St Mary’s College delivered an “excellent” performance in their Penn Relays debut, according to a parent who accompanied the five-member team to the renowned track and field event, which hosts over 1,000 schools and clubs from North America and the Caribbean.
Dr Clarence Henry was a member of the party that took part in the meeting, supported by sponsorship from Hamilton Reserve Bank. The SMC team won their 4x100m heat, placing 295th overall out of more than 600 high school teams. In the 4x400m, they finished second in their heat and 355th overall among 532 teams.
Henry expressed pride in the team, particularly given their lack of experience with the competition’s conditions.
“The boys were competing against hundreds of schools. Many of these schools are regulars at the Penn Relays. They understand what is required. They know the track. They have experienced the track. And our boys were debuting,” he said.
“Five incredibly talented boys were able to show their worth at the Penn Relays, performing excellent. And when I say excellent, when you consider the fact that they were able to place within the top half among hundreds of schools who would have participated in the 4×100 in their category, this is excellent, winning their heats in the 4×100 and coming second in the 4×400. Excellent performance, I think.”
While Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, and St Vincent & the Grenadines have several schools competing at the University of Pennsylvania, SMC is the first Saint Lucian school to participate. Henry told St Lucia Times that the experience exceeded his expectations and served as a valuable measuring stick for the team and future Saint Lucian schools.
“Obviously, other schools have started expressing an interest in being at Penns, and this is not the first time St Mary’s has expressed an interest in being at Penns, but it has finally come to fruition,” Henry said. “The doors have been opened… We’ve heard assurances of the need to sponsor two or three schools at least in Penn Relays.
“So the opportunities for Saint Lucian athletes have been opened up significantly, and one would expect that the typical schools that are competitive in Island Champs are going to be focused on ensuring that they have a showing in Penn Relays when it gets there, and the sponsorship will be there.”
Henry praised Hamilton Reserve Bank for serving as the main sponsor of Saint Lucia’s participation at Penn and expressed hope that additional corporate partners will also support future efforts.
