Hydel win first Penn Relays double capturing 4x100m, 4x400m
PHILADELPHIA, USA – Hydel High School won their first-ever Penn Relays double on Saturday after they won the High School Girls’ 4x100m and 4x400m Championships of Americas title at the 127th staging of the three-day carnival at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
The Corey Bennett-coached team won the 4x100m for the first time and retained the 4x400m title, winning their fourth title in the last five stagings of the event.
For the first time since 2013, Edwin Allen High, who had two second-place finishes in the 4x400m and the 4x800m, failed to win a single relay event.
Holmwood Technical won the High School Girls 4x100m International final, running 46.81 seconds, with St Mary High, 46.85 seconds, and St Catherine High, 47.22 seconds, taking second and third, respectively.
Mt Alvernia High were fifth in 47.70 seconds in their first trip to the event; Excelsior High finished sixth with 47.72 seconds, Manchester High was seventh with 47.77 seconds, and Holy Childhood High ninth in 49.39 seconds.
Bennett, who led Hydel to their first Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association girls’ championships last month, was beaming and said while he expected to win the 4x100m, the win in the 4x400m was a surprise.
“We had to make some adjustments … we front-loaded the team so we did not have to chase at the end,” meaning that he put the faster runners on the early legs, he told the Jamaica Observer.
The team of Alana Reid, Oneika McAnuff, Shemonique Hazle, and Aaliah Baker, a mixture of Class 1 and 2 athletes clocked 44.16 seconds, the third fastest ever to snap Edwin Allen’s seven-year winning run in the 4x100m final.
Their time was only beaten by two Edwin Allen squads, the record 43.62 seconds was set in 2019 and the next best 43.96 seconds was set in 2017.
St Jago High were third in 45.98 seconds, just behind Bullis School of Maryland with 45.59 seconds, while Wolmer’s Girls’ were eighth with 46.80 seconds.
Edwin Allen, who were expected to challenge Hydel High, failed to complete the event after the baton fell on the second exchange.
In the mile relay, the team of Aaliyah Mullings, McAnnuff, Jody-Ann Daley, and Nastassia Fletcher ran 3:35.63 minutes, the sixth fastest ever to win their fourth title in the last five stagings of the Penn Relays.
Edwin Allen High was second in 3:36.20, the Bullis School of Maryland was second in 3:36.20, while Holmwood Technical was fourth with 3:43.13, and St Catherine High fifth with 3:45.03.
Edwin Allen, who were the only Jamaican team in the 4x800m final, finished second in the 4x800m relays, running 8:58.83 minutes, well behind Union Catholic’s 8:44.98, with Morgantown of Maryland third in 9:09.21.