Freshman Paige Sheppard Anchors 2:07.86 To Lead Union Catholic To Record-Breaking 4x800; Bullis Shaves Time Off 4x400 Record To 3:35.17

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

PHILADELPHIA – National high school records fall in a variety of ways.

Union Catholic of New Jersey broke a 16-year-old national record in the girls 4x800-meter relay. 

And Bullis of Maryland outdid its own month-old record in the girls 4x400-meter relay and finished second in the race. 

Both schools were eyeing their respective relay events Friday at Franklin Field, and both made the most of their opportunities on the second day of the 128th Penn Relays.

INTERVIEWS | PHOTOS by John Nepolitan

Union Catholic’s girls 4x800 team ran a complete race in the Championship of America final, clocking 8 minutes, 41.20 seconds to best Eleanor Roosevelt of Maryland’s national record of 8:43.12 from the 2008 Penn Relays.

Made up of one senior, one sophomore and two freshmen, the youth of Union Catholic did not show during the race. The Vikings looked liked they'd been working together for years.

“Obviously today showed no matter the age, you can do this,” senior Peyton Hollis said. “Our coach really said we should go up into each leg and set each other up for a good race, and that’s what we did.”

Jimmiea King began with a 2:11.76 on the first leg before handing off to Hollis, who ran 2:11.57 to keep Union Catholic in the lead in the first half of the race.

Then, freshmen Sophia Thompson and Paige Sheppard took over.

Thompson increased the lead up to eight seconds after running 2:10.02 on the third leg, then handed off to Sheppard, who closed in 2:07.86 to give Union Catholic a nine-second victory.

“I wrote in my notebook this morning, ‘race is what I make it,’,” Sheppard said. “It’s either I quit or go to war. I run for these girls, I run for myself and I run for Union Catholic.”

Trailing Union Catholic was Edwin Allen of Jamaica in second in 8:50.76 and South Lakes of Virginia in third in 8:50.89.

Bullis recently set a new benchmark in the girls 4x400 a few weeks ago at the Florida Relays when it ran 3:35.23.

Facing three-time defending champion Hydel of Jamaica in the Championship of America final at the Penn Relays provided another opportunity to lower that mark, even if it meant not winning.

Hydel felt the presence of the Jamaican crowd and used that to its advantage to outrun Bullis in the final 100 meters to win in 3:34.78. It was the fifth-fastest time in Penn Relays history. Earlier in the day, Hydel won the 4x100 title in 44.71.

While placing second, Bullis, featuring Tatum Lynn, Sydney Sutton, Kennedy Brown and Morgan Rothwell, lowered its national record, again, to 3:35.17.

“It showed us how special it was that we can come out here 100 percent healthy and really go out there and do our best,” Rothwell said. “It’s rare that someone breaks a national record, and we look a little disappointed, but that just shows us how hungry we are and we’re just ready.”

Support was not only felt by Hydel to pull them to victory, but Bullis felt it too from both the American and Jamaican fans, especially when they realized they were within distance of their own national record.

“I think it means a lot,” Sutton said. “Just hearing not only America, but the Jamaicans cheering for us. It just really motivated us to run faster. Just hearing your names called, the crowd cheering for you, it just means a lot to be able to be here.”

With Bullis in second, Union Catholic finished just behind them in third in 3:41.75, placing two American teams in the top three.

In another Championships of America relay final, Saratoga Springs of New York won its third consecutive girls distance medley relay, running 11:36.45 to beat Tatnall of Delaware.

Christian Brothers Academy held off fellow New Jersey foe Westfield to win the boys distance medley in 10:01.47.

Archbishop Carroll from Washington, D.C. was the top American team in the girls 4x100, running a US#4 45.15. 

Pennsylvanians and future Notre Dame teammates Drew Griffith and Ryan Pajak headlined the individual championship events by going 1-2 in the boys championship mile, with Griffth of Butler winning in 4:03.35 and Pajak of Ringgold in 4:10.28.

Dylan McElhinney of Hunter of New York City and Reese Dalton of Covenant of Virginia battled the final 100 meters with McElhinney taking the girls championship mile at the line by a margin of 4:40.82 to 4:40.95. 

Isabelle Walsh of Delaware’s Middletown was third in 4:43.51, Emma Zawatski of Freehold Township of New Jersey in fourth in 4:44.60 and Katherine Bohlke of Newington of Connecticut was fifth in 4:44.77.

Addy Ritzenhein of Niwot of Colorado, newly signed to On Athletics through an NIL deal, won the girls 3,000 in convincing fashion in 9:17.81. That nearly broke the all-time Colorado best (Emma Stutzman, 9:17.67 last year).

Zariel Macchia of William Floyd of New York took home second-place honors in 9:31.64 and Logan St. John Kletter of Mount Lebanon of Pennsylvania was third in 9:34.19.

Ty Steorts of Hurricane WV ran a strong second half of the boys 3,000 championship race to take the title in 8:24.77.

In field events, Victor Olesen, a sophomore at St. Christopher’s of Virginia, set a meet record in the boys pole vault, clearing US#6 17 feet, 0.25 inches (5.19m) to win by over a foot. Olesen won Nike Indoor Nationals and finished second at Adidas Track Nationals during the indoor season.

Chad Hendricks of Jamaica’s Munro College and Benjamin Shue of Bergen Catholic of New Jersey went back-and-forth in the boys discus championship, with Hendricks coming out on top with a personal best throw of 217-1 (66.17m) in finals. 

Hendricks concluded prelims in first with a throw of 193-1 (58.87m), with Shue in second at 192-6 (60.67m).

Shue, who finished second with a throw of 201-11 (61.55m), went into first after a fourth round throw to start finals, but then was passed by Hendricks in the fifth round with his next throw at 207 (63.11m).

On his final throw, Hendricks launched the discus another 10 feet to cap off his win.

Pennsylvania’s own Bronson Krainak of Danville High threw a US#3 mark of 208-10 (63.66m) to capture the boys javelin title.

Shaiquan Dunn of Jamaica College threw the shot put 68-0.25 (20.73m) to win the boys competition over Joshua Harrison of St. Rose’s of New Jersey with a US#10 throw of 64-8.5 (19.72m).

Jamaica College also swept the horizontal jumps, with Balvin Israel winning the long jump with a mark of 23-9 (7.24m) and Chavez Penn winning the triple jump with a mark of 50-5.50 (15.38m).

Khalil Antione of James Hillhouse of Connecticut soared over 7-0.25 (2.14m) en route to winning the boys high jump championship.