The Rancocas Valley and Clayton girls ran two of the fastest 400-meter relay times of nearly 500 high schools at the 126th annual Penn Relays Thursday morning, and both advanced to a championship race on Friday.
Seniors Anabella Chin, Jya Marshall and Olivia Smith and junior Kasey White ran 48.84, the 13th-fastest time overall and second-fastest among New Jersey schools behind only Union Catholic, which ran 47.96.
The Red Devils qualified for what’s now called the International 400-Meter Relay Championship, which is for the nine-fastest schools that don’t qualify for the Championship of America race.
The cut-off for the Championship of America was Union Catholic’s 47.96. The nine schools in the International race all ran between and 48.17 and 49.24. R.V. will line up in lane nine. That race is scheduled for 4:16 p.m. Friday.
Rancocas Valley’s time is its fastest this year. RV ran 49.06 at the Woodbury Relays.
Clayton ran 49.61, 18th-fastest among all 495 schools and 3rd-fastest among New Jersey schools behind Union Catholic and R.V.
Freshman Miyana Johnson and bridge program seniors Arianna Sharpe, Amirah Sharpe and Ariel Sharpe ran for Clayton, which qualified for what’s now called the National 400-Meter Relay Championship. The nine-fastest schools that don’t qualify for the C-of-A or International race qualify for the National race. Clayton will be in lane six. That race is scheduled for 4:08 p.m. Friday.
Clayton will be chasing its school record of 48.72 which it set last year at the Tri-County Conference Championships at Kingsway.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 