Jamaica College claims lone Penn Relays Championship relay win for Jamaican boys

PHILADELPHIA, USA — Jamaica College (JC) ended the 130th Penn Relays Carnival as the sole Jamaican high school boys’ relay team to win a Championship of America title, taking the 4x100m crown at Franklin Field on Saturday as rain, cold and difficult conditions closed the meet.

Jamaican teams had entered the final day with expectations of several relay victories, especially after JC topped Friday’s qualifying in both the 4x100m and 4x800m. In the end, the Jamaican high school contingent secured just one Championship of America relay win on Saturday, the lowest return in many years. William Knibb Memorial also delivered a Jamaican success by winning the High School Boys’ International 4x100m race.

The girls’ programme had produced stronger results on Friday, when Edwin Allen and Hydel successfully defended their Championship of America titles in the 4x100m and 4x400m, respectively. Jamaica also collected a small number of individual wins across the meet.

Saturday’s weather was a sharp turn from the sunshine and warmth that marked the first two days. The morning opened cloudy and cool, then worsened through the afternoon into heavy rain, stiff cold and temperatures in the mid-40s Fahrenheit.

JC’s standout performance came in the High School Boys’ 4x100m Championship of America, where the team clocked 40.03 seconds to secure the school’s third title in the event. Makaeean Woods, brought in for Malique Dennis after Friday’s heats, joined Nathaniel Martin, Elijah Smeikle and anchor Kai Kelly as Jamaica extended its winning streak in the race to 20 consecutive years, dating back to 2005.

It was JC’s fourth overall victory in the event and their first since 2023. Kingston College (KC) placed second in 40.26 seconds, while St James Academy, the only United States team in the final, took third in 40.38. St Jago followed in fourth with 40.43, ahead of Edwin Allen in 40.51, Excelsior in 40.60, Wolmer’s in 41.68, Petersfield in 41.77 and St Mary High in 42.37.

William Knibb Memorial, having narrowly missed the Championship final, responded by winning the International 4x100m final in 40.71 seconds. St George’s College, last year’s winner, was second in 42.27, with Calabar third in 42.48. Cornwall College ran 42.51 for fourth, followed by Munro College in 42.54 and Herbert Morrison Technical in 42.63.

KC’s chase for a historic fifth straight 4x400m relay title came up short as Bullis School from Maryland, with Olympic relay gold medallist Quincy Wilson on anchor, won in 3:10.15. Archbishop John Carroll of Washington, DC, finished second in 3:13.15, with JC third in 3:13.57 and KC fourth in 3:14.74. Munro College placed eighth in 3:27.73, while Excelsior did not finish after falling on the opening leg.

JC were also the only Jamaican qualifiers for the 4x800m Championship of America final, where they finished fourth in 7:52.27. Union Catholic of New Jersey won the event in 7:41.14, ahead of IMG Academy of Florida in 7:42.71, while Hackensack of New Jersey took third in 7:48.87.