The Cherokee girls ran the 8th-fastest 4-by-8 in South Jersey history and won their 2nd Penn Relays race in four years Friday morning at Franklin Field, advancing to Saturday’s Championship of America for the 3rd time in four years.
Alyssa Suriano, Megan Niglio, Sofia Recinto and Maddie Meder won the 2nd large-school race in 9:15.02, the 11th-fastest time overall from the four 3,200-meter relays. The 12 fastest qualify for the Championship of America, and the cutoff was 9:15.35.
Cherokee will race in the Championship of America at 4:45 p.m. Saturday. This is Cherokee’s 3rd Championship of America 4-by-8 appearance.
In 2022, Cherokee won the 1st Large-School race in 9:21.19 with Kelsey Niglio, Kerry O’Day, Megan Niglio and Nicole Clifford, then placed 4th in the CoA race in 9:17.77. And in 2023, Cherokee ran 9:23.45 with Kelsey Niglio, O’Day, Meder and Megan Niglio in the heats and placed 6th in the Championship race in 9:14.25, which is the outdoor school record.
Suriano led off with a 2:16.32, Niglio ran 2:22.76, Recinto 2:18.95 and Meder 2:17.00. Suriano, Recinto and Meder all PR’d, and for Recinto it was her first time under 2:20.
Cherokee is one of two New Jersey schools to qualify for the Championship of America. Rumson-Fair Haven ran 9:08.76 and placed 4th in the 2nd Small-School race.
In the 2nd Small School race, Winslow ran 9:24.05 with freshman Amariah Arango [2:20.38], senior Ava Millner [2:18.09], freshman Adaiah Arango [2:23.03] and sophomore Tristan Hughes [2:22.56]. They broke the school record of 9:27.27 they set at the Woodbury Relays last weekend.
Moorestown placed 5th in Cherokee’s race with a school-record 9:29.34. Freshman Hope Edwards [2:17.86], senior Sarah Brown [2:24.30], senior Noeila Reyes [2:26.04] and freshman Payton Derer [2:21.15] ran for the Quakers. Moorestown’s previous school record was 9:36.18 at last year’s Meet of Champions at Pennsauken.
All-Time South Jersey 4-by-8 List
9:00.51 … Haddonfield, 2021
9:05.62 … Lenape, 2012
9:05.83 … Lenape, 2008
9:06.30 … Haddonfield, 2008
9:10.32 … Haddonfield, 2000
9:12.30 … Haddonfield, 2019
9:14.25 … Cherokee, 2023
9:15.02 … Cherokee, 2025
9:15.61 … Ocean City, 2014
9:15.19 … Lenape, 2007
9:15.51 … Ocean City, 2024
9:15.92 … Haddonfield, 2015
9:16.57 … Seneca, 2017
9:16.79 … Haddonfield, 1999
9:17.77 … Cherokee, 2022
9:18.22 … Kingsway, 2016
9:18.37 … Haddonfield, 2019
9:18.57 … Seneca, 2018
9:18.71 … Lenape, 2011
9:18.93 … Haddonfield, 2018
9:18.94 … Lenape, 2006
9:19.15 … Wilson, 2002
9:19.68 … Kingsway, 2017
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 