From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

On Friday, we wrote about Eastern freshman Jewel Ash, who won the South Jersey Group 4 400-meter dash in 56.23.

What we didn’t have a chance to mention was the rest of the race, which was ridiculously fast in every spot.

Ash didn’t break the meet record — that belongs to Oakcrest’s Nijgia Snapp, who ran 54.9 hand-timed in 2009.

But the next nine runners across the line ran the fastest time for place in the history of the South Jersey Group 4 girls 400-meter dash!

So this race had the fastest second-place time ever, the fastest third-place time ever … all the way down to 10th place!

Let’s take a look at Friday’s race and the previous fastest times by place (keep in mind that Nance, Hickson and Allen all ran their times out of an “unseeded” heat, the sixth of seven 400 sections):

2017 Race                                                               Fastest Ever By Place

1) Jewel Ash [Eastern], 56.23                             Nijgia Snapp [Oakcrest], 54.9, 2009

2) Nylah Perry [Cherry Hill East], 56.48          Chelsea Cox [Southern], 56.59, 2010

3) Shelby Whetstone [Lenape], 56.62              Carrie Vuong [C.H. East], 57.70, 2010

4) Shannon Lambert [Lenape] 56.87               Thalia Cooper [Kingsway], 57.98, 2014

5) Aliyah Taylor [Rancocas Valley] 57.14        Latasha Taylor [Willingboro], 57.8, 1997

6) Sydney Nance [Rancocas Valley] 57.99       Saudia Saleem [Edgewood], 58.3, 1999

7) Ajax Alvarez, Ajae [Egg Harbor] 58.11        Melanie Edwards [Eastern], 58.80, 2014

8) Brianna King [Cherokee] 58.33                     Michelle Simmons [Southern], 59.20, 2012

9) Kami Joi Hickson [Wash. Twp.] 58.63          Mikaela Hammel [Southern], 59.25, 2012

10) Danielle Allen [Cherry Hill East] 59.24     Carly Pettipaw [Lenape], 59.46, 2012