PHILADELPHIA, United States — It was a stunning return to the Penn Relays for the Jamaican high school girls relay teams as they swept all three relay titles on Friday’s second day of the 126th staging at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

Record-breaking efforts for Edwin Allen High, in the 4x100m, and Hydel High, in the 4x400m, highlighted the day for the Jamaican girls.

Edwin Allen won two relays, adding the 4x800m, and just missed their first sweep after they were second in the 4x400m. It was the fourth staging in a row during which Jamaican schools had swept the high school girls relays.

The Michael Dyke-coached Edwin Allen team ran 43.18 seconds to break the 4x100m record, while Hydel clocked 3:32.77 minutes in the mile relay about an hour later.

Dyke told the Jamaica Observer that while he was satisfied with both wins, he was expecting faster times in spite of the very cool spring temperatures.

“I was expecting to run 42.00 seconds plus,” he said regarding the 4x100m. He also thought the 4x800m team could have gone faster.

“Under the conditions though, we did well. Today was not as cold as Thursday but it was not easy and the teams did very well,” he said.

On a day that was mercifully warmer than Thursday’s relatively cold opening day, the Jamaican girls stood out with top-class performances as the Penn Relays made its return after a two-year absence.

There was one somber note, however, as Holmwood Technical’s Samantha Pryce fell and broke her leg in the 4x800m relays and up to last night was awaiting surgery at an area hospital, the Jamaica Observer was reliably informed.

It would have taken something special to deny Edwin Allen, who returned three members of the team that had set the previous record 43.62 seconds in 2019 and were part of the national team that set the world record 42.58 seconds two weeks ago at the Carifta Games.

Brandy Hall replaced Kevona Davis in the 2019 team and joined with Serena Cole and the Clayton twins, Tina and Tia, to produce fireworks as they held off the Hydel team that ran 43.69 seconds for second place, the third-fastest ever at Penn Relays.

St Jago High were third with 46.09 seconds, Holmwood Technical were fourth with 46.42 seconds, and Immaculate Conception High were fifth with 46.47 seconds.

St Catherine High were eighth of the nine schools with 47.53 seconds.

Vere Technical were third in the International final in 48.31 seconds and Petersfield High eighth in 49.27 seconds.

In the 4x800m relays final, the team of Rickesha Simms, Leanna Lewis, Rushana Dwyer and Jessica McLean won in 8:54.58 minutes, beating Cuthbert of North Carolina (9:04.67).

Hydel High closed the high school girls’ section of the three-day meet with fireworks of their own, breaking their own Penn Relays 4x400m record of 3:33.99 set in 2017.

The team of Alliah Baker, Kerrica Hill, Brianna Lyston and Onieka Wilson won ahead of Edwin Allen (3:39.76), with Bullis School from Maryland third in 3:40.88 and Holmwood Technical fourth in 3:42.39.

Lyston was timed in 51.42 seconds on the anchor leg after Kerrica Hill, who was brought in as a replacement for the injured Dania Dyer, was timed in 54.34 seconds on the third leg.

Corey Bennett, the Hydel coach, was pleased with his team.

“I am extremely pleased with the performances today, I thought we did well under the circumstances,” he told the Jamaica Observer. He said he was awed by the 4x100m team. “We ran 43 seconds here, that is good,” he said.