Penn Relays Update: High School boys win 2 of 3 relays

April 29, 2023  -Kingston College (KC) won the High School Boys’ 4x400m Championship of Americas main prize but suffered a narrow loss in the 4x800m equivalent on Friday’s second day of the annual Penn Relays Carnival in Philadelphia, on Friday.

But there was joy for Jamaica College (JC) in the High School Boys’ 4x100m Championship of Americas event to make up for their disqualification in the 4x800m preliminaries on Thursday, an event they entered as defending champion.

With anchor leg runner Ainsley Campbell appearing to have a huge advantage in cold and wet conditions, KC seemed set for victory until Campbell hit a brick wall and slowed significantly for Chatham High School’s Ryan Beegle to pip him on the finish line during a desperate push for the finish.

Chatham High School out of New Jersey won the event in 7:47.66 minutes to KC’s 7:47.68 minutes. St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) finished in third place in 7:49.45 minutes.

Earlier KC won the 4x400m event through the quartet of Amal Glasgow, Marcinho Rose, Raheem Richards and Emmanuel Rwotomiya in 3:15.62 minutes.

Seton Hall Prep from New Jersey finished in second place in 3:16.06 minutes, with Calabar High finishing in third place in 3:16.54 minutes and Edwin Allen fourth in 3:17.08 minutes.

STETHS was fifth in 3:18.85 minutes, while St Jago High was eighth in 3:22.35b minutes.

And JC proved best of the lot in the 4x100m event, winning in 40.97 seconds ahead of STETHS in 41.19 seconds and Archbishop John Carroll third in 41.19 seconds.

Camperdown High was fourth in 41.34 seconds, with KC fifth in 41.59 seconds and Wolmer’s Boys’ School in sixth place in 41.71 seconds. St Jago High School did not face the starter for the event.

This year’s edition marked the first occasion in the last seven years that Jamaican schools have failed win all three High School Boys’ Championship of Americas relay titles.

Meanwhile, Hydel High enters Saturday’s Championship of Americas 4x100m relay as the fastest qualifiers from Friday’s heats. The first-time ISSA Girls Championships winners ran 44.96 seconds to win their heat.

Also making progress to the final are Wolmer’s Girls’ School, St Jago, and Edwin Allen.

The latter will be Jamaica’s sole team in the Championship of Americas 4x800m, while action in the 4x400m relays will get going with preliminary action on Saturday morning.