Marcus Allen hands off to Demetrius Bell - Photo by Nate Kuntz
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Philadelphia - From a new state record to two Rising Stars top finishes,
the Roman Catholic relay squad excels at New Balance Nationals Outdoor.
Saturday evening, Roman Catholic's Championship 800m sprint medley relay team ran a new PA state record of 1:30.69. The team, consisting of Demetrius Bell, Marcus Allen, Julian Ward, and Jak Kearney, finished 2nd in the nation to Pennsauken HS, New Jersey.
The Roman Catholic boys ran a bold race, being one of three other teams to clock a time faster than the previous NBN Outdoor meet record, 1:32.38, set by Stow-Munroe Falls, Ohio, in 2022.
An energetic Bell opened the first 100m of the race giving Allen a smooth handoff. Allen and Ward ran strong 200m legs to keep the team in striking distance, and Kearney sealed the deal with the 400m leg. Roman Catholic officially takes the PA state record, putting them in the 20th US All-Time position.
Notably, this is the same quartet that found additional success in the Rising Stars division with top finishes in two other relay events. The boys took the Rising Stars 4x200m win, clocking 1:26.76, and they finished 2nd in the Rising Stars 4x400m Relay running 3:19.54, just .2 off their season best.
What an outstanding weekend for the Roman Catholic sprint-relay team at NBN Outdoor.