The Penn Relays, the oldest track and field competition in the United States, has had plenty of time for records to be set and reset. And for the 128th running of the Penn Relays set to take place from April 25-27, the competing athletes are poised to reset a plethora of records.
To see which records could realistically be broken this year, records made in the “Championship of America” races will be discussed. The “Championships of America” only consist of the college and high school championship events. The records below could be potentially be broken this year, according to the records on the Penn Relay Carnival official website and the fastest times recorded so far this year by teams participating in the Relays.
College Women's 4x400-meter Relay
The women’s 4x400m relay record was set by University of Oregon in 2017 with a time of 3:24.72. This year, Texas A&M is making a push toward taking down this record, with the team's fastest time clocking in at 3:25.63. With less than a second to shave off this mark to break the record, the Aggies — who have traditionally performed well at the Penn Relays — are a likely candidate.
High School Girl's 4x400-meter Relay
At the high school level, the fastest girl's 4x400m relay record is 3:32.77, set by Hydel in Jamaica in 2022. Just a few years later, Bullis High School from Maryland is coming to Franklin Field after a season where the team has run the relay in a time as fast as 3:35.23. As the team gets ready to race at Penn Relays, a performance to match its season best will be enough to reset this record.
College Men's 4x400-meter Relay
For collegiate races, the men’s 4x400m relay’s fastest time in the event's history is 3:01.10 set in 2004 by Florida University. This year, the Texas A&M’s relay team has run a 3:00.80 during the Battle on the Bayou last month. Although keeping up with that time is no small feat, it is certainly doable. As such, the team will have a good shot at adding its name into the Penn Relays history books.
College Women's Pole Vault
The current Penn Relays pole vaulting record is held by Arkansas after Tina Sutej jumped 4.45-meters in 2011. This year's College Women's Pole Vault Championship features Rutger's Chloe Timberg, who currently holds the third best jump in the nation with a height of 4.56m set at the Larry Ellis Invitational on April 12th. This makes the current record one of the most likely to be reset at the Penn Relays.
High School Boy's 4x400-meter Relay
The current national record for the 4x400m relay was set all the way back in 1985 Hawthorne High School of Hawthorne, Calif. with a time of 3:07.40. Thus far this year, Bullis High School is fielding a 4x400m relay team that has clocked in at as fast as 3:09.95. It will be interesting to see if the added excitement from the crowd at the Penn Relays will be what the team needs to reset the long-standing record.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate
