Corey Bennett, head coach of Hydel High School, says they are bracing for a tough test at this year’s Penn Relays as his team aims to extend their dominance in the Championship of America girls’ 4×400-metre relay.
The Penn Relays will be held at the Franklin Field in Philadelphia from April 23-25.
The Ferry-based Hydel, who are chasing an unprecedented fifth straight title, made history last year when they became the first high school girls’ team to dip below 3:31, clocking a record-breaking 3:30.42 to erase their previous mark of 3:32.77 set in 2022.
However, they will enter this year’s championships with a slightly reshaped team, retaining only two members from that historic quartet, Sashana Johnson and Nastassia Fletcher.
“Competing at the Penn Relays is always tough because everybody wants the 4×400 at some point, and the competition is tough all round,” Bennett said.
“It is going to be local teams and there are going to be the foreign teams, especially Bullis School, so it is going to be a tough one, but we are just trying to stay calm and focus and just hope that we can compete at our best.”
Hydel heads into the meet on the back of another strong performance at the ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships, where they won the 4x400m relay in 3:33.72, ahead of Edwin Allen (3:35.30) and Holmwood Technical (3:39.61).
Despite that victory, Bennett noted that preparations have not been seamless, with some athletes missing training due to national duties.
“Our girls are zoned, but a couple of them have missed training because they were a part of the Carifta Games team. But we are trying to get them back up, so that they can put on a good showing at the championships.”
Bennett also noted that they have made a lot of financial sacrifices in getting the team to prepare for the championships and therefore, it is very important that they deliver a strong performance.
“Every time that we compete, we try to win because we had to spend a lot of money to take the team and, as you know, we have been struggling financially and we have made a lot of sacrifices to get these persons to compete. So it is always important for us to win. It is always important for us to do our best, and once we do our best, and once we do that then we will live with the results.”
While confident, Bennett stated that the Penn Relays presents a different level of competition, but believes the experience will benefit his athletes.
“It will be a totally different ball game at the Penn Relays, but it will give them some confidence and so, hopefully, we can put on a good showing at this championships.”
