Haddonfield junior Riley Austin led five half-milers under 2:20 Wednesday at the Ott Center, with Austin, Moorestown freshman Hope Edwards, Paul VI sophomore Grace Gutowski, Ocean City sophomore Carly Godfrey and Northern Burlington senior Liliah Gordon all running 2:19.15 or faster.
Austin won the race in 2:17.24, No. 2 in South Jersey this year, Edwards was 2nd in 2:17.92 in her 2nd high school race, Gutowski ran 2:18.18 for 3rd, Godfrey crossed the line in 2:18.60 and Gordon – coming off her 2nd-place finish at the USATF Under-20 Cross Country Championships in Lubbock, Texas – dipped down from 5K to 800 meters and ran 2:19.15 for 5th.
The times are No. 2 through No. 6 in South Jersey this year. Natalie Dumas of Eastern ran 2:11.42 at Ocean Breeze earlier this month.
Austin ran slightly faster – 2:16.87 – at last year’s state Group 2 Championships at the Bubble. She does not run outdoor track, so that 2:16.87 is her overall PR.
Edwards broke Moorestown’s indoor school record of 2:21.56 set by Allison Tetreault at the 2008 state Group 3 meet at the Bubble. Becky Wells ran 2:14.3 outdoors when she placed 2nd to Hackensack’s Jasmin Jones at the 1987 Meet of Champions at South Plainfield.
She also broke the Burlington County freshman class record of 2:18.61 set at the 2020 Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze by Cherokee’s Kelsey Niglio. Her time is fastest by a South Jersey freshman since Washington Township’s Kami Joi Hickson ran 2:14.99 at the 2017 state Group 4 meet at the Bubble.
Gutowski broke her indoor PR of 2:26.97 from the Parochial A Championships last March at the Bubble. She’s run 2:17.85 outdoors.
Godfrey also recorded an indoor 800 PR after running 2:23.02 this past March in Boston. She’s run slightly faster outdoors – she has a 2:18.50 at Group 3 states this past June at Delsea.
Gordon’s 2:19.15 is an indoor PR because it’s the first indoor 800 she’s ever run. She ran 2:17.65 in her only outdoor 800 last year. Her time is also a school record.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 