GBSS shows grit at Penn Relays, turns focus to 4x400m

by Michael Bascombe

PHILADELPHIA, USA, April 24, 2026 — The Grenada Boys' Secondary School (GBSS) delivered a commendable performance at the Penn Relays on Friday, narrowly missing qualification for both the High School Boys’ Championship of America and International finals in the 4x100 metres relay.

Despite winning their heat in a solid 42.86 seconds, the GBSS quartet fell just short of the final qualifying position among the international teams. That coveted spot was secured by Puerto Rico’s Eugenio Guerra Cruz, who clocked a faster 42.26 seconds.

The GBSS team of Nathaniel Alfred, Karmal Joseph, Josh Thomas, and Kashay Stephen executed clean baton exchanges to take their heat, but ultimately faced the challenge of competing in a less competitive race, which impacted their overall qualification standing.

Head coach Nicholas Benjamin praised his athletes for their effort and composure under the circumstances.

“Our team has made us proud, running out in a heat without much competition and still producing a time that ranked us 81st in a 583-ranking list is awesome,” Benjamin told GrenadaSports. “We now set our sights on making a mark in the 4x400m on Saturday.” 

Assistant coach Lee Cuffie also commended the youthful squad, highlighting both their performance and long-term potential.

“We did very good in my view, with a fairly young team,” Cuffie said. “Kashay 14, Alfred 15, and Karmal 16. We have room for development. Last year the team ran 46 with much poorer baton exchange. However, I did as much as I can with the drilling of the exchanges and saw good improvement.”

In a field dominated by Caribbean sprint powerhouses, Jamaica once again asserted its strength, occupying six of the nine lanes in the International category with schools such as William Knibb, St George’s, Calabar, Munro College, Cornwall College, and Herbert Morrison. They were joined by St Augustine’s College of the Bahamas, St Benedict’s College of Trinidad and Tobago, and Eugenio Guerra Cruz of Puerto Rico.

Jamaican dominance was even more pronounced in the Championship of America final, where eight of the nine qualifying schools hail from the island, including Jamaica College, Kingston College, Edwin Allen, Excelsior, St Jago, Petersfield, St Mary's, and Wolmer’s Boys. The St James Academy of Virginia is the lone non-Jamaican representative.

Overall, GBSS finished 81st out of 607 schools entered in the High School Boys’ 4x100m heats. With 11 disqualifications and 13 teams failing to finish, a total of 583 schools recorded official times.

Attention now shifts to the 4x400 metres relay, where GBSS will look to rebound when they line up in the heats at 10:50 a.m. on Saturday. The nine fastest teams will advance to the Championship final, scheduled for 5:45 p.m.