KC seek fourth straight Penns 4x400m title

KINGSTON COLLEGE (KC) will be hoping to defend their Championships of America 4x400m relay title at the 129th Penn Relays and, in the process, make it four wins in a row — adding yet another piece of silverware to their storied sporting legacy in what is their 100th year in existence.

The final is scheduled for this Friday at Franklin Field, Pennsylvania.

They were a bit fortunate to win their third straight and fifth overall last year after the favoured Bullis High out of Greenbelt, Maryland, saw their anchor-leg runner fall in the latter part of the race. This left the outstanding Quincy Wilson with too much ground to make up, and they had to settle for third in 3:13.10. Kingston College went on to win in 3:11.86, with Excelsior High finishing second in 3:12.94.

KC have been unbeaten in the event this season, racking up wins at the Gibson McCook Relays in 3:10.26, the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships in 3:07.46, and the Grand Slam meet in 3:13.11 — even without their top two runners, Tajh-Marques Whyte and Marcinho Rose.

With only Rose returning from last year’s winning team — himself a member of the previous two winning squads — KC could find Bullis a tough challenge this time around. The American powerhouse will have three members from last year’s squad returning in Cameron Horner, Colin Abrams, and Wilson, who was also part of the US senior men’s gold medal-winning 4x400m team at last year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

Bullis have been in tremendous form this season. They made history at the New Balance Indoor National High School Meet in early March, becoming the first high school team to clock under 3:10 in the 4x400 metres, winning the national title. They will be out to prove that last year’s loss at Penn’s was nothing more than a mishap.

There are questions, though, with Rose and Whyte stopping early in the under-20 one-lap event at the Carifta Games this weekend.

Ten-time winners and record holders (3:03.79 in 2018) Calabar — who were second at Champs with 3:08.60 — and Jamaica College, who finished third in 3:08.61, cannot be taken lightly. Especially if Calabar’s top man, Nickecoy Bramwell, is fit.

This one could go down to the wire, with Bullis determined to end the long drought of US male teams in this event. The last American school to win was Long Beach Poly out of California back in 2007.