University of Technology, Jamaica, was the fastest seed with 3:32.  We had a little bit of lightning delay but we’re back on track.

The Blacksburg quartet. Photo by Kim Spir

Blacksburg (VA) smashed the Penn Relays record in the girls DMR with a spectacular 11:38.69 clocking. That erases the 11:40.51 run by Vere Tech (Jamaica) all the way back in 1992 and is the ninth fastest time ever by an U.S. high school team.

Joanna Stevens (4:48.43) ran the decisive anchor leg for Blacksburg, coming from more than 40 meters back to catch Saratoga Springs’ Keelin Hollowood (4:56.95) with a lap and a half to go. Hollowood barely held off Shenendehowa’s Lizzie Predmore (4:51.79) for second, 11:43.79–11:43.82. Those are now the seventh and eighth fastest times ever at Penn.

Blacksburg’s splits: Kathleen Stevens (3:35.85), Sarah Dorrell (1:00.70), Hannah Brown (2:13.73), Joanna Stevens (4:48.43).

Click here for results.

In Heat 2, Texas A&M came from behind to win in 3:33.06, with Oregon (3:36.12) and early leader Virginia Tech (3:37.34) finishing second and third.

Arkansas (3:34.03) held off late charges from LSU (3:34.85, with a 51.99 anchor from Philly native LaTavia Thomas) and Penn State (3:35.08) to win Heat 3.

Track the results here.

Tenneesse successfully defends their DMR Title in 2010. (Photo Kim Spir)

Our first college championship, a highly anticipated event, is the rematch of the NCAA Championship between Tennessee and Oregon in the College Women’s DMR . . . . a great race where Tennessee won again.

After one leg – Indiana, Tennessee, Villanova, Oregon . . . . but the Oregon 400 leg runs an excellent leg and moves to 2nd after the second exchange.  Phoebe Wright extends Tennessee’s lead (2:02.2 !), but Nicole Blood of Oregon has been known to make up ground fast at the Penn Relays.

Tennessee wins quite convincingly in 10:54.65, just making the Top 10 at the Penn Relays (#9 AT).  The anchor leg for Tennessee, Jackie Areson, ran 4:38.  This was Tennessee’s 5th win in the College Women’s DMR, and 3rd in 4 years.

Official splits: Brittany Sheffey (3:21.63), Ellen Wortham (52.64), Phoebe Wright (2:02.12), Jackie Areson (4:38.26)

Click here to see the official results.

Oregon laces up for their first women's DMR ever (Photo Kim Spir)

Florida's Shara Proctor wins the college long jump championship. Photo by Kristen Holzherr

It’s been a busy day for jumpers and throwers. Here are some of the championship-division winners:

College Women
• Shara Proctor (Florida) won the long jump with a wind-aided leap 21 feet, 2 1/2 inches (6.46 meters). She also had a legal jump of 21-0 1/2 (6.41), the 10th best ever at the Relays. Results.

• NCAA Indoor champion Mariam Kevkhishvilli (Florida) won the shot put at 59-7 1/2 (18.17), third best ever at Penn. Results.

• Brittany Horne (Detroit Mercy) won the hammer throw at 186-8 (56.92 meters). Results.

• Karlee McQuillen (Penn State) won the javelin at 162-7 (49.57), with defending champion Meghan Briggs (Virgina) second at 157-3 (47.95). Results.

High School Girls
• Akela Jones (Springer Memorial, Barbados) won the high jump with a leap of 5-11 1/4 (1.81). That’s the second highest ever at Penn. Results.

• Allison Vanek of Wilson Area (Easton, PA) won the pole vault at 12-5 1/2 (3.80). That’s No. 7 all-time at the Relays and marks the fifth time in seven years that an Easton girl has won this event. Results.

• Chanice Porter (Manchester, Jamaica) won the long jump at 20-1 (6.12). Results.

• Rochelle Farquharson (St. Elizabeth Tech, Jamaica) won the triple jump for the second year in a row. Her winning leap: 41-2 1/2, wind-aided (12.56). Results.

• Laura Loht (Indian Valley, Lewiston, PA) won the javelin at 148-1 (45.16). Results.

The ranked list of results can be found here. We’ll check back with top times later.

UPDATE (4:04pm): Nine teams just broke 4:00 in Heat 44, led by Benjamin Cardozo (Oakland Gardens, NY) in 3:41.62.

UPDATE (4:58pm): Columbia of Maplewood NJ ran 3:43.72 in its heat, breaking a 30-year-old school record that included Olympian Joetta Clark.

UPDATE (6:26pm): Jheneive Russell of Holmwood Tech had the day’s fastest split: 53.4. Holmwood ran 3:42.96 to win event 46. The second best split came in the same section, a 53.6 by Chimere Ezumah on the second leg for Junipero Serra (Gardena, CA).

Cardozo's Chamique Francis pulls away from Shashawna Lewin of Edwin Allen

Gabby Mayo brings it home for Texas A&M

The high school girls are done, now it’s the college women’s turn. The first four heats set up what should be a nice battle in Friday’s championship. Texas A&M (43.13) won the first race, Auburn (44.12) took the second, LSU (43.25) the third and UTech (44.04) the fourth. And in the fifth heat, Florida State edged out South Carolina, 44.30-44.41.

Track the results here.

Athletes in the paddock await their races

We are in the midst of two hours of heats of the high school girls’ 4×100-meter relay. This is where the Penn Relays really shows off its efficiency. Races go off like clockwork, and the athletes are carefully shuffled from check in to paddock to the track. It’s a wonder to watch.

You can track the progress of the “small schools” races here.

And the “large school” race results can be found here.

UPDATE (12:42pm): More than 500 teams have run so far. Check out the ranked list here.

Official qualifiers are here. Magnifcat of Ohio was the final qualifier with a 9:17.  Many of these teams have run under nine minutes, including Edwin Allen.

Kim Mackay of Kellenberg Memorial (Uniondale, NY) had the fastest split of the morning, 2:10.1, to anchor her team’s 9:15.21 (the ninth best time out of the heats). Brittney Jackson (2:11.4 anchor) and Ty Vonna Johnson (2:12.4 leadoff) had the day’s second and third best carries, helping Columbia (Maplewood, NJ) to a 9:11.47, seventh fastest time overall.