UC Girls Record-Tying 9th Straight STATE Relay Title, Win 4×400 at Millrose Trials
By Jim Lambert
The Union Catholic girls track and field team pulled off an amazing double on Wednesday night.
First, the Vikings made history by extending their remarkable winning streak to a state record-tying nine in a row at Wednesday’s NJSIAA Non-Public A Relays Championships at the Bennett Center in Toms River. Then a few hours later, its 4×400 relay team threw down a 3:53.07, the top time in the country this season, at the Millrose Games Trials at the New York Armory.
How awesome is that!!
At the State Non-Public A Relay Championships, UC once again showed that they are the No. 1 team in the state with one of the most impressive performances in meet history as the Vikings racked up 76 points out of a possible 90 to run away with the title. UC’s nine titles in a row ties it with Hopewell Valley for the most consecutive championships by a girls program in meet history. Hopewell Valley captured nine straight from 2002-10.
UC won five of the six races on the track, and placed second in the pole vault, second in the high jump, third in the shot put, and fourth in the 4×800 to finish with 76 points. That just missed the girls meet record of 80 points that UC scored last year.
The biggest highlights of the meet for UC came in the sprint medley relay, first in a NJ No. 1 and meet record 4:10.2, the shuttle hurdles, first in a NJ No. 1 31.74, and the DMR, first in a NJ No. 1/US No. 2 12:17.16. UC’s two other wins came in the 4×400 (4:10.29) and 4×200 (1:43.25).
At the Millrose Games Trials, freshmen Rhia Randolph, freshman Sydney Chadwick, senior Peyton Hollis, and freshman Paige Sheppard combined to win the race and clinch a berth in the prestigious Millrose Games on Feb. 11 at the NY Armory. The splits were 56.7 for Randolph, 61.1 for Chadwick (she dropped the baton and made an amazing recovery), 58.5 for Hollis, and 56.7 for Sheppard, who came from behind to catch Timber Creek.
The Union Catholic girls now leads the state in five relays-4×200 (1:40.70), 4×400 (3:53.07), SMR (4:10.2), DMR (12:17.16), and the shuttle hurdles (31.74).
