The air was perfect that day–76 degree weather, nice tail wind, and everyone was excited and ready to hit some Personal Records! The atmosphere throughout the meet was energetic as athletes from across the nation packed the track. Head coach Stephanie Greco and Coach Ohlaysha Hicks were both there supporting the athletes every step of the way. Their encouragement helped keep the team focused and motivated while racing against elite competition.
The annual Penn Relays, one of the nation’s most prestigious track meets, took place at Philadelphia’s Franklin Field on April 23, 2026 and was a huge success for the South Brunswick girls track team! The distance medley relay team of Alexandra Mensah (’27), Ovi Televane (’27), Natasha Kenny (’28), and Ananya Mandrekar (’27) qualified for this special event. All four girls showed off their talent and represented South Brunswick in the best way by placing 12th! Their time of with a time of 12:19.24 was the third best time in SBHS history for the distance medley relay.
Now the 4×1600-meter relay team, who also made school history at the Penn Relays, really worked for that title. All the girls delivered an impressive and resilient race against some of the top distance runners in the country (which is not as easy as some may think). Their dedication throughout the season was evident as they pushed through each lap with determination and teamwork. Malak Oweida (‘27) shared her excitement after the race, saying, “I am so happy our hard work paid off and all the 1k workouts on the track were worth it.” Their accomplishment showed how months of intense training and commitment came together on one of the biggest stages in high school track.
Just five days later, the girl’s distance runners continued to make history as the 4×1,600 team of Sruhasi Muthyala (’28), Oweida, Kenny and Televane shattered the SBHS record in that event with a time of 21:11.98. This was almost 20 seconds better than the previous record, which had stood since 2009.
The sprinters also qualified for the Penn Relays and they had their season best performance. The 4×100-meter relay team sprinted to a new season personal record of 51.6 seconds, showing major improvement and fast hand-offs (giving the baton to the next leg). Mariah Wojaczyk (’28) Said she felt the nerves but she had trust in the third leg, Malavika Parulekar, (’27) to give a good handoff. The handoffs were sharp, the pace was fast, and the runners stayed composed under pressure to perform at such a huge meet in front of thousands of people. The team also included Mensah and Natalia Caicedo-Ruidiaz (’27). The 4×400 team of Wojaczyk, Caicedo-Ruidiaz, Olivia Schwarz (’29) and Dakota Donaldson (’26) also had an outstanding performance with a time of 4:25.43
Overall, the meet showcased the team’s hard work, resilience, and determination. Between the Distance Medley Relay group making school history and the 4×100 relay team setting a season PR, the athletes proved they could compete at a high level on one of track and field’s biggest stages.
