The US has been on a roll the past few years, mainly due to heroics by Poly Long Beach CA. But in the words of a Poly coach at Arcadia 3 weeks ago, "We lost our hammer." (graduated anchor star Shalonda Solomon). Jamaica will be heavily favored in all four sprint relays, boys and girls 4x100 and 4x400. The red, white and blue should fly high in distance events and the girls 400 meter hurdles, where home town favorite and Penn Relays record holder Nicole Leach will defend her title.

Based on their performance at the Jamaican National Championships last month, the Holmwood Tech girls will be familiar names by Friday night. They set a meet record in the 4x100 at 44.25, which surpasses Vere Tech's Penn Relays meet record 44.32 set last year (with Poly Long Beach setting a US record of 44.50 in the same race). Holmwood also won the 4x400 at the Jamaican championships in 3:36.46, six seconds faster than Nicole Leach's West Catholic Philadelphia squad's winning time at Arcadia (3:42.52). This year's Poly team is even further back, with a season best of 3:48.04.

Holmwood is led by Anneisha McLaughlin, once a wunderkind and now a seasoned veteran. She got a sprint double at the Jamaican championships Class 1 division in 11.62 -2.4 and 23.40 -1.0. Holmwood also doubled in Class 2 with S. Calvert in 11.73 -0.1 and 23.44 +0.0. Holmwood's 4x400 squad is lead by Jamaican champ Sutherland 52.10. Holmwood should be favored also in the 4x800 relay as they swept Jamaican championship honors with Cass Powell 2:12.90, B. Wilkins 2:14.06 and V. Boyd 2:14.90.

In the boys sprint relays, Jamaica teams are running much faster than US teams, and most of the top US teams are not entered.

In the boys 4x100, the first three teams in the Jamaican championships were all under 41 seconds -- Camperdown 40.39, Holmwood Tech 40.46 and St. Jago 40.93 -- and they are all here, while the top US entry is Poly Long Beach 41.03 US#4.

In the boys 4x400, Jamaica has a 1-2 punch of Wolmer's Boys 3:10.60 and Holmwood Tech 3:10.80, which would put them on the Penn Relays all time best times list. They should reprise their finish in the Jamaican championships. The only US team who might challenge them, Dorsey 3:11.49, will be at home in Los Angeles. The top US entry is another Southern California team, Poly Long Beach, who won the Mt. SAC Relays in 3:17.10 US#10.

In the boys 400 meter hurdles, defending champion Kevin Craddock CA is not entered, opening up the top five seeds to Jamaicans.

US athletes will have their share of glory in other events.

Local star Nicole Leach should get things rolling at the start Thursday morning with a repeat win in the 400 meter hurdles, but she will be challenged by the top two in the Jamaican championships -- Nickiesha Wilson, Alpha Academy 59.20 and Sherene Pinnock, Edwin Allen Comprehensive 60.47. Leach's best this year is 59.31 while beating collegians at UCLA 3 weeks ago, but she set a Penn Relays record last year with a come from behind win in 57.84. Leach and Pinnock are very familiar with each other. Pinnock was second here last year in 58.71, but reversed the finish at the World Junior Championships in Italy, 57.54 to 57.56. Pinnock improved her PR to 57.18 last month in the Carifta Games.

In the girls mile Thursday evening, defending champion Sarah Bowman, a senior from Fauquier Warrenton VA, comes in at the top of her form, winning the Nike Indoor Nationals mile last month (4:46.79) and posting U#1 outdoor times in the US in both the 800m (2:05.41 April 9 at the Taco Bell Classic in South Carolina) and 1600m (4:44.09 last week at Handley VA). Bowman showed her front running style was deadly last year (right) when she bolted on top on the first turn and was never challenged, winning by 7 seconds in 4:48.55. photo by John Dye

In the boys 4x800, two of the best US teams ever will resume their New York state rivalry. In the Armory Collegiate Games at the New York Armory February 5, Syosset NY set a US indoor record of 7:42.22 with Shaker NY right behind in 7:43.86 US#3 all time. Syosset coach Bart Sessa bought a Jamaican flag to display at every Syosset practice to remind his boys of their season goal -- beat the Jamaicans at Penn. They could do that and still lose to Shaker, which is spoiling for a rematch after improving their indoor time to 7:42.84 winning the NSIC at the New York Armory in March (as Syosset won the other indoor national championship, Nike Indoor, in Maryland). The US outdoor record could be in jeopardy, but it is another 10 seconds faster -- 7:32.89 by Chris Lukezic's Auburn WA team at AOC Raleigh in 2002.

