For the third consecutive year, the T.C. Williams Titans laid claim to the title of top American squad in the storied Penn Relays Carnival 4x100m and 4x400m Championship of America finals.
There's not many U.S.-based teams who can pose a threat to the Jamaicans, who have won the 4x400m for the past nine years and the 4x100m for the past 12.
Jamaican teams won again this year: Jamaica College in the 4x400m (3:09.97), Calabar in the 4x100m (39.63, a new meet record). But while the pre-meet buzz included names like Calabar, Kingston College, St. Jago, there was another school on everyone's lips: T.C. Williams.
Remember the Titans?
Here's a quick recap:
The Alexandria, Va. high school won the 4x100m Championship of America crown in 1993 with a 40.56 effort, a time tied this weekend by the Titans' current line-up: Tre'kel Lockett, Noah Lyles, Mahlique Booth and Josephus Lyles.
In 2014, T.C. Williams qualified for both of the prestigious Championship of America finals and took seventh in the 4x100m (42.08) and fifth in the 4x400m (3:18.19).
Last year, brothers Noah and Josephus Lyles came into their own as international sprint stars and led the Titans back to the finals with a fourth-place in the 4x400m (3:13.97, with a blazing 45.4 split from Noah and 46.22 carry by Josephus) and fifth-place finish in the 4x100m (40.84).
This past weekend, the now-senior brothers returned to the track with one goal in mind: two wheels.
First, they had a tough 4x400m prelim that included Jamaican 3:10 performers Kingston College. Things did not go as planned when the Titans' lead-off leg fell to the track, leaving the Lyles with a big deficit to make up...
After the prelims, the Titans were the No. 2 seed in the 4x100m. They would place fifth, tying their spot from last year. Watch the race below.
High School Boys 4x100m Championship of America
RESULTS
| PL | SCHOOL/AFFILIATION | MARK | ATHLETES | ID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calabar (Kingston, JAM) | 39.63 | Zandre Blake, Michael Ohara, Jullane Walker , Seanie Selvin | AC | |
| 2 | St. Jago (St. Catherine, JAM) | 39.89 | Raheem Chambers, Chad Walker, Nathon Allen, Ivan Henry | AB | |
| 3 | St. George's (Kingston, JAM) | 40.17 | Amoy Brown, Jelani Walker, Akeemo Minott, Joshua Darby | AD | |
| 4 | St. Elizabeth Tech (Santa Cruz, JAM) | 40.42 | Rohan Cole, Okeen Williams, Hujaye Cornwall, Robin Black | AF | |
| 5 | T.C. Williams (Alexandria, VA) | 40.84 | Trekel Lockett, Noah Lyes, Mahlique Booth, Josephus Lyles | AE | |
| 6 | DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD) | 41.17 | Brenton Nelson, Darryl Haraway, Darryl Turner, Anthony McFarland | AG | |
| 7 | St. John's College (Washington, DC) | 42.19 | Mandela Kabi, Eric Harrison, Jr., Ayron Monroe, Wilber Garcia, Jr. | AH |
High School Boys 4x400m Championship of America
RESULTS
| PL | SCHOOL/AFFILIATION | MARK | ATHLETES | ID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calabar (Kingston, JAM) | 3:09.97 | Anthony Carpenter (50.4), Aykeeme Francis (46.3), Renado Wilson (46.57), Michael O'Hara (46.68) | AD | |
| 2 | Jamaica College (Kingston, JAM) | 3:11.23 | Shemar Walker (49.5), Shawndail Mclaren (46.6), Owayne Russell (48.02), Devaughn Baker (47.06) | AC | |
| 3 | St. Elizabeth Tech (Santa Cruz, JAM) | 3:12.71 | Marvin Williams (49.0), Okeen Williams (47.0), Robin Black (48.08), Leonardo Ledgister (48.64) | AB | |
| 4 | T.C. Williams (Alexandria, VA) | 3:13.97 | Mahlique Booth (50.1), Noah Lyles (45.4), Thomas Huston (52.28), Josephus Lyles (46.22) | AA | |
| 5 | Cheltenham (Wyncote, PA) | 3:15.39 | Cordell Richardson (50.3), Christian Brissett (48.3), Kyle Davis (49.74), John Lewis (47.00) | AF | |
| 6 | Excelsior (Kingston, JAM) | 3:15.74 | Shemar Hylton (49.7), Nathan Brown (48.4), Achebe Thompson (48.66), Kenroy Williams (48.99) | AG | |
| 7 | Petersfield (Westmoreland, JAM) | 3:18.18 | Jordan Scott (50.3), DeVaughn Ellington (47.4), Raheem Levene (48.95), Giovanni Campbell (51.56) |
Here's what they had to say after the final race of the day:
Both Noah and Josephus will attend the University of Florida next year. The Gators won the College Men's 4x400m Championship of America in 3:04.