Julia Jackson of Scotch Plains-Fanwood took over the national lead in the girls 400-meter run with a sizzling 53.73 in the preliminary round at Friday's New Balance National Championships at the Armory in New York.
Jackson's 53.73 overtakes the 53.87 run by Roisin Willis of Stevens Point in Wisconsin on Feb. 19 as the fastest time in the nation this season.
The Duke-bound Jackson was one of just two runners to break 55 seconds in the preliminary round. Gabriella Grossman of Fayetteville, Georgia ran the second fastest preliminary time of 54.78
Jackson, who will aim for the national title in the 400 in Saturday's final at 4:05 p.m., lowered her PR from the 54.08 that she ran to win the Eastern States Championship on March 1.
The 53.73 by Jackson still has her at No. 4 on NJ's all-time indoor list. It would be a huge understatement to say that Jackson is among some fast company as the only three girls in NJ history to run faster are all legends of the sport.
They are Sydney McLaughlin of Union Catholic, who ran the national record of 51.61 when she won the 2017 New Balance National title, Athing Mu of the Trenton Track Club (52.55 in 2019), and Olivia Baker of Columbia, who ran 53.49 when she won the 2014 New Balance National title. McLaughlin broke the world record in the 400 hurdles and was a double gold medalist at the Olympics in Tokyo last Summer. Mu broke the American record in the 800 when she struck gold at Tokyo Olympics. Baker recently qualified for the 800 at the World Indoor Championships.