From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Woodstown graduate Molly Lodge’s 56.15 anchor led the Rowan women to the 9^th-fastest 4-by-4 in NCAA Division 3 this year Friday at the 129th running of the Penn Relays at Franklin Field.

Rowan ran 3:48.10 at Franklin Field, with freshman Nyla Jones from Timber Creek leading off, ,senior Jasmine Broadway of Burlington Township running 2^nd, freshman Ava Reilly from Toms River East splitting 57.08 and senior Lodge of Woodstown anchoring in 56.15.

Rowan raced without their fastest 400 runner, Triton graduate and two-time NJAC 400 champ Nevaeh Lorjuste, who anchored the 4th-place 4-by-4 at NCAA Division I 3 Nationals in Myrtle Beach. Her 55.46 is No. 2 in school history. We’ll see if she runs Saturday.

Rowan qualified for the College Championship 1,600-Meter Relay, scheduled for 5:20 p.m. Saturday. They’ll start in Lane 2.

 

The Ocean City girls ran the 3rd-fastest distance medley in South Jersey history Friday at the 129th running of the Penn Relays, placing 8th in the Championship of America race at Franklin Field.

Senior Chloe Care, sophomore Alana Clevenger, sophomore Carly Godfrey and junior Maeve Smith ran 11:58.64, which trails only Lenape’s 11:53.15 at 2012 Greensboro Nationals with Camille Franklin, Ana de las Heras, Emily McGee and Natalia Ocasio, and Cherokee’s 11:54.48 at 2023 West Philly Nationals with Megan Niglio, Madison Van Haren, Kelsey Niglio and Kerry O’Day.

Care led off in 3:42.74, Clevenger split 61.24, Godfrey ran 2:13.27 and Snith anchored in 5:01.96. Ocean City broke the Cape May County record of 12:08.61 set by the 2014 Ocean City team of Devin Grisbaum, Cierra Granger, Rachel Stremme and Bridget Flynn at the Rowan Open in Glassboro.

All-Time New Jersey Sub-12 DMR List
11:24.53 … Union Catholic, 2025
11:32.29 … Red Bank Catholic, 2011
11:37.86 … Red Bank, 2003
11:40.81 … Southern Regional, 2007
11:42.16 … Roxbury, 2008
11:42.17 … Red Bank, 2002
11:45.54 … Southern Regional, 2006
11:47.67 … Southern Regional, 2008
11:47.95 … Voorhees, 2002
11:48.04 … Columbia, 1997
11:49.73 … Randolph, 2019
11:50.03 … Roxbury, 2006
11:50.73 … Ridgewood, 2012
11:50.7h … Summit, 1981
11:51.76 … Voorhees, 2007
11:52.24 … Bernards, 2012
11:53.13 … West Windsor-Plainsboro South, 2015
11:53.15 … Lenape, 2012
11:54.22 … Ridgewood, 2019
11:54.48 … Cherokee, 2023
11:54.9h … Summit, 1982
11:55.13 … Randolph, 2010
11:55.41 … Red Bank, 2001
11:55.55 … Red Bank Catholic, 2012
11:56.10 … Mount St. Dominic, 2013
11:56.69 … Ramapo, 2007
11:56.60 … Southern Regional, 2004
11:57.10 … Union Catholic, 2024
11:57.17 … Metuchen, 2022
11:57.85 … Northern Highlands, 2015
11:57.88 … Roxbury, 2007
11:57.96 … Bernards, 2013
11:58.08 … Oak Knoll School, 2025
11:58.33 … North Hunterdon, 2017
11:58.4h … North Hunterdon, 1987
11:58.43 … Randolph, 2007
11:58.64 … Ocean City, 2025
11:58.74 … Southern Regional, 2009
11:59.6h … Ridgewood, 1982
11:59.78 … Mendham, 2012

Winslow ran away with the Philadelphia Area 1,600-Meter Relay Friday afternoon at the 129th running of the Penn Relays at Franklin Field.

Karon Ali, Prince Owusu-Twum, Kristopher Jackson and Dominic Bassey ran 3:16.12, fastest in South Jersey this year. Winslow qualified with a 3:17.19. The only faster New Jersey 4-by-4 this year is Toms River North’s 3:11.95 for 6th place in the Championship of America Friday.

Bassey anchored in 47.25, and Winslow finished five meters ahead of Springfield High in Montgomery County,

The time is Winslow’s fastest since 2004, when they ran 3:13.71 at the Penn Relays.

All-Time South Jersey 1,600-Meter Relay
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
3:12.44 … Willingboro, 2001
3:13.08 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2017
3:13.50 … Camden, 2005
3:13.58 … Camden, 2004
3:13.71 … Winslow Twp., 2004
3:13.78 … Camden, 2000
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
3:14.78 … Pennsauken, 2023
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
3:15.65 … Lenape, 1996
3:15.77 … Absegami, 2008
3:15.79 … Willingboro, 2006
3:16.08 … Camden, 2007
3:16.12 … Winslow Twp., 2025
3:16.13 … Winslow Twp., 2008
3:16.33 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
3:16.3h … Camden, 2002
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
3:16.6h … Willingboro, 1988
3:16.76 … Willingboro, 1993
3:16.9h … Camden, 1981
3:16.9h … Camden, 1986

Rowan’s all-South Jersey 4-by-2 team destroyed the NCAA Division 3 record in the 800-meter relay Friday afternoon at the Penn Relays.

