University of Birmingham athletes compete on the world stage at the renowned Penn Relays
Eight student athletes celebrated the 130th year of the prestigious Penn Relays, one of the world’s most renowned international sporting events.
The women's spring medley team from left to right: Evie Humphrey, Alice Bennett, Annabel Howells and Camiah Bennett.
The University of Birmingham returned to compete at the world-renowned Penn Relays, the largest annual global track and field events. This year marked the 130th year of the Penn Relays, celebrating over a century of relay racing and international sporting excellence in the United States.
The Penn Relays is among the most historic and respected athletics meets in the world, attracting top high schools, alongside collegiate talent from the National Collegiate Athletic Association, including Ivy League institutions, and other international universities, drawing crowds of over 100,000 spectators, across a three-day festival.
A team of eight student athletes had the chance to travel to Philadelphia to compete at the prestigious event, representing Birmingham on a global stage, and smashing club records in the process.
The University’s participation is underpinned by its longstanding transatlantic sporting partnerships with Ivy League Universities in the United States (Penn, Cornell, Harvard and Yale), initiated in 1962 by the late Professor Mike Hayes.
Thanks to the partnership, every fourth year, the University of Birmingham takes a team of students to the United States for a three‑week tour visiting all four partner universities. As part of the cycle, the US universities also visit Birmingham, with their athletes staying with Birmingham student athletes for three to four days, offering University of Birmingham students an athletic and life experience year after year.
Ranked second in the UK and eighth globally in the QS World University Rankings for sports-related subjects, and as one of only a handful of non-US based University teams present, the University’s presence at the Penn Relays highlights the international calibre of its sporting talent, research and expertise.
The Men’s 4x800m relay team from left to right: Stanley Clarke, Sam Myers, Raihan Lenoire, Jai Sispal.
“I was proud to take our student athletes to the historic Penn Relays this year. They all worked incredibly hard and their results are a testament to their dedication and talent. “It will be our turn to host Penn and Cornell here again this summer, with Harvard and Yale planning to visit Birmingham in 2027, which we’re very much looking forward to. I’m certain our students have returned with experiences to last a lifetime.”
Out on the track at the University of Pennsylvania’s historic Franklin Field, Team Birmingham delivered outstanding performances, breaking University club records and showcasing the talent and determination within the squad.
Stanley Clarke, Sam Myers, Raihan Lenoire and Jai Sispal, part of the men’s 4x800m relay team, finished eighth with a time of 7:35.24. Meanwhile, Evie Humphrey, Alice Bennett, Annabel Howells and Camiah Bennett formed the women’s sprint medley relay team, initially finishing seventh in 3:55.91 before an unfortunate disqualification for a line infringement.
From left to right: Stanley Clarke (student athlete), Lauren Butler (sprints coach), Professor Matt Bridge (Professor of Coaching and Applied Sports Science), Kate Seary (University of Birmingham alumni), Professor Andrew Peterson (Deputy Director of the Jubilee Centre and Professor of Character and Citizenship Education) and Andy Paul (Head of Athletics).
During their visit, members of the team also attended a workshop and dinner titled ‘Towards a Research Agenda for Character‑Based Coaching and Character Development Through Sport’, hosted by the University of Birmingham’s Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues in partnership with The John Templeton Foundation. The event was led by Professor Andrew Peterson, Deputy Director of the Jubilee Centre and Professor of Character and Citizenship Education.
The workshop explored a new sports coaching framework, ‘Character Through Sport: Principles and Practices of a Virtues‑Based Framework’, launched earlier this year at the Educating Character Through Sport 2026 Conference held at Birmingham City Football Club.
Bringing together researchers, practitioners and educators from a range of organisations, including Pennsylvania State University, Grand Canyon University, the University of California Berkeley and The John Templeton Foundation, the workshop examined how character‑based coaching can help shape the next generation of athletes.
Discussions focused on how coaching and participation in sport can nurture a wide range of virtues, from moral and civic virtues to performance and intellectual virtues, alongside the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect.
Andy Paul said: “The workshop offered a valuable opportunity to gain real insight into how coaches can influence an athlete’s journey in a truly holistic way. The challenges and barriers to success in sport are closely connected to the relationships coaches build and the ways in which they support athlete development. Working collaboratively with key agencies and governing bodies responsible for coach education has the potential to make a significant and positive impact on these journeys.”