April 23rd marks the 130th Penn Relays presented by America250, where the best high schools and collegiate relay teams in the country gather at Franklin Field to chase history. 

One of the most anticipated events of the weekend has been owned by schools outside of the fifty states. From over 1,490 miles away, Jamaican high schools have ruled the High School Boys 4x400m Championship of America.

They have been undefeated in the event since 2008.

• Penn Relays 2026 Countdown: Highly Anticipated Races to Watch
• The Weekend Recovery: Hopping Into Record Books

Powerhouses like Calabar HS have earned eight of wins, and Kingston College has earned seven in the past 18 years. The last American victory came from Long Beach Poly High School (California) back in 2007.

Over the past six years, Kingston College HS has been untouchable.

A Challenger Emerges At The 2026 Penn Relays

With the consistent Jamaican dominance, one American school has been stepping up to the challenge of taking them down. 

Over the past several years, Bullis School (MD) has steadily closed the gap, turning what was once a distant dream into a legitimate threat.

Starting in 2019, Bullis has earned bronze in the event, consistently coming within a couple of seconds of the first-place Kingston College. That is, until 2025.

The 2025 High School Boys 4x400 Championship of America race was one of the fastest high school 4x400m races of all time, with multiple teams running under 3:10.

Bullis earned silver in the event after a jaw-dropping 43.99 anchor from Quincy Wilson, which is the fastest split ever recorded by a high schooler at the meet. He received the baton in fourth place and proceeded to hawk down every school in his wake, finishing only 0.4 seconds behind Kingston College. 

The 2026 meeting will mark Wilson's fourth and last appearance at the Relays for Bullis before heading off to the University of Maryland. 

Over the past three years, Wilson has shown incredible growth in the event. In his first Relays appearance in 2023, Bullis and Wilson placed sixth in the final of the event in 3:19.09, four seconds behind Kingston. The following year, they moved up to third place in 3:13.10. 

With the positive trajectory Bullis has created, it is clear they will not be happy to walk away with anything but the wheel.

Kingston College HS Dominance At The Penn Relays

Over Easter weekend, the Carifta Games in Grenada gave us a glimpse of what Kingston College and Calabar could bring to Philadelphia.

For Kingston College, the pool is as deep as ever. 

Jahavnie Tyrell comes in as the multi-talented lead for Kingston. The 17-year-old specialized his weekend in the U20 section of the 400mH, where he dominated the race in 50.35. Tyrell was then a part of the second-place 4x400m team that ran 3:06.79, with his anchor of 45.72. 

Jabulani McLeod is ready to bring his experience back to Penn Relays after being a part of the 2025 Championship team and the second-place U20 team at Carifta.

Jason Pitter has entered the scene this season after running a 46.35 open 400m. The 15-year-old ran on the U17 4x400m, splitting 47.67, only 0.2 slower than his time in the open (47.47), which he won.

Watch Out For Calabar

Calabar has also spent the season shaping its sprinters for the meet, with Diwarne Sharp headlining, after his 47.89-second open 400m, placing second to Kingston's Pitter. 

Sharp (46.73) makes great competition for Pitter (46.35) with their PR's stand tenths of seconds away from each other. 

Sharp and Wilson have a history after facing each other at the 2025 Penn Relays, where Bullis bumped Calabar into the third-place spot in the final 400m.

Kingston College has already shown to have three strong contenders for the 4x400m relay team at Penn, but the question remains as to who their final team will consist of?

Can Bullis School Get Revenge?

While the Jamaican teams are still up in the air, one thing is for sure for the American teams: Bullis will put Quincy Wilson on their 4x400m team. 

Wilson holds up his end of the relay in not just time - though he does have one of the fastest times in the field with a PR of 44.10 - but in experience. At just 16, Wilson became the youngest male track athlete to compete at the Olympic Games, where he became a gold medalist in the 4x400m. He also stands as the indoor national record holder in 45.37. 

Florida was host to the US's own relay preview at the Pepsi Florida Relays. Wilson started the weekend running 45.97 in the 400m open, and not looking too pleased with the results. Bullis then put together a 4x400m relay team that ran 3:09.88, with few competitors in the prelims. Wilson split 46.49 in the event.

The Future is Here

For nearly 20 years, the 4x400m at Penn Relays has belonged to Jamaica. 

Year after year, they have held off every American challenger, but Bullis is looking to turn the tide. 

Bullis has experience, momentum, and Quincy Wilson. With this, Wilson's last year at Bullis is now or never. 

Will they get the job done, or will Jamaica continue to reign?

How To Watch Penn Relays 2026

The 2026 Penn Relays will be broadcast live on FloTrack and the FloSports App.

FloTrack Is The Streaming Home For Many Track And Field Meets Each Year

Don’t miss all the track and field season action streaming on FloTrack. Check out the FloTrack schedule for more events.

FloTrack Archived Footage

Video footage from each event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloTrack subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

Join The Track & Field Conversation On Social

• Follow us on Twitter @FloTrack
• Follow us on Instagram @flotrack
• Follow us on TikTok @flotracktv
• Watch us on YouTube