PHILADELPHIA, USA – Mount Alvernia High’s Aaliyah Foster is western Jamaica’s best hope of winning an individual event at this weekend’s 126th staging of the Penn Relays Carnival which is set to get underway today at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, USA.

Eight schools that took part in the County of Cornwall Athletics Association (COCAA) Western Championships will compete at the event that will run through until Saturday.

Thirty-eight Jamaican high schools and four colleges are down to compete against their counterparts from the USA, Canada, The Bahamas, South Africa, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, and St Vincent.

The Jamaicans will take part in the 4x100m, 4x400m and in the case of St Elizabeth Technical, the high school boys’ 4x800m relays, as well as a number of individual field events.

Foster, who won the girls’ long jump at Western Champs and the ISSA Girls’ Champs, is ranked number two in the event here, the highest ranking Jamaican in the event that is set for Friday morning.

If victorious, she will be the first Penn Relays champion from Mount Alvernia High.

Richelle Stanley who medalled in the event at Western Champs and was a finalist at the ISSA Champs will also line up.

Petersfield High’s Yekini Bowen, the West Champs boys’ Class 1 double throws gold medallist will contest the discus throw while William Knibb Memorial’s Chavez Grey will compete in the shot put.

Rhodes Hall High’s Aaliyah Willary will contest the girls’ triple jump, Petersfield’s Tawani Murray has been entered in the girls’ triple jump while the Cornwall College trio of Kesean Rhooms and Obrien Bowen will contest the boys’ triple jump and Amiuki Beckford is entered for the high jump.