WATCH LIVE: THE PENN RELAYS
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PHILADELPHIA -- Faith Bethea competed with a heavy heart at Thursday's 126th Penn Relays.
The senior at Snyder (NJ) was thinking all day about Robert Arena, who was the girls coach at Snyder when he passed away at the age of 36 on Oct. 18, 2021.
"I am dedicating this meet to Coach Arena,'' said Bethea. "I wanted to come here and do something special for him.''
Motivated and inspired by the memory of Arena, the Rutgers-bound Bethea made history at Franklin Field when she soared a personal best and NJ No. 1 40-5.50 to win the girls triple jump. Bethea is the first girl ever from Hudson County to win an individual title at the Penn Relays.
Bethea's winning a leap of 40-5.50 came on her second attempt and with a wind-legal 0.9, which is the second best wind-legal jump in the nation this season. Bethea is just the fourth girl from NJ to win the TJ here.
"Coach Arena did a lot for me, so to come and win this for him means everything to me,'' said Bethea, whose previous of PR was 40-0 at the Big Blue Classic at St. Joseph By The Sea on Staten Island. "I was hoping to jump around 43-0 because that's what I see lots of the college girls jumping but to be the first girl from my county to win makes this extra special.
Bethea led for the entire competition, and after Jada Foreman of Atlee in Virginia went 40-0.50 on her final attempt to finish as the runner-up, Bethea passed on her final attempt.
Why?
"I had to go run the 4x400 with my team,'' said Bethea.
Bethea promptly helped Snyder win its heat in 4:08.43.
What would Bethea have done if she was behind in the triple jump when it was time to run the 4x400.
"I still would have passed,'' said Bethea. "I love my team, and my team comes first.''
