PHILADELPHIA – There are only two days left until the 127th running of the Penn Relays presented by Toyota, and we are excited to highlight the Toyota Olympic Development Women's 1500m field.
 
Toyota Olympic Development Women's 1500m
 

• Josette Andrews (USA): 3:59.72
• Sintayehu Vissa (Italy): 4:04.64
• Aisha Praught-Leer (Jamaica): 4:05.52
• Anna Camp Bennett (USA): 4:08.53
• Gabbi Jennings (USA): 4:08.63
• Maddy Berkson (USA): 4:10.65
• Claudia Saunders (France): 4:12.38
• Rachel McArthur (USA): 4:13.25
• Danae Rivers (USA): 4:10.47 (Pacer)

 
In the top four are the two most recent winners of the NCAA 1500m, Vissa (2022) and Bennett (2021).
 
Andrews enters with a 3:59.72, top time in the field representing On. No stranger to the Relays, she competed in the Distance Medley Relay for Georgetown in 2019. She spent her collegiate days at Georgetown as well as North Carolina. While at UNC, she was an All-ACC runner and competed in the NCAA XC Championship. At Georgetown, she was All-BIG EAST and placed third in the 3,000m at the 2019 BIG EAST Indoor Championship.
 
Vissa is the reigning NCAA champion in the 1500m, earning the title for the University of Mississippi. Before heading to Ole Miss, Vissa ran at Saint Leo University, a Division II school, where she was an All-American in the 800m. While at Ole Miss, she won the 2022 SEC Indoor Championships in the mile and the DMR and added a victory at the 2022 SEC Championship in the 1500m. Vissa currently holds the Italian record for the indoor mile (4:28.71).
 
Praught-Leer is a 2016 and 2021 Olympian. Representing Jamaica, Praught-Leer has won the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the 3,000m and placed second at the 2019 Pan American Games in the 1500m. She is also the 2015 and 2021 1,500m national champion in Jamaica.
 
Bennett is the 2021 NCAA 1,500m champion. Competing at BYU, she was a three-time All-American. In her senior season, she finished first in four straight 800m races. She has competed in the NCAA Outdoor Championships twice and the NCAA Indoor Championships once.
 
Jennings was a four-time All-American at Furman University and qualified for the Olympic trails twice. Jennings holds program records at Furman in the indoor mile, as well as the outdoor 1,500m, 5,000m, and the 3,000m steeplechase. In 2019, she competed at the NACAC U23 Championships and placed second in the 3,000m steeplechase. Then in 2022, Jennings won the NACAC Championship in the steeplechase.
 
Berkson enters with a 4:10.65 PR in the 1,500m. Berkson ran at Stanford where she competed in the NCAA West Preliminaries all four years (2014-2018).
 
Saunders, teammates at Stanford with Berkson, enters with a 4:12.38. While at Stanford, Saunders broke the school record for the 800m when she placed second at the 2015 NCAA Championship. Saunders placed second in the 800m at the NCAA Championships two years in a row (2014 & 2015). She has four total second place NCAA finishes, the 800m and the DMR (2014 & 2015).
 
McArthur makes her return to the Penn Relays. In 2018, she competed and won two events for Villanova, the DMR and the 4x800. In 2019, she competed in three events, the 4x800, DMR, and the 4x1500m which she won. At Villanova, she was an All-American as well as a seven-time All-BIG EAST honoree while winning the 2019 BIG EAST Indoor mile.
 
The 127th running of the Penn Relays is set for April 27-29 at Franklin Field. Don't miss out on the largest track and field event in the country, with over 15,000 athletes competing across three days ranging from high school, college, professional, and masters. Buy your tickets today!