Cherokee senior Nicole Clifford and Kingsway junior Aubrey Pierontoni both broke 11 minutes for 3,200 meters for the first time Saturday at the SJTCA meet at the Bubble.
Clifford won the race in 10:55.58 and Pierontoni was second in 10:59.90. Their times are No. 23 and No. 27 in South Jersey history.
Those times are also No. 3 and 4 in the state so far this year and No. 1 and 2 in South Jersey. Angelina Perez of Lakeland ran 10:38.21 last week in a meet at Ocean Breeze and Tilly O’Connor of St. Rose of Belmar ran 10:45.32 Friday at the Bubble.
Clifford, a 2:17 half-miler and 5:07 miler, doesn’t run the 3,200 very often. Her only previous indoor 3,200 was at 2019 sectionals at the Bubble, when she ran 12:05.84 as a freshman. Her lifetime best was 11:34.50 outdoors at Cherokee’s Night of Racing #1 in April of 2019.
Pierontoni ran 11:06.25 last March in a winter-season meet held outdoors at Cherokee. Her previous indoor PR was 11:29.19 at the 2020 state Group 4 meet at the Bubble.
Clifford’s time is No. 3 in Burlington County history, behind Cherokee’s Megan Lacy (10:23.49 in 2011) and Rancocas Valley’s Erika Kemp (10:46.63 in 2013).
Pierontoni’s time is No. 7 in Gloucester County history, two spots behind older sister Allie Pierontoni, who ran 10:52.53 in 2020. Another sister, Emily Pierontoni, ran 11:19.65 in 2020 and is No. 13 in Gloucester County history.
Cherokee sophomore Kerry O’Day and Mainland freshman Sofia Day also ran PRs. O’Day was 3rd in 11:25.57. Her previous PR was an outdoor 11:38.06 last spring at the Burlington County Open. Day ran 4th in 11:31 in her first high school race ever on the track.
Here’s the all-time South Jersey sub-11-minute indoor list:
10:15.71 … Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], 2006
10:23.49 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2011
10:29.90 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2009
10:33.95 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Reg.], 2016
10:38.11 … Megan Venables [Highland], 2011
10:38.90 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2001
10:40.03 … Dina Iacone [Washington Twp.], 2012
10:40.80 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2017
10:42.06 … Holly Bischof [Bishop Eustace], 2012
10:42.22 … Theresa Cattuna [Cherry Hill East], 2007
10:43.2y … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1983
10:45.20 … Devon Grisbaum [Ocean City], 2015
10:45.40 … Julianna Catania [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2016
10:46.63 … Erika Kemp [Rancocas Valley], 2013
10:48.78 … Shelby Cain [Haddonfield], 2014
10:49.12 … Madison Coppolino [Sterling], 2017 [3]
10:49.46 … Alyssa Condell [Timber Creek], 2016
10:52.05 … Amanda Goetschius [Delsea], 2007
10:52.53 … Allie Pierontoni [Kingsway], 2020
10:53.4h … Christin Bettis [Hammonton], 2012
10:53.89y … Sarah Naticchia [Haddonfield], 2020
10:55.29y … Ann Klocke [Bishop Eustace], 1996
10:55.58 … Nicole Clifford [Cherokee], 2022
10:57.95 … Katy Storti [Bishop Eustace], 2019
10:59.02 … Catherine Van Horn [Triton], 2005
10:59.04 … Maria Ruiz [Williamstown], 2009
10:59.13 … Vickie Ajimoko [Williamstown], 2013
10:59.90 … Aubrey Pierontoni [Kingsway], 2022
And the Burlington County all-time top-10:
10:23.49 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2011
10:46.63 … Erika Kemp [Rancocas Valley], 2013
10:55.58 … Nicole Clifford [Cherokee], 2022
11:00.7h … Deanna German [Shawnee], 1986
11:06.43y … Colleen Sunderland [Northern Burlington], 1995
11:06.72 … Meghan Malloy [Cinnaminson], 2011
11:08.03 … Nina Bendixen [Shawnee], 2015
11:10.88 … Caitlin Orr [Lenape], 2009
11:11.44 … Arianna McKinney [Highland], 2005
11:12.32 … Maria Schiffhauer [Seneca], 2014
And the Gloucester County all-time top 10!
10:29.90 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2009
10:40.03 … Dina Iacone [Washington Twp.], 2012
10:43.2y … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1983
10:52.05 … Amanda Goetschius [Delsea], 2007
10:52.53 … Allie Pierontoni [Kingsway], 2020
10:59.04 … Maria Ruiz [Williamstown], 2009
10:59.90 … Aubrey Pierontoni [Kingsway], 2020
11:03.78 … Rachel Vick [Kingsway], 2017
11:08.35 … Lindsey Kane [Washington Twp.], 2013
11:09.29 … Kaitlyn Rauscher [Delsea], 2016
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 