First held on April 21, 1895, the Penn Relays started out as a small track meet for runners from any team and was never thought of to become the success it is today. More than 5,000 people come to the largest track event in Philadelphia. On Thursday, April 26, 2012, Padua took the train to University City to race in three events on Franklin Field, yet again.
The first race for Padua went for the 4×800. The runners were (in order of the relay): Alana Whitmarsh (’12), Angie Spadaccini (’14), Emily Paolucci (’15), and Olivia Allegretto (’12). The team was off to a pretty good start but eventually the other teams caught up, putting Padua in last place.
The second race was the 4×100 which began roughly around 11:00 a.m. Haley Lucey (’14) began the race then handed off to Natalie Kowalski (’12). Kowalski handed it off to Alana Whitmarsh (’12) who then passed it to Maiya Dendy (’15). Unfortunately, because of the late handoff between Whitmarsh and Dendy, the team was disqualified.
The 4×400 race ended the day for Padua as Haley Lucey (’14) got the team off to an amazing start then passed off to Maiya Dendy (’15) who got the team in first place. Angie Spadaccini (’14) held third place for the team and then handed it off to Alana Whitmarsh (’12) who was determined to close the gap between 2nd and 3rd place. As Whitmarsh closed the gap, she ended up sprinting down the last 100 meters with the opposing team stride by stride. The finish was a photo finish with Padua ended up in 3rd place.
“I’d say my favorite part of the Penn Relays is just the atmosphere. Everybody–the racers, coaches, officials, the crowd, and even vendors–is there for one reason and one passion: running. It is as if we are all connected,” explains Emily Paolucci (’15).
The first two races for Padua were good but the third race was a great success for Padua Academy. Congratulations to all Padua runners for participating in Penn Relays and hopefully Padua will do just as amazing next year.