The Cherokee girls won the 3,200-meter relay at the 89th annaul Easterns Tuesday night at the Armory and recorded a likely Penn Relays qualifier.
Junior Alyssa Suriano, Megan Niglio, Sofia Recinto and Maddie Meder ran 9:21.64 and won by 50 meters over Massapequa, N.Y. Suriano led off in 2:20.06, Niglio split 2:19.18, Recinto ran 2:23.93 and Meder anchored in 2:18.47.
This is the 2nd year in a row Cherokee has recorded a win at Easterns. The Lady Chiefs won the distance medley last year in 12:16.72. The only other wins from the Cherokee girls program at Easterns have come from Monica Olkowski in the 1,000-yard run at Jadwin in 1990 and Megan Lacy in the mile in 2012.
Previous South Jersey 4-by-8 winners at Easterns are Buena in 1999, Woodrow Wilson in 2002, Lenape in 2008 and 2012 and Haddonfield in 2017. Cherokee’s time is fastest at Easterns since Ridge ran 9:15.07 in 2019.
Cherokee’s time is 12th-fastest in South Jersey history and 3rd-fastest by a New Jersey school this yaer, behind that Scotch Plains-based all-star team [8:58.48] and Manalapan [9:14.71].
All-Time South Jersey 3,200-Meter Relay List
9:04.66 … Lenape, 2013
9:07.27 … Cherokee, 2022
9:09.71 … Lenape, 2012
9:11.94 … Lenape, 2008
9:16.28 … Haddonfield, 2024
9:19.01 … Lenape, 2011
9:19.35 … Wilson, 2002
9:19.80 … Cherokee, 2023
9:22.18 … Haddonfield, 2020
9:22.30 … Lenape, 2010
9:21.38 … Buena, 1999
9:21.64 … Cherokee, 2025
9:22.18 … Haddonfield, 2020
9:22.23 … Eastern, 2024
9:23.71 … Lenape, 2009
9:24.68 … Seneca, 2017
9:25.67 … Winslow Twp., 2025
9:26.65 … Kingsway, 2020
9:26.67 … Lenape, 2007
9:27.12 … Moorestown, 2025
9:27.22 … Lenape, 2014
9:28.7 ….. Willingboro, 2003
9:28.90 … Haddonfield, 2019
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 