Quakers make history at 128th running of Penn Relays

The 128th running of the world-famous Penn Relays was held Thursday through Saturday at historic Franklin Field.

Penn's track and field athletes were among the best of the best, winning races, breaking records, and leaping into history.

Olivia Morganti, a fourth-year distance runner on the women's track and field team, picked up the Quakers' first victory of the Relays, and rewrote history along the way. She won the steeplechase on Thursday with a time of 9:57.94, breaking her own school record and making her the first woman in school history to win an individual track event at the Relays.

First-year hurdler Ryan Matulonis and third-year middle-distance runner Edwin Klanke of the men's track and field team also on Thursday earned Top 3 finishes. Matulonis placed second in the men's 400-meter hurdles with a time of 51.25 seconds. Klanke placed third in the men's 1,500 meters with a time of 3:43.52.

On Friday, Penn's men's 4x400 relay team broke a 28-year-old school record with a time of 3:06.23 in the Championship of America heat. Fourth-year Dimitri Nicholson, first-year Nayyir Newash-Campbell, second-year Andrew O'Donnell, and Matulonis finished seventh and advanced to the Championship of America final, where they finished sixth (3:07.01).

In Friday's women's sprint medley relay, Penn's foursome of second-year Moforehan Abinusawa, second-year Christiana Nwachuku, fourth-year Isabella Whittaker, and third-year Bronwyn Patterson set a new school record with a time of 3:42.32-topping the previous mark by more than 10 seconds. The Red & Blue finished third behind first-place Clemson (3:41.41) and second-place Texas A&M (3:42.29).

Five Quakers finished in the Top 3 in Friday's field events: Third-year Tumi Onaleye won the women's college triple jump with a mark of 12.73 meters (41 feet, 9.75 inches). Second-year Elliott Bush won the women's college javelin with a throw of 48.80 meters (160 feet, 1 inch).

Third-year Conrad Moore finished third in the men's college high jump with a mark of 2.06 meters (6 feet, 9 inches). Third-year Kai Eisenhardt finished third in the women's college pole vault with a mark of 3.75 meters (12 feet, 3.5 inches). Fourth-year Sarah Lavery placed third in the women's college high jump with a mark of 1.75 meters (5 feet, 8.75 inches).

One week after breaking the 31-year-old school record in the pole vault, third-year James Rhoads on Saturday became the first Penn pole vaulter since 1958 to win a Penn Relays title. He was victorious with a mark of 5.36 meters (17 feet, 7 inches). Fourth-year Scott Toney was the runner-up with a mark of 5.26 meters (17 feet, 3 inches).

Nwachuku, Whittaker, third-year Jocelyn Niemiec, and fourth-year Aliya Garozzo set a new school and Ivy League record on Saturday in the women's 4x400 with a time of 3:29.29 in the Championship of America relay final. They finished third behind first-place Houston (3:27.32) and second-place Texas A&M (3:29.27).

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