Big Win for Trojan Girls at Penn Relay

Melanie Fry finished her anchor leg quietly at the Penn Relays, putting her 4x400 relay firmly in seventh place among Suburban One League American schools.

Then, seeing the 4:17.10 time on the Franklin Field scoreboard, Fry realized what a big win it was for her teammates, and what a loss it was going to be for coach Justin Hill.

To motivate his young group of runners, Hill offered up his hair should the 4x400 foursome beat their season-best time of 4:25 by six seconds or more.

They clipped their time by eight seconds, which ultimately led to the coach getting clipped.

"It really motivated us," said Fry, a freshman. "He's really addicted to hair gel, so we wanted him bald so bad."

Fry finished the run started by Angeline Mulbah, Janine Brandt and Sarah Horwitz, and looked unfazed by her surroundings at the oldest and largest track and field event in the United States, which is in its 117th year.

"These girls are young and need something to work toward," Hill said, looking a bit nervous. "It motivated them. I'm glad they did it. I just hope they can improve on their times through the rest of the season."

While the Trojan boys are poised for big things—advancing to the Championship of American race in the 4x800—the girls are a developing and diverse bunch, with only one senior from among the Penn Relays participants (Villanova-bound Kim Musey).

Fry, running since she was 9 years old, plays in the jazz band. Mulbah, a junior and the No. 2 all-time pole vaulter, interns at a charm school and has won spokesperson competitions. Brandt won a special award at the Montgomery County Science Fair.

Now, they can add "barbering" to their resumes.

"They would've done it for freezy pops," joked coach Heidi Butt. "They kept running the same times, and we wanted to get something to push them over. We set a goal of six seconds faster than they've ever run. It was great to see them get there."

In addition to the 4x400 team, Wissahickon also ran in the 4x100, with a quartet of Musey, Fry, Mulbah and Ebony Grasty—cousin of Abington's Nicole Grasty—running in 51.74 seconds.

The haircut for Hill aside, Fry loved her experience.

"It was so amazing," she said. "When I first got here, I was scared because the track was unlike anything I've ever run on. The crowd cheering was awesome. I can't wait to do it again."

Results for Event 151: High School Girls' 4x400 Suburban American.

1. Central Bucks West, 3:56.88—Lizanne Furst, Jamila Branch, Alex Gervais, Sherry Ben-Joseph.

2. Central Bucks East, 4:01.08—Liz Daniels, Lauren Eajan, Danielle Kuhn, Michelle Stranix.

3. Cheltenham, 4:01.34—Francine Marquis, Mya Allston, Nicolette Mathis, Tabitha DeHart.

4. Central Bucks South, 4:05.28—Chelsea Carleton, Alexa Kwapinski, Kaitlin Poiesz, Ashley Uderkofler.

5. Norristown, 4:08.25—Rowie Watson, Alexis Bell, Ciara Heath, Zayna Milligan.

6. Upper Dublin, 4:12.34—Jackie Anninos, Kate Dodds, Sarah Holl, Rebecca Pressman.

7. Wissahickon, 4:17.10—Angeline Mulbah, Janine Brandt, Sarah Horwitz, Melanie Fry.

8. Hatboro-Horsham, 4:17.60—Trish Evans, Jess Hamilton, Megan Schneider, Lexi Rankin.

9. Upper Merion, 4:18.31—Jada Wilson, Jalen Pinnock, Ashley Anderson, Amber McAteer.

10. Plymouth-Whitemarsh, 4:22.66—Melissa Phipps, Emerald Walden, Rosa Hardgrave, Katie Weidman.

11. Upper Moreland, 4:40.63—Morgan Valera, Brittany Finn, Nadia Hunt, Jill Blackshaw.