Five Jamaican schools in girls' 4x100m final, three advance in 4x800 at Penn Relays

Written by Sherdon Cowan. Posted in Penn Relays. | 25 April 2025 | 724 Views
Tags: Alphansus Davis, Hydel High School, Edwin Allen High School

Jamaica’s high school girls continue to showcase their sprinting dominance at the 129th Penn Relays Carnival, as five Jamaican schools stormed into the Championship of America 4x100m final, while three others advanced to the 4x800m relay final following a mix of high-quality performances at Franklin Field on Friday.

Hydel High’s quartet of Shemonique Hazle, Jody-Ann Daley, Nastassia Fletcher, and Sashana Johnson lit up the track with the fastest qualifying time of 44.55 seconds, confidently winning their heat and laying down a serious marker ahead of Saturday’s final.

They will be joined by Edwin Allen High, whose team of Kerelle Etienne, Jounee Armstrong, Renecia Edwards, and Alexxe Henry produced a slick 44.64s to also win their heat and qualify strongly. Wolmer’s Girls (45.50s), Holmwood Technical (46.00s), and St Mary High (46.18s) also made the cut for the 4x100m final. Bullis School (46.10s), Archbishop John Carroll (46.17s), Woodlawn (46.29s), and Union Catholic (46.32s) are the other finalists.

Meanwhile, Excelsior High (46.41s), St Jago High (46.75s), Vere Technical (47.09s), Mount Alvernia, and St Andrew High are set to contest the International 4x100m final along with Queens College and St Augustine’s of the Bahamas, La Rochelle of South Africa, and Charles E. Mills of St Kitts and Nevis.

In the 4x800m relay, Alphansus Davis High, Holmwood Technical, and Edwin Allen all booked their spots in the Championship of America final with solid performances. However, Hydel High, tipped as favorites to win their first title in the event, were not present at the start — a surprise withdrawal that shook up the field.

Holmwood Technical, 11-time champions, topped their heat in 9:01.58 minutes behind the efforts of Terrica Clarke, Florence Nafamba, Jovi Rose, and Cindy Rose, while Edwin Allen, past winners in 2022, clocked 9:04.26 minutes with a strong team led by Harvia Ware and Kevongay Fowler.

Alphansus Davis High turned heads with the second-fastest time of the day—8:54.73 minutes—just behind Florida’s IMG Academy, who ran 8:54.06 minutes. The Alphansus team of Tabbrel Williams, Ameiah Samuel, Allecia Johnson, and Alikay Reynolds executed their race with poise and purpose to secure their place in Saturday’s showdown.