Freshmen Hope Edwards and Payton Derer ran the fastest 800s by Moorestown girls in 38 years Monday evening at Haddonfield Distance Night. And Paul VI sophomore Grace Gutowski finished in between them.
Edwards won the 800 in 2:15.00 and Derer was 3rd in 2:15.92, the two fastest Moorestown times since Becky Wells ran 2:14.3 when she placed 2nd to Jasmin Jones of Hackensack in the 1987 Meet of Champions. Wells went on to run for Princeton.
Edwards broke the Burlington County freshman record by 1-100th of a second. Shawnee’s Julia Despirito ran 2:15.01 at the 2011 state Group 4 meet at Old Bridge. Derer’s time is 3rd-fastest all-time among Burlington County freshmen.
They’re the two-fastest freshman times in New Jersey this year and fastest by any freshman from South Jersey since Washington Township’s Kami Joi Hickson – now competing for Maryland – ran 2:12.04 at the 2017 Meet of Champions at Northern Burlington.
Gutowski finished in between the two Quakers, taking second in 2:15.39, a big lifetime best for her as well.
Edwards’ previous PR was 2:20.38 from South Jersey Elite last week at Delsea. Derer’s previous PR was 2:18.39 at FAT Wednesday at Cherokee last month. And Gutowski’s was 2:17.58 indoors in March in Boston.
All three negative-split the race. Edwards was out in 68.15 and came back in 66.85, Gutowski ws out in 68.03 and back in 67.36 and Derer was out in 68.24 and back in 67.68.
Edwards, Gutowski and Derer are now No. 2, 3 and 4 in South Jersey this year, behind only Eastern junior Natalie Dumas, who ran 2:14.47 at Delsea last week.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 