Morris/Sussex track and field athletes ready for 2026 Penn Relays
The 2026 Penn Relays will be held April 23, 24 and 25 at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
After the Morris Hills boys 4x800 team formally received its invitation to compete at Penn Relays, senior Nolan Ribeiro was so excited he barely slept that night. Instead, the distance runner was doing research. Ribeiro pulled up videos of past races at the prestigious track and field carnival hosted by the University of Pennsylvania.
He discovered the average total attendance over the three days – this year April 23, 24 and 25 – is about 100,000 people. He also noted the particularly aggressive starts. That's what Gianna Benfatti will have to face, as the leadoff leg of Roxbury's 4x800.
This will be her second time at Penn Relays, but she didn't run first last spring. Benfatti has gotten advice from last year's Gaels leadoff runner, junior Leah Johnson, who will also be returning on Thursday. She also consulted her mom, Vanessa Lewis Benfatti, who still holds the Morris County record in the 400 meters .
Though the elder Benfatti finished in 54. 97 at the 1996 Meet of Champions while at Morris Catholic, and went on to play soccer on scholarship at the University of Michigan, she never competed at Penn Relays. "I've got to be tough mentally and physically and remember my teammates are counting on me, so I run it as fast as I can," said Benfatti, who hopes to improve her 2:20 PR.