From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Before we get started with nationals, one last note from the Meet of Champions.

Three South Jersey girls finished in the top 12 and all three ran PRs.

Thanks to a 34.69 final lap, Paul VI junior Shaelan McNally placed 7th in 5:01.74, Cherokee sophomore Megan Niglio finished just behind her in 9th with a 5:03.21 and her teammate, junior Kerry O’Day, ran 5:04.01 for 12th.

McNally’s previous indoor PR was a 5:05.60 from the Bubble last month and her overall PR was 5:02.10 from the South Jersey Elite at Delsea in May.

Niglio had an indoor and overall PR of 5:08.16 from last year’s state Group 4 meet at the Bubble, and her fastest time this year had been a 5:08.56, also at states.

And O’Day PR’d for the second meet in a row, breaking her lifetime best indoors or out of 5:07.07 from states last month. Her PR before that was a 5:11.30 last May at Holmdel.

They now rank 21st, 26th and 31st on the all-time South Jersey list. Niglio and O’Day are the 4th and 5th Cherokee girtls to break 5:05 indoors.

Interestingly, the two-fastest indoor Paul VI milers in school history are returning in 2023. Macy Huber ran 5:12.76 at states, making her the No. 1 freshman in South Jersey (and No. 3 in the state).

Paul VI’s outdoor school record for 1,600 meters remains Dawn Cody’s 4:55.9 when she placed 2nd to Michelle Rowen of Washington Township at the 1982 Meet of Champions at Princeton’s Palmer Stadium.

McNally, Niglio and O’Day will all racing this weekend. In Boston, Niglio and O’Day are both on Cherokee’s 4-mile relay team and 3,200-meter relay team. McNally will be in New York racing the 5,000.

Here’s a look at every South Jersey girl who’s run sub-5:05 indoors:

4:41.52y … Michelle Rowen [Wash. Twp.], 1983
4:49.46y … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2001
4:51.60 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2016
4:53.36 … Lindsey Kane [Washington Twp.], 2014
4:53.85 … Nicole Clifford [Cherokee], 2022
4:54.58 … Celine Mazzi [Delsea], 2014
4:55.04y … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2010
4:56.1h,y … Ruth Lockbaum [Glassboro], 1985
4:57.12 … Megan Quimby [Lenape], 2015
4:57.72 … Caitlin Orr [Lenape], 2010
4:58.48 … Natalia Ocasio [Lenape], 2010
4:59.29 … Julia Despirito [Shawnee], 2014
4:59.39 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2012
5:00.17 … Aubrey Pierontoni [Kingsway], 2022
5:00.39 … Lisa Burkholder, 2004
5:00.78y … Monica Olkowski [Cherokee], 1990
5:00.81 … Vickie Ajimoko [Williamstown], 2014
5:01.96 … Rachel Vick [Kingsway], 2017
5:01.96 … Grace Wassell [Highland], 2022
5:01.21 … Julianna Catania [Egg Harbor], 2016
5:01.74 … Shaelan McNally [Paul VI], 2023
5:01.86 … Kristen Niedrach [Shawnee], 2012
5:02.21 … Shelby Cain [Haddonfield], 2014
5:02.83 … Felicia O’Donnell [Delsea], 2011
5:02.92 … Allie Pierontoni [Kingsway], 2020
5:03.21 … Megan Niglio [Cherokee], 2023
5:03.50 … Bridget Flynn [Ocean City], 2014
5:03.81 … Maria Ruiz [Williamstown], 2009
5:03.82 … Allison Colflesh [Haddonfield], 2020
5:03.97 … Camille Franklin [Lenape], 2014
5:04.01 … Kerry O’Day [Cherokee], 2023
5:04.13 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Reg.], 2017
5:04.24 … Sarah Naticchia [Haddonfield], 2020
5:04.48 … Kara Bonner [Shawnee], 2016
5:04.54 … Mia Spinella [Haddonfield], 2010
5:04.69 … Alyssa Condell [Timber Creek], 2017