Rancocas Valley broke the school record in the 4-by-4 by two seconds Saturday.

Then R.V. broke the school record in the 4-by-4 by two seconds Saturday again.

Rancocas Valley, which has one of the oldest and richest track and field traditions in South Jersey, had never run sub-3:20 until the Penn Relays.

On Saturday afternoon, the Red Devils won the South Jersey 1,600-Meter Relay at Penn with a 3:18.10 and 4 1/2 hours later, R.V. placed a close second to Howard Tech of Wilmington in the Philadelphia Area Championship Race with a 3:16.33. Howard Tech ran 3:16.32.

Get this: That’s the fastest time by a South Jersey 4-by-4 in NINE YEARS!

Rob Hawkins (49.52), Sam Keleekai (48.68), Vincent Brown (50.24) and Brian Merriman (47.91) ran the No. 2 time in New Jersey this year, behind only Cory Poole and East Orange Campus, who ran 3:13.92 at Penn.

Rancocas Valley’s time is  fastest by a South Jersey 4-by-4 since 2008, when Absegami, led by Geof Navarro and Demetrius Rooks, ran 3:15.77 and Winslow, anchored by Barry Cephas, ran 3:16.13 to place first and second in the Meet of Champions.

It’s the fastest time by a Burlington County school since Willingboro ran 3:15.31 for second to Seton Hall Prep at the 2007 Meet of Champions.

Previous school record was 3:20.04 at last year’s Burlington County Open, on the Red Devils’ home track.

R.V’s record in the mile relay is 3:22.1, when Dave Ortega, Chris Harkins, John Stevenson and Andy Robinson won the 1976 South Jersey Group 4 title. That would convert to a 3:20.9 for the 4-by-400.

Interesting to note that Merriman is the son of Darryl Merriman, who was state Group 4 champ in the intermediate hurdles in 1982 running for Fred Rucker at Willingboro with a 53.1 and also won sectional titles that year in both the highs and intermediates.

The evolution of the 1,600-meter relay is pretty interesting.

Once upon a time, the 4-by-4 ruled in South Jersey.

Up through 1979, no South Jersey school had run faster than 3:17. Then six did it between 1980 and 1985 and then nobody did it for 10 years. Then from 1996 through 2008, 23 schools went sub-3:17 in the span of 13 years. Those were the glory days of the 4-by-4.

Heck, at the 2001 Meet of Champions, 3:13.85 got you third place! Two years later, 3:11.24 got you second!!!

But since 2009, a span of nine years, only four schools have broken 3:17 and none of them ran faster than 3:16.53.

Until Saturday.

Here’s a look at the all-time South Jersey 4-by-4 list. So RV’s time is No. 31 in South Jersey history but fastest since 2008!

3:09.91 … Camden, 2001
3:10.47 … Winslow Twp., 2003
3:11.24 … Willingboro, 2003
3:11.2h … Edgewood, 1984
3:12.14 … Edgewood, 1985
3:12.17 … Winslow Twp., 2002
3:12.27 … Winslow Twp., 2002
3:12.44 … Willingboro, 2001
3:13.50 … Camden, 2005
3:13.58 … Camden, 2004
3:13.71 … Winslow Twp., 2004
3:13.78 … Camden, 1980
3:13.85 … Edgewood, 2001
3:14.06 … Lenape, 2000
3:14.12 … Edgewood, 1983
3:14.2h … Willingboro, 1982
3:14.58 … Camden, 1999
3:14.79 … Willingboro, 2007
3:14.95 … Vineland, 2002
3:14.99 … Woodrow Wilson, 1996
3:15.00 … Lenape, 2000
3:15.04 … Willingboro, 2002
3:15.29 … Eastern, 2002
3:15.31 … Willingboro, 2007
3:15.34 … Camden, 1997
3:15.41 … Vineland, 2003
3:15.5h … Woodrow Wilson, 1984
3:15.77 … Absegami, 2008
3:16.08 … Camden, 2007
3:16.13 … Winslow Twp., 2008
3:16.33 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
3:16.46 … Camden, 2004
3:16.47 … Vineland, 2003
3:16.53 … Paul VI, 2016
3:16.57 … Cherry Hill East, 2016
3:16.61 … Oakcrest, 2011
3:16.65 … Timber Creek, 2003

junior Sydney Coppolino split 2:12 to anchor Sterling to an eye-popping 4:05.57 win in the sprint medley Saturday at the Rowland Relays at Haddon Township.

