Washington’s men’s and women’s distance medley relay teams finished fifth and sixth, respectively, at Franklin Field during the Penn Relays on April 24. The competition took place in Philadelphia as part of the annual event that draws collegiate track teams from across the country.
The results highlight Washington’s competitive efforts in both events. In the women’s race, the team posted a time of 10:49.27, finishing just four-tenths of a second behind third place. Mia Cochran led off with a split of 3:16.93 for 1,200 meters before handing off to Chloe Symon, who completed her 400-meter leg in 55.39 seconds. Jenica Swartz then moved up to fourth position with an 800-meter split of 2:03.61—the second-fastest in the field—before Chloe Foerster anchored with a final leg time of 4:33.35.
On the men’s side, Tyler Bilyard started with a split of 2:52.14 for his opening leg on the DMR before Alex Rhodes ran the fastest recorded split in the field for his segment at 44.78 seconds over 400 meters. Martin Barco followed with an impressive time of 1:45.29 for his portion before Reuben Reina anchored during a tightly contested finish among nine teams; he crossed sixth overall in a total time of 9:34.06—just two seconds shy of first place.
Saturday will see Washington compete again as three more relay events are scheduled for their athletes starting at 9:40 a.m., including both men’s and women’s squads participating in various distances.
The performances reflect Washington’s continued presence among top collegiate track programs this season.
