Quincy Wilson leads Bullis School into the Penn Relays history books with an electric 4x400 title

By the time the final starting gun of this year’s Penn Relays was fired, the crowd had waited all day for just one moment. And it had waited through a brutally cold, gray day, with a soaking rain to cap it off.

But those fans who did stick it out were rewarded. With star Quincy Wilson leading the way, Bullis School of Potomac, Md., delivered a dazzling race in the high school boys’ 4x400-meter Championship of America, becoming the first U.S. school to win the title in 19 years.

It was rare to have the biggest event of the weekend be the very last one. Traditionally, that honor has gone to the Olympic Development events in the midafternoon, with times set for a TV broadcast’s preference. But this year, there weren’t many stars on hand, and there wasn’t a traditional TV broadcast either.

So as nice as it was to see Ajee’ Wilson and Nia Akins in the women’s 800 meters, and potential 2028 Olympians Rosey Effion and Talitha Diggs in the women’s 400 meters, this time the day — indeed, the whole weekend — built up to a grand finale.

Last year, Jamaica’s Kingston College won its fourth straight 4x400-meter wheel, and Wilson lit up Franklin Field with a sizzling anchor leg to finish a close runner-up and set a U.S. record. That bout made such big headlines that it earned the cover of this year’s Penn Relays program.

Since Wilson was only a junior then, there was the potential for a second round on 33rd Street this year. So it proved, and this time he made history.

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The story began when the two teams met in the same morning heat, an unusual sight. The crowd was ready then, too, and roared from the starter’s gun.

That race was more dramatic, as Wilson came from behind to catch Jason Pitter right before the finish line. A cascade of classic “Woo!” chants erupted along the way.

In the final, freshman Zayden Saxton gave Bullis a first-leg lead, but Kingston’s Jabulani McLeod overtook Cameron Homer just before the second handoff. Then it was Michael Swanson Jr.’s turn for Bullis, and he shot out in front.

Swanson handed Wilson a big lead for the home stretch, and he was untouchable all the way around. The crowd roared Wilson home, and he exulted after breaking the tape.

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“We said that the game plan was today to give me the baton in first, and if they do, I’m going to carry the lead and win the race‚" said Wilson, who wasn’t born yet when Long Beach Poly of California was the last U.S. winner in 2007. “I said, ‘Give it to me close.’ They said, ‘[We’re] going to give it to you in first.’ So I’m just super happy they were able to do that.”

Swanson transferred to Bullis from IMG Academy in Florida over the winter. He knew about the Penn Relays history books, and his third leg was a masterpiece.

“Since I transferred here from IMG, we’ve been talking about, just, we’re going to break that [19-year] streak,” he said. “Now doing it, the feeling’s incredible. So just being thankful for my guys, because it’s not me, it’s all of them, even my coach. Just being thankful, and we did it, and now let’s continue the streak instead of just getting it.”

That coach, Joe Lee, was thrilled to finally have the title — and end the year of chatter about it.

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“I really wish the weather were a little better, because I think you would have seen something special time-wise,” he said. “But regardless, we saw something special, because they really made a statement today, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

While the weather obviously was a factor, Bullis’s talent shined all day. Lee knew it as he praised each of his runners, ending with Wilson.

“Everybody expects the world of him every single time, and he handles it phenomenally,” Lee said. “And listen, this team right here is special. I would say they go down in history, but they’ve already made history, and they did it again.”

Villanova alumnus Charlie O’Donovan won the men’s Olympic Development Mile in a photo finish over another recent college runner, Washington and Dartmouth product Eric Gibson. The official margin was just 0.02 seconds, 3:59.61 to 3:59.63.

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As that race was just two events after the college men’s 4xMile, the current Wildcats were still on the infield warming down after their dramatic win. They ran onto the track to celebrate with O’Donovan, led by his old teammates Marco Langon and Seán Donoghue.

Jamaica College won the high school boys’ 4x100-meter championship in 40.03 seconds, edging Kingston College by 0.07 seconds. St. James Academy of Springfield, Va., in the D.C. suburbs, was the only American school in the race and finished third in 40.38.

Union Catholic of North Jersey won the boys’ 4x800-meter championship in 7:41.14, with IMG Academy of Florida second. It was the first title in the event for a school that has long attended the Relays, and counts superstar Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone among its alumni.

Council Rock North was the best of four Philadelphia-area schools in the race, finishing sixth. Perkiomen Valley was eighth, Haverford was 10th, and Plymouth-Whitemarsh was 11th.

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Lastly of note, George May, of The Villages, Fla., won the always-popular men’s 80-and-older 100-meter dash, the oldest age group of the masters races, in 15.51 seconds.

Joshua Buch, a Relays veteran who has taught finance at La Salle for over half a century, was the oldest competitor by a few years at age 88. He finished last in 20.78 seconds, but as always, the crowd cheered everyone to the line.