Sterling won the race by 130 meters over Cumberland Regional.

Sterling’s time is fastest in New Jersey this year and No. 13 on the all-time South Jersey list, fastest since Millville ran 4:04.44 in 2013. The Silver Knights broke the school record of 4:17.90 – set a week earlier at Woodbury — by more than 12 seconds.

Junior Aliya Harrison led off with a 59.7 for 400 meters, with junior Carly Fox and senior Janell Rowe both splitting 26 and change for the 200 legs. That set up Coppolino, who has run 2:13 scratch several times and finished fifth last spring in the Meet of Champions.

Sterling broke the Group 2 meet record of 4:18.30, set in 1983 by Washington Township — presumably with legendary Michelle Rowen anchoring — and also the overall meet record of 4:14.90, set in 2000 by Overbrook, presumably with Tara DeBrielle anchoring.

Here’s the all-time South Jersey SMR list:

3:59.6h … Willingboro, 2003
4:00.34 … Willingboro, 2006
4:00.71 … Willingboro, 2002
4:01.07 … Lenape, 2015
4:02.69 … Willingboro, 2004
4:02.89 … Woodrow Wilson, 2002
4:03.04 … Camden, 1995
4:03.54 … Lenape, 2006
4:04.44 … Millville, 2013
4:04.86 … Woodrow Wilson, 2009
4:05.2h … Winslow Twp., 2003
4:05.36 … Willingboro, 2010
4:05.57 … Sterling, 2017
4:05.70 … Ocean City, 2004
4:06.06 … Ocean City, 2005
4:06.56 … Rancocas Valley, 2007
4:07.16 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2015

Interesting to note that the South Jersey record is listed in most places as 3:59.0 by Willingboro in 2003.

The reality is that when the Chimeras ran that time at the 2003 Carl Lewis Relays before FAT timing was used at that meet, a finish line clerk scribbled the “6” so sloppily that the results tent read it as a “0” and not a 6. I tried to correct the woman in the tent typing up the results, but she had no interest in getting the time correctly.

It didn’t help that my conversation with her was obstructed by excruciatingly loud and abrasive rap music blasting out of speakers strategically set up three inches from the results tent.

So despite the fact that everybody’s stopwatch – including mine – had something between 3:59.6 and 3:59.7 – the time has gone into the record books as 3:59.0.

But not my record book!

Mainland Regional junior Alyssa Aldridge placed third in the Penn Relays high school girls 3,000-meter run Thursday with the fourth-fastest time in South Jersey history.

Aldridge ran 9:50.11, finishing behind only Jessica Lawson of Corning-Painted Post High in Corning, N.Y. (9:37.63) and Martha McDonald of Havergal College in Toronto, Ontario (9:42.10).

Her time is also No. 16 in state history and fastest by a South Jersey girl at Penn since Cherokee’s Megan Lacy ran 9:44.72 for fourth place in the 2012 race.

It’s also fastest by any New Jersey girl since Megan Durham of Villa Walsh Academy in Morristown ran 9:46.76 at the 2013 Penn Relays.

Aldridge’s previous 3,000 PR was 9:54.66 from last year’s Penn Relays.

Aldridge, the Meet of Champions and Foot Locker Regional champion this past fall in cross country, also has PRs of 4:55.83 for 1,600 meters, 10:34.78 for 3,200 meters, 17:24.43 for 5,000 meters on the track.

