Aliyah Taylor’s 53.52 split anchored Rancocas Valley to second place and a South Jersey record in the super sprint medley Sunday at the National Scholastic Championships at Aggie Stadium on the North Carolina AT&T campus in Greensboro, N.C.
Sophomores Kristina Tossas and Breacain McClenahan ran the opening 100s, junior Darynn Minus-Vincent the 200 and Taylor the 400 as R.V. ran 1:43.19, finishing just behind Nansemond River High of Suffolk, Va., which won in 1:42.53.
Taylor ran the fastest 400-meter split in the event.
R.V.’s time broke the Burlington County and South Jersey record of 1:44.06 set by Willingboro at nationals in 2003 in Raleigh, N.C. It’s second-fastest in state history behind Columbia’s 1:41.98 in 2010 at nationals.
It is also No. 16 meet history, which is pretty impressive considering most of the fastest times in U.S. history have been run at nationals.
Winslow also earned All-America honors in the event, with the team of junior Tionna Tobias, sophomores Janeya Hammond and Nylah Perry and senior Flora Ahiarakwe running 1:45.78.
Here’s the top 10 times in state history:
1:41.98 … Columbia, 2010
1:43.19 … Rancocas Valley, 2018
1:43.33 … Columbia, 2009
1:43.76 … Union Catholic, 2016
1:44.06 … Willingboro, 2003
1:44.33 … Camden, 2006
1:44.78 … Summit, 2017
1:45.07 … Winslow Twp., 2004
1:45.19 … Pope John XXIII, 2012
1:45.30 … East Orange, 2006
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 