From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

For the first time in 13 years, the Willingboro girls came away with a coveted wheel at the Penn Relays.

And they did it with three freshmen and a sophomore.

Sophomore Nester Wea and freshmen Kaila Speight, Jaden Murry and Aaliyah Robinson ran 4:01.33 to win the South Jersey Small School 1,600-Meter Relay at Franklin Field.

Full splits aren’t available, but the Penn Relays site shows the second handoff at 1:58.76, which means Wea and Speight averaged 59.38 per leg. Murry ran the third leg in 1:00.92 and Robinson, running unpressed, anchored in 1:01.66.

It was Willingboro’s first win at Penn since 2010, when Asja Goode, Patrice Rowe, Tiya Saran Mutazz and Vanessa Arientyl ran 3:54.82.

Overall, it was Willingboro’s ninth win in a South Jersey 4-by-4 at Penn and 12th win overall at the Penn Relays.

There was only one South Jersey race through 1998, and Willingboro won that one in 4:00.45 in 1996, 3:55.82 in 1997 and 3:53.55 in 1998. The Chimeras won the Large-School race in 1999 [3:48.80], 2000 [3:53.15], 2002 [3:51.45] and 2003 [3:47.30]. And they previously won the Small-School race in 2010 [3:54.82]. Willingboro also won the Philadelphia Area race in 1998 [3:49.53] and 2000 [3:46.18] and the Championship of America in 1999 [3:45.74].

This year’s performance was Willingboro’s fastest at Penn since 2010. That’s also the last year the Chimeras broke 4:00, so they’re less than 1 ½ seconds away with all the championship races – and presumably better weather – still to come.

Willingboro’s time was 9th-fastest among 127 New Jersey schools at Penn and 2nd-fastest among Group 1 or Group 2 schools, behind only Rumson-Fair Haven’s 3:55.23.

Haddonfield, which won in 2013, 2017 and 2019, placed 2nd in 4:09.17, with junior Chloe Kamp, enior Grace Malcarney, junior Miranda Keith and sophomore Lindsey Cummins, and Audubon ran 4:14.11 for 3rd with sophomore Makenna Ammon and juniors Arianna Bittner, Kira Collins and Ava Rizzo.

Fastest split of the race was turned in by Deptford junior Djassi Dean, who ran 58.84 on the second leg. Kamp was credited with a 59.66 leadoff leg for Haddonfield.

Here’s a look at all the Small-School races since the South Jersey 4-by-4 was split into two races in 1998:

2023
1. Willingboro 4:01.33, 2. Haddonfield 4:09.17, 3. Audubon 4:14.11
2022
1. Clayton 3:47.39, 2. Timber Creek 4:04.28, 3. Camden 4:11.64
2021
Not Held
2020
Not Held
2019
1. Collingswood 4:00.51, 2. Delsea 4:01.51, 3. Audubon 4:06.20
2018
1. Collingswood 4:01.66, 2. Camden Catholic 4:06.83, 3. Haddonfield 4:08.05
2017
1. Audubon 4:00.44, 2. Collingswood 4:02.04, 3. Camden 4:03.29
2016
1. Camden Catholic 4:08.69, 2. Haddon Twp. 4:12.21, 3. Audubon 4:13.39
2015
1. Pemberton 4:07.97, 2. Deptford 4:09.51, 3. Haddonfield 4:10.88
2014
1. Delsea 4:06.24, 2. Audubon 4:07.93, 3. Haddonfield 4:12.49
2013
1. Camden 4:07.24, 2. Bishop Eustace 4:09.21, 3. Willingboro 4:09.30
2012
1. Kingsway 4:00.77, 2. Camden 4:04.47, 3. Haddonfield 4:06.21
2011
1. Camden 4:04.27, 2. Haddonfield 4:05.86, 3. Haddon Heights 4:13.48
2010
1. Willingboro 3:54.82, 2. Delsea 3:58.66, 3. Haddonfield 4:04.38
2009
1. Camden 3:57.23, 2. Delsea 4:05.33, 3. Haddon Heights 4:14.18
2008
1. Haddonfield 4:01.70, 2. Paul VI 4:11.88, 3. Holy Cross 4:15.11
2007
1. Rancocas Valley 4:03.62, 2. Haddonfield 4:05.66, 3. Paul VI 4:11.36
2006
1. Haddonfield 4:01.48, 2. Rancocas Valley 4:04.56, 3. Palmyra 4:08.65
2005
1. Bishop Eustace 4:03.58, 2. Haddonfield 4:04.26, 3. Rancocas Valley 4:05.01
2004
1. Bishop Eustace 4:03.88, 2. Clearview 4:14.05, 3. Holy Cross 4:17.93
2003
1. Haddonfield 4:06.51, 2. Paul VI 4:06.64, 3. West Deptford 4:12.35
2002
1. Paul VI 4:10.34, 2. Haddonfield 4:12.34, 3. Bishop Eustace 4:14.25
2001
1. Paul VI 4:05.56, 2. Haddonfield 4:10.24, 3. West Deptford 4:10.89
2000
1. Woodrow Wilson 4:02.48, 2. Paul VI 4:05.27, 3. Palmrya 4:07.51
1999
1. Edgewood 3:58.00, 2. Woodrow Wilson 3:58.12, 3. Palmyra 4:06.71
1998
1. Edgewood 3:58.00, 2. Woodrow Wilson 3:58.12, 3. Palmyra 4:06.71