From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Devin Grisbaum of Ocean City opened up her indoor season the same way she finished her cross country season.

Running very fast.

Grisbaum, the XC Meet of Champions winner, won the 3,000 at the Hispanic Games over the weekend with a swift 10:09.80 over the banked 200-meter track at the 168th Street Armory.

Grisbaum outran a loaded field that saw six girls run 10:20 or faster. Second was Aaliyah Wajid of Dewitt Clinton in Brooklyn, who ran 10:16.11.

Her time is No. 2 in the U.S. this year, behind only the 10:08.44 run by Bella Burda of Arlington, N.Y., at the Rhode Island Classic in Providence on Dec. 27.

The Hispanic Games 3,000 produced six of the top 19 times in the country so far this indoor season.

Full results of the race are here: Results of the race are http://www.armorytrack.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45586&do=news&news_id=307245#Womens_3k.

Grisbaum’s time is No. 18 in state history and No. 2 in South Jersey history, behind only Megan Lacy’s 9:53.39 at the 2011 Princeton Invitational on Jadwin Gym’s flat 200-meter layout.

Here’s a look at the seven sub-10:30 3,000 times in South Jersey history:

9:53.39 … Megan Lacy (Cherokee), 2011
10:09.80 … Devon Grisbaum (Ocean City), 2015
10:11.65 … Brittany Sedberry (Ocean City), 2006
10:16.46 … Megan Venables (Highland), 2009
10:18.9 … Michelle Rowen (Washington Twp.), 1981
10:25.5 … Colleen Sunderland (Northern Burlington), 1996
10:27.45 … Dina Iacone (Washington Twp.), 2011

So Grisbaum broke Sedberry’s school record by less than two seconds — or about 12/100ths of a second per lap.

Grisbaum’s previous fastest 3,000 on record was a 10:30.42 last May at the Rowan Open in Glassboro, where she was third behind Lauren Zodl of Pinelands (10:14.45) and Ocean City teammate Mary Kate Brelsford (10:22.17).