Bullis Back To Make Amends With A Shot At History Against Jamaicans In 4x400 Relays; Addy Ritzenhein Back To Defend Girls 3,000m Title

By Oliver Hinson for DyeStat

John Nepolitan photos

The Penn Relay Carnival presented by Toyota, the nation's oldest and largest track and field meet, returns to Franklin Field in Philadelphia for 130th year. 

Here are 10 high school storylines to follow:

Bullis Eyes Redemption In 4x400

When coach Joe Lee saw his Bullis boys suffer their second spill of the weekend in last year’s 4x400 relay championship, there was one word running through his mind: heartbreak.

“When you’re working so hard for something and you’re so close, and then that happens,” Lee said, “it’s a sinking feeling.”

Hours before, they had fallen in their preliminary round on the first handoff, but Quincy Wilson delivered a sub-45 split on the anchor leg to win the heat and qualify them for the final. He delivered another sub-45 split in the final, but that time, it wasn’t enough to overcome the gap that a second fall had created.

That moment stuck with Lee and his athletes for the entire year, and now, they’ve got a chance to not only reverse their fortunes, but to put the United States on top in the event for the first time since 2007. Lee said his athletes are “calm, but they’re, at the same time, very focused,” heading into the race.

Since last year’s race, Wilson has broken the national high school record in the 400 meters and become an Olympic gold medalist, and his teammates have thrown down some excellent performances as well. This weekend, they’ll line up against Kingston College, the three-time defending champs; Calabar, a 10-time winner; and some of the best teams in the U.S., including fellow DMV powerhouse Archbishop Carroll DC.

The girls are also out for revenge; they didn’t have any falls last year — “the girls did a better job of staying upright,” Lee jokes — but they came just short of a victory, losing to Hydel in the final by four tenths of a second. This season, Bullis has been heralded as one of the best high school teams of all time, and for good reason; in March, they broke the national record for the indoor 4x400.

Hydel is back in the field, making for an excellent rematch. 

Battle for Jamaican Superiority in Boys 4x100

Unless you pull a few teams from Texas, it’s hard to imagine any American team beating the Jamaicans, who have dominated this meet for years.

The ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships meet, better known as the Jamaican Championships, provided a sneak preview of the matchups on display in this event. Kingston College took the win, beating Excelsior, Jamaica College and Calabar, the latter of which was disqualified. 

Both Kingston College and Calabar are eight-time champions in this event, but Excelsior is the defending champion. Jamaica College is a three-time champion, last winning in 2023. All four teams have run under 40 seconds.

Senior Stars Face Off In Girls Mile

If it weren’t for the record-breaking performances by Jane Hedengren and Rylee Blade, Zariel Macchia (William Floyd NY) would have been the star at Nike Indoor Nationals. She took home a silver medal in the mile and bronze in the 5,000 meters with personal bests of 4:40.75 and 16:29.02.

After a few weekends of local competition to open her outdoor season, she’ll be taking on New York rival Dylan McElhinney (Hunter College) and Stanford commit Olivia Cieslak (Haverford Township PA) in the Penn Relays mile.

McElhinney hasn’t raced outdoors. Cieslak, meanwhile, already has a marquee win to her name this spring; she won the mile at the Arcadia Invitational in 4:41.46.

Abby Faith Cheeseman (The Webb School TN) and Abigail Hennessy (Westford MA) are also in the field.

Penn Commit Jessica Oji Right At Home In Shot Put

The Livingston NJ star was two performances away from an undefeated indoor season in the shot put, and last weekend, she opened up her outdoor campaign with wins in the shot put and discus. On Friday morning, she’ll be looking to defend her Penn Relays title in the shot put at her future home track.

Oji has been dominant at Franklin Field. In three performances there, she’s come away with three wins, including national championships in the shot put and discus at last year’s New Balance Nationals Outdoor.

This year, she’s tossed 57-4.50 indoors and 53-11 outdoors. The Penn Relays record is 53-7.

Can Anyone Break 4 Minutes?

