MONTEGO BAY, St James — “FINALLY” was the first thing that coach Neil Harrison said when he joined his Munro College team on the infield after they won the Championship of Americas high school boys 4x400m relay at the recent 117th Penn Relays Carnival at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, USA.

After several years when they were expected to win but failed to produce in the finals, the St Elizabeth school won their first COA title with the team of Waynee Hyman, Rolando Reid, Kaneil Harrison and Delano Williams in 3 minutes 11.31 seconds.

They joined St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) as the only western schools to win major titles at the biggest annual track and field meet in the United States and snapped a16-year drought for western schools.

STETHS have won 13 COA relay titles at the Penn Relays — the last being 1997 when the girls won their third 4x800m title.

The STETHS Boys have won 10 titles — six 4x800m, three Distance Medley Relays and one 4x100m.

Munro came into the meet as favourites to win both the 4x400m and 4x100m but lost the latter to Wolmer’s Boys as Jamaican schools took the top six places in the final run on Saturday.

Harrison told the Observer West, it was a “wonderful feeling to finally win a major final” and had it not been a slow start in the sprint relay for Munro, they could have taken home two plaques.

Hyman who represented Jamaica at the 2009 IAAF World Youth Championships in Italy while attending Petersfield High, led off in a time of 48.3 seconds Reid who battled injuries this season ran 48.7 seconds. Harrison, who just missed making the Jamaica Under-17 football team, clocked 48.08 seconds while Williams, who won the Under-20 200m at the Carifta Games, ran 46.21 seconds, the fastest in the final.

STETHS who had won the ‘Small Schools’ consolation 4x100m final last year and lost just once this season to Munro, were expected to challenge for the title but faded to a disappointing 5th in 41.03 seconds.

Munro College’s Emanuel Oniya was second in the shot putt with 19.93m, getting three marks over the 19m barrier while Rajae Gayle was eighth in the discus with 50.80m behind Calabar’s Traves Smikle who set a new meet record 69.55m.

Another Munro athlete, Adam Cummings was third in the long jump in 7.24m, behind two Kingston College jumpers — winner Jerome Wilson and Clive Pullen.

But for a botched hand off, Herbert Morrison’s 4x100m girls’ team could have pulled off an upset but finished third in 45.91 seconds. They were thankful for a brilliant anchor from Remona Burchell.

Keja Christie, Daniella Kerr and Kenesha Stephens ran the first three legs as US school, Long Beach Poly, won in 45.23 seconds, beating Wolmer’s Girls 45.86 seconds.

The Herbert Morrison boys finished third for the second straight year in the ‘Small Schools’ 4x100m consolation final in 41.94 seconds.