The Cherokee girls 4x800-meter relay squad threw down the fastest high school time ever run indoors in New Jersey when they burned a 9:07.81, the 10th fastest time in state history, to finish first at the last South Jersey Track Coaches Association meet of the season on Tuesday night at the Bennett Center in Toms River.
Cherokee, which came into the race with a season best time of 9:23.85, received a 2:15.3 lead off leg from junior Kelsey Niglio. Sophomore Kerry O'Day followed with a 2:21.0 carry, freshman Megan Niglio then ran 2:20.0, and senior Nicole Clifford blasted a 2:11.3 on the anchor!
The 9:07.81 smashed the facility record at the Bennett Center of 9:14.47, set in 2017 by Ridge, and is No. 2 in the US this season behind the 8:58.20 run on Feb 12 by Pioneer High in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the MITS-SVSU Distance Festival at Saginaw Valley State University in Saginaw, Mich.
NEW JERSEY'S ALL-TIME 4x800 LIST
8:54.11-Southern Regional, 2009
8:56.94-Red Bank Catholic, 2011
9:00.62-Freehold Township, 2014
9:01.64-Ridge, 2017
9:04.66-Lenape, 2013
9:05.28-Red Bank Catholic, 2012
9:05.40-Columbia, 2014
9:05.97-Pope John, 2007
9:07.44-Union Catholic, 2019
9:07.81-Cherokee, 2022