The Bishop O’Connell Knights boys and girls track and field teams enjoyed some significant highlights at the famous Penn Relays.
Now in its 129th year, the relays are America’s oldest and largest track-and-field competition, held since 1895 at the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in west Philadelphia.
O’Connell had 13 athletes on four relay teams entered in the high-school division of competition.
The Knights’ boys 4×100 relay of Cam Bowser, Andrew Fthenos, Kadan Siodlarz and Avery Mosley finished in 43.5 and 14th out of 103 teams, winning its heat. Mosley took the baton in second on his anchor leg and passed the leader for the win.
O’Connell’s 4×400 relay of Mosley, Bowser, Johnny O’Donnell and Luke Collin clocked the school’s fastest time of 3:25.68 in that race in some 10 years. O’Connell was in the final and fastest heat, which included two teams from Jamaica.
O’Connell’s time is among the top 25 during the current outdoor season for all high-school teams in Virginia. Bowser’s anchor time of 48.3 was the second fastest in the heat.
O’Connell’s girls 4×100 relay of Imani Hooks, Audrey McKeen, Madi Sullivan and Gabi Jordan finished in 51.23 and 28th out of 89 teams. The relay was second in its heat.
The girls 4×400 of Sullivan, Lena Sullivan, Caitlin Musolino, Isabelle Rodriguez ran 4:13.03, the third fastest time in that race in at least the last 10 years at O’Connell. The time is a top 40 mark in Virginia this season.
The next meets for the O’Connell teams will be the Draper Invitational at St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School in Alexandria on May 2-3, then the Catholic school state meet Saturday, May 10 at St. Paul VI Catholic.
NOTE: O’Connell graduate Molly Weithman, the team’s record holder in the girls 1,600, 3,200 and 5,000 races, ran the 10,000 meters for the College of William and Mary women’s team at the Penn Relays. She finished in 35:42. Earlier this season for William and Mary, Weithman ran a personal-best 4:30.55 in the 1,500.