Here is the all-time South Jersey list, with all 10 girls under 10 minutes (eight of them in the last nine years):

9:40.23 …Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2010
9:44.72 …Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2012
9:45.83 …Megan Venables [Highland], 2010
9:50.11 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Reg.], 2017
9:53.19 …Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2009
9:55.0h …Theresa Cattuna [Cherry Hill East], 2007
9:50.95 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2016
9:57.12 …Dina Iacone  [Washington Twp.], 2012
9:57.9h …Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1981
9:59.5h …Deanna Germano [Shawnee], 1985
10:00.06 …Vanessa Wright (Haddonfield), 2005
10:00.4h …Kelly Foley (Haddonfield), 1981
10:00.6h …Dawn Cody (Paul VI), 1982
10:03.60 … Julianna Catania [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2016
10:04.90 … Meghan Hughes [Moorestown], 2003

And here’s the all-time state list, including Meg Waldron, who set the state record 35 years ago and was at the meet this past weekend and saw Aldridge run:

9:33.7h …Meg Waldron (Bernards), 1981
9:37.15 …Kathleen McCafferty (Oak Knoll Academy), 2008
9:37.1h …Jodie Bilotta (North Hunterdon), 1987
9:37.91 …Ashley Higginson (Colts Neck), 2007
9:40.11 …Monal Chokshi (Bridgewater-(Raritan West), 1991
9:40.23 …Marielle Hall (Haddonfield), 2010
9:41.24 …Chris Constantin (Kittatinny), 1988
9:41.7h …Anne Letko (North Hunterdon), 1981
9:44.72 …Megan Lacy (Cherokee), 2012
9:44.87 …Melanie Thompson (Voorhees), 2008
9:45.83 …Megan Venables (Highland), 2010
9:46.76 …Megan Curham (Villa Walsh Academy), 2013
9:47.10 …Danielle Tauro (Southern Regional), 2007
9:47.8h …Janet Smith (North Edison), 1984
9:49.0h …Theresa Gschwind (Summit), 1981
9:50.11 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Reg.], 2017
9:50.15 …Jenna Rogers (Ridgewood), 1994
9:50.5h …Chris MacDonnell (Westwood), 1980
9:51.70 …Amanda Trotter (Red Bank), 2002
9:51.72 …Melanie Thompson (Voorhees), 2009
9:52.22 …Dana Giordano (Bernards), 2011
9:52.73 … Carleen Jeffers [Ridgewood], 2015
9:53.19 …Chelsea Ley (Kingsway), 2009
9:53.39 … Dana Klein [Gill-St. Bernard’s], 2014
9:55.0h …Theresa Cattuna (Cherry Hill East), 2007
9:55.65 …Amy Beykirch (Pinelands), 1997
9:55.87 …Katie Kellner (West Windsor-Plainsboro South), 2009
9:48.59 …Grace Dwyer (Nottingham), 2014
9:50.11 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Reg.], 2017
9:50.95 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2016
9:57.12 …Dina Iacone  (Washington Twp.), 2012
9:57.53 …Caroline Kellner (West Windsor-Plainsboro-South), 2010
9:57.93 … Eve Glasergreen [North Hunterdon], 2015
9:57.9h …Michelle Rowen (Washington Twp.), 1981
9:59.5h … Deanna Germano (Shawnee), 1985
9:59.7h … Melinda Holm (Mendham), 1981
10:00.06 …Vanessa Wright (Haddonfield), 2005
10:00.07… Kristen Stevens (Roxbury), 2006
10:00.2h … Lisa Schadler Bergenfield), 1980
10:00.4h … Kelly Foley (Haddonfield), 1981
10:00.6h … Dawn Cody (Paul VI), 1982
10:00.94 … Mackenzie Barry [Mendham], 2014
10:00.8 Amy Hansen (Woodb(Ridge), 1980
10:01.3 KristenHall (Mendham [West Morris]), 1991
10:01.4 Judy Ruff (Highland Park), 1980
10:02.16 Lindsay VanAlstine (Hawthorne Christian), 2003
10:03.2 Sandra Tignor (Princeton), 1988
10:03.60 … Julianna Catania [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2016
10:03.97 Cathy Feeney (Wayne Valley), 1990
10:04.14 Josette Norris (Tenafly), 2013
10:04.90 … Meghan Hughes [Moorestown], 2003

With four even legs — all between 1:56.1 and 1:57.3 — Egg Harbor ran 7:47.13 to finish fifth in the Championship of America 3,200-meter relay at the Penn Relays at Franklin Field and first among United States schools.

