#PenRelays2018 coverage is brought to you from Franklin Field Stadium (April 26-28) by WIHCON
Hydel repeated as High school girls’ 4x400m relay champions at Penn Relays 2018 on Friday evening, holding off Holmwood Technical and American team Bullis, in 3:36.38.
The St. Catherine-based school quartet of Taffara Rose, Charokee Young, Garriel White and Shiann Salmon, fell short of their 3:33.99 record performance in 2017.
Holmwood were beaten into second by nearly two seconds (3:38.14) while Bullis from Maryland finished third (3:41.51).
The standout performance this year came from Hydel’s anchor Salmon, a former Carifta Games high jump champion, who split 53.12.
Salmon when asked how being at the Penn Relays compare to other competitions, said: “The Penn Relays are actually the end of season in terms of school for us, and I really like knowing we were undefeated this season and that we’re headed in the right direction for next season.”
The time of 3:36.38, although not a new record, still stands as the sixth fastest all time in meet history.
St. Elizabeth Technical with Stacey-Ann Williams, 2017 Class 1 Champs 400m winner, finished 5th in 3:44.11 while Edwin Allen with Kevona Davis on third leg, ended 7th in 3:48.38.
Petersfield, the other Jamaican school, finished 8th in the nine-school final in 3:52.12.
Earlier, Edwin Allen won their fifth straight High School Girls’ 4×100 Championship of America title.
The quartet of Peter-Gay McKenzie, Kevona Davis, Fredricka McKenzie and Kasheika Cameron took victory in 44.79secs, the same time they ran to win 10 years ago.
Cameron, in her final year and Davis, who is just in her second year at Penns, ran on last year’s record breaking team of 43.96.
Holmwood, who took the lead on the third leg, was relegated to second in 45.05 while Hydel ended third in 45.38.
Kelliesha King, Kadeja Campbell, Michae Harriott and Shanette Allison made up the Holmwood team while Hydel used Yanique Dayle, Ashanti Moore, Ray-Donna Lee and Gabrelle Matthews.
St. Jago, 46.07, St. Catherine, 46.22 and Petersfield, 46.81, were fifth, sixth and eighth respectively.
Also on Friday, Holmwood defended their High School Girls’ 4×800 Championship of America title.
Brittney Campbell, who split 2:08.54secs, handed the Christiana-based team control after Delverna Bromfield’s opening leg of 2:13.48.
Neumann Goretti led at the first exchange with a 2:12.92 from Kami Joe Hickson.
Sasha Brown, on third leg with 2:14.82 and anchor Chrisanni May, 2:11.50, were left with the task of taking Holmwood home in 8:48.33.
Neumann Goretti finished second in 8:57.09 while Spalding ended eighth in 9:15.30.
