Naylah Jones, Billie Frazier, Taylor Gaines and Ryan Jennings ran the 6th-fastest 1,600-meter relay in South Jersey history and qualified for the prestigious Championship of America at the 128th annual Penn Relays Thursday at Franklin Field.
Timber Creek won the South Jersey Large School race in 3:46.04, 6th-fastest of nearly 600 high schools competing in the 4-by-4. The nine-fastest schools from 44 races advance to the Championship of America, scheduled for 4:55 p.m. Friday. Timber Creek will be in Lane 4.
Timber Creek’s time is 5th-fastest ever by a South Jersey school at Penn behind two 1995 Camden times, Willingboro when it won the Championship of America in 1999 and Clayton in 2022.
The 3:46.04 is fastest in the South Jersey race in 29 years, since Camden ran 3:45.94 in 1995. It’s also the fastest by a Camden County school since that race.
This is Timber Creek’s first trip to the Championship of America 4-by-4. In the last 30 years, only five other schools have qualified: Camden placed 4th in 1994 with Chantell Parks, Tynisha Revels, Aishia Lawson and Medina Salaam and 4th in 1995 with Revels, Salaam, Lawson and Alishia Lawson, Willingboro won in 1999 in 3:45.74 with Takia Canty, Shakirah Rutherford, Latasha Taylor and Danielle Myricks and then placed 8th in 2002 with Channel Hamilton, Halimah Bashir, Rhea Mann and Okechi Ogbuokiri, and Clayton was 6th in 2002 with Arianna Sharpe, Ariel Sharpe, Amirah Sharpe and Kelsey Thomas in 3:44.67.
Junior Billie Frazier led off with a 58.27 split, senior Naylah Jones ran 55.23 , freshman substitute runner Taylor Gaines split 57.30 and junior Ryan Jennings anchored in 55.25. Chloe Jones, one of Timber Creek’s regular quarter-milers, is hurt and did not race.
Earlier in the day, Timber Creek ran the 6th-fastest 400-meter relay in South Jersey history with Chloe Jones, Naylah Jones, Jennings and sophomore Samiyah Puckett. Timber Creek is now No. 18 in state history in both relays.
Timber Creek girls run 6th-fastest 400-meter relay in South Jersey history at Penn, advance to Northeast Championship race along with Winslow!!!!!!!!
Winslow ran 2nd in the South Jersey Large-School race in 3:49.66 with senior Djassi Dean [59.93], sophomore Olivia Okaro [56.22], senior Dominique Clement [57.07] and freshman Cinniya Robinson [56.45].
That was the 13th-fastest time among all schools, 7th-fastest among U.S. schools and 3rd-fastest among New Jersey schools, behind a North Jersey parochial school and Timber Creek.
Winslow qualified for the Philadelphia Area 1,600-Meter Relay Championship, which is scheduled for 4:50 p.m. Friday. Winslow is the 3rd seed behind Friends Central of Wynnewood [3:47.67] and Chester [3:49.02] and will race in Lane 3.
Pennsauken placed 3rd in 4:00.32 with Amina Dyer [59.93], Sianni Wynn [57.57], Olivia Dupree [59.45] and Sanaya Dupree [1:00.88]
Willingboro ran 4:02.97 and won the Small-School race with Jaden Murry [61.50], freshman Maya Bolden [59.74], Sunny Oyibo [61.72] and Kaila Speight [1:00.03].
It was Willingboro’s first South Jersey win since 2010, when the Chimeras won the Small-School race in 3:54.82. The Boro also won the Large-School or combined race in 1996 [4:00.45], 1997 [3:55.82], 1998 [3:53.55], 1999 [3:48.80], 2000 [3:53.15], 2001 [3:51.80], 2002 [3:51.45] and 2003 [3:47.30].
All-Time New Jersey 4-by-4 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
3:45.11 … Union Catholic, 2024
3:45.12 … Trenton, 2001
3:45.41 … Camden, 1995
3:45.67 … Willingboro, 1999
3:46.04 … Timber Creek, 2024
3:46.13 … Willingboro, 2000
3:46.38 … Timber Creek, 2023
3:46.67 … Winslow, 2018
3:46.71 … Union Catholic, 2023
3:46.73 … Scotch Plains-Fanwood
All-Time South Jersey 4-by-4 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
3:46.04 … Timber Creek, 2024
3:46.13 … Willingboro, 2000
3:46.38 … Timber Creek, 2023
3:46.67 … Winslow Twp., 2018
3:47.16 … Eastern, 2003
3:47.30 … Willingboro, 2003
3:47.41 … Winslow Twp., 2017
3:47.4h … Camden, 1978
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
All-Time South Jersey Penn Relays 4-by-4 List
3:44.67 … Clayton, 2022 Championship of America [6th]
3:45.41 … Camden, 1995 Championship of America [4th]
3:45.74 … Willingboro, 1999 Championship of America [1st]
3:45.94 … Camden, 1995 South Jersey [1st]
3:46.04 … Timber Creek, 2024 South Jersey [1st]
3:46.18 … Willingboro, 2000 Philadelphia Area [1st]
3:47.30 … Willingboro, 2003 South Jersey Large School [1st]
3:47.39 … Clayton, 2022 South Jersey Small School [1st]
3:48.08 … Winslow Twp., 2017 Philadelphia Area [3rd]
3:48.80 … Willingboro, 1999 South Jersey Large School [1st]
3:49.30 … Winslow Twp., 2004 Philadelphia Area [1st]
3:49.46 … Eastern, 2003 South Jersey Large School [2nd]
3:49.53 … Willingboro, 1998 Philadelphia Area [1st]
3:49.66 … Winslow Twp., 2024 South Jersey Large School [2nd]
3:49.74 … Eastern, 2003 Philadelphia Area [1st]
3:49.97 … Lenape, 2015 Philadelphia Area [3rd]