Rancocas Valley ran the fastest 3,200-meter relay by a South Jersey school this year Friday morning at Penn and just missed qualifying for the Championship of America.
The team of Vincent Brown, Micah Wood, John Womack and Ian Moore ran 7:56.30 for seventh place in the second of two large-school races in the 125th annual Penn Relays at Franklin Field.
The 12-fastest schools from two small-school races and two large-school races advance to the Championship of America race at 4 p.m. Saturday.
The cutoff this year was 7:55.60, so the Red Devils fell just 7-10ths of a second shy of advancing.
Brown led off with a 2:01.56 split, followed by Wood’s 1:54.44. After Womack’s 2:04.55, Moore anchored in 1:55.77.
R.V. and Calabar were the only schools in the entire event with two legs under 1:56.
Wood’s 1:54.44 was fifth-fastest split of the day from the four races and the second-fastest second leg. Moore’s 1:55.77 was 12th-fastest overall. Wood and Moore had the second- and fourth-fastest legs among New Jersey half-milers.
Here’s a look at the fastest splits in the four races:
1:53.44 … Kyle Durham, Weddington, N.C. [4th]
1:53.51 … Kevroy Venson, Calabar [2nd]
1:53.59 … Blake Ewaskey, Central Bucks West [4th]
1:53.99 … Ryan Lindrud, Ridge [4th]
1:54.44 … Micah Wood, Rancocas Valley [2nd]
1:54.72 … Tarees Rhoden, Kingston College [4th]
1:54.76 … Kimar Farquharson, Calabar [4th]
1:54.87 … Mark Scanlon, Arlington, N.Y. [1st]
1:54.88 … Luis Peralta, Passaic [4th]
1:55.06 … Connor Dickell, Council Rock South [1st]
1:55.27 … Evan Dorenkamp, Manheim Twp. [4th]
1:55.77 … Ian Moore, Rancocas Valley [4th]