Two more New York teams lead the US delegation against Holmwood Tech in the girls 4x800 -- Boys & Girls NY and Saratoga Springs NY. Boys & Girls was US#1 indoors with their 9:04.29 win in the Armory Collegiate Games. Saratoga Springs was the national champion in cross country at the first Nike Team Nationals, but is weakened without their ace, Nicole Blood, who ended the indoor season with an injury and left the team to train on her own. Another top Saratoga runner, Caitlin Lane, is also training on her own this season. The drama of last year's finish can hardly be topped. Holmwood Tech led Jamaica rival Edwin Allen in a furious drive to the finish, but dropped the baton just before the finish. Holmwood's anchor went back to get the baton and still finished second after crossing the finish line again 10 seconds later than the first time.

US will definitely win the distance medleys, because no foreign teams are entered.

In the girls DMR, defending champion Saratoga is not entered this year, but New York again comes to the rescue with two very worthy contenders. Bay Shore NY, led by Mary Liz McCurdy and Laura Cummings, has essentially the same team that set the US record of 11:33.42 at AOC Raleigh last year. Warwick Valley NY is led by Foot Locker cross country national champion Aislinn Ryan.

In the boys DMR, the favorites are Colts Neck NJ and Newton North MA, possibly setting up a great anchor duel between Craig Forys and Arcadia 2-mile champ Chris Barnicle.

In the boys mile, the favorites are Shenendehowa NY jr Dan McManamon (4:13.44 US#4 indoors), St. Benedict's NJ sr Bryan Scotland (4:14.35 US#8 indoors) and Northport NY sr Kevin Tschirhart (4:15.29 US#10 indoors).

Both 3000 meter races are wide open.

Standouts in field events include

• Girls LJ - Poly Long Beach CA jr Shana Woods is the defending champ at 20-4.25, but she faces three 20-footers who were 1-2-3 in the Jamaican championships -- Tamara Francis, St. Jago 20-7.25, Rosemarie Whyte, Holmwood Tech 20-7, and Anna-Kay Campbell, St. Andrews 20-1.5.
• Boys DT - Central Dauphin PA sr Ryan Whiting, indoor national shot put champion and double winner at Arcadia (66-3 SP and 199-7 DT US#2).
• Boys HJ - Four 7-footers are entered -- St. Joseph's PA sr Juan Cave, Octorara PA sr Ryan Fritz, August Martin NY sr James Blocker, and Asheville NC sr Elijah Harrison.
• Girls SP - Hoover North Canton OH OH sr Ashley Muffet 48-5.5 US#3.
• Girls PV - Iroquois Central NY sr Tiffany Maskulinski, the 2004 outdoor national champion is coming off an injury. Her training partner Mary Saxer, the national record holder, is not entered.
• Boys PV - Hickory PA sr Eric Sparks, champion at Nike Indoor Nationals.
• Boys LJ - Defending champion Dennis Boone, Thomas Dale VA senior, is second seed to Alain Bailey, the Jamaican champion at 25-10.25. Nicholas Gordon, Calabar JAM went 24-1.75 in the Jamaican championships. Boone had an indoor best of 24-9.75 winning the Virginia AAA state meet and he won the Nike Indoor Nationals with a jump of 24-7.75.
• Girls TJ - With US national record holder Brittany Daniels not here, the favorites are Jamaicans -- Kimberly Williams, Vere Tech 42-11.5, the Jamaican champion, and Latoya Heath, St. Andrews 42-2.75, 3rd in Jamaica.
• Girls DT - Thomas Stone MD sr Amy Bilmanis, outdoor national champion last year at Raleigh with a throw of 153-1.
• Boys TJ - No entries can jump with defending champion Carlos Mattis, Kingston College JAM, 49-9.25 Jamaican #2, or Ryan Taylor, Calabar JAM 49-7, Jamaican #3. US indoor champion Nkosinza Balumbu is not entered.
• Boys SP - Tappan Zee NY sr John Hickey, 64-4 US#3 indoors and NSIC New York champion.