U.S. takes four of six races at Penn Relays

The fever pitch from the Americans and the Jamaicans in the crowd at Franklin Field was similar when Porscha Lucas of the United States and Natasha Morrison of Jamaica crossed the line at the same time in the Penn Relays' USA vs. the World women's 4x200-meter relay.

Did Lucas win? Certainly Morrison could have been ruled the winner, too.

But when officials looked at the photo, they ruled Lucas had won by a fraction of an eyelash, in 0.007 (seven-thousandths) of a second. Naturally, one section of the crowd cheered and the other booed. Even Lucas, who won five watches competing for Texas A&M at the carnival from 2007 through 2010, had no idea.

"We had a sticky handoff," said Lucas, who took the baton from Cambrya Jones, "so once I got the baton, I just told myself, 'You've got to go, and keep running past the finish line,' so that's what I tried to do. Honestly, I didn't even know who won. It was such a close race. I almost dove to the line hoping that I'd be first."

Both teams were timed in 1 minute, 31.98 seconds, the closest result in the 16-year history of USA vs. the World.

The tiny margin helped lead the United States to wins in four of the six races in the international competition, with Jamaica winning the other two. It's a competition that rarely disappoints, and the contestants, many of whom ran in the carnival in college, love coming back.

"It feels great," Lucas said. "Being able to represent the USA at such a big meet and having the crowd cheering you as you're running is a great feeling. I've been at this meet several times, and every time we've always been competitive, so it's always great to compete here."

Justin Gatlin, who at 33 is trying to match his 2014, when he ranked No. 1 in the world at 100 and 200 meters, ran a sensational second leg on the men's 4x100, and Ryan Bailey outdueled former world-record holder Asafa Powell on the anchor for a U.S. win over Jamaica in 38.68 seconds.

Another U.S. veteran, 30-year-old Wallace Spearmon, looked sharp a little more than six months after undergoing surgery for groin and pelvic problems. He anchored the men's 4x200 to the win in 1:20.64.

"This is my first time I've been back since 2012, and I forgot how exciting it was," he said. "I remember running on the inside track [warming up], and my coach had to grab me and say: 'Sit down before you get hurt.' I was excited, jumping up and down. I definitely love the environment, the fans are great."

The United States ended the day with a win when former Notre Dame star Patrick Feeney blistered a 44.84-second anchor leg to hold off the Bahamas in 3:00.86 in the 4x400.

Jamaica's wins came in the women's 4x100 behind the anchor leg of Morrison in 43.70 seconds, and in the women's 4x400 in 3:26.58 thanks to a 50.47-second anchor split by Stephenie-Ann McPherson.

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