Penn Relays: 5 things to watch for

PHILADELPHIA -- The Penn Relays is billed as the biggest track and field meet in the world, which also qualifies it as one of the biggest spectacles on the high school sports calendar.

The sure sign of springtime returns on Thursday at Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Below, we present five things to watch for.

1. Can Devin Hart win the 3000?: The Point Boro junior has ascended to the top distance runner in New Jersey. He is the reigning indoor and outdoor NJSIAA Meet of Champions winner at 3200 meters, as well as the reigning MOC cross country winner. Friday evening's boys' 3000 will mark Hart's first trip to Penn, where he is the top seed. Hart has gone as fast as 9:05.49 for 3200 meters, but has raced minimally at 3000 meters. While Hart is the top seed, No. 2 seed Rusty Kujdych, a senior from Neshaminy (Pa.), has gone as fast as 9:04.55 for 3200 meters. Kujdych has a strong resume indoors at 3000, but has never raced that distance outdoors.

2. What about Drew Maher in the mile?: Before Hart toes the line, Shore Regional senior Drew Maher will do the same in the mile. Maher put together a big junior season outdoors, going 4:09.92 for 1600 meters at the MOC, which got him second. Maher is coming off an indoor season in which he doubled at the MOC, winning the 800 in 1:55.86 and the 1600 in 4:11.83. Like Hart, this will be Maher's debut at Penn, where he is the third seed. For top seed Josh Hoey, a senior from Bishop Shanahan (Pa.), this is his third trip to Penn, having won the mile as a sophomore in 2016 and finishing fourth last spring.

3. CBA qualified for the DMR....again: The Colts are a mainstay at the Penn DMR, having qualified for this latest version by running 10:22.01 indoors at the Varsity Classic on Feb. 1. That time, well-inside the qualifying standard of 10:35, gave CBA the 11th seed out of 16 teams for the Championship of America, which the Colts have won three times previously in 1985, 1988 and 2011. Last year, the Colts finished seventh in 10:19.02, tops among the seven Garden State teams that qualified. Winning times for the Penn DMR have varied wildly over the last decade, ranging from a 10:00.01 by Loudoun Valley (Va.) two years ago, to CBA's 10:13.04 in 2011.

4. The Freehold Township girls at the 4x800: The Patriots have a nice recent run of qualifying for the Penn 4x800, Thursday morning's large-school heat making it four times in the last six years. Freehold Township is one of five New Jersey teams qualified, joining Red Bank Catholic, Middletown South, Toms River South, and Colts Neck. Of those teams, Rob DeFilippis' Caseys, who have qualified for the Penn 4x800 for the 13th straight year, have the top qualifying of 9:34.24, accomplished at the Eastern States Championships on Feb. 20. It will likely take something monstrous on Thursday to qualify for the Championship of America on Friday. In the neighborhood of 9:20 should at least put a school in the mix for Friday.

5. Everyone should experience Saturday at the Penn Relays: This is more of a personal note, but Saturday at Penn is something every sports fan should experience, whether you enjoy track and field or not. Saturday is the day the pros show up to compete. If the weather is nice, crowds swell to over 40,000, creating a carnival-like atmosphere at Franklin Field and on the streets surrounding it, with a heavy West Indian influence. Saturday at Penn in 2010, when Usain Bolt ran the 4x100 for Jamaica in front of 54,310, stands out above all else.

Staff writer Josh Newman: jnewman@app.com; @Joshua_Newman