We had yet to see an "A" squad this from North Penn in the 4x800...until Sunday. The Maidens brought the quartet that will likely be its lineup for the PTFCA Indoor State meet to day two of the Ocean Breeze Invitational.
The team of Ariana Gardizy, Jenna Webb, Natalie Kwortnik, and Mikaela Vlasic threw down in a big way in Staten Island. North Penn ran 9:15.92 to put them at PA#1 and even more importantly, US#1. In a good battle with New York's Corning and Eastport-South Manor, North Penn managed to pull away on a strong third leg from Kwortnik, and then anchor Vlasic was able to bring it home.
The Maidens, who won the indoor state title last winter and went on to break the indoor state record at New Balance Nationals Indoor, are actually ahead of schedule from that 2016 squad. At this Ocean Breeze meet last year, North Penn went 9:24.14 for the win. It's even faster than its winning states times of 9:18.18.
With this in mind, it's worth keeping an eye on if North Penn can take down its 2016 indoor state record of 9:05.98. Surely, it'll add another element to the relay at February's indoor state meet. They'll be pushed with the likes of Penn Wood, Perkiomen Valley, and Strath Haven likely putting out strong teams in the opening event of the day.
Watch the fast section of the 4x8 at Ocean Breeze above and check out the results below:
| GIRLS 4X800 METER RELAY | ALL RESULTS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | TEAM | RESULT | H# | |||
| 1 | North Penn | 9:15.92 | 1 | |||
| 2 | Corning | 9:27.52 | 1 | |||
| 3 | Eastport-South Manor | 9:32.91 | 1 | |||
| 4 | Middletown South HS | 9:37.89 | 1 | |||
| 5 | Pennridge | 9:44.41 | 1 | |||
| 6 | Spring Ford | 9:49.28 | 1 | |||
| 7 | Owen J. Roberts | 9:53.81 | 1 | |||
| 8 | Metuchen HS | 9:54.26 | 1 | |||
| 9 | Villa Joseph Marie | 9:57.31 | 1 | |||
| 10 | West Chester Henderson | 9:57.64 | 1 | |||
Watch an interview with the North Penn girls after their US#1 4x8: