Paul VI’s Shaelan McNally, Giovanna Mantuano, Macy Huber, Grace Gutowski show huge 4-by-mile potential at Ocean Breeze!!!!!!

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The Paul VI girls seem to be ready for a fast 4-by-mile at Nationals judging by the way they ran Saturday at Ocean Breeze.

Senior Shaelan McNally, sophomores Giovanna Mantuano and Macy Huber and freshman Grace Gutowski combined to run 21:12.38 for 6,400 meters and while that’s a bit shorter than four miles, it’s still fast enough to be the equivalent of the 4th-fastest indoor 4-by-mile ever by a South Jersey school.

Haddonfield ran 20:53.03 at Armory Nationals in 2014, Cherokee ran 20:56.84 at the same shoe company meet but in Boston in 2023 and Lenape ran 21:03.64 at a different shoe company meet but in Boston but at a different track in 2010.

A 21:12.38 would have placed 7th at Boston Nationals last winter, just three seconds off All-America pace.

So while Paul VI’s performance doesn’t count, it would be 4th-fastest in South Jersey history if it came on a relay. Now, it’s harder to run a 4-by-mile than four individual miles just because in a 4-by-mile you’re often running by yourself, where in individual 1,600 or mile races you have plenty of company.

But still, this was a terrific group performance by the Paul VI girls.

McNally raced in the first of three sections, placing 6th in 5:10.97, an indoor PR and just four seconds off her outdoor PR of 5:06.74.

Huber ran in the second race and clocked 5:19.82. She ran 5:12.76 by the end of indoors last year at the state Parochial A meet at the Bubble.

Mantuano and Gutowski were both in the 3rd section, Mantuano finished first in 5:19.20 and Gutowski was 3rd in 5:22.39. Mantuano had never broken 6 minutes before this indoor season, but she ran 5:27.21 at the Bubble late last month and then cut another nine seconds off her PR with her 5:19.20 Saturday. And Gutowski finished just behind her in her first high school 1,600.

McNally, Mantuano, Huber and Gutowski were all part of Paul VI’s cross country team that placed 3rd at the state Parochial A meet at Holmdel.

The only other New Jersey school with four girls under 5:25 this winter is super-duper parochial all-star powerhouse landing spot for Central Jersey junior Olympic superstars Union Catholic.

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