The Willingboro and Pennsauken girls blazed two of the five-fastest 400-meter relay times in South Jersey history Wednesday, and Rancocas Valley and Kingsway weren’t far behind.
Willingboro, Pennsauken and Rancocas Valley placed 2nd, 3rd and 4th at the Meet of Champions at Pennsauken and were the three-fastest public schools in the race.
A Scotch Plains-based all-star team won the race in 46.22, with Willingboro 2nd in 46.71, Pennsauken 3rd in 46.95, Rancocas Valley 3rd in 47.36 and Kingsway 6th in 47.84. Washington Township [48.60], Burlington Township [48.88] and Ocean City [48.89] all also broke 49 seconds in the fastest 400-meter relay in New Jersey track history.
The race produced the 1st-, 3rd-, 5th- and 14th-fastest times in meet history and the 3rd-, 5th- and 15th-fastest times in South Jersey history.
The fastest times for place in meet history for every place from 1st through 18th – other than 5th – came from this race.
Willingboro’s 46.71 with junior Kaila Speight, Jade Pinder, Maya Bolden and senior Nester Wea is 10th-fastest in state history and 3rd-fastest all-time in South Jersey, behind Timber Creek’s 46.19 in 2024 and 46.43 in 2023. It broke the Burlington County record – a hand-timed 46.9 by Willingboro at the 1980 state Group 4 Championships in Piscataway. It was the fastest 2nd-place time in meet history, more than half a second faster than Delsea’s 47.27 behind Summit’s 47.07 in 2017.
Just behind was Pennsauken, with juniors Sanaya Dupree and Olivia Dupree, sophomore Abigayle John and junior Sianni Wynn, who went on to win the 100 and 200 for the 2nd year in a row. Pennsauken’s 46.95 is 15th-fastest in state history, 5th-fastest in South Jersey history and 6th-fastest in meet history. The fastest previous 3rd-place time was East Brunswick’s 47.45 in 2017. Pennsauken was a full half second faster.
Rancocas Valley was next, and its 47.36 with senior Cecilia King, junior Angelina Brown, junior Rhyann Roseboro and senior Jordyn Hickson is 14th-fastest in South Jersey history and broke the school record of 47.49 from the 2017 Meet of Champions at Northern Burlington. R.V.’s time is No. 3 in Burlington County history, behind those two Willingboro performances from Wednesday and 1980.
Kingsway’s 47.84 with senior Jonnelle Lewis, freshman Talia Griscom, freshman Noemi Haller and sophomore Saudah Turner for 6th place is 2nd-fastest in Gloucester County history, behind only Delsea’s 47.27 at the 2017 Meet of Champions at Northern Burlington.
Burlington Township ran sophomore Elaia Campbell, senior Valerie Castro, junior Laila Fairweather and freshman Lanae Porter on its school-record 48.88 team, and Ocean City used freshman Julianne Goodman, sophomore Ella Miller, sophomore Alana Clevenger and senior Naomi Nnewhie and ran 48.89, just a fraction off the 48.81 Cape May County record they ran at Group 3 states.
Winslow ran 47.07 at Penn, which is 4th-fastest in the state this year but scratched at the Meet of Champions. They could still race it again at Franklin Field Nationals.
All-Time New Jersey 400-Meter Relay List
45.48 … Union Catholic, 2024
45.50 … Montclair, 1998
45.53 … Union Catholic, 2025
45.89 … Columbia, 2010
46.08 … Trenton, 1984
46.19 … Timber Creek, 2024
46.40 … Union Catholic, 2023
46.42 … Franklin Twp., 2003
46.43 … Timber Creek, 2023
46.71 … Willingboro, 2025
46.84 … Piscataway, 2014
46.87 … Eastern, 2003
46.89 … Franklin Twp., 2001
46.90 … Paramus Catholic, 2010
46.95 … Pennsauken, 2025
46.96 … Columbia, 2009
46.98 … Winslow Twp., 2017
All-Time South Jersey 400-Meter Relay List
46.19 … Timber Creek, 2024
46.43 … Timber Creek, 2023
46.71 … Willingboro, 2025
46.87 … Eastern, 2003
46.95 … Pennsauken, 2025
46.98 … Winslow Twp., 2017
46.9h … Willingboro, 1980
47.06 … Winslow Twp., 2014
47.07 … Winslow Twp., 2025
47.18 … Winslow Twp., 2013
47.19 … Winslow Twp., 2018
47.25 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2018
47.27 … Delsea, 2017
47.36 … Eastern, 2019
47.36 … Rancocas Valley, 2025
47.40 … Winslow Twp., 2016
47.40 … Winslow Twp., 2025
47.3h … Willingboro, 1981
47.45 … Willingboro, 1994
47.49 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
47.53 … Millville, 2019
47.53 … Rancocas Valley, 2019
47.54 … Winslow Twp., 2003
47.54 … Rancocas Valley, 2018
47.4h … Camden,, 1978
47.4y … Camden, 1979
47.72 … Pennsauken, 2024
47.75 … Eastern, 2002
47.76 … Winslow Twp., 2005
47.76 … Winslow Twp., 2012
47.78 … Willingboro, 2023
47.79 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2021
47.81 … Haddonfield, 2024
47.82 … Moorestown, 2000
47.84 … Kingsway, 2025
47.85 … Deptford, 2015
47.87 … Winslow Twp., 2011
47.9h … Willingboro, 1995
47.8h … Willingboro, 2003
47.94 … Camden, 2000
47.96 … Winslow Twp., 2024
47.98 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2019
All-Time Meet of Champions 400-Meter Relay List
46.22 … Union Catholic, 2025 [1]
46.23 … Timber Creek, 2024 [1]
46.71 … Willingboro, 2025 [2]
46.84 … Piscataway, 2014 [1]
46.87 … Columbia, 2010 [1]
46.95 … Pennsauken, 2025 [3]
46.98 … Timber Creek, 2023 [1]
47.05 … Union Catholic, 2019 [1]
47.07 … Summit, 2017 [1]
47.21 … Union, 2021 [1]
47.27 … Winslow Twp., 2013 [1]
47.27 … Delsea, 2017 [2]
47.36 … Eastern Reg., 2019 [2]
47.36 … Rancocas Valley, 2025 [4]
47.40 … Winslow Twp., 2016 [1]
47.45 … East Brunswick, 2017 [3]
47.48 … Union Catholic, 2016 [2]
47.49 … Rancocas Valley, 2017 [4]
47.53 … Rancocas Valley, 2019 [3]
47.54 … Union Catholic, 2017 [5]
47.58 … Millville, 2019 [4]
47.61 … Piscataway, 2011 [1]
47.61 … Neptune, 2015 [1]
47.63 … Newark Tech, 2012 [1]
47.78 … Willingboro, 2023 [2]
47.80 … Point Pleasant Beach, 2025 [5]
47.81 … Haddonfield, 2024 [2]
47.84 … Kingsway, 2025 [6]
47.85 … Deptford, 2015 [2
47.87 … Winslow Twp., 2011 [2]
47.91 … Newark Tech, 2011 [3]
47.93 … West Orange, 2019 [5]
47.93 … Elizabeth, 2023 [3]
47.95 … Columbia, 2011 [4]
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 