Sophomore Eli Hendricks of Penns Grove, freshman Julian Conigliaro from Delsea, senior Robert McKinney from Highland and freshman Rajahn Dixon from Eastern ran 1:25.04 in their heat of the Championship race at Franklin Field, destroying the NCAA Division 3 outdoor mark of 1:25.74 set by Dubuque of Iowa at the 2022 Drake Relays.

Rowan broke the school record of 1:25.45 that they ran at the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships at the Ott Center across the railroad tracks from Franklin Field in February. That’s the fastest time ever recorded indoors by a Division 3 school. Dixon, Hendricks, Masai Byrd and McKinney ran on that team.

Rowan’s fastest previous oudoor time was a 1:25.2 hand-timed by Rich Forbes from Westfield, Plainfield’s Keith Thomas,. Ronald Moore from Overbrook and Willie Lawson of Plainfield at the 1985 Penn Relays.

Rowan placed 9th in a field of Division 1 schools.

The Winslow girls posted the 12^th-fastest time of over 500 high schools racing the 400-meter relay Friday morning at the 129^th running of the Penn Relays at Franklin Field.

With freshman Amariah Arango, freshman Jasmine Jackson, junior Ma’Syiah Brawner and sophomore Olivia Okaro, Winslow ran the 7^th-fastest time in South Jersey history and qualified for the Northeast Championship race, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

Willingboro ran 47.49 – their fastest time in 31 years – and Pennsauken ran 47.45, just off their 47.26 from Woodbury, and both also qualified for the Northeast Championship race. Pennsauken and Willingboro ran the 19^th– and 20^th-fastest times in the field. They were the only New Jersey public schools under 47.50.

For Willingboro, sophomore Maya Bolden, junior Kaila Speight, junior Jaden Murry and senior Nester Wea raced, and Pennsauken ran juniors Sanaya Dupree and Olivia Dupree, sophomore Abigayle John and junior Sianni Wynn.

For the lineups for the various 400-meter relay championship races, click here.

ALL-TIME SOUTH JERSEY 400-METER RELAY LIST
46.19 … Timber Creek, 2024
46.43 … Timber Creek, 2023
46.87 … Eastern, 2003
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
47.26 … Pennsauken, 2025
47.27 … Delsea, 2017
47.36 … Eastern, 2019
47.40 … Winslow Twp., 2016
47.40 … Winslow Twp., 2025
47.3h … Willingboro, 1981
47.45 … Willingboro, 1994
47.49 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
47.49 … Willingboro, 2025
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
47.85 … 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

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

The Winslow boys were the 5th-fastest U.S. team in the 400-meter relay heats Thursday at the 129th running of the Penn Relays at Franklin Field, and junior KaRon Ali, senior Kristopher Jackson, senior Jayden Poteat and junior Nyqir Helton qualified for the Northeast Final scheduled for 1:35 p.m. Friday.

Winslow ran 41.86, the 13th-fastest time overall among more than 600 schools that ran in the various 4-by-100 races on Day 1 of the Penn Relays.

It was Winslow’s fastest time in 21 years.

Here’s a look at the lineups for all the 400-meter relays on Friday: Click here.

Winslow’s time was 3rd-fastest among New Jersey schools, behind St. Peter’s Prep of Jersey City, which ran 41.71, and Bergen Catholic of Oradell, who also ran 41.86 but slightly faster when broken down to 1,000ths of a second.

Winslow, which ran 42.00 at Woodbury, has only run faster in 2003 [South Jersey-record 40.92] and 2004 [41.64].

The only other South Jersey school under 43 seconds was Lenape, which ran 42.74 with a presumed lineup of sophomore Peyton Brown, junior Zimir Lane, sophomore Srithan Gade and senior M.J. Lincoln. That looks like a Lenape school record.

Deptford junior Kareem Brown ran a big intermediate hurdles PR and the 2nd-fastest time in South Jersey this year at FAT Wednesday at Cherokee.

Brown ran 55.84, a nearly full-second PR from his 56.73 also at Cherokee last May. This was his first intermediates race since sectionals 11 months ago. The only faster intermediate hurdler in South Jersey this year is Winslow’s Dominic Bassey, who ran 54.04 earlier this month at the Deptford Spartan Relays.

Brown’s time is No. 11 in New Jersey this year.

Deptford has a rich history of intermediate hurdlers, led by Lathan Brown, who ran 52.65 in 2023 and placed 3rd in the Meet of Champions. He’s now a sophomore at Rutgers.

Shaquille Dixon [54.03 in 2015], Julian Rodriguez [55.15 in 2021], Tyrece Brown [55.28 in 2019], Tyler Garland [55.35 in 2016] and Brown have all run sub-56.

