From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Naylah Jones and the Timber Creek girls ran one of the fastest times in meet history and South Jersey history and won the 4-by-4 at the Meet of Champions 4-by-4 by a whopping 40 meters Thursday at Franklin Townshp.

Timber Creek’s 3:46.38 at Franklin High is No. 7 in South Jersey history, No. 18 in state history and No. 8 in meet history. The only South Jersey school to ever run faster at a Meet of Champions is Willingboro, which won the 2002 race at South Plainfield in 3:44.64.

Sophomores Ryan Jennings [56.97] and Billie Frazier [58.46] and junior Chloe Jones [55.73] ran the first three legs to set up Naylah Jones’ 55.23 anchor.

Timber Creek’s time is fastest by a Camden County school in 28 years and led a 1-2-4-5 South Jersey finish along with Eastern [3:52.40], Pennsauken [3:54.94] and Willingboro [3:55.08].

The Chargers led by eight meters at the first handoff and just kept gapping the field. They went in as the No. 6 seed but ran nearly 10 seconds faster than their seed time of 3:56.16 from the state Group 3 meet.

The only faster time in Camden County history is Camden’s 3:45.41 from the 1995 Penn Relays Championship of America race, where they placed 4th.

Timber Creek’s time is fastest at a Meet of Champions since Union Catholic ran 3:44.20 to win the 2015 race with Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin leading off.

The race capped a monster day for Naylah Jones, who anchored Timber Creek’s winning 400-meter relay team and won the 100-meter dash for a rare triple Meet of Champions win.

The last school to win both the 4-by-100 and 4-by-400 at the same Meet of Champions is Columbia in 2010.

All-Time State List
3:35.90 … Union Catholic, 2015
3:38.92 … Union Catholic, 2017
3:40.36 … Columbia, 2013
3:41.03 … Montclair, 1998
3:41.19 … Columbia, 2014
3:42.54 … Columbia, 2010
3:42.59 … Union Catholic, 2016
3:42.97 … Union Catholic, 2019
3:43.3h … Plainfield, 1981
3:43.94 … Willingboro, 2003
3:44.64 … Willingboro, 2002
3:44.67 … Clayton, 2022
3:44.9h … Columbia, 1980
3:45.12 … Trenton, 2001
3:45.41 … Camden, 1995
3:45.67 … Willingboro, 1999
3:46.13 … Willingboro, 2000
3:46.38 … Timber Creek, 2023 [1]
3:46.67 … Winslow, 2018
3:47.08 … Union Catholic, 2018
3:47.16 … Eastern, 2003
3:47.41 … Willingboro, 2001
3:47.41 … Winslow Twp., 2017
3:47.55 … Camden, 2006
3:47.7h … Columbia, 1982
3:47.7h … Trenton, 1983
3:47.94 … Columbia, 2009
3:43.94 … Willingboro, 2001
3:44.64 … Willingboro, 2002
3:45.41 … Camden, 1995
3:45.67 … Willingboro, 1999
3:46.13 … Willingboro, 2000
3:46.67 … Winslow Twp., 2018
3:46.73 … Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 2021
3:47.30 … Willingboro, 2003
3:47.39 … Clayton, 2022
3:47.41 … Winslow Twp., 2017
3:47.4h … Camden, 1978
3:47.55 … Camden, 2006

All-Time South Jersey list
3:43.94 … Willingboro, 2001
3:44.64 … Willingboro, 2002
3:44.67 … Clayton, 2022
3:45.41 … Camden, 1995
3:45.67 … Willingboro, 1999
3:46.13 … Willingboro, 2000
3:46.38 … Timber Creek, 2023 [1]
3:46.67 … Winslow, 2018
3:47.16 … Eastern, 2003
3:47.41 … Willingboro, 2001
3:47.41 … Winslow Twp., 2017
3:47.55 … Camden, 2006
3:48.00 … Wilson, 2001
3:48.17 … Wilson, 2006
3:48.6y … Camden,, 1978
3:48.78 … Lenape, 2014
3:48.7h … Washington Twp., 1999
3:48.87 … Rancocas Valley, 2019
3:48.91 … Penns Grove, 2013
3:49.25 … Lenape, 2015
3:49.2y … Camden, 1979
3:49.30 … Winslow Twp., 2004
3:49.43 … Willingboro, 1997
3:49.53 … Willingboro, 1998
3:49.63 … Winslow Twp., 2016
3:49.93 … Willingboro, 2009

Fastest times in meet history
3:42.54 … Columbia, 2010 [1]
3:43.36 … Columbia, 2014 [1]
3:44.20 … Union Catholic, 2015 [1]
3:44.64 … Willingboro, 2002 [1]
3:45.12 … Trenton, 2001 [1]
3:46.38 … Timber Creek, 2023 [1]
3:46.67 … Winslow Twp., 2018 [1]
3:46.68 … Union Catholic, 2016 [1]
3:46.73 … Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 2021 [1]
3:46.86 … Columbia, 2013 [1]
3:47.08 … Union Catholic, 2018 [2]
3:47.41 … Willingboro, 2001 [2]
3:47.41 … Winslow Twp., 2017 [1]
3:47.55 … Camden, 2006 [1]
3:47.83 … Union Catholic, 2017 [2]
3:47.94 … Columbia, 2009 [1]