3. Tarees Rhoden’ (Jam) 1:18.43.
800: 1. Robert Farken’ (Ger) 1:45.45 PR; 2. Shane Cohen (US) 1:45.76; 3. Mehdi Yanouri (US) 1:46.12; 4. Navasky Anderson (Jam) 1:46.79.
Mile: 1. Geordie Beamish’ (NZ) 3:56.85; 3. Wes Porter (US) 3:56.92 PR; 4. Charlie O’Donovan’ (Ire) 3:57.33; 5. Mario García’ (Spa) 3:57.59.
St: 1. *Victor Kibiego’ (TxAM-Ken) 8:37.33; 2. ***Nick Gilles (Wi) 8:38.91; 3. **Allan Kiplagat’ (MTn-Ken) 8:39.06; 4. Carmelo Cannizzaro’ (MTn-Ita) 8:39.39; 5. *Caleb Jarema (Mi) 8:39.69.
5000: 1. Parker Wolfe (NC) 13:31.09; 2. *Ethan Strand (NC) 13:31.13; 3. Colton Sands (NC) 13:31.62; 4. Bob Liking (Wi) 13:32.52.
110H(-0.3): 1. Ja’Qualon Scott (TxAM) 13.64; 2. Ethan Exilhomme (NEn) 13.71.
400H: 1. Devin Nugent (Pitt) 50.36; 2. Alex Sherman (Va) 50.77.
5000W: 1. Nick Christie (US) 20:53.94.
Relay Events
4 x 100: 1. South Florida 39.00; 2. Pitt 39.76; 3. Texas A&M 39.91; 4. G.C. Foster’ (Jam) 39.98.
4 x 200: 1. South Florida 1:21.06 (WL, CL);
2. Texas A&M 1:22.23; 3. Houston 1:22.41; 4. Foster’ 1:22.44.
4 x 400: 1. Texas A&M 3:02.36 (Zamzow 46.4, Hemphill 46.2, Farquharson 44.83, Robinson 44.98); 2. South Florida 3:02.69 (Ottey 44.93, Moronta 45.15); 3. Penn 3:04.57 (Matulonis 45.26); 4. Houston 3:04.89.
4 x 800: 1. Georgetown 7:13.95 (Dunne 1:50.41, Woods 1:47.79, Matsatsa 1:46.82, Teffra 1:48.93); 2. Oregon 7:14.10 (Birnbaum 1:49.79, Harrison 1:48.60, Kidali’ 1:46.26, Erickson’ 1:49.45); 3. Michigan 7:14.65 (Law 1:49.52, McFarland 1:47.84, Johnson 1:49.00, Herger 1:48.29); 4. Penn State 7:15.11 (Smallwood 1:50.57, Clay 1:46.63, Desmueles 1:49.26, Roban 1:48.65).
4 x Mile: 1. Washington 16:24.61 (McMahon-Staggs’ 4:08.90, Barco 4:07.80, Hammond 4:01.81, Green 4:06.10); 2. Villanova 16:24.92 (Comber 4:09.36, Habler 4:06.16, Langon 4:00.44, Murphy 4:08.96); 3. North Carolina 16:25.19 (Neal 4:08.74, Sands 4:07.16, Wolfe 4:00.43, Strand 4:09.16); 4. Virginia 16:25.40 (Daley 4:08.47, Wachtel 4:08.07, Donahue 4:00.38, Martinm 4:08.48).
SpMed: 1. Georgetown 3:16.20 (Guillaume, Davenport, Marchan 46.8, Matsatsa 1:46.41); 2. Penn State 3:16.50 (DeAngelo 48.0, Roban 1:47.39); 3. Texas A&M 3:16.68 (Escobar 46.0, Norris 1:47.66); 4. Wisconsin 3:16.69 (Hilby 1:46.89); 5. Clemson 3:16.94 (Kweyei 1:47.90).
DisMed: 1. Washington 9:25.22 (McMahon-Staggs’ 2:57.70, Ligons 46.08, Reinheimer 1:46.29, Green 3:55.15); 2. Oregon 9:26.38 (Birnbaum 2:56.42, Kidali 47.12, Erickson’ 1:46.36, Green 3:56.48); 3. Texas A&M 9:26.83 (Santorum 2:55.63, Zamzow 45.83, Whitmarsh 1:46.74, Cawthra 3:58.63); 4. Virginia 9:26.84 (Donahue 2:56.75, Sherman 46.28, Leath 1:50.03, Martin 3:53.78); 5. Villanova 9:28.14 (Murphy 3:55.23); 6. Georgetown 9:28.29 (Teffra 3:53.29); 7. Cornell 9:29.30 (Attiogbe 3:53.42).
Field Events
HJ: 1. *Kampton Kam’ (Penn-Sgp) 7-2½ (2.20).
Open HJ: 1. Caleb Snowden (US) 7-2½; 2. Earnie Sears (US) 7-2½; 3. Vernon Turner (US) 7-½ (2.15).
TJ: 1. Jah-Nhai Perinchief (Ber) 55-3¾ (16.86); 2. Kaiwan Culmer (Bah) 53-10¼ (16.41).
SP: 1. Fred Moudani Likibi’ (Cinc-Fra) 63-9 (19.43); 2. *Joe Licata (Prin) 63-1½ (19.24).
DT: 1. *Casey Helm (Prin) 207-11 (63.37); 2. *Iosif Papa’ (MdBC-Cyp) 187-4 (57.10); 3. Korbin Spencer (Cinc) 187-1 (57.02); 4. Avery Shunneson (Prin) 186-8 (56.90).
HT: 1. Kenneth Ikeji’ (Harv-GB) 235-11 (71.91); 2. Alex Kristeller (Man) 218-8 (66.64); 3. Nathan Williams (PennSt) 216-6 (65.99).