At Penn, Brown will run the 4-by-1 with senior Tyaire Randells, senior Neo Clark-Tabb and senior Kamari Brown at 12:20 p.m. Thursday and the South Jersey Small-School 4-by-4 with Clark-Tabb, senior Ryan Sanchez and junior Kyle Jackson at 5:15 p.m. Thursday

Clayton senior Alexander Osayemi opened his 2025 season in blazing style Wednesday with the 9th-fastest 400 in South Jersey history and the fastest South Jersey time in eight years.

Racing at Cherokee’s FAT Wednesday, Osayemi ran 47.05, matching East Orange All-America Jordaine Johnson for the fastest time in New Jersey this year. Johnson, who ran 47.05 last week at a meet at East Stroudsburg (Pa.) University, placed 5th at Boston Nationals indoors last month.

Osayemi had not raced this spring. This was his first race since Boston Nationals. His previous PR was 47.98 last year at South Jersey Group 1 Sectionals at Pennsauken.

His time is fastest by a South Jersey quarter-miler since Moorestown’s Brandon Outlaw ran 46.82 at 2017 Central Jersey Group 3 Sectionals at Bernards and 2nd-fastest all-time in by a New Jersey Group 1 runner, behind only Woodbury’s Darrell Bush, who ran 46.95 at the 2011 Meet of Champions at Old Bridge. Bush is also the only runner now ahead of Osayemi on the all-time Gloucester County list.

It’s also the fastest time ever recorded by a South Jersey runner before May. It’s No. 29 in state history. It’s also No. 29 nationally so far this spring according to the MileSplit database.

Osayemi was runner-up in the 400 at last year’s state meet outdoors, behind only Marquis Taylor of Woodbury, who hasn’t raced this spring. Taylor ran 48.23 and Osayemi 48.78. He went on to run 48.22 and place 4th at the Meet of Champions.

At indoor states this winter at the Bubble, he was again 2nd to Taylor, 50.91 to 50.96, and then he was 4th in the Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze with his indoor PR 48.57.

Clayton will run the 4-by-1 at Penn at 10:40 a.m. Thursday with Osayemi, senior Demetris Williams, junior Juson Stewart and freshman Willie Weather and the 4-by-4 in the South Jersey Small School race with Osayemi, senior MarcAnthony Muhaw, Stewart and Williams.

All-Time South Jersey 400 List
46.02 … Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
46.62 … Lamont Smith [Willingboro], 1991
46.66 … Antonio Abney [Willingboro], 2007
46.67 … Jamaad Muse [Timber Creek], 2014
46.77 … Reuben McCoy [Winslow Twp.], 2004
46.82 … Brandon Outlaw [Moorestown], 2017
46.95 … Darrell Bush [Woodbury], 2011
47.03 … Royce Reed [Bridgeton], 1994
47.05 … Alexander Osayemi [Clayton], 2025
47.0h … Darron Outler [Lenape], 1984
47.0h … Ron Hillian [Eastern], 2002
47.30 … Rob Gary [Lenape], 1998
47.39 … Premier Wynn [Pennsauken], 2023
47.1h … Brian Bennett [Edgewood], 1985
47.1h … Barry Douglas [Willingboro], 1993
47.2h … Levin Handy [Vineland], 1969
47.44 … Amir Brock [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2017
47.2h … Curtis Mcintyre [Bridgeton], 1992

Huge performance Tuesday at the Salem County Championships in Salem by one of New Jersey’s top sophomores.

Schalick’s David Stewart won three events and placed in a 4th to help the Cougars win the team title 102-72 over Woodstown.

Biggest highlight of Stewart’s triple win was a huge PR of 49.19 in the 400, dropping his overall PR from 50.30 indoors at the Ott Center in January and lowering his outdoor PR from 52.25 at last year’s Salem County meet at Pennsville.

That 49.19 is 2nd-fastest in New Jersey this year fastest by a Group 1 runner, a South Jersey runner or a sophomore and I believe 3rd-fastest all-time in Salem County, behind Tim Reed of Penns Grove, who ran 47.94 in 1984 at the Delaware Valley Meet of Champions at Franklin Field, and Jaymes Dennison of Penns Grove, who ran 48.33 at 2013 Group 1 states at Egg Harbor.

Stewart also won the 100 in a PR 11.22 and the triple jump at 43-1 ½ and was 5th in the long jump with a 19-5 ¼.

Stewart’s previous 100 PR was an 11.28, also at last year’s Salem County meet. The 11.22 is 2nd-fastest this year in Group 1, behind Kinnelon’s Ryan Geng, who ran 11.08 earlier this month.

In the horizontal jumps, Stewart has PRs of 21-4 ½ from last year’s Salem County meet and 44-4 from a meet at Delsea last month. That 44-4 is No. 3 in New Jersey Group 1 and No. 4 in South Jersey.

At Penn, Schalick will race the 400-meter relay at 11:55 a.m. Thursday and a 4-by-4 class race at 3:39 p.m. Thursday. Listed lineups are senior Reggie Allen Jr., senior Michael Eberl, senior Kenai Simmons and Stewart in the 4-by-1 and Allen Jr., Eberl, Stewart and junior Steve Chomo in the 4-by-4.