Robert Dessoye (1:57.04), Alex Dessoye (1:56.04), Aidin Hendriks (1:57.30) and Eric Barnes (1:56.77) finished behind only four Jamaican schools — St. Elizabeth Tech  of Santa Cruz, who won in 7:33.27, St. Jago of St. Catherine (7:39.67) and Calabar (7:43.62) and Jamaica College of Kingston (7:44.26).

Egg Harbor is now the only school in South Jersey history to run 7:47.5 or faster in consecutive years.

Egg Harbor’s time is No. 6 in South Jersey history and fastest in New Jersey this year. Here’s a list of every South Jersey time in history under 7:49:

7:40.71 … Pleasantville, 2013
7:40.99 … Willingboro, 1983
7:43.57 … Haddonfield, 2015
7:44.25 … Willingboro, 2003
7:46.2h … Deptford, 1967
7:47.13 … Egg Harbor, 2017
7:47.27 … Egg Harbor, 2016
7:47.66 … Kingsway, 2011
7:47.9h … Willingboro, 1982
7:48.25 … Vineland, 2012
7:48.3h … Woodbury, 1977
7:48.70 … Rancocas Valley, 2016

Earlier Saturday, with a completely different lineup, Egg Harbor ran 3:17.96 in the 1,600-meter relay, the second-fastest time in New Jersey this year.

 

Twenty-nine years after Holy Cross graduate Vince Labosky won the Penn Relays javelin, another Holy Cross grad has duplicated his feat.

Chris Mirabelli, a junior at Rutgers, threw a personal-best 251-6 and won by 17 inches over Michael Shuey of Penn State. Mirabelli and Shuey both uncorked their big throw on their final attempt of the meet.

He also extended his own school record and moved into the No. 41 spot on the 2017 world list. Only Riley Doleful at 252-4 3/4 ranks among him Against U.S. throwers.

Mirabelli’s previous PR was 250-0, set two weeks ago at the Metropolitan Championships in Piscataway.

Mirabelli now ranks third in NCAA Division 1 this year, trailing only Ioannis Kyriazis Ioannis of Greece (world-leading 288-9) of Texas A&M and Matti Mortimore of North Dakota State and England (254-2).

Labosky won the 1988 and 1990 Penn Relays javelin while at Kansas. Mirabelli, a Lumberton native, was second last year. His younger brother, Nick, was second in the high school javelin on Saturday.

 

 

Deptford’s Khion Smith, MarQuel Davis, Jaythan Vereen and Tariq Bundy teamed up to run 41.89 in their 400-meter relay heat Saturday at the Penn Relays at Franklin Field.

The time was 13th-fastest of 311 schools entered in the Small School 400-meter relay at Penn.

The performance broke the Gloucester County record of 42.12, set by last year’s Deptford team at the state Group 3 meet.

Deptford came back to run 42.07 in the Small School Championship race later Saturday.

Here’s an updated look at the all-time state list, with South Jersey schools bold-faced:

40.92 .. Winslow, 2003
41.0h … Plainfield, 1980
41.09 … Camden, 2000
41.2h … Weequahic, 1972
41.25 … Camden, 2004
41.25 … Camden, 2001
41.45 … Timber Creek, 2014
41.46 … Franklin Twp., 2016
41.50 … Timber Creek, 2013
41.52 … Plainfield, 1998
41.54 … Camden, 2002
41.62 … Camden, 2003
41.64 … Winslow Twp., 2004
41.65 … Trenton, 1999
41.69 … Willingboro, 1991
41.71 … Edgewood, 2000
41.71 … Teaneck, 2010
41.72 … Plainfield, 1998
41.74 … Rahway, 1985
41.5h … Westfield, 1978
41.80 … Oakcrest, 2012
41.82 … Neptune, 2009
41.83 … Camden, 1997
41.83 … Westfield, 1977
41.83 … Camden, 1997
41.83 … Oakcrest, 2011
41.85 … Pennsauken, 2016
41.6h … Montclair, 1984
41.6h … Montclair, 1972
41.89 … Deptford, 2017
41.91 … Irvington, 2005
41.7h … Camden, 1996
41.7h … Edgewood, 2001
41.98 … Plainfield, 2000

Egg Harbor just missed its eight-year-old school record and ran the fastest 1,600-meter relay by a South Jersey school this year Saturday morning with a 3:17.96 on Day 3 of the Penn Relays at Franklin Field.

