Edwin Allen could challenge 21-year-old Penn Relays record

A SPRITELY performance at last Saturday’s Western Relays has made coach Michael Dyke certain his Edwin Allen High School troops will score big in the 4x800-metre relay.

Edwin Allen defied a strong Holmwood Technical to win in 8 minutes 48.57 seconds and coach Dyke says Saturday’s quartet of Monique Stewart, Rackeisha Simms, Rushana Dwyer and Jessica McLean can go faster than any Edwin Allen quartet ever has before.

Dwyer, a champion at Boys and Girls’ Championships in class II and III, turned the tide on the third leg with a 2:09.60-second effort, followed by a 2:11.3 anchor by McLean.

Speaking on Valentine’s Day, Dyke said, “I know I have a good 4x800, will run 8:4-0 low, somewhere or challenge the school record at least.”

That record time – 8:39.22 seconds – was set at the 2011 Penn Relays by a team including Ristananna Tracey who zoomed her anchor leg in 2:03.12 seconds.

“As I told them in a meeting I had yesterday, I said that 8:48 at this time was an excellent run for me,” Dyke said, applauding the team.

Holmwood struck out fast, with inform 3,000-metre ace Samantha Pryce, running the first leg in 2:10.6 seconds.

“I know they would have gone in front. I decided to give the other three girls some work. That was my plan. I didn’t tell them that because I know Monique had some issues earlier, the starter, but I know when she comes to the fore, she’s going to run better than 2:10 and once I get her there, then, boy, this team is going to be something to see,” he anticipated.

The 2011 team – Desreen Montague, Marlena Eubanks, Carla Thompson and Tracey – fell short of the Penn Relays record, 8:37.71 by Vere in 2001.

“I was disappointed that they didn’t break the record, man,” moaned Dyke a decade later.

However, the veteran coach believes the 2021 squad could get it.

“I think so. You know, once everybody remains healthy, and the season progresses nicely, I think we can challenge for that record,” the soft-spoken Dyke predicted.

His outlook has been brightened by the return to form for Dwyer who struggled last season.

“She started out with a little niggle and we backed her off from competition itself. She was still training, mainly doing a lot of mileage and stuff like that and in order to build her confidence and get her back. She’s usually the anchorwoman but I said, “I don’t want to run into any problems and she has to be working too hard,” Dyke revealed.

Dwyer is a five-time Boys and Girls’ Championships gold medallist and those victories include class III 800-1500 doubles in 2017 and 2018.

“I was hoping that she’d have gotten the baton behind so that she would have to chase and that’s exactly what happened,” said Dyke.