MONTEGO BAY, St James — MUNRO College will be chasing history at the 119th Penn Relays Carnival which starts today at the historic Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

The St Elizabeth-based institution will be seeking to become the second Jamaican school after Jamaica College to win three straight High School Boys Championships of America 4x400m titles after back-to-back wins the last two years.

Munro College is one of five western schools that will join another 30 Jamaican high schools at the three-day event.

St Elizabeth Technical, winners of 13 titles, first timers Green Island High, Herbert Morrison Technical and Mannings School will all take part.

The females will compete on today’s first day with the men joining the action starting Friday morning.

In an interview with Observer West earlier this week as they prepared to depart for Philadelphia , Munro College ‘s head coach Neil Harrison was guardedly optimistic they could win two titles this year.

“While we hope to win a third straight 4x400m, we are just as confident that we can also win the 4x100m as well,” he said after Munro dropped the baton in the heats at Penn Relays last year.

Munro is yet to win a Class 1 4x100m this year, however, but has won the 4x400m at Gibson Relays and the ISSA Boys Championships. Munro finished behind Green Island in the 4x100m at Western Champs, did not make the finals at Gibson Relays and was second in a school record equalling 39.92 seconds behind Kingston College .

Delano Williams who guided Munro to wins in the 4x400m at Gibson and at Champs will be the key to both relays for Munro College . They will be joined by Senoj-j Givans and Herbert Thomas from the team that won last year with either Kaneil Harrison or Angelo Garland coming in for Ifeanyi Otuonye who led off the team last year but has since left for college overseas.

Williams, Givans, Harrison and Cejaoy McLaughlin will be the team for the sprint relay but they will have a talented Green Island team to deal with.

Following a disappointing third place finish at Champs after winning at Western Champs and Gibson Relays, Green Island are hell-bent on making their first trip to Philadelphia a successful one.

Green Island have consistently lowered their best time in the 4x100m all season to 40.09 seconds at Champs but coach Michael McIntosh is aware they will have more than the usual hurdles to cross.

The weather forecast is for cool and wet conditions and McIntosh told Observer West, “This will be our first time running in those conditions and we really don’t know what to expect but, all we can do is to go there and focus on the job we have to do.”

The Hanover school came close to missing out on the trip for the second straight year but an appeal on their behalf in Observer West two weeks ago saw several organisations including team Jamaica Bickle, Hanover Co-operative Credit Union and Nestle Jamaica stepping forward to assist them.

World Youth Championships 100m champion Odail Todd will lead the Green Island team that is expected to include Chadwayne Vidal, Gremiko Whitelock and Kevarie Andrews.

Green Island who won the 4x400m at Western Champs will also run the Mile Relay at Penn Relays along with STETHS and Mannings School who along with Herbert Morrison, are also entered in the boys’ 4x100m.

STETHS will contest the girls’ 4x100m and 4x400m while a number of athletes will also take part in individual events through the three days.

Kimone Green and Opal James of STETHS are both ranked number four in the girls’ 400m hurdle and long jump respectively; Sashane Hanson of Herbert Morrison is entered in the high jump while Mannings’ Abbeygail Linton will take part in the long jump and Rashell Reid in the shot put.

For Munro, Kemar Mowatt will contest the 400m hurdles; Anthony Bailey is entered in the triple jump while Jevaughn Shaw, Kino Dunkley and Drexel Maycock are in the discus event.