This week’s track and field notebook takes a look at the Penn Relays then and now. It also highlights Wissahickon and Abington and includes all the SOL qualifiers for the prestigious meet.
By DENNY DYROFF
There was a track meet in Philadelphia a while ago that drew 5,000 spectators.
That number of spectators is pretty impressive considering the meet was not an NCAA championship meet or even a collegiate conference championship meet.
The amount of spectators is outrageously impressive considering the meet was held in 1895.
On April 21, 1895, more than 5,000 track fans gathered at the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field for the initial staging of the Penn Relays. It was the first event ever at Franklin Field, which was built specifically to host the Penn Relays.
There were nine 4x400-yard relay races that day – four high school, four college and the ninth was the college championship race (which featured Harvard University beating the University of Pennsylvania).
A lot has changed since then for the big meet, which is running now through April 29.
It’s still held at Franklin Field, and there are still high school and college 4x4 races – although now they are 4x400-meter races.
Over the years, there have been a lot of amazing races at the Penn Relays, which are always held in the last week of April.
In 2000, Team USA anchored by Marion Jones set the world record in the 4x200. Penn Relays meet record holders include Jamaica Gold’s 4x100 in 2010 anchored by Usain Bolt and Villanova University’s distance medley relay in 1988 anchored by Olympian Vicki Huber.
Now, the annual Penn Relays meet, which is the oldest and largest track meet in the world, features 300-plus events with more than 15,000 competitors. It has averaged attendances of more than 100,000 for three days with some Saturdays drawing more than 50,000 spectators.
The Penn Relays draw college teams from all over America as well as slew of national teams. It also draws high school teams from all over the country -- and the world.
This year, the 123rd Running of the Penn Relays will host scholastic teams from near and far – from University City High, which is located a few blocks from Franklin Field, to Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute, which is located 8,077 miles away outside the town of Middelburg in the Great Karoo, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
The 2017 Penn Relays will also host all the teams from the Suburban One League – including some with qualifiers for the prestigious invitational events.
Abington has qualifiers in both boys’ and girls’ invitational events – the boys in the 4x800-meter relay and Kelly Jawork in the girls’ mile championship.
“We’ve qualified our 4x800 for the Penn Relays the last three years,” said Abington coach Bill Neely.
The top 12 teams from the four 4x800 races qualify for Saturday’s highly prestigious Championship of America race.
“Back in 2009, we placed second in Championship of America,” said Neely. “We also made it back for the Championship of America race in 2002.
“Our 4x800 qualified for this year’s Penn Relays when we ran an 8:00 in the beginning of the season at the Pennsylvania Track Classic at Plymouth-Whitemarsh.”
The Ghosts’ foursome – Cameron Mitchell, Josh Coleman, Orion Frazier, Aaron Sookanan -- also took a hit at that meet.
“We now have to use a different guy on our third leg,” said Neely. “Orion Frazier got hurt at the Track Classic – a sprain – and he’s been out since then. Tony Smith is his replacement. The other three all ran the 4x800 at last year’s Penn Relays.”
At the 2016 meet, the Ghosts placed ninth with a time of 8:00.09.
“Having experience running at Penn helps,” said Neely. “They ran last year so they know what to expect. And, this will be the third year these guys have run the 4x400 in the meet. They know what it’s like to compete at this level.
“I expect them to run a 7:57 or 7:56 on Friday. All the way around, it’s going to be tough to get to the Championship of America. I’m not as concerned with the team from the Caribbean as I am with the teams from the East Coast.
“A lot of teams from Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey are running really well. But, I think if we run like we can, we should get in.”
Mitchell, an Abington junior, said, “This is our third year running the 4x800 at Penn Relays so the experience definitely is a big help. Last year, it was Aaron, Orion, Keion Broadus and me.
“We have to run competitive on Friday. Having lost one of our guys will make it tough to qualify for the Championship of America.We’re going to see what we can do. I think we can break 8:00-flat. We’re going to shoot for a 7:55.”
Jawork also qualified for the Penn Relays with her race at the Pennsylvania Track Classic at the end of March.
“Kelly got in with a 4:58 from the meet at P-W,” said Neely. “She’s ranked second or third in the state in the 1,600 and I think fourth or fifth in the state in the 800.”
Jawork, a senior, said, “That race at P-W was one of my favorite races ever. It was my first time to break five minutes.
“This will be my third year running at the Penn Relays. But, it will be my first in an open event. The other two times were in relays. And, I don’t think I’ve ever run a mile outdoors.”
The mile was replaced in high school meets by the 1,600-meter run a long time ago.
Jawork has announced that she will attend Cornell University in the fall.
“I plan on majoring in aerospace engineering in college,” said Jawork. “I want to be an astronaut. It’s something I’ve wanted to do ever since I was little. I have a real passion for math and science – and a huge sense of adventure.
“I went to a space camp a few years ago at Nastar and that was great. Even if I don’t get selected to be an astronaut, I still want to work for NASA.”
Jawork, a four-year honor student who is taking all A.P. courses, had a list of potential college choices that included Cornell, Stanford, University of Virginia, Texas A&M, Maryland, Virginia Tech, M.I.T., Princeton and Penn State.
