Norwalk runs PR at Penn Relays

The intimidation factor was real. When four members of the Norwalk High School girls 4x400-meter relay team stepped foot inside Franklin Field in Philadelphia, the mouth of the beast could be felt. The quartet of seniors Shyla Gruhlke and Zuri Immel; junior Xavi Immel; and sophomore Grace Norris were looking to make program history by participating in the historic Penn Relays inside an iconic venue. On April 24, the group, along with head coach Phil Oglesby and assistant coach Tracey Sommers, took in the atmosphere and events before the team was scheduled to participate the next morning. "The day before when we watched the meet, we thought it was going to be very scary," Xavi Immel said. "We wanted to leave. Like OK, this is insane, and this is going to be crazy when we have to step out on the track." But in the same sense, the sheer magnitude of the event meant there was little pressure on the team. "I thought I'd be more nervous, but I was more excited to run there once we got out there," Zuri said. "It was definitely nerve-wracking watching the heats before us. "All of them were really tight because it looked super complex and people were falling. But I was more nervous for Shyla than I was for me. It worked out." Among a field of 479 teams in their event alone, the Truckers represented themselves quite well. The team clocked in with a new season personal-record of 4:07.24 to place fifth in their heat out of 16 teams. Overall, the quartet finished 155th out of 479. "We put our feet in the water by watching the boys 4x400 final on Friday, and the crowd was ridiculous," Gruhlke said. "It was so loud, like nothing I've ever experienced before. "When we got on the track, I usually know what I am doing out there, but it was a complete blur," she added. "The gun went off; I ran and just handed it off. I don't remember running or hearing anything. It was craziness." The assessment of shock and awe was a fair one for a small high school team. The Penn Relays is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States and has been hosted annually since April 21, 1895, by the University of Pennsylvania — a member of the Ivy League — at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. More athletes run in the Penn Relays than at any other track and field meet in the world, as it regularly attracts more than 15,000 participants from high schools, colleges, and track clubs throughout the world. The total attendance at the 2025 Penn Relays was 102,365, the highest attendance since 2019. From a historical perspective, Franklin Field was the site of the nation's first scoreboard. It's also the oldest stadium that functions as both a football field and a track and field stadium. The only years the Relays weren't held were because of World War I (1917-18), World War II (1942-45) and the COVID pandemic (2020-21). And if that wasn't enough, just some of the notable athletes who previously competed in the Penn Relays included Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, Usain Bolt, and Paavo Nurmi. Basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain and football icon Jim Brown also competed at the Relays. None of that was lost on Norris, who has regularly watched the event from home. Before she got through her second season of high school, she was running on the same track. "To think, 'I've made it here' was a really nice feeling while we were there," Norris said. "I felt a lot of pressure (to run the last leg), because I knew all the anchor runners were going to be really fast. "But I felt like the intensity from the crowd really pushed me to go faster. I didn't think about it and just ran." The NHS team qualified for the Penn Relays by turning in an indoor track program record of 4:17.75 on Feb. 1 at an indoor meet held at Wittenberg University in Springfield. They participated in Division II OATCCC state indoor championships in Geneva on March 8 and earned All-Ohio honors by placing fourth in 4:12.02, which improved their seed time by eight spots. The relay also qualified and participated in the Adidas Nationals on March 22 in Virginia Beach, where they placed 15th among 34 teams with a time of 4:15.21. Officially, this was the third team from Norwalk to qualify. It had two teams make the cut in 2020, but the event was later canceled. The national cut-off to qualify for the Penn Relays is March 31, which means schools in colder climates need to use their indoor times to meet the standards. Norwalk was also one of just six teams from Ohio at the high school and collegiate level to participate. "It was a unique experience for the kids and Coach Sommers and me," Oglesby said. "This is almost like the junior Olympics, with athletes from all over the world. It was quite the spectacle. These Relays are famous, obviously, and to be part of that was also an incredible experience. "There was amazing competition, and the girls met other kids from around the world. Just a magical experience." There were 16 teams in the heat on the 10-lane track, making it a much different start to the race for Norwalk. "I kept seeing people fall earlier in the day, so that part made me nervous," Gruhlke said. None of the girls were anticipating a new season-best time. "When we finished and saw how far forward we were in our heat, that was the highlight," Norris said. "We weren't the last ones or anything close, and it was nice to see that. It was an eye-opener and definitely a confidence boost. "I think it will help more for the tournament next month to push harder for state." Oglesby said the program wouldn't take a team to an event like the Penn Relays unless they felt they could be competitive. "The goal was to be toward the middle of the pack, but they did better than that," he said. "We were really pleased with their performance and how they battled their nerves and performed their best." Oglesby also added the relay is at a level near where they were at the end of the 2024 season. "So with a month to go, that's a good sign," he said. "They are about three seconds off the school record, and last year at this time were in the 4:20s. "We're in Division I again, but are currently ranked second in our district and eighth in our regional. But you never know what can happen." Zuri Immel has been to multiple state running events and has earned 16 varsity letters at Norwalk. But the experience in Philadelphia is at the top of her list of high school experiences. "The environment and experience were amazing," Zuri said. "The officials were so nice and energetic. We met a team from Jamaica, and then on the infield afterward we talked to a team from Puerto Rico. It was really cool and something I'll always remember." Of course, some of the highlights also came away from the track. And maybe not surrounding Philadelphia's rich history as the birthplace of the U.S. "The cheesesteaks were really good," Norris said. Added Xavi, "They gave free iced coffees out after the meet. Those were really good, too." Gruhlke summed up the three days best. "You can't ask for anything else," she said. "No injuries, a good time, a vacation, and a PR — what more can you ask for?"