High School Storylines At The Penn Relays

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Here are some of the High School Storylines we’re following this week at the 125th Penn Relays in Philadelphia. 

Programming Note: You can watch the live Webcast here of the meet Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The USATF.TV broadcast and on-demand videos will only be available for USATF.TV +PLUS subscribers. Subscribe here.  

Bullis Versus The Jamaicans

The private school from the D.C. suburbs in Maryland has become a name-brand high school track program and the Penn Relays are an annual touchstone. Coach Joe Lee loves the atmosphere and the chance to step up and take on the high school powers coming up from Jamaica.

STORY

Green and Gold Flags In The House

Calabar’s boys, among all of the groups that came up from the Caribbean last year, made history. Calabar swept the 4x100, 4x400 and 4x800 titles and did it with 12 different athletes. The incredible depth was punctuated by performances that all exceeded the U.S. high school national records.

Calabar’s window is still wide open and the squad leads another talented wave of Jamaicans coming to Penn Relays. The 4x100 has a season best in 2019 of 39.89 (Oblique Seville has run 10.13). The 4x400 has run 3:09.71, slower than last year’s 3:03.74, but the lineup remains deep and strong and is led by Christian Taylor (45.82). The 4x800 squad has run 7:31.71.

Calabar has won 20 titles over the years, one shy of Bishop Loughlin NY's all-time record.

Jamaica College (40.06/3:11.02/7:32.18), Kingston College (39.98/3:10.29/7:34.78), Excelsior (3:11.14) and Wolmer’s (40.12) are all going to have a say in the boys Championship of America races.

Kevona Davis leads the Edwin Allen girls. She has 11.19 speed in the 100 and is part of Allen’s 43.94 4x100 relay. The school also has run 4x400 in 3:41.29 and 8:52.58 in the 4x800.

Hydel has run 3:34.78 in the 4x400 and Holmwood has gone 3:36.09.

St. Jago has season bests of 45.02 in the 4x100 and 3:41.16 in the 4x400.

The U.S. team have their hands full, once again.

Starliper and Parks, The Rematch

The girls mile has an intriguing back story thanks to a pair of Pennsylvanians who will be going head to head. At New Balance Nationals Indoor, Taryn Parks of Greencastle Antrim PA fought past Millrose champion Marlee Starliper of Northern PA and won the mile final as both runners crashed to the ground in a photo finish. Both were timed in 4:39.05.

Last year at Penn, Starliper beat fellow junior Victoria Starcher of Ripley WV, who is also back. Starliper ran 4:40.63 for third at NBNI.

That puts three runners in the realm of the Penn Relays record, which was set by Mary Cain of Bronxville NY in 2012 (4:39.28).

Katelyn Tuohy and North Rockland vs Fayetteville-Manlius in the DMR

North Rockland NY and Fayetteville-Manlius NY went 1-2 at New Balance Nationals Indoor last month and the two squads will square off again at Franklin Field.

The name of the game for F-M is to build as large of a lead as possible through three legs and try to build a margin that is too great for record-breaker Katelyn Tuohy to overcome. At the indoor championships, she split 4:41.9 and brought the baton to the finish line in 11:41.84. The Hornets of Fayetteville-Manlius were second in 11:45.29 with Claire Walters on the anchor.

Tuohy anchored her team to victory at Franklin Field in 2017 but didn’t come last year.

Brooke Jaworski Coming East From Wisconsin

The senior from Wausau West WI was a revelation last year as she added the 400-meter hurdles to her repertoire and found a natural affinity for it. Jaworski made the U.S. team for the World U-20 Championships in Finland.

Now, with a year of 400-meter hurdles training under her belt, she’s coming to Penn Relays to race a standout field that includes Britton Wilson of Mills Godwin VA and Leah Phillips of Bullis MD. STORY

The Girls 4x800 Relay Is Loaded

The U.S. team to watch is Neumann & Goretti PA, which finished second last year and has the capability of running close to nine minutes, perhaps faster.

The team of Sanaiya Watts, Dasia Wilson, Mykala Perry and KamiJoi Hickson ran 9:02.17 to win the New Balance Nationals Indoor title.  

At last count, there were 27 girls teams in the field that have run 9:30 or faster, pointing to the possibility that this is one of the deepest events on the high school program.

Holmwood of Jamaica is the two-time defending champion but only returns one runner from last year’s team.

Devin Hart Returns To Defend 3,000 Title

The Stanford-bound senior from Point Pleasant Boro NJ led wire to wire last year when he went 8:22.24. He also won the 2-mile at New Balance Nationals Indoor last month.

But Hart will have in-state rival Liam Murphy to watch out for. Murphy, a junior from Allentown NJ, beat Hart at the New Jersey Meet of Champions in the 3,200 meters in one of the fastest races in meet history – 8:54.22 to 8:54.45.

New Yorkers Shea Weilbaker (Saratoga Springs NY) and Ryan Guerci (Nanuet NY) stand out as two of the prime challengers.

Morgan Smalls And Three More 6-Footers In The High Jump

One of the biggest moments of the indoor season belonged to Smalls, of Panther Creek NC, who went over and above her lifetime best to win the New Balance Nationals Indoor high jump title with 6-3.25.

Only three preps in history have gone higher, indoors or out.

So far in the outdoor season the junior has gone past 19 feet in the long jump, 40 in the triple jump, run 56.72 in the 400 and 12.09 in the 100.

The Penn Relays record of 6-0.50 has lasted 29 years. The record is vulnerable not only because of Smalls, but three other 6-footers in the field, including 2018 champion Janique Burhger of Edwin Allen (Jamaica).

International Flavor In The Boys Mile

Sean Dolan of Hopewell Valley NJ, who took a star turn at last year’s Penn Relays when he split 4:07 to help his team win the distance medley relay on his dad’s home track (host University of Penn is coached by Steve Dolan), will take on a field that includes top Canadian Foster Malleck (St. Mary’s/Ontario), who has run 4:07.28.

Luis Peralta from Passaic NJ, who competes internationally for the Domincan Republic, was 11th in the boys mile last year, but is one of the top 800-meter runners in the U.S. and can close in a hurry if it’s close late.

St. Anthony’s Eyeing History In DMR

The last time St. Anthony’s NY won the distance medley relay at Penn Relays was 1978 and the anchor was the legendary John Gregorek.

This year, with Matthew Payamps leading the charge, coach Tim Dearie’s team has a chance to enjoy a big moment. Dearie, who mentored Northport to the title in 2003, also has a son (Brendan) running on the lead-off 1,200 meters leg.

Bronxville, featuring the Rizzo brothers, Matt and Alex, could be right there every step of the way as well.

The absence of Loudoun Valley VA opens this one up. The New Balance Nationals Indoor 4x800, DMR and 4xMile champions are not coming to Franklin Field this year.

Ewert Entered In Olympic Development Racewalk

Taylor Ewert of Beavercreek OH, the U.S. indoor champion in the 1-mile racewalk, is on the entry list for Saturday morning's women's 5,000-meter walk. That race is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m.