Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child’s varsity track team smashed school records in three events in the historic Penn Relays on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Oak Knoll athletes competed in the country’s oldest and largest track and field competition — hosted annually since 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

All schools are invited to participate in the 4×100-meter relay; however, participation in the 4×400 and 4×800-meter relays is restricted to qualifying teams. While we have been selected to participate in the 4×400 many times through the years, this is just the third time in school history that we have qualified for the 4×800 (the second time was just last year).

• Our 4×100 team (Reagan Moore, Anna Wojie, Ella Hennessy, and Heidi Pearce) set a school record at 50:28.
• Our 4×400 team (Anna Wojie, Danya Spoor, Ella Hennessy, and Reagan Moore) set a record of 3:57.80, which not only smashed the old school record by 6 seconds but was the sixth fastest time of all of the New Jersey schools that competed.
• Our 4×800 team (Ally Sparno, Reagan Moor, Clare Ratliff, and Danya Spoor) set a school record of 9:25.44, which eclipsed their old record of 9:33.33 set last year at the Meet of Champions. This year, Oak Knoll finished eighth in the heat, third-fasted in New Jersey, and 17th overall against schools from all over the country and the Caribbean.

“The fact that the girls have an opportunity to run on this storied track in the 128th running of this meet is amazing,” said Oak Knoll Track and Field Coach Mickey Cassu, who looks forward to Oak Knoll continuing the tradition in the future. “They will likely have an opportunity to look back and say, ‘Wow, that is where this girl who is now representing her country in the Olympics ran!’”

Way to go, Royals!