PHILADELPHIA, USA — The Jamaican high school girls will be hoping for better conditions when they kick off their participation at the 127th Penn Relays at Franklin Field, Philadelphia today after dark, cool and windy conditions on Thursday’s opening day.

Edwin Allen High will begin the defence of the 4x100m and 4x800m titles, St Jago will be the first Jamaican team in the high school girls’ distance medley relay in more than a decade, while there will be five field events finals to be decided.

Holmwood Technical’s Cedricka Williams will defend her discus throw title, while there are high expectations in the jumps with St Jago High’s Jade-Ann Dawkins favourite in the triple jump, Mt Alvernia High’s Aaliyah Foster is the number two-ranked athlete in the long jump and Shanniqua Williams of Wolmer’s Girls in the high jump.

Twenty-one Jamaican schools will be contesting the 4x100m led by Edwin Allen and Hydel High who will be seeking their first Penn Relays title in this event.

Alpha Academy, Camperdown High, Tacius Golding, Holmwood Technical, Holy Childhood, Immaculate Conception, William Knibb Memorial, Manchester High, Merl Grove, Mt Alvernia High, Petersfield High, Port Antonio, Rhodes Hall, St Catherine High, St Elizabeth Technical, St Jago High, St Mary High, Vere Technical and Wolmer’s Girls will also be seeking places in Saturday’s Championships of America and the International finals.

Only four Jamaican schools will be contesting the 4x800m in Edwin Allen, Alphansus Davis High, Hydel High and Holmwood Technical, while St Jago are down to contest the final of the Distance Medley.

The DMR will see legs of 1200m, 400m, 800m and 1600m, respectively, and the only Jamaican team to win it here is Vere Technical who won six times Vere won six times between 1991 and 1995.

In the jumps today, St Jago’s Dawkins could be hard to beat in the ‘hop step and jump, and should add the Penn Relays title to the ones she won at ISSA Champs and Carifta Games.

Holmwood Technical’s Celine Riddle will also compete as well as Excelsior’s Jade-Ann Smith and Petersfield’s Tawani Murray.

Wolmer’s Girls’ Shanniqua Williams will battle Carifta Games gold medallist Torian Caven of Vere Technical and Champs Class One winner Deijanae Bruce of Edwin Allen in what, if the weather conditions permit, could be a riveting contest.

Foster, who has lost just once all year when she was beaten by Dawkins’ final round jump at the Carifta Trials in March, could be Mt Alvernia High’s first ever Penn Relays champion when she lines up in the long jump.

St Catherine High’s Roshanna Sudlow is ranked number four and the versatile Richelle Stanley who scored in all three jumps finals at the ISSA Champs is ranked number six.

Camperdown High’s Britannia Johnson the Champs and Carifta champion leads the shot put field that will also include Edwin Allen’s Rochele Solman and Immaculate Conception’s Juliet Smith.

Holmwood’s Williams, who is ranked number three in the world, should retain her title but should get competition from St Jago’s Abigail Martin while Britannie Johnson of Camperdown High, Shanara Richards of Clarendon College, Najhada Seymore of Excelsior High and Maja Henry of Immaculate are also down to compete.