Vernon HS girls relay team breaks Sussex County records in historic 4×100 performance
VERNON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Sussex County) — The Vernon Township High School girls track and field team made history May 15, breaking both the Sussex County and meet records in the N1, Group 2 girls 4×100-meter relay on its home track.
The relay team of Monica Curry, Isabella Kuzicki, Samantha Janus and Sophia Haw delivered the record-breaking performance in front of a packed home crowd, securing a major victory while establishing themselves among the top relay teams in Sussex County history.
“This accomplishment sets a standard for the program that others will be measured by,” said Vernon’s girls track and field coach. “It is a testament to the hard work and dedication these four girls have put into practice and one another.”
According to the coaching staff, the relay squad entered the season with high expectations after previously breaking the school record at the same meet last year. Returning runners Haw, Curry and Janus focused on continuing to improve throughout the season.
“We knew from the start of the season that this relay was special,” the coach said. “When they broke last year’s school record again at the Ahearn Invitational in Warwick on May 5, we felt that they could run in the 48-second range.”
The team’s preparation emphasized chemistry and precision during baton handoffs, a critical component in relay competition.
“The girls worked handoffs a day or two before each competition that they would be competing as a relay team,” the coach added. “It’s hard to say exactly how much time since three of them also spend time working on jumping events.”
For the athletes, the significance of the moment was not immediately clear until the official times were posted.
“I was honestly shocked,” said Monica Curry. “I had no idea it was even in reach, but once we found out I was so excited — especially to do it with these girls.”
Curry said competing at Vernon’s home track made the achievement even more meaningful.
“It was really exciting to achieve this especially at our home track,” she said. “Everyone — our coaches, teammates, and families — brought so much energy and it felt so much more special to do it here with all this support.”
“I was shocked. I had no idea that this record was even in reach,” Kuzicki said. “Doing it with these girls makes it even better.”
“Achieving this milestone in front of the home crowd at Vernon High School made it even more special,” she added. “Hearing everyone cheer for us gave us so much energy during the race. It felt amazing to represent our school and accomplish something this big in front of our friends, families, coaches, and teammates. It’s a moment I’ll always remember.”
Janus said the team was surprised by the historic outcome.
“I was surprised because I had no idea we were even in the range of breaking either of the records,” Janus said. “Achieving this milestone at home in front of our supporters means a lot to us because it’s not very often that these kinds of things happen, and being cheered on by our friends, family, coaches, and supporters really helped us.”
Haw said the relay team entered the race focused primarily on improving its previous best time.
“Going into the race we were really just focused on maintaining that No. 1 seed and trying to get a personal record relatively close to our previous 49.4,” Haw said. “So when I saw our new time and multