ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy track and field teams have set their sights on the 130th edition of the Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia this week. Competition begins at noon Thursday and Friday and 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.
 
Fans can watch the Penn Relays on FloTrack with a subscription. Free live results will also be available. Links for both are provided on NavySports.com.
 
History of the Penn Relays
The first Penn Relays was held April 21, 1895. It is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States.
 
Franklin Field
Construction on Franklin Field finished April 20, 1895, one day before the inaugural Penn Relays. Franklin Field is the oldest two-tiered stadium in the country and is recognized by the NCAA as the oldest operating stadium in college sports. It also hosted 18 Army-Navy football games between 1899 and 1935.
 
The Competition
The Penn Relays annually hosts more than 15,000 male and female athletes competing in grade school, high school, college, Olympic development, Masters and professional races. The three-day meet welcomes more than 100,000 track and field fans from across the world to Franklin Field.
 
Navy is one of nine Patriot League schools — American, Army, Boston University, Bucknell, Colgate, Lafayette, Lehigh, and Loyola — attending the event.
 
Mids Returning to Penn Relays
Navy will have 61 athletes competing throughout the week, including 15 Midshipmen who participated in last year's meet.
 
Among the returners are Julia Blake and Mia-Claire Kezal, members of last season's distance medley relay team that ran the fourth-best time in program history (11:38.16) and finished eighth overall.
 
The men's returning athletes feature Nathan Kent and David Walker, who were part of a 4x400-meter relay squad that clocked the second-fastest time in school history (3:06.23).
 
In the field events, Zoie Tesi looks for another strong performance after taking second place in the high jump last year at 1.70 meters (5-7). Malachi Cummings also returns in the javelin after placing 10th last season with a toss of 56.60 meters (185-8).
 
Updated Rankings
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its weekly Mid-Atlantic Regional Rankings. The Navy men maintained their No. 4 ranking, while the women remain at No. 7.
 
Last Time Out
Navy set three school records last week during split-squad action at the Navy Spring Invitational at Ingram Field and the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville, Virginia.
 
At the Navy Spring Invitational, Brian Schloeder reached new heights in the pole vault, clearing 5.40 meters (17 feet, 8 1/2 inches) to set a Navy standard.
 
Meanwhile, at the Virginia Challenge, Dane Eike shattered a 38-year-old program record in the 5,000 meters, clocking 13:44.30 to surpass Ronnie Harris' 1988 mark of 13:45.75. Sophie Compton joined the record-breaking performances, eclipsing a 14-year-old record in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:20.16.
 
The Mids competed in the multi-events for the first time this season, led by Nick Simmons, who won the decathlon with 7,413 points — the second-highest total in school history.
 
Simmons Garners League Weekly Award
Simmons earned his first weekly honor of the season following his standout weekend, being named the Patriot League Field Athlete of the Week.