Winslow And Pennsauken Storm Into 4x400 COA At Penn Relays

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Winslow and Pennsauken hooked up in a thriller in the girls' 4x400-meter relay when the South Jersey powerhouses produced a sizzling show and pushed each other into the Championship of America race by burning two of the fastest times in New Jersey history on Thursday at the 130th Penn Relays at historic Franklin Field. 

The classic duel took place in the South Jersey Large School 4x400 with Winslow crossing the line first in 3:40.64 and Pennsauken second in 3:41.89!!

Winslow's 3:40.64 is No. 4 in NJ history and Pennsauken's 3:41.89 is No. 8 in state history!!! Those times both smashed the event record of 3:43.46 that Winslow ran in 2024, and earned both teams a spot in the 9-team Championship of America 4x400 race that is scheduled for Friday at 4:55 p.m. 

Hydel of Jamaica, who have won the 4x400 COA four years in a row, had the fastest time in the qualifying heats of 3:39.55. Winslow ran the fifth fastest time and Pennsauken was the sixth fastest.

The last NJ team to win the girls' 4x400 COA is Willingboro in 1999.

Winslow's victory and berth in the COA was especially sweet after the same foursome, Amariah Arango, Cinniya Robinson, Olivia Okaro and Jasmine Jackson, who ran on the 4x100 relay earlier in the day that ran 46.40, missing qualifying for the COA by one spot! Winslow did advance to the 4x100 Northeast Championship race. 

"This was personal,'' said Okaro. "We weren't leaving here without getting to this final. We knew we were ready for this race and we all believed in each other and did what we came out here to do. And we can go even faster in the final!!!''

Winslow's splits were 56.56 for Arango, 53.53 for Robinson, 56.62 for Okaro and 53.85 for Jackson.

 Pensnauken's splits were 52.46 for Summer Schaffer, 52.46 for Sianni Wynn, 56.17 for Olivia Dupree, and 56.14 for Hope Edwards. Earlier in the day, Schaffer, Wynn and Dupree ran on the 4x100 that ran a NJ No. 4 all-time 45.68 to advance to Friday's 4x400 COA.

Natalie Dumas of Eastern, who won the 400, 400 hurdles and 800 at the New Balance Nationals on this track last June, split 53.73 on the third leg for Eastern, who placed fifth in the SJ Large School race in 4:04.02.           

Updated NJ All-Time Top 10