Barber hopes to represent Americans again in USA vs. The World competition after anchoring record-setting 800-meter sprint medley relay last year

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

From memorable performances in 1998 as a senior at Montclair NJ to a thrilling anchor leg last year on the fastest women’s 800-meter sprint medley relay in history, Mikele “Miki” Barber has always thrived on competing at the Penn Relays.

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This year, the meet’s 124th edition at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, marks the 20-year anniversary for Barber since she and twin sister Lisa secured their first Penn Relays watches as part of the fastest 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams in America, trailing only high schools Vere Tech and St. Jago from Jamaica.

Whether Barber, 37, will be celebrating that milestone by running again Saturday in the 19th installment of USA vs. The World competition, still remains to be seen.

“I still don’t know if they’re going to bring me to run or not, but I’m going to be at Penn Relays regardless,” Barber said. “I love going there. Whether it was high school, at South Carolina or running for the USA and setting records, I have a lot of great memories there.”

Barber teamed with Morolake Akinosun, English Gardner and Dezerea Bryant to run 1:35.59, eclipsing the 1982 world all-time best performance of 1:36.79 set by Wilt’s Athletic Club in Knoxville, Tenn.

Barber anchored the Americans with a 50-second split to hold off the Jamaicans (1:36.67), who also ran faster than the previous record.

“When I’m out there on the track, I believe in myself and set personal goals, and I hit them,” Barber said after last year’s race. “I’m like fine wine. I get better with age. I don’t even have an age. I’m a unicorn.”

Although there are two American teams scheduled to compete Saturday in the sprint medley relay, as of Tuesday, Barber had not heard whether she would be invited to compete on either lineup, with the USATF not yet releasing its pools of athletes. She and Lisa competed Saturday at the 60th Mt. SAC Relays on one of three  USA all-star lineups at El Camino College in Torrance, Calif.

“Last year, I was asking to be on the 4x400, I didn’t even know about the sprint medley. I said, ‘Just give me the baton and I can do it.’ And look what happened,” said Barber, who ran her first 400-meter leg on a relay since 2011.

“I don’t know what the protocol is for them to pick the relays because for the past five years, I’ve been calling myself to get on to the relays. I’ve proven myself as far as my times and chemistry with my other teammates, but every year, it’s a battle for me to get to Penn Relays.”

Last year’s record-setting effort gave Barber four career victories in USA vs. The World competition, including the 1,600 sprint medley relay in 2007, in addition to teaming with her sister and Allyson Felix on 4x100 wins in 2008 and 2010. Lauryn Williams completed the American quartet on the former and Carmelita Jeter rounded out the U.S. lineup in the latter.

“I love Penn Relays. I love representing USATF. I love the fan interaction,” Barber said. “Competing in that stadium, with all that energy, is something I look forward to every year.”

Barber’s legacy at Franklin Field began when she and her sister joined forces with Aleah Williams and Chantal Coppedge to help Montclair place second in 1998 in the 4x100 behind Vere Tech and third in the 4x400, with St. Jago securing the victory.

Barber added to that history in 2000 when the twins teamed with Mechelle Lewis and Demetria Washington to help South Carolina capture its first Championship of America wheels in both the women’s 4x200 and 4x400 relays, the latter ending Texas’ five-year winning streak.

After earning collegiate female relay performer of the meet in 2000, Barber returned in 2001 to contribute to another 4x400 victory for the Gamecocks, who have won 21 relay titles – 15 by women’s teams – since their first Penn Relays championship in 1971.

“Those were great times when Lisa and I ran for South Carolina,” Barber said. “We broke a lot of records back then. That was a special group we had.”

But none more special than the quartet she last ran with at Franklin Field, a group that, because of injuries, won’t be able to reunite Saturday, regardless of whether Barber competes or not.

“Even on the interview after last year, they didn’t say we broke a world record. We didn’t get a victory lap or anything. I didn’t find out we set a world record until somebody called me at midnight that night and congratulated me,” Barber said. “A lot of us don’t know if we’ll ever break a world record again or have that title. It’s at Penn Relays, we’re on U.S. soil, and it’s a record that hasn’t been broken for a long time and we set the mark, so I just hope to have a chance to do it again.”