North Penn Girls Qualify For Championship of America 4x800 At Penn Relays

LANSDALE, PA -- The North Penn High School girls relay teams showed up ready to run on Thursday, blazing to victory in the 4x400 and finishing as the top American team in a blazing fast 4x800.

The girls 4x800 put up a valiant fight in the 4x800 Large Schools race, battling with perennial contender Edwin Allen of Jamaica.

The team of Jenna Webb (2:20.92), Uchechi Nwogwugwu (2:14.47), Ariana Gardizy (2:18.15), and Mikaela Vlasic (2:18.13) ran an elite time of 9:11.65, earning them second place. Edwin Allen ran 8:56.75. The Knights came in a full nine seconds ahead of third place.

They will compete in the 4x800 Championship of America at 1:10 p.m. on Friday against the 12 fastest teams from Thursday's many 4x800 events.

The Knights' day, however, wasn't over yet.

In the 4x400, North Penn's Vlasic, fresh off her 4x800 run, got the team out in second place with a 58.45 opening leg, narrowly trailing Abington's Saloni Hebron.

Kathleen Stevenson took the baton next for the Knights, passing Abington and giving them a one second lead. She turned in a leg of 57.60.

When Natalie Kwortnik took over on the third leg, the competition began to string out behind her. North Penn gained a several second lead on her 56.78 third leg.

That lead was then doubled by Nwogwugwu's magical anchor run, as she hammered a 54.79 to help North Penn win by nearly 11 seconds, a very significant margin for such a prestigious meet.

The run qualified North Penn for the 4x400 Philadelphia Area event, which includes the fastest times from local schools throughout the region. They will race on Saturday at 5:15 p.m.

To see the rest of North Penn's schedule at the 123rd Penn Relays, see here.

Image via Penn Relays