From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

The Cherokee girls finished an astonishing, record-sertting weekend Sunday with their 3rd consecutive All-America relay performance.

Junior Kelsey Niglio, sophomore Kerry O’Day, freshman Megan Niglio and senior Nicole Clifford placed 4th in the 3,200-meter relay at Armory Nationals in New York in 9:07.27, the No. 2 time in South Jersey history and No. 11 in state history.

On Friday, Maddie Van Haren, Alison Cooke, Kelsey Niglio and Nicole Clifford placed second in the sprint medley at Armory Nationals with the No. 3 time in South Jersey history and on Saturday Megan Niglio, Cooke, Kelsey Niglio and Clifford placed 2nd in the distance medley at Ocean Breeze Nationals with the No. 5 time in South Jersey history and No. 19 in state history.

So Clifford and Kelsey Niglio are three-time All-Americas, Megan Niglio and Cooke are double All-Americas and O’Day and Van Haren are single All-Americas.

Three events, two tracks, three top-four finishes, three all-time South Jersey top-5 performances, 12 total All-America awards.

All this on top of Meet of Champions and Nike Cross Regionals championships in the fall and State Relays and sectional titles in the winter. Oh, and Penn Relays is six weeks away.

On Sunday, Kelsey Niglio led off for Cherokee in 2:12.85, O’Day split 2:21.47, Megan Niglio ran 2:20.26 and Clifford anchored in 2:12.70.

The only faster time in South Jersey history is Lenape’s 9:04.66 at the 2013 Indoor Nationals on the same track.

Pioneer High School of Ann Arbor, Mich., won the race in a national-record 8:51.93, and Union Catholic was second with a state-record 8:53.69 on Columbia transfer Peyton Hollis’s 2:06.71 anchor. The previous national mark was  8:53.67  by Boys and Girls of Brooklyn also at the Armory at 2002 Indoor Nationals.

Here’s the all-time state sub-9:10 list
8:53.69 … Union Catholic, 2022
8:54.11 … Southern Reg., 2009
8:56.94 … Red Bank Cath., 2011
9:00.62 … Freehold Twp., 2014
9:01.64 … Ridge, 2017
9:04.66 … Lenape, 2013
9:05.28 … Red Bank Cath., 2012
9:05.40 … Columbia, 2014
9:05.97 … Pope John, 2007
9:07.44 … Union Catholic, 2019
9:07.27 … Cherokee, 2022
9:08.07 … Ridge, 2018
9:08.34 … Columbia, 1997
9:09.14 … Columbia, 1998
9:09.70 … Mount St. Dominic, 2012
9:09.71 … Lenape, 2012

And the all-time South Jersey list
9:04.66 … Lenape, 2013
9:07.27 … Cherokee, 2022
9:09.71 … Lenape, 2012
9:11.94 … Lenape, 2008
9:12.91 … Haddonfield, 2021
9:19.01 … Lenape, 2011
9:19.35 … Wilson, 2002
9:22.18 … Haddonfield, 2020
9:22.30 … Lenape, 2010
9:22.38 … Buena, 1999