PHILADELPHA, USA — Edwin Allen High have qualified for all three relays, the 4x100m, 4x400m and 4x800m on today’s second day of the 130th Penn Relays Carnival at Franklin Field, Philadelphia, and fans could be in for a number of thrilling events.

Blessed by better-than-expected weather, sunshine and blue skies with temperatures in the mid-20 degrees Celsius, the Jamaican teams delivered some solid performances with the promise of even better to come.

In the field, Clarendon College’s Marla-Kay Lampart made up for last year’s sub-par performance by winning the shot put championships and Hydel High’s Zavien Bernard came from behind to win the triple jump title.

Of the three relay finals, the 4x400m is setting up to be a sizzler with three Jamaican teams all running under 3:40.00 seconds in Thursday’s prelims, led by Hydel High, who are going after a fourth straight win and ran 3:39.55 minutes.

It was a perfect response to Edwin Allen High, who had run 3:39.56 in the previous race, while Holmwood Technical clocked 3:39.82 in their race.

Alphansus Davis High are also through to the final with 3:44.81 with Bullis School of Maryland, the top American challenge, running the fourth-fastest time of 3:40.24 and another Maryland school, Bishop McNamara posting 3:43.33.

Immaculate Conception clocked 3:47.08, St Elizabeth Technical returned 3:47.44, Sydney Pagon STEM, 3:47.92, William Knibb Memorial, 3:48.77, Manchester High, 3:51.63, Alpha Academy, 3:54.72 and Port Antonio High, 3:59.83.

Edwin Allen were the fastest qualifiers going into the 4x100m Championships of Americas final after running 45.63 seconds — the fastest of the round, and will start favourites to win a fifth-straight.

They will be joined by former winners St Jago Hig, 45.73 seconds, Excelsior High, 46.03 and first-time qualifiers Mt Alvernia High, 46.35.

Jamaican schools have won the last 11 high school girl 4x100m Championships of Americas titles, with Edwin Allen winning eight of them.

Meanwhile, eight Jamaican teams are through to the High School Girls International final, a consolation race for the next nine fastest non-American schools.

Alpha Academy, Holmwood Technical, St Mary High, William Knibb Memorial, Penwood High, Vere Technical, Manchester High and Meadowbrook High.

Sydney Pagon High, in only their second time at the Penn Relays, lead all qualifiers for today’s final of the 4x800m relays after running 9:01.33 minutes in the very first event staged on Thursday.

The team of Annateseca Blackwood, Kamaya Graham, Denae Hodges and Alexia Palmer finished ahead of former champions Edwin Allen High, who ran 9:02.66 and also advanced.

Alphansus Davis, who were second last year, the highest-placed Jamaican team, won their heat in 9:08.30, while another former winner Holmwood Tech ran 9:14.80.

Lampart, who said she was chasing the World Under-20 Championships qualifying mark of 14.50m, ended her high school career on a high after she won the high school girls shot put championships with 14.41m.

Lampart, who finished 11th last year had taken the lead in the third round when she threw 14.10m, saved her best for last when she threw 14.41m.

She was the first Jamaican to win the event since Camperdown High’s Brittania Johnson in 2023 but said she was unsure she would continue competing for the remainder of the season as she wanted to rest a sore elbow and a painful lower back.

Isabella Furgison of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania was second with 14.08m and Nesta Oji of Livingston, New Jersey was third with 13.43m.

Alpha Academy’s Saje Cruickank was seventh with 12.61m.

Bernard produced a final round wind-aided 12.76m (3.1m/s) to win the High School Girls triple jump championships, to complete the trifecta of winning at the ISSA Championships and Carifta Games.

Bernard was second behind Seannah Parsons of Randolph in New Jersey going into the final round when she produced her best jump of the day to snatch the win and extend Jamaica’s winning run to four straight after St Jago High’s Jade-Ann Dawkins won the last three straight.

Parsons had to settle for second with 12.68m (1.7m/s) while Holmwood Technical’s Mikayla Longmore was fifth with 12.31m (-0.1m/s) and Vere Technical’s Martina Moxam was 10th with a wind-aided 11.65m (32.3m/s).

Edwin Allen High’s Dionjah Shaw was second in the discus throw championships with a best of 48.87m, ahead of Clarendon College’s Jamelia Young, who repeated her third place from last year with 48.66m; Brandane Malcolm of Hydel High was fourth with 45.03m and Tanique Dunn of Marymount High fifth with 55.52m.

Abigail Bennett of Merl Grove High, who was fourth last year, fouled all three of her first-round throws.

Immaculate Conception’s Zoelle Jamel was second in the javelin throw with 48.84m and Vere Technical’s Ramona Freemantle was fifth with 44.40m.

Mt Alvernia High’s Malia Housen finished sixth in the high jump with 1.70m in her first visit to the Penn Relays and Sackoya Palmer of St Mary High was 14th with 1.60m.

Zavien Bernard of Hydel wins Triple Jump Championship gold at the Penn Relays at Franklin Field stadium on Thursday, April 23, 2026. (Photo: Collin Reid courtesy KFC and TEAM JAMAICA BICKLE)

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