PHILADELPHIA, USA — Despite running the third fastest time ever in the high school boys 4x400m in the history of the Penn Relays, Munro College just came up short in their quest for a third straight Championships of Americas plaque on Saturday’s final day of the 119th staging of the event at Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.

In front of 48,871 spectators, a magnificent 44.8 seconds split, the fastest ever by a schoolboy at Penn Relays from Calabar High’s Jovan Francis just managed to take his school across the finish line ahead of Munro College’s Delano Williams to win in 3 minutes 09.22 seconds, the second best ever, and just two-hundredths of a second faster than Munro’s 3 minutes 09.24 seconds.

Williams who had anchored Munro to their two previous titles was clocked at 44.9 seconds the second fastest ever.

Manchester High who came into the finals with the seventh fastest time overall after the heats were third in 3 minutes 10.21 seconds.

Munro College had gone into the finals as the fastest team after running 3 minutes 10.01 seconds earlier that day, ahead of Calabar High’s 3 minutes 12.65 seconds and with Williams on the anchor had started as odds on favourites to win a third title, tying Jamaica College as the only Jamaican school to have won three straight.

Senoj-Jay Givans led off the Munro team with a 47.9 seconds leg, handing over to Kaneil Harrison who ran a 49.4 seconds split before Herbert Thomas produced a 47.0 seconds split to hand over to Williams in third place.

Munro College and debutants Green Island High also qualified for the Championships of Americas 4x100m final that was won by Kingston College for the first time in 21 years in 40.44 seconds.

Jamaican schools occupied the first five places as three time defending champions Wolmer’s Boys were second in 40.66 seconds, followed by Munro College 40.70 seconds, Calabar was fourth in 40.76 seconds, just edging Green Island whose anchor leg runner Gremeiko Whitelocke pulled up just before the finish line as they clocked 40.78 seconds.

Harrison, Givans, Williams and Hakeem Wood ran for Munro College while the team of Chadwayne Vidal, Odail Todd, Kevarie Andrews and Whitelocke ran for Green Island .

St Elizabeth Technical girls were fourth in the ‘Small Schools’ 4x100m finals in 47.63 seconds, won by Manchester High and were eighth in the Championships of Americas 4x40m finals in 3 minutes 45.59 seconds.

Kimone Green of STETHS was fifth in the high school girls 400m hurdles that was run under chilly conditions last Thursday morning; Abbeygail Linton of Mannings was a finalist in the long jump while her schoolmate Rashell Reid was 17th in the shot put.

In the boys individual events Munro College ‘s Jevaughn Shaw was a disappointing ninth in the discus throw as Drexel Maycock and Kino Dunkley were 18th and 19th respectively.

Munro’s Kemar Mowatt was also 13th in the 400m hurdles.