An hour after running the 7th-fastest 800-meter relay in South Jersey history and fastest in 16 years, Pennsauken ran the 3rd-fastest sprint medley in the S.J. record book and fastest in 14 years.
Juniors Elijah Jennings and Bronze Whitmore and senior Premier Wynn and Bryce Tucker won the 7th of 10 heats in 3:29.31, and that time held up for 2nd place overall. Whitmore, Jennings and Wynn also ran on Pennsauken’s 4-by-2 team earlier in the afternoon.
Pennsauken’s time is No. 14 in state history.
That’s fastest by a South Jersey school since Washington Township ran 3:29.07 to win the 2009 National Scholastic Championships at the Armory. The only other faster time in South Jersey history is Vineland’s 3:27.60 with the team of Dale Coleman, Marcus Lee, Schafer Sherrer and Shannon Sherrer at the 2003 New Balance Games at the Armory. That stood as the state record for nine years.
Jennings and Whitmore came through in 45.61 for their 200 legs, and Wynn ran 48.52 for his 400 leg. Tucker anchored in 1:55.18.
Because its fastest time coming into the meet was a 3:37.65, Pennsauken was seeded in the 7th of 10 sections, which means it raced against schools it was clearly faster than.
Pennsauken won its section by more than 2 ½ seconds. The winning times in the next two sections were slower, but Seton Hall Prep of West Orange – which Pennsauken edged to win the Meet of Champions 4-by-4 on Sunday – ran faster in the final section, winning in 3:27.42.
Pennsauken’s previous school record for an indoor sprint med was 3:37.65 in January at the Bubble to win the Group 3 State Relays. Outdoors, Pennsauken has run 3:30.60 at the Willingboro Relays in 2010.
All-Time State Sprint Medley List
3:25.88 … St. Benedict’s, 2012
3:26.16 … Union Catholic, 2014
3:27.11 … Pascack Valley, 2012
3:27.42 … Seton Hall Prep, 2023
3:27.60 … Vineland, 2003
3:28.49 … Westfield, 2022
3:28.59 … Notre Dame, 2007
3:28.99 … East Orange, 2018
3:29.01 … Pope John XXIII, 2013
3:29.03 … Christian Brothers, 2013
3:29.07 … West Orange, 2012
3:29.07 … Washington Twp., 2009
3:29.31 … St. Benedict’s, 2005
3:29.31 … Pennsauken, 2023
3:29.6y … St. Benedict’s, 1971
All-Time South Jersey Sprint Medley List
3:27.60 … Vineland, 2003
3:29.07 … Washington Twp., 2009
3:29.31 … Pennsauken, 2023
3:30.01 … Cherokee, 2002
3:30.35 … Kingsway, 2022
3:30.45 … Lenape, 2001
3:31.73 … Vineland, 2004
3:32.36 … Rancocas Valley, 2016
3:32.90 … Washington Twp., 2010
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 