Huge crowds cheer record performances, closer races at USA vs. The World

Two record-setting performances, including a thrilling win for Kenya, huge crowds and drama all around the track marked an exciting USA vs. The World at the Penn Relays presented by AT&T.

Saturday's attendance of 49,771 in near-perfect weather conditions was among the highest single-day total in the 112-year history of the Penn Relays. The three-day attendance for Penn broke the all-time record, with 114,194 fans visiting Franklin Field.

Part of USA Track & Field's Visa Championship Series, USA vs. The World at the Penn Relays will be broadcast on NBC from 5-6 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, April 30.

Crowd-pleaser in men's 4x400

The greatest drama on the track came courtesy of the AT&T Men's 4x400m relay, where Team USA sought to avenge a loss to Jamaica at last year's USA vs. The World. The race was a four-way see-saw battle between USA Blue, USA Red, Jamaica and the World All Stars.

After falling in this race last year, Tyree Washington gave USA Red the lead at the break, narrowly leading of Jamaica's Michael Blackwood. It was USA Blue (Andrew Rock), Jamaica (Sanjay Ayre) and USA Red (Derrick Brew) in a virtual dead heat after the second leg and USA Red (Otis Harris), USA Blue (Kerron Clement), Jamaica (DuWayne Barrett) and the World All-Stars (Sherridan Kirk of Trinidad) running four abreast after three legs.

The world indoor 300m record holder, Wallace Spearmon was not daunted by anchoring his first U.S. 4x400 relay for the Red team. He held off Olympic gold medal anchor Darold Williamson of USA Blue, Mark Fountain of the World All-Stars and Jermaine Gonzales of Jamaica as the quartet of teams finished in 3:00.09, 3:00.13, 3:00.56 and 3:00.83. Team USA Red splits were Washington 45.4, Brew 45.0, Harris 44.7 and Spearmon 45.0; Blue splits were LaShawn Merritt 45.8, Andrew Rock 44.7, Kerron Clement 45.1 and Darold Williamson 44.5.

Team USA Blue left significantly less to chance in the Nike women's 4x400m relay. World outdoor 400m hurdles silver medalist LaShinda Demus (51.5) gave Team USA the lead in the first leg, and Olympic relay gold medalists Monique Hennagan (52.2), Monique Henderson (50.0) and Sanya Richards (49.8) extended that lead significantly, winning in 3:23.51. Jamaica was a distant second in 3:26.85, with USA Red third in 3:28.70.

Kenya wins thrilling DMR

The longest relay of the day, the Nike men's distance medley relay, was a virtual photo-finish. With Kenya competing in USA vs. the World for the first time, Team USA had a tough task ahead.

Elkanah Angwenyi of Kenya split 2:50.8 to lead after the first leg. 2005 USA runner-up Chris Lukezic completed the lead 1,200-meter leg in fourth for USA Blue but was just a stride or two behind. With Milton Campbell toting the baton, USA Red was in the lead after the 400m leg, but U.S. champion Khadevis Robinson put USA Blue back in control after the 800m leg (1:44.5), handing off to Bernard Lagat, the American 1,500m record holder, in the lead.

The two-time Olympic medalist for Kenya, Lagat was competing for the first time in a USA jersey. He maintained a slim lead over Commonwealth Games champion Alex Kipchirchir of Kenya throughout the anchor, 1,600m leg. But in the final meters, Kipchirchir inched toward Lagat, and then passed him, finishing in 9:15.56 to out-lean Lagat (9:15.63). Kipchirchir split 3:52.8 to Lagat's 3:53.8.

Both teams were under the previous world best of 9:20.10 run by the University of Arkansas at the 1989 Penn Relays. Kenya's full lineup featured Angwenyi, Thomas Musembi, Alfred Kirwa Yego and Kipchirchir; World Championships 400m hurdles silver medalist James Carter ran the 400m leg for USA Blue. The World All-Stars team of Julius Achon (UGA), Damion Barry (TRI), Sherridan Kirk (TRI) and Mark Fountain (AUS) was third in 9:21.36.

Another record for Team USA in sprint medley

For the second consecutive year, Team USA set a world best in the Tyson Foods women's sprint medley relay. Running in their second race of the day, World Championships 200m silver medalist Rachelle Boone-Smith and 100m world champion Lauryn Williams proved a potent 1-2 punch for Team USA in the first two 200m legs of the relay. 2004 Georgetown graduate Monica Hargrove came back from a year off from the sport to run a strong 400-meter leg, and Penn Relays veteran Hazel Clark closed with an 800m anchor that led Team USA across the line in 3:37.16, surpassing the record mark of 3:37.42 set by Team USA at the 2005 USA vs. The World. Jamaica (Sherone Simpson, Peta-Gay Dowdie, Nadia Davy, Korene Hinds) finished second in 3:39.85, with USA Red (Kia Davis, Amandi Rhett, Debbi Dunn, Treniere Clement) third in 3:40.34.

4x100m drama

The Hershey's men's 4x100m relay was the most dramatic of the day off the track. The USA Blue team of former NCAA champion Tyson Gay, world indoor 60m champion Leonard Scott, Olympic 200m gold medalist Shawn Crawford and Olympic and world champion Justin Gatlin won easily in 38.33 seconds. But officials had ruled that the hand-off between Scott and Crawford went out of the exchange zone. That gave the winner of the previous heat, USA White, the win in 38.72 seconds, with USA Red second in 38.78. Anthony Buchanan, Ernest Wiggins, Jason Smoots and Marcus Brunson celebrated victory, but later video replays showed that Scott and Crawford had committed no infraction. About 30 minutes after the races had concluded, USA Blue was reinstated as the winning team.

What the Visa women's 4x100m relay lacked in drama it made up for in quality. Team USA Blue led from the moment Rachelle Boone-Smith burst from the blocks. Former NCAA champion Muna Lee, 2004 USA champion Latasha Colander and Lauryn Williams finished the job, winning in 42.81. The Americans were well ahead of USA Red (Angela Williams, Angela Daigle, Stephanie Durst, Amandi Rhett, 43.38) and Jamaica (Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Sheri Ann Brooks, Peta-Gay Dowdie, Aleen Bailey, 43.87).