Despite the focus being centered on the relays, there will be plenty of entertaining individual races at Penn Relays. Some of the sport’s biggest names–Athing Mu, Sydney McLaughlin, Allyson Felix–will be in action as well as some of the best collegiate athletes from around the country. 

Below are just a few of the top college and individual events at this year’s Penn Relays. For high school previews and analysis, be sure to check out Milesplit's event coverage. 

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Full coverage details and a schedule of events, click here.

Event: College Women’s 400m Hurdles Championship

Time: Thursday, 5:35 PM

What To Watch: A great match-up between two top-ten 400m hurdlers awaits. Jessica Wright of Howard ran 56.32 at the Florida Relays and is eighth on the NCAA yearly list. Close behind is South Carolina’s Rachel Glenn. Glenn, who won the NCAA title in the high jump last year, ran her season best at the Florida Relays, clocking a 56.43. She will also be competing in the high jump competition on Saturday.

Event: College Men’s 400m Hurdles Championship

Time: Thursday, 5:55 PM

What To Watch: Like the women’s race, the men’s 400m hurdles features two of the NCAA’s best. William Spencer Jr. of South Carolina sits seventh on the national list with his lifetime best of 49.56 that he ran at Florida Relays. One spot behind him is Quivell Jordan of Houston. Jordan has run 49.66 twice this outdoor season, once at Texas Relays and another time at Mt. SAC Relays.  

Event: College Women’s 1500m

Time: Thursday, 6:15 PM

What To Watch: Many of the programs expected to vie for relay glory will have athletes in this race with Arkansas, BYU and NC State all entering multiple athletes. But the favorite might be Sarah Hendrick of Kennesaw State. Hendrick has run 2:00.98 in the 800m and 4:15.91 in the 1500m. 

Event: College Women’s 10,000m

Time: Thursday, 9:20 PM

What To Watch: The women’s 10,000m is a wide open event at NCAAs with no clear favorite. Grace Forbes of Rice could emerge as a contender, especially with a good race at Penn. She has a personal best of 32:24 and was seventh at the NCAA Championships last June. 

Event: Olympic Development Men's 3000m Steeplechase Elite

Time: Friday, 8:25 PM

What To Watch: Mason Ferlic will try to win steeples in back-to-back weeks after taking the Oregon Relays last weekend in 8:23.92. His best competition should come from Isaac Updike. Updike was fifth at the Olympic Trials last year, two spots behind Ferlic, and has a personal best of 8:17.74. 

Event: Olympic Development Women's 100m Hurdles Elite

Time: Saturday, 2:12 PM

What To Watch: Gold medalist and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin will race for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics. McLaughlin will be racing the high hurdles, an event that she ran quite frequently in 2021 before her historic set of races at the 400m hurdles. McLaughlin’s personal best in the event is 12.65.

Event: Olympic Development Men's 110m Hurdles Elite

Time: Saturday, 2:17 PM

What To Watch: This should be an incredible two-man race between Devon Allen and Omar McLeod. Both men have run under 13 seconds in their career and Allen is coming off a 13.12 that is the fastest in the world this year. The Philadelphia partisans in the crowd will be backing Allen after he signed an NFL contract to play with the Philadelphia Eagles at the conclusion of the 2022 track season. 

Event: College Women's 100m Dash Championship

Time: Saturday, 2:24 PM

What To Watch: Anavia Battle is one of the best sprinters in the country. The Ohio State senior made the Olympic team in the 200m last year and finished third in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Though the 100m is not her primary event, she's still pretty good. at the short sprint. She has a personal best of 11.17 and last week she ran 11.06 with a +3.3 wind, her fastest time under all conditions. 

Event: College Men's 100m Dash Championship

Time: Saturday, 2:26 PM

What To Watch: Houston's Shaun Maswanganyi has been knocking on the door of a sub 10-second 100m for the past two seasons. His best season was 2021, when he was second in the 100m, third in the 200m at the NCAA Championships and ran 10.04. His best mark this year is a wind-aided 10.10. Assuming he makes Saturday's final, he should been joined by Indiana's Rikkoi Brathwaite and Ohio State's Eric Harrison. Brathwaite hasn't turned in a big outdoor performance yet, but he was runner-up in the 60m at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Harrison has run a wind-aided 10.10 this year and owns a lifetime best of 10.16. 

Event: Olympic Development Women's 600m Elite

Time: Saturday, 3:47 PM

What To Watch: Olympic 800m champion Athing Mu headlines the most-anticipated individual event of this meet. Mu’s 400m and 800m abilities are perfectly suited for this event and it’s reasonable to believe that she can run faster than Caster Semenya’s 1:21.77 from 2017 (World Athletics doesn’t recognize the 600m as a world record eligible distance). 

Ajee Wilson, owner of the fastest American 600m time is also entered and has had a stellar 2022 punctuated by a gold medal at the World Indoor Championships. Jamaica’s Natoya Goule is a mainstay in elite 800m racing and her quick start should help her in this shorter distance. Olivia Baker made the US team during the indoor season. High schooler Sophia Gorriaran ran the fourth fastest 800m in prep history this winter and is U18 world record holder in the event.