From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Most high schools would be thrilled to have a girl running 56.3 for the indoor 400.

In one race 17 years ago, Willingboro’s four quarter-milers AVERAGED 56.3.

In one of the greatest indoor track performances in state history, Halimah Bashir, Rhea Mann, Channel Hamilton and Okechi Ogbuokiri ran 3:45.37 at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships at the Armory to set a state record that stood for 10 years. Ogbuokiri also won the 400 in 54.24 to set another state record (and a S.J. record that still stands).

Willingboro finished 3rd that day in New York behind two high schools from Long Beach, Calif. Long Beach Poly set the national record of 3:41.54 and Long Beach Wilson ran 3:43.66 for second.

(Tosca, if you’re reading this, shoot me over the splits if you remember them!)

Willingboro’s splits that day: 58.01 for Mann, 57.12 for Hamilton, 56.03 for Bashir and 54.21 for Ogbuokiri!

(edited – thanks, Tosca and happy anniversary!)

The top three times in the race at the time were the No. 1, No. 5 and No. 14 times in U.S. indoor track history.

That 3:45 broke the state record of 3:47.95 set by Willingboro a year earlier by the same four girls at the USATF

Willingboro’s 3:45.37 stood as the state record until Columbia ran 3:42.03 to win Nationals at the Armory in 2013. It’s still No. 3 in state history behind Columbia and Union Catholic’s 3:40.28 to win nationals in 2016.

It’s so fast only six New Jersey schools have run faster OUTDOORS! Not surprisingly, that list includes Union Catholic, Columbia and Willingboro as well as Trenton, Montclair and Plainfield.

The closest anybody in South Jersey has gotten to Willingboro’s 3:45 since they ran it is Winslow, who ran 3:51.49 at the 2017 Meet of Champions at the Bennett Center with Iyianna, Flora Ahiarakwe, Janeya Hammond and Shakira Dancy.

Here’s the full all-time girls South Jersey indoor 1,600-meter relay top-50, with mile relay times converted using the standard formula (I actually included the top 60 because I wanted to list all the sub-4 times). Corrections and additions are always welcomed in the comment section!

All-Time S.J. Indoor Girls 1,600-Meter Relay Top-50

3:45.37 … Willingboro, 2003
3:47.95 … Willingboro, 2002
3:49.07 … Camden, 1995
3:51.49 … Winslow Twp., 2017
3:52.37 … Willingboro, 2000
3:52.55 … Wilson, 2006
3:53.61 … Willingboro, 1998
3:53.81 … Paul VI, 2020
3:53.6h … Willingboro, 1999
3:53.97 … Rancocas Valley, 2019

3:54.38 … Camden, 2009
3:54.4h … Eastern, 2003
3:54.62 … Rancocas Valley, 2020
3:54.82 … Millville, 2008
3:54.99 … Winslow Twp., 2018
3:55.04 … Millville, 2019
3:55.28 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
3:55.40 … Winslow Twp., 2019
3:55.94 … Winslow Twp., 2020
3:55.8h … Wilson, 2002

3:56.01 … Washington Twp., 1999
3:56.05 … Willingboro, 2005
3:56.52 … Buena, 1999
3:56.52 … Camden, 2008
3:56.54 … Kingsway, 2014
3:56.92 … Wilson, 2008
3:56.96 … Wilson, 2001
3:57.05 … Winslow Twp., 2016
3:57.44 … Kingsway, 2013
3:57.4h … Camden, 2004

3:57.54 … Seneca, 2009
3:57.60 … Lenape, 2012
3:57.4h … Camden. 2004
3:57.67 … Millville, 2009
3:57.74 … Willingboro, 2009
3:57.96 … Washington Twp., 2011
3:58.33 … Willingboro, 2010
3:58.35 … Camden, 2006
3:58.39 … Woodrow Wilson, 2005
3:58.70 … Lenape, 2015

3:58.70 … Winslow Twp., 2012
3:58.78 … Winslow Twp., 2015
3:58.81 … Seneca, 2010
3:58.85 … Washington Twp., 2010
3:58.96 … Camden, 1993
3:58.96 … Washington Twp., 1998
3:58.98 … Winslow Twp., 2014
3:59.0h … Willingboro, 2001
3:59.16 … Lenape, 2013
3:59.19 … Lenape, 2014

3:59.25 … Willingboro, 2006
3:59.4h … Washington Twp., 2004
3:59.64 … Camden, 2007
3:59.65 … Lenape, 2008
3:59.8h … Willingboro, 2004
4:00.08 … Washington Twp., 2000
4:00.08 … Cherokee, 2008
4:00.43 … Camden, 1994
4:00.71 … Willingboro, 1996
4:00.8h … Willingboro, 1997