Jawork is a member of the National Honor Society and president of Abington Community Task Force. A.C.T. performs community service and does fundraising for different beneficiaries.
Over the years, Jawork has been a medal-winner at the league and district level in outdoor track, cross county and indoor track. Medals from the Penn Relays and the PIAA track championships would make nice additions to her trophy case.
“It’s going to be really good competition in the mile Thursday night,” said Jawork. “All the girls in the event have run similar races. I’ve run in the Penn Relays before so I know what it’s like.
“I think I’ll be able to block out distractions and stay focused. I’ve gotten better with my mental game. Once the gun goes off, it will be like any other race. I’ve done all the physical prep – so, I’m ready.”
*****
Wisshaickon’s boys usually fare well at the Penn Relays in the two sprint relays – the 4x100 and the 4x400 – and the Trojans are looking to keep it going this year.
Wisshahickon also has an individual qualifier. The Trojans’ Ahmir Johnson and Souderton’s Shamar Jenkins both have qualified for the High School Boys Long Jump event which will be held Saturday at noon.
“They take the top 24 applicants,” said Trojans’ coach Don Betterly. “I think the cut-off was around 45-0. Ahmir qualified with the 46-7 that he did in our first indoor meet back in December.
“He started hurdling in spring track and has already qualified for districts in the 110 hurdles. Coach Garis (Wissahickon assistant coach Floyd Garis) likes his jumpers to do hurdles also because of the consistency of steps you get from running hurdles.
“Actually, Ahmir has already made district cuts in long jump, triple jump and 110 hurdles. Last year, he competed in triple jump at districts.”
Johnson has been jumping at a higher level this season.
“Once he started growing as tall as he is – about 6-3 – he became a good hurdler,” said Betterly. “He was a tall, gangly freshman with long levers.
“Once he filled out and got muscle, he naturally got better as a jumper. He’s had some improvement in his technique but it’s been mainly physical growth.”
Johnson said, “Last year, I was nowhere near as good as I am now. I was lifting a little during football season and that helped. I wasn’t on the team this year but I plan on playing wide receiver next year.”
Johnson got into track and field because of his brothers.
“I used to watch my brothers – twins Aquande and Kyunde -- do track,” said Johnson. And, a lot of my friends were into track. I started jumping in seventh grade at Wissahickon Middle School.
“This year, my coach Mr. Garis put me in hurdles because he thought I could do it. It turned out that I was pretty good.
“Hurdles helps with my jumping because you focus more on speed. And, you work different muscles in hurdles warm-ups. And, I think jumping helps me with my hurdles.
“My favorite event is triple jump because it’s more of a technical event. I like hop-step-and-jump better than just straight jumping. The hop phase is my best phase. My jump phase is the one that needs the most work. My goal for this year is 48-0.”
Johnson said he is hoping for a 47-flat at Penn Relays.
“I’ve seen videos of Penn Relays, but this will be the first year that I’m actually there,” said Johnson. “I might be a little nervous. But, just qualifying for the Penn Relays has helped my confidence.”
Betterly is a little frustrated about the fortunes of his 4x400 relay.
“I definitely think we would have won our conference race at the Penn Relays,” said the Trojans’ veteran coach. “But, Rasheed Wright pulled his hamstring and is out for the season. He has the indoor state record in the 400.
“His personal best is 48.4 and we’re replacing that with a 52. That’s going to cost us about four seconds. And, we have another guy out so we’re going from a potential 3:19 to a 3:25. I’m pretty sure we would have qualified for the Philly race (Saturday’s High School Boys’ 4×400 Philadelphia Area event) but now I don’t know.”
If this scenario gave Betterly a feeling of déjà vu, there is good reason. It happened at last year’s PIAA Championships in Shippensburg.
“We were in third place in the prelims in the 4x100 and then our anchor Rasheed Wright pulled his hamstring,” said Betterly. “That knocked him out of the 400, the 4x100 and the 4x400.
“We shifted the lineup for the 4x100 and finished seventh. Rasheed only ran the prelims in the 400. Then, we had to scratch our 4x400. We just ran out of bodies.”
*****
Other Penn Relays invitational qualifiers in field events from the Suburban One League are Hatboro Horsham’s Nicholas Marino in pole vault and Jon LaSalle in javelin, Upper Dublin’s Brian Kauffman in long jump and Pennsbury Jason Mitrovich in javelin.
In boys’ track, Council Rock North will be running in the distance medley relay while the 4x800 will feature Pennsbury, Central Bucks East, North Penn, Central Bucks West, Abington and Council Rock South.
In girls’ track, four SOL teams will be competing in 4x800 -- Central Bucks East, North Penn, Central Bucks West, and Pennridge. Additionally, Cheltenham’s Mary Grace Rittler will run in the 3,000-meter race and Upper Dublin’s Madison Langley-Walker is competing in the 400 hurdles event.
Field event qualifiers for the girls are Cheltenham’s Brianna Smith and Central Bucks South’s Valerie Przekop in high jump.
- Log in to post comments