Amir Brock was credited with a 46.81 leadoff leg for EHT!

Egg Harbor does not run in the South Jersey 4-by-4 and got into a class race with Calabar of Kingston, Jamaica, which won the race in 3:11.95.

After Brock’s leadoff, Hunter Barbieri split 49.0, Michael Nielson 51.99 and Shaquille Boyd 50.17.

The Eagles’ only faster time is a 3:17.79 to win the 2009 state Group 4 title.

In an earlier race, East Orange, led by Cory Polle’s 47.39 split, ran 3:13.92, the only faster time by a New Jersey school this year.

Egg’s time is 14th-fastest among 507 schools that raced in the 1,600-meter relay at Penn Saturday. Eight of the 13 faster times were produced by schools from Jamaica or Trinidad.

EHT’s time is No. 4 in Atlantic County history, behind Absegami’s 3:15.77 in 2008, Oakcrest’s 3:16.61 in 2011 and Pleasantville’s 3:17.57 in 1996.

 

Jessica Woodard, a junior at Oklahoma, returned home to the Delaware Valley and won the women’s championship shot put at the Penn Relays Thursday with a throw of 55-11 on the grass fields outside Franklin Field.

Woodard, a graduate of Cherokee High School, won by more than 2 1/2 feet over Alyssa Robinson of Penn State.

Woodard’s 55-11 is her best this spring. She threw 57-6 3/4 indoors and 58-7 3/4 last spring when she placed third at NCAAs.

This is the first time Woodard has thrown the shot at Penn. She was third in the discus in 2015 as an Oklahoma freshman and third in the discus in 2013 as a Cherokee senior.

Her 55-11 Woodard’s No. 11 in NCAA Division 1 this year.

Woodard will participate in the championship discus event at 11:30 a.m. Friday.

The Winslow girls pulled off a sick double at the Penn Relays Thursday, running 47.15 to win their heat in the 400-meter relay and then coming back to run 3:51.84 to win the South Jersey Large School 1,600-Meter Relay.

Winslow advanced to the Large School Championship race in the 400-meter relay at 2:27 p.m. Friday and also the Tri-State Championship race at 1:45 p.m. Saturday. In the 1,600-meter relay, they advanced to the Philadelphia Area Championship race at 5:15 p.m. Saturday.

Let’s start with the 400-meter relay.

Tionna Tobias, Flora Ahiarakwe, Iyianna Williams and Shakira Dancy ran for Winslow, which won its race by nearly 2 1/2 seconds.

Winslow’s time was 14th-fastest overall, fifth-fastest in all the Large-School races and fastest of all New Jersey schools, a full second faster than Rancocas Valley’s 48.18. Of the 13 faster schools, eight are from Jamaica, one from the Bahamas, one from Virginia, one from Florida, one from Maryland and one from Pennsylvania.

The time is fourth-fastest in South Jersey history and No. 15 in state history and less than a 10th of a second off the school record of 47.06 set three years ago. The last South Jersey school other than Winslow to run faster was Eastern with Olympic gold medalist English Gardner back in 2003.

