PHILADELPHIA, United States — Hydel High School stood tall at Franklin Field in Pennsylvania on Friday’s second day of the 128th Penn Relays Carnival, retaining their high school girls’ Championship of America 4x100m and 4x400m double after a thrilling finish in the latter.

Edwin Allen High, who failed to win a Championship of America title for the second-straight year, despite being in three finals, finished second in the 4x800m final. They were behind Union Catholic of New Jersey who ran an American high school record 8:41.20 minutes to break a 16-year-old mark, with Edwin Allen in 8:50.76 just ahead of South Shores of Virginia (8:50.89).

In the 4x400m finale, pressed all the way by Bullis School of Maryland, Hydel High’s anchor-leg runner Aaliyah Baker produced a late surge to get to the finish line first and win in 3:34.78 minutes, the fifth-fastest time ever run in the event at the Penn Relays. The American squad was just behind in 3:35.17.

Jody-Ann Daley, who also ran on the 4x100m team, led off the relay, with Abigail Campbell and Nastassia Fletcher also contributing to the victory.

Hydel’s Head Coach Corey Bennett told the Jamaica Observer he was pleased with the effort.

“This was just heart, pure heart out there today; these girls gave it their all,” he said.

Earlier in the day, after they had won the 4x100m in 44.71 seconds, he said then he was happy for the win but not the time, but then added: “When you win, times does not matter — and what matters today is that we won.”

It was Hydel’s third-straight 4x400m win and fifth overall in the last six stagings of the Penn Relays. Jamaican teams have won the last 14 titles in a row.

Former champions Edwin Allen High, who ended up fourth in 3:43.62, suffered a mishap as third-leg runner Shanique Beckford inadvertently stepped on the metal rail that runs through the middle of the track and almost fell, but managed to regain her balance.

St Elizabeth Technical were fifth in 3:45.06, Wolmer’s High School for Girls were seventh in 3:48.83, and Vere Technical eighth in 3:49.50.

The 4x100m relay success was the 10th-straight 4x100m victory by a Jamaican high school. The team of Shemonique Hazle, Alliah Baker, Shania Myers and Jody-Ann Daley held off a fast-starting Edwin Allen High team of Trezequet Taylor, Theianna-Lee Terrelonge, Renecia Edwards and Jounee Armstrong. The Edwin Allen team ran 44.96.

St Jago High finished third in 45.14 while Wolmer’s Girls’ were fifth, Holmwood Technical sixth, and St Mary High eighth.

Immaculate Conception High won the consolation ‘International’ final, running 46.70 with the team of Kyra-Loye Kelly, Joi-Anne Russell, Jaeda Robinson and Shevi-Anne Shim.

Jamaican teams filled the first five positions as Excelsior High were second in 46.83, St Elizabeth Technical third (46.86), Vere Technical (47.13), and St Catherine High (47.26).