From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Willingboro’s Kaila Speight, Aaliyah Robinson, Jaden Murry and Nester Wea ran 48.78 in the 400-meter relay at the 127th annual Penn Relays Friday at Franklin Field to advance to the Philadelphia Area Championship Race on Saturday.

Willingboro’s time was fastest of 188 New Jersey schools that raced at Penn Friday and 24th-fastest of 550 schools overall.

Among the 23 faster schools, nine were from Jamaica and two from the Bahamas, so Willingboro was 13th-fastest among U.S. schools.

The only faster New Jersey schools Friday were Union Catholic of Scotch Plains [47.48] and Paramus Catholic [48.48]. So the Chimeras were New Jersey’s fastest public school.

Spright, Robinson and Murry are freshmen, and Wea is a sophomore.

The nine-fastest teams qualify for the Championship of America race at 1:05 p.m. Saturday. Willingboro was among the nine-fastest schools from the Northeast that will race at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Also in Willingboro’s race are Union Catholic [47.48], Benjamin Cardozo of Bayside, N.Y. [48.34], Paramus Catholic [48.48], Guilderland of Guilderland Center, N.Y. [48.77], Chester, Pa. [48.82], North Babylon, N.Y. [48.92], Downingtown East of Exton [48.96] and North Penn of Lansdale [49.01].

Willingboro’s 48.78 is its fastest since 2009, when the Chimeras ran 48.08 to win the Emerging Elite race at Greensboro Nationals. Beverly Brownlee, Asja Goode, Tiye Saran Mutazz and Shanavia Thomas ran on that team.

Other South Jersey schools under 50 seconds Friday were Timber Creek [49.34], Winslow Township [49.47], Pennsauken [49.74] and Washington Township [49.97].