WATCH LIVE: THE PENN RELAYS
PHILADELPHIA -- The Metuchen girls DMR squad knew they were big underdogs heading into Thursday's 126th Penn Relays. But that didn't mean the Bulldogs were about to back down.
Instead, Caroline Schleif, Nelagh Matthews, Sara Lignell, and Molly Malague attacked the track at Franklin Field in an effort to make sure their presence felt.
They succeeded in a big way as Metuchen raced out to an early and then rallied on the anchor leg to place second in 11:57.17, which smashed the Greater Middlesex County record. The former GMC record of 12:09.77 was set by South Brunswick when it finished fourth at 2009 Penn Relays.
Metuchen, the fourth seed, finished behind heavily Saratoga Springs of NY, who ran 11:43.26. Colts Neck, with Lilly Shapiro anchoring in 4:52.79, finished fourth in 12:06.63.
Schleif got Metuchen off to a great start when she cranked out a 3:34.51 1,200 to handoff to Matthews in the lead. Matthews followed with a 61.99 400, and she handed off to Lignell in second place. Lignell ran 2:24.18 for 800, and Malague moved Metuchen from fourth to second with a 4:56.50 anchor carry.
Malague said she's proud of how her team went after it.
"We knew how tough of a team Sartoga Springs is, but we wanted to come here and at least give them a run for their money,'' said Malague. "And we gave it our all and ran our fastest time, so we couldn't be happier. Getting second at the Penn Relays is a great accomplishment.''
Schleif said making history is something she and her teammates will always remember.
"This is the first time a Metuchen girls team ran in a Championship of America race, so we wanted to really make our mark and set a record,'' said Schleif. "So we are very happy with how we ran. It's something we'll never forget.
