Cherokee’s sophomore Megan Niglio, junior Madison Van Haren, senior Kelsey Niglio and junior Kerry O’Day put together the 2nd-fastest distance medley in South Jersey history Sunday and placed 4th at West Philly Nationals at Franklin Field.
Cherokee ran 11:54.48, not far off the South Jersey record of 11:53.15 set at 2012 Greensboro Nationals by Lenape’s Camille Franklin, Ana de las Heras, Emily McGee and Natalia Ocasio.
Cherokee’s time is fastest by any New Jersey DMR since Randolph ran 11:49.73 at Greensboro Nationals in 2019. It’s No. 19 in state history.
This was Cherokee’s first serious DMR this year. The previous school record was Cherokee’s 12:07.43 at last year’s Oregon Relays at Hayward Field in Eugene with Megan Niglio, Alison Cooke, Kelsey Niglio and Nicole Clifford.
On Thursday, Megan and Kelsey Niglio, O’Day and freshman Madeline Meder earned All-America honors with a 6th-place finish in the 4-by-mile.
Cherokee finished behind only Cuthbertson High of Waxhaw, N.C. [11:33.18], Saratoga Springs, N.Y. [11:37.67] and Ann Arbor, Mich. [11:47.21].
Megan Niglio led off with a 3:37.47 split for 1,200 meters and Van Haren ran 60.07 to set up Kelsey Niglio, whose 2:13.45 split was fasted of all the half-milers in the field and moved the Chiefs from 7th into 5th. O’Day anchored in 5:03.50
All-Time New Jersey Sub-12 DMR List
11:32.29 … Red Bank Catholic, 2011
11:37.86 … Red Bank, 2003
11:40.81 … Southern Regional, 2007
11:42.16 … Roxbury, 2008
11:42.17 … Red Bank, 2002
11:45.54 … Southern Regional, 2006
11:47.67 … Southern Regional, 2008
11:47.95 … Voorhees, 2002
11:48.04 … Columbia, 1997
11:49.73 … Randolph, 2019
11:50.03 … Roxbury, 2006
11:50.73 … Ridgewood, 2012
11:50.7h … Summit, 1981
11:51.76 … Voorhees, 2007
11:52.24 … Bernards, 2012
11:53.13 … West Windsor-Plainsboro South, 2015
11:53.15 … Lenape, 2012
11:54.22 … Ridgewood, 2019
11:54.48 … Cherokee, 2023
11:54.9h … Summit, 1982
11:55.13 … Randolph, 2010
11:55.41 … Red Bank, 2001
11:55.55 … Red Bank Catholic, 2012
11:56.10 … Mount St. Dominic, 2013
11:56.69 … Ramapo, 2007
11:56.60 … Southern Regional, 2004
11:57.17 … Metuchen, 2022
11:57.85 … Northern Highlands, 2015
11:57.88 … Roxbury, 2007
11:57.96 … Bernards, 2013
11:58.33 … North Hunterdon, 2017
11:58.4h … North Hunterdon, 1987
11:58.43 … Randolph, 2007
11:58.74 … Southern Regional, 2009
11:59.6h … Ridgewood, 1982
11:59.78 … Mendham, 2012
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 