Angelina Perez had time on her mind when she toed the line for the girls Group 2 3,200-meter run on Saturday at Franklin High School in Somerset.
The junior at Lakeland wasn't thrilled with her fourth-place finish in the 1,600 in 5:00.38 on Friday, and was determined to do something big in the 3,200.
She did exactly that!!
How big?
How about the fastest time in the history of the State Group Championships!!
Perez, who opened a huge gap right at the start as she raced the clock, hit the 1,600 mark in 5:07 and kept pouring it on the whole way, stopping the clock at 10:20.25!!
Perez's 10:20.25 took down the All-Groups record (All Groups combined) of 10:22.41 set in 2019 by Abby Loveys of Randolph at the Group 4 race and is No. 15 in state history. She also broke the Group 2 meet record of 10:34.12 set by Olympian Erin Donohue of Haddonfield in 2001.
"Even though my coaches told me to hold back in the 1,600 ad use it as a kind of a workout, I still wasn't happy with how I ran in that 1,600, so today was racing to make up for that and run my best race ever,'' said Perez, whose previous PR was 10:26.17 at the North Jersey, Sec. 1 meet last week. "I really didn't know what the record was, but I knew I was on pace for something really fast. It's so exciting to break this record. To be the fastest runner ever in meet history is an amazing feeling. But I have to keep working hard and try to go even faster in the 3,200 next week.''
It's been a week that Perez will never forget.
"On Thursday it was a my 17th birthday, and I got my drivers license, and not I broke this record,'' said Perez. "This has been the best week ever!!!
