Emma Gallagher (pink) and Anna Cockrell (red) are the top Americans entered in the Girls 400-meter Hurdles Championship, the first final of The Penn Relays Carnival.
Thursday, April 23 marks Day 1 of an action-packed weekend of track and field at The Penn Relays Carnival at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field. Detailed below are all high school individual championship events and relay Championship of America events for Thursday, April 23.
10:20 AM High School Girls' 400m Hurdles Championship
Defending champion Andrenette Knight (St. Jago's, JAM) returns with a season-best of 58.63, though she finished just seventh at the Jamaican Champs behind champion Genekee Leith (St. Jago, JAM). Junelle Brumfield (St. Elizabeth Tech, JAM) has raced 58.13 this season. U.S. No. 4 and 5-ranked Emma Gallagher (Cardozo, NY) and Anna Cockrell (Providence, NC) are the top Americans in the field; Gallagher finished fifth here last year and owns a personal best of 58.87 as New Balance runner-up, while Cockrell (Providence, NC) owns a best of 59.69.
11:15 AM High School Girls' Discus Championship
Shanice Love (Excelsior, JAM) has competed in the invitational event at Penn Relays for the past two years and 2015 is her time to shine. Love is the reigning Jamaican National Junior Champion in the discus with a PR of 167-2; she also finished 7th at the Jamaican Senior Nationals last year. Love would be the sixth straight Jamaican champion in the discus.
1:30 PM High School Girls' Pole Vault Championship
The pole vault figures to be a battle between two Marylanders, as defending champion Olivia Gruver (Franklin, MD) takes on Stanford commit Jackie McNulty (Oakdale, MD). Both athletes have similar bests, as Gruver has cleared 13-4.5 and McNulty 13-3.25.
1:45 PM High School Girls' Long Jump
Virginia State Champion Kara Lyles (Nansemond River, VA) ranked U.S. No. 3 indoors at 19-11.25. Can she leap 20 feet? She will need to in order to compete with Shanice Lewis (Edwin Allen, JAM), who owns a best of 20-4.5.
1:45 PM High School Girls' Triple Jump
With a best jump of 44-4, Tamara Moncrieffe (Holmwood Tech, JAM) leads the field by more than a foot. The seasoned competitor was the 2015 Carifta Trials Champion, 2014 Jamaican Junior National Champion and finished fourth at the 2014 Jamaican Senior Nationals. She could challenge the Relays Meet Record of 43-10, set in 2007 by three-time champion Kimberly Williams.
2:30 PM High School Girls' High Jump
Safia Morgan (Immaculate Conception, JAM) jumped 5-11.25 in 2014, which is the best mark in the field by nearly three inches. But the rainy, chilly conditions at Franklin Field can wreak havoc on even the most steely-willed competitors.
3:30 PM High School Girls' Shot Put
With several top challengers throwing between 48 and 49 feet, this event is up for grabs. Alexis Daniels of Binghamton, NY (48-8.25), Rochelle Frazier of Edwin Allen, JAM (48-11) and Nickolette Dunbar of Whippany Park, NJ (48-11.25) can all make the case for the win
4:45 PM High School Girls' Javelin
Sophia Rivera (Brentwood, MO) most recently won the Shot Put at NBN Indoors and is also an All-American discus thrower but her claim to fame is the javelin, in which she is the reigning USATF Youth Outdoor Champion. She also placed fourth with a PR of 156-11.75 at the USATF Junior Nationals as just a sophomore in high school. She has a best of 162-9 to win the Kansas Relays last weekend. U.S. No. 2 Madison Wiltrout (Connellsville, PA), who has thrown for 164-11 this year, and defending champion Chrissy Glassman (Park City, UT) will be in the hunt.
5:55 PM High School Girls' 3,000m
Defending champion Hannah DeBalsi (Staples, CT) has not looked like her sub-10 minute 3,200m form of last spring as of late, an she will have two star Canadians as well as up-and-coming Americans to contend with. 16-year-old Branna MacDougall (Regiopolis Notre Dame, CAN) and Stanford commit Claire Smith (Glebe, CAN) most recently led Team Canada to Pan-American XC Champs team gold and own PRs of 9:30.93 and 9:35.39 for 3k. Kate Murphy (Lake Braddock, VA) will likely be in the mix as the untested sophomore ran to a surprise runner-up finish at NBN Indoors in the Two Mile (PR 10:20.22).
MileSplit Stalking of Penn Relays - Girls 3k
6:05 PM High School Girls' Mile Championship
Malia Ellington (Community School of Davidson, NC), fourth last year, is the top returner and has already qualified for the adidas Dream Mile this season with her US #12 4:53.75. Millrose Games Mile Champion Catherine Pagano of Northern Highlands, NJ will make her outdoor debut; she has a best of 4:48.13. Pennsylvania duo Marissa Sheva (Pennridge, PA) and Olivia Sargent (Pennsbury, PA) finished 1-2 at the PA Indoor State Championships and each ran 4:50 and 4:51 indoors. Sargent nearly out-kicked Pagano at the Millrose Games, but settled for runner-up honors.
MileSplit Stalking of Penn Relays - Girls Mile
6:10 PM High School Girls' Distance Medley Relay Championship of America
New Balance Nationals Indoor champions Suffern (NY) headline the event with a winning time of 11:53.57 at the New York Armory. 600-meter National High School Record Holder Kamryn McIntosh ran lead-off leg (3:36.21) in that race though she has successfully moved up in distance this outdoor season, clocking a sub-5 minute 1,600m, so they may have a few tricks up their sleeve. Imani Solan (55.91), seventh-grader Mary Hennelly (2:20.96) and Rachel Ludwikowski (5:00.49) and McIntosh will be challenged by a slew of fellow indoor All-Americans in Padua Academy (DE), Bronxville (NY) and Patriot (VA). Suffern won this event in 2006.