If there is one thing that it is unique about the High School competition at the Penn Relays, it would be that the meet is an international affair. And while the sprinters may have the Jamaicans to deal with, the distance runners have a threat from up north. Jessica Lawson (Corning) knows that all too well, as two Canadians finished ahead of her the year before. But this year would be different.
The lineup was daunting. Lawson may have been the top seed, but to her right was Canadian Martha MacDonald (Havergal College, ONT). The Canadian had some serious credits to her name, defeating Shona McCulloch by a big margin for the National XC Title earlier that year. Lawson knew McCulloch, who had broken the McQuaid Meet Record in 2016 against Lawson, and then went on to run 9:59 at Brooks PR. This race would be strong, not to mention all the domestic talent lined up as well.
The race went out with emphasis. Halfway thru, a pack of five had broken free. Fellow New Yorkers were keeping the lead company, as Amanda Vestri (Webster Thomas) would go on to take 4th, and Katherine Lee (Shoreham Wading-River) to take 5th. With 80m to go, MacDonald broke free, picking up at least a 20m gap on Lawson. But the Canadian didn't know how Lawson raced, and couldn't anticipate what happened next.
Much like the Indoor State Meet, when the bell lap rang out, Lawson started to kick into another gear. She was slowly reeling in a fading MacDonald, passing her on the final turn. The afterburners didn't stop there, and Lawson continued to put distance on the field. She crossed the line in a US #2 of 9:37.63, NY #2 as well. Not bad for a race with a 67sec last lap. This was Lawson's first Penn Relays title, on her final attempt, before heading to Stanford next fall.
