Hydel High School clinches double victory at Penn Relays under ideal conditions

Hydel High School emerged as the standout performers at the prestigious Penn Relays held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Friday, showcasing their dominance with two top performances in the high school girls’ Championship of America events. In the 4x100 meters final, the quartet of Shemonique Hazle, Alliah Baker, Shania Myers, and Jody Ann Daley displayed impeccable teamwork, securing victory with a time of 44.71 seconds. Despite stiff competition, including former champions Edwin Allen High, Hydel High retained their title with confidence and precision in baton exchanges. "We were always confident that we would have retained our title as the team was well prepared by coach Corey Bennett and we had no doubt. All four of us played important roles and we are happy for the win," remarked Baker, who ran the second leg of the relay. In the 4x400 meters final, Baker and Daley joined forces with Natassia Fletcher and Abigail Campbell to deliver another stellar performance, clinching victory and securing their third consecutive win at the Penn Relays with a time of 3:34.78 minutes.

Edwin Allen High faced disappointment

Reflecting on her success, Baker expressed her joy, stating, "I am extremely happy to finish my Penn Relays journey for Hydel with two wins as it has been an outstanding season for me." While Hydel High celebrated its triumphs, Edwin Allen High faced disappointment, finishing second in the 4x800 meters event. Defending champions Union Catholic of New Jersey claimed victory in record-breaking fashion, setting a new United States high school record. Meanwhile, in preliminary round action for the boys, Jamaica College (JC) and Kingston College (KC) advanced to the 4x800 meters final, with JC emerging as the fastest qualifiers. Excelsior made a strong statement in the 4x100 meters, securing the fastest qualifying time ahead of Saturday’s final. Additionally, athletes from JC excelled in individual field events, with Chavez Penn winning the triple jump, Balvin Israel dominating the long jump, and Shaiquan Dunn securing victory in the shot put. Munro College's Chad Hendricks added to the success with a win in the discus event.

Penn finished atop the triple jump field with 15.38m

Penn finished atop the triple jump field with 15.38m, ahead of Wolmer’s Boys’ Nicardo Grey with 14.52m, and Cornwall College’s O’Brien Bowen with 14.49m. Israel leaped to 7.24m in the long jump to get the better of Nathan Wade of Kingston College with 7.09m, while Dunn completed a hat-trick of wins on the day for Jamaica College by heaving the implement 20.73m to win the shot put. His schoolmate Devontae Edwards finished just outside the podium with 18.52m. Not to be left out of it was Munro College’s Hendricks who captured the discus throw with 66.17m.