April 27-29, 2000 at Franklin Field, Philadelphia PA
Penn Relays Preview -
the Relay Events
St. Malachy boys - San Lorenzo Valley girls - and a lot of Jamaicans
by John Dye
It's the relays, stupid. To paraphrase candidate Clinton's 1992
political strategist, look to the relay events for the high school action at
Franklin Field, Philadelphia, this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
The best US milers of the season--Alejandra Barrientos and Alan Webb--will be
there, but they will be running for their relay teams. (You can't do
both DMR and the open mile at Penn.)
It's the relays anyway that get the juices flowing at Penn, that turn
40,000 fans into a flag waving frenzy, that crank up the
"W-O-O-O-O-O" quotient to a perfect 10. To the champions
goes a victory lap, proudly waving their country's flag.
The international competition brings out the passions. There are
always the Jamaicans, with their stadium rattling 5,000 followers, and
this year there are also the Irish.
So let's look at what to expect. High School only, please, this
is DyeStat.
The highlight of the girls events, and perhaps the entire meet, is the
distance medley at 5:40 pm Thursday. The San Lorenzo Valley CA Cougars (Felton CA, not San Lorenzo) are on
the prowl for one of the longest standing US records (11:43.53 by the
great Irvine CA University team in 1982). They could get this and not get
the Penn Relays record, which is 3 seconds better (11:40.51, Vere Tech,
Jamaica, 1992).
Cougar coach Rob Collins has done wonders in 2 years at San Lorenzo
Valley. In 1999, jr Alejandra Barrientos burst on the scene with a
startling stretch-kicking win at the Arcadia Invitational 1600 meters,
which she validated by winning the California state 1600 championship and
the US Junior National 1500 meter championship. This year she is the
leading 1600m (4:46.6) and 800m (2:09.35) female runner in the US.
Now, Collins has developed depth with a bevy of talented girls to go
with Barrientos. SLV
currently has 8 girls running the 800 meters under 2:30 and five under
2:20. The four that run the distance medley (1600m anchor Ale
Barrientos, freshman sister Raquel Barrientos at 1200 meters, Lindsay
Scharborough at 400m, and Shiloh Whiting at 800m) have the US#1 time of 11:55.68,
and that included a 1600-meter time for Ale Barrientos that is 10 seconds
slower than her best (she ran the DMR at the Arcadia Invitational April 8
two hours after winning the
open 1600 in US#1 time). SLV's Arcadia time is 15-25 seconds better than the
next best teams in this race: Conestoga PA,
Middletown MD (with another sister act, Randy and Emily Buzzell), Villa Maria PA,
and Haddonfield NJ (with 1999 US outdoor mile champion Erin
Donohue), . Other teams who could get an announcer's call are perennial power
Manchester Central NH, Warwick Valley NY, and Lake Braddock
VA.
The Cougar girls with the flaming red singlets can get the record
without running their personal bests. And if they don't get it now
they have plenty of time -- none of them are seniors.
The boys distance medley at 5:10 pm Friday will feature St. Malachy,
the pride of Belfast, Ireland, who ran a Penn Relays record 9:59.84 in
winning the 1999 edition. The US indoor record setting Gloucester MA
team (9:59.94 at the National Scholastic Indoor in New York in March) is
not entered. So the task of picking up US pride falls to teams like Cardinal
O'Hara PA, St. Anthony's NY, Christian Brothers Academy
NJ, Bishop Loughlin NY, and the Alan Webb-led South Lakes VA
-- solid teams, but not likely to topple St. Malachy.
Girls 4x100
Vere Technical of Jamaica has won four years in a row and is
favored to make it five. They just won the Jamaican championships in
45.37, which is slightly better than their winning time at Penn last
year. But before it's over, they will have to put down Berkeley
CA. Coach Soupie B's talented girls were US national champs last
year at San Lorenzo CA and have won everything in sight this year in
California -- Stanford, Arcadia, and Oakland relays. Their best is
46.42. Another possible contender is Largo MD, who are
unbeaten this year in the East, with a best of 46.8.
Boys 4x100
The crown should return to Jamaica for the 8th time in 11 years
(Potomac VA won last year). The top five finishers in the Jamaica
championships are here, headed by Wolmer's Boys 41.19 and Jamaica College
41.22. The leading US teams (read Texas) are not entered, leaving
Suitland MD 41.5 US#14 as the highest ranking US team on hand.
Girls 4x400
US girls have won this event 4 of the last 5 years, ending Vere Tech's
string of 9 straight years for Jamaica. This year may be Jamaica's
turn again as Holmwood Technical won their country's championship in a
blistering 3:37.05. That is US record territory and the US record
holder (Long Beach CA Wilson) is not entered. Best US hopes for the
finals are Menchvlle VA 3:47.33 US#6, Berkeley CA 3:47.5 US#7, Long Beach
Poly CA 3:51.02 US#12, and Largo MD 3:53.14 US#19. After Holmwood,
Jamaica brings the rest of their top teams including St. Jago 3:40.56 in
the Jamaican championship and Vere Tech 3:42.13.
Boys 4x400
The top 7 Jamaican championship teams are entered, and they have some
frightening times: Munro College 3:10.73, Jamaica College 3:11.95, St.
Jago 3:12.40, Wolmer's Boys 3:14.83, and Kingston College 3:15.29.
All of these times are better than the best US teams entered, Long Beach
Poly CA 3:15.63 US#4 and Heritage VA 3:16.29 US#7. The US has won 3
of the last 4 years, but don't have anyone this year in the class of
Northwestern MD and Pasadena CA Muir.
Girls 4x800
It has been 15 years since a US team won this race (State College PA
1985). Since then 14 Jamaican teams have walked away with the title;
they hold every position on the Franklin Field top 10 all time
list.
US outdoor times have not come down yet. Leader Long Beach CA
Wilson 9:17.44 is not entered, but US#2 Villa Maria PA 9:22.3 is, along
with indoor leaders Boys & Girls NY 9:07.56 and William Penn PA
9:08. Top Jamaican teams on entry times are Edwin Allen 9:08 and St.
Jago 9:10.
Boys 4x800
Tough event to analyze. None of the 2000 outdoor DyeStat Elite
teams (under 8:00) are entered. Based on entry times and 2000 indoor
times, here are the leading contenders: Cherokee NJ 7:51.87; Gates
Chili NY 7:54.33; Calabar JAM 7:54.56; St. Jago JAM 7:54.5; John F.
Kennedy NY 7:55.11; and Jamaica College JAM 7:55.6. St. Malachy
IRELAND is entered with a 8:04 mark, which may be
conservative.
Jamaica won this race 11 straight years until W. Springfield VA and
Boys & Girls NY won in 1997-98. Then Jamaica College returned
the title to Jamaica last year.
Click for more
DyeStat previews of Penn, including rundowns of the Individual
Boys and Individual
Girls events, Conrad Haber's analysis of the boys
distance events, and what
to watch for each day.
DyeStat will be on-site, of course, with results, highlights, photos,
and Donna on the Side.
Return
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