On Thursday, April 27, the Downingtown West boys track and field team embarked on their journey to the Penn Relays, rustling in a huge win for West. The historical Penn Relays take place at the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in Philadelphia and hold events including sprint relays, javelin, pole vault, jumps, and mile runs, showcasing some of the top athletes in the world.

On Day One, the boys competed in both the Suburban 4×400 and North Eastern 4×100, resulting in winning first place in the 4×400 and sixth in the 4×100. The 4×100 relay consisted of Kelly Bell (’23), Eddie Moore (’23), Matthew Woodward (’23), and Spencer Dunn (’25). The 4×400 consisted of Bell and Moore with the addition of Owen Harris (’23) and Ryan Witherspoon (’26).

After the Penn Relays finally came to an end, Bell was able to sit down to talk about his experience at the event.

WEST SIDE BEAT: How was your experience at Penn Relays?
KELLY BELL: Penn Relays is something I’ll never forget. Overall, it was a great experience and I enjoyed every moment of it. It was good to compete and race against teams around the nation.

WSB: Did you feel your races went well?
KB: In my opinion, I thought the races went great. There’s room for improvement, but I’m satisfied with how it went.

WSB: What are your takeaways from the races?
KB: My takeaway was our ability to be relaxed and also confident. I know that in some of our other races we were nervous and not prepared and the result wasn’t what we wanted, but this race we changed our mindsets and now we can be happy with the result.

WSB: What do you think prepared you for this event?
KB: I think the overall pressure and energy prepared me for this race. Racing at Penn Relays itself prepares you, but I think the competition also played a factor.

WSB: What was a highlight of your time at Penn?
KB: I think that building that connection with my team and really taking in the experience of racing at Penn Relays was the highlight. Yeah, winning the 4-by-4 was a major accomplishment, but I think spending time with my fellow teammates was the main factor of Penn.

The West boys relays are not just stopping at the Penn Relays and are prepared to take on the Ches-Mont conference to take their spot as a top team in the district and potentially go to states.