H-ton Girls Thrilled to Compete in Penn Relays
The Penn Relays is one of the premier events for high school and college track and field teams so it came as a thrill for a contingent of Huntington High School girls' track stars to compete in the fabled competition last week.
The Blue Devils traveled by train to Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon and returned Friday night with plenty of memories. The group included seniors Katie Healy, Adelia Witt, Jontae Smith and Kerri Giambruno, sophomore Rachel Boisclair and freshman Alexandra Koumas.
"I believe it is really important for the girls to experience top notch competition and there is no better place for high school athletes to experience that than the Penn Relays," said Jennifer Fudens, Huntington's second year head coach.
"Running at Penn Relays was definitely the highlight of my senior year," Healy said. "I loved every minute of it. It was amazing to run at such an incredible event, being among Olympic athletes and in front of thousands of spectators."
Healy, Boisclair, Witt and Smith ran in the 4x400m relay on Thursday afternoon, beating their previous best time in the event by two seconds, which is quite an accomplishment in track. Koumas and Giambruno were alternates in the event.
"The Penn Relays was a once in a lifetime opportunity that left me with friendships and memories that I will never forget," Ms. Healy said. "I am extremely grateful to have been given such an extraordinary opportunity. I feel honored to have shared this with my teammates and I'm very proud that we ran such a great race. I cannot thank Coach Fudens enough for including me in such a memorable experience."
The Huntington contingent was able to watch the finals of the high school relay competition on Friday as well as many collegiate events. "We are working hard to build a strong Huntington High School girls' track and field program," Fudens said. Our hope is that going to Penn Relays will serve as a motivator for our girls to work hard all season, and in the off season.
The Blue Devils are accustomed to competing before relatively small crowds in Suffolk, so their time in Philadelphia was a dramatic change. "Being at the Penn Relays is an indescribable experience," Witt said. "Knowing that around 20,000 people are watching you run is scary, yet incredible. Being able to go during my senior year was truly a gift and just being able to run on one of track's biggest stages was something I'll never forget."
The storied history of the Penn Relays and the continuing luster of the event was not lost on the Huntington athletes. "It was such a great experience to be able to run on such a well-known track where Olympic athletes have run," Boisclair said. "It was also amazing to look out at all the people who were watching you in the crowd, as you were about to grab the baton and start running. I'm really looking forward to having the opportunity to go Penn Relays again next year!"
The sheer size of the sprawling competition and the large number of athletes and fans thrust the Blue Devils into somewhat uncharted territory. "When I got on the track, I blocked out all of the stands and I did what I love to do, which is run my own race," Smith said. "As a senior, most of the pressure involved trying to reduce my time in the 400 meter run."
Fudens hopes to bring the Blue Devils back to Philadelphia in future years as she continues her effort to elevate Huntington into a top tier program.