Penn Relays

Penn Relays
By: Chris Avila

WILMINGTON, DE – Penn Relays is a meet full of tradition. In its 119th installment, the Penn Relays draws crowds of 100,000+ each year and is a premier event for Track and Field worldwide. Athletes as famous as Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay and Mary Decker have competed at this meet.

The CYM is lucky enough to have a spot in this meet each year for 8th grade boys and girls 4x100m. As each year in the past, St. Edmond’s will have a team contending for the medal stand. This year the squad for Penn Relays is (in order) Dino Matulas, Chris Avila, James Wolf and Peter Regas; with Mali Mase and Cody Tampanella as alternates.

Before this weekend we thought that St. Elizabeth’s, a team of truly superb sprinters, was the easy favorite to win Penn Relays. But, All Saints, a team St. Edmond’s has only lost to by 1 second, beat them this weekend in an amazing finish by Billy Sullivan. This just shows that anything can happen and that St. Edmond’s could definitely come out with a top three finish.

Track Prediction

Track Prediction
By: Chris Avila

WILMINGTON, DE – In years past, St. Edmond’s Academy has always been a cross country powerhouse, but some years has come up short in Track and Field competition. Mainly because the team lacks the size needed to fill up the various events. But, this year, with the addition of numerous eighth graders, I believe the track team can soar to new heights. Adding star basketball players Dino Matulas and Mikey Drake to the sprint squad is a colossal step in the right direction. Returning 100m champion, Peter Regas will lead the three of them to high finishes in the championship meet.

Scoring in Track and Field meets is based on the finishing places of a team’s runners. A higher placed finish is worth more points than a lower placed finish, the team with the most points wins. So, it is important to fill all the events to have a shot at winning. Besides a winning miler or 100m runner, you need runners that can fill the lanes and get the middle points. And with adding over five new talented eighth graders, this seems possible this year.

Along with adding new sprinters that are sure to bring success, the faithful distance squad will be hugely instrumental. This includes great talents such as Alex Horgan (CYM champion in multiple events), Andrew Martin (second-fastest 5th grade miler in CYM history) and, Andrew Avila (AAU National Champion and U10 record holder).

Last year, despite multiple mile wins, high finishes in the 800 and a handful of sprinting medals, the team only grabbed a distant third to All Saints Catholic (distance powerhouse) and St. Elizabeth’s (always a huge sprinting team). But this year, I believe we can win the championship if everything comes together at the right time.