Here is the all-time state list, with South Jersey performances in bold:

45.50 … Montclair, 1998
45.89 … Columbia, 2010
46.08 … Trenton, 1984
46.42 … Franklin Twp., 2003
46.84 … Piscataway, 2014
46.87 … Eastern, 2003
46.89 … Franklin Twp., 2001
46.90 … Paramus Catholic, 2010
46.96 … Columbia, 2009
47.02 … Columbia, 2005
47.06 … Winslow Twp., 2014
47.09 … Shabazz, 1986
47.12 … Columbia, 2012
46.9h … Willingboro, 1980
47.15 … Winslow Twp., 2017
47.18 … Winslow Twp., 2013
47.22 … Trenton, 2002
47.27 … Trenton, 1983

In the 1,600-meter relay, Williams, Ahiarakwe, Janeya Hammond and Dancy ran 3:51.84, fastest winning time in the South Jersey Large-School race in 11 years — since Woodrow Wilson ran 3:50.81 in 2006.

Winslow has won the last two South Jersey 4-by-4 races at Penn and four of the last seven.

The 3:51.84 is No. 2 in New Jersey this year, behind only Union Catholic, with Olympian Sydney McLaughlin, who ran 3:39.35 Thursday and qualified for the Championship of America with the No. 2 time overall (behind a 3:37.70 by Hydel of St. Catherine, Jamaica). Union Catholic’s time is No. 2 in state history. McLoughlin split 50.78 on the anchor leg!

Here’s a look at all the winning times since the South Jersey girls 4-by-400 races were added in 1994:

2017 … Winslow Twp., 3:51.84
2016 … Winslow Twp., 3:55.97
2015 … Lenape, 3:59.53
2014 … Lenape, 3:58.42
2013 … Cherokee, 3:54.98
2012 … Winslow, 3:54.53
2011 … Winslow, 3:57.63
2010 … Seneca, 3:56.90
2009 … Seneca, 4:02.63
2008 … Camden, 3:53.88
2007 … Washington Twp., 3:56.69
2006 … Woodrow Wilson, 3:50.81
2005 … Woodrow Wilson, 3:56.77
2004 … Winslow Twp., 3:54.61
2003 … Willingboro, 3:47.30
2002 … Willingboro, 3:51.45
2001 … Woodrow Wilson, 3:51.80
2000 … Willingboro, 3:53.15
1999 … Willingboro, 3:48.80
1998 … Willingboro, 3:53.55
1997 … Willingboro, 3:55.82
1996 … Willingboro, 4:00.45
1995 … Camden, 3:46.94
1994 … Camden, 3:50.45

The Seneca girls on Thursday ran the fastest 3,200-meter relay by a South Jersey school this year, shattering the school record and just missing advancing to Friday’s  Championship of America race at the Penn Relays.

Grayce Heinemann, Carley Tool, Kayla Martin and Sydny Warner ran 9:16.57, fastest in Seneca history indoors or out and No. 10 in South Jersey history indoors or out.

The Golden Eagles placed fourth in the first of two Small-School races at historic Franklin Field. The top 12 teams from the four Small-School and Large-School races advanced to the Friday afternoon Championship of America race. The 12th-fastest time Thursday was 9:12.68. So Seneca fell less than four seconds short. Their time was 16th-fastest overall out of the four races.

Seneca’s time is No. 2 in New Jersey this year, behind only Ridge, which won the second Large-School race is 9:06.60 and qualified for the Championship of America.

Seneca’s previous school record was 9:23.53 to win last year’s state Group 3 meet.

Heinemann led off with a 2:19.2 split. followed by Tool in 2;22.9, Martin in 2:16.2 and Warner in 2:18.5.

Here’s a look at the all-time South Jersey performance list, including times recorded both indoors and out.

9:04.66 … Lenape, 2013 [in]
9:05.62 … Lenape, 2012 [out]
9:05.83 … Lenape, 2008 [out]
9:06.30 … Haddonfield, 2008 [out]
9:09.71 … Lenape, 2012 [in]
9:10.32 … Haddonfield, 2000 [out]
9:11.94 … Lenape, 2008 [in]
9:15.61 … Ocean City, 2014 [out]
9:15.92 … Haddonfield, 2015 [out]
9:16.57 … Seneca, 2017 [out]
9:16.79 … Haddonfield, 1999 [out]
9:18.71 … Lenape, 2011 [out]
9:18.94 … Lenape, 2006 [out]
9:19.15 … Wilson, 2002 [out]
9:19.35 … Wilson, 2002 [in]