Coaches confident of Penn Relays success
WHEN THE 124th staging of the very popular Penn Relays gets under way today with action among highschool girls, three Jamaican teams, in Edwin Allen, Hydel, and Holmwood Technical, will be hoping to retain titles.
Despite the expected unfavourable weather conditions, with the forecast showing a rainy and chilly few days, the coaches of these teams were confident of returning to Jamaica with titles.
A year ago, the Edwin Allen quartet of Kasheika Cameron, Kevona Davis, Shellece Clarke, and Patrice Moody blazed to a record 43.96 seconds to win the Championships of America 4x100 metres relay, and with Davis and Cameron back in the line-up, coach Michael Dyke is expecting another victory.
“We are anticipating another great performance. We expect something close to or to break the record once the weather suits us,” said Dyke. “Our girls always manage the weather very well, so this will not hinder our chances.”
BACK IN GOOD SHAPE
Led last year by Shian Salmon and Charokee Young, Hydel captured their first Championships of America title when they won the 4x400m in a fast 3:33.99. They have dominated the event, winning by big margins, and with Salmon and Young returning, coach Corey Bennett, while being cautious, is also very positive.
“The girls were a bit off after the Carifta Games, but they are back in good shape now as we tested them at the UTech Classics, and they looked good once again, and we are hoping for another great performance from them. My only concern is the weather as unlike other teams, we do not have the privilege of training in these conditions, and I am hoping that that does not get the better of them, but we are highly optimistic of winning,” said Bennett. Holmwood Technical has been one of the most dominant teams in this event and returned to winning ways last year when the team of Delverna Bromfield, Brittney Campbell, Nicolee Foster and Chrisann May won in 8:48.15.
With three members returning from that team, Dave Anderson, head coach of Holmwood, is predicting another victory here. “Preparation has been great for the team coming into the Penn Relays. The weather will not affect them as they are expecting any type of weather, and they will be up to the task as they are in good spirits, and they are confident of retaining their title,” said an upbeat Anderson.