So far, the answer is no. In each of the past three years, a Pennsylvanian has won the race and come somewhat close to breaking the four-minute barrier (with the exception of Brian DiCola in 2023). Drew Griffith ran 4:03.35 last year before going on to run multiple sub-4:00s. Gary Martin ran 4:01.04, and he also went on to break four minutes twice that year.

Perhaps it’s too early in the season, but the iconic Penn Relays mile seems to have eluded the sub-4 revolution of the past few seasons.

This year, it would be a stretch to say that anyone is favored to break the barrier. Soheib Dissa (Newtown CT) has the fastest personal best in the field at 4:04.80, and no one else has run under 4:05. Evan Noonan (Dana Hills CA) may have the best shot; he’s run close to 4:05 several times, and just a few weeks ago, he ran 4:04.88 in the 1,600 meters at the Stanford Invitational.

The field also includes high profile names like Kaleb Burroughs (West Florence SC), Carter Smith (Mifflin PA) and Tsedeke Jakovics (Old Mill MD). With the right race, they could come close to Martin’s 4:01.04, which is the Penn Relays record, but a sub-4 seems unlikely.

Addison Ritzenhein Title Defense In 3,000

While the On Athletics Club is tearing up the professional miles, On NIL signee Addison Ritzenhein will be looking to dominate the high school 3,000 meters.

Ritzenhein won handily last year with a 9:17.81 performance, beating Zariel Macchia by nearly 15 seconds. She’s the favorite this year as well; she won the 2-mile at Nike Indoor Nationals in 10:00.11. She hasn’t raced much this outdoor season, but she picked up a third-place finish in the mile at the Oregon Relays in 4:51.08.

The Penn Relays record is 9:15.30.

Stacked Fields in Girls DMR

With Paige Sheppard taking the baton, Union Catholic NJ would have had a great shot to win their third straight 4x800 relay, but they chose to go for the longer relay, and they’ll be lining up against some of the best teams in the country.

Penn Charter PA features Alli DeLisi, who took sixth in the high school 600 meters at the Millrose Games. South Lakes VA anchor Caroline Elliott won the mile at the VA Showcase in January and ran 4:48.85 at Nike Indoor Nationals. Oak Knoll NJ features Reagan Moore, the Nike Indoor Nationals 800 meter champion, on the anchor leg. And, of course, Sheppard is anchoring for Union Catholic. Her 4:43.61 mile personal best from the Arcadia Invitational gives her squad a commanding advantage if they’re in range at the final handoff.

U.S. Could Put End To Jamaican Dominance In Boys 4x800

Christian Brothers High School TN was agonizingly close to taking home the title in the boys 4x800 relay last year, but anchor Kaleb Smith fell just before the finish line, allowing Jamaica College to swoop in for the victory and earn their home country its eighth victory in the past nine competitions.

Jamaica College is back in the lineup this year, along with Calabar and Kingston College, but they’ll have to contend with some elite U.S. competition. St. Johns College DC ran the fastest time of the 2025 indoor season, a 7:37.52 performance that earned them the win at New Balance Nationals Indoor.

IMG Academy FL and Manheim Township PA are also in the field.

Future SEC Rivals Meet In Boys Discus

Benjamin Shue and Ashton Hearn took second and third, respectively, in the boys discus championship last year. In 2025, they’re each vying for the top spot. 

Shue, a Texas commit, has enjoyed a productive start to his outdoor campaign. He won the shot put and took third in the discus at the Arcadia Invitational, and he took third in the shot put and sixth in the discus at the Texas Relays. Hearn crossed paths with Shue at the latter, winning the discus and taking second in the shot put. 

The two have faced each other several times throughout their respective careers, and this meet will be another exciting installment of their rivalry.

Jamaican Girls Rule The 4x100

Just as in the boys race, it’s a battle between the Jamaican superpowers. Hydel is the two-time defending champion and beat rival Edwin Allen at the Jamaican Championships. Edwin Allen is a nine-time winner, though, and it holds the Penn Relays record of 43.18. Holmwood, a four-time winner, is also in the field.

On the U.S. side, Bullis is the favorite. Bullis won the 4x100 at the Florida Relays with a US#4 44.95 performance. Archbishop Carroll shouldn’t be counted out, either, with third at the Florida Relays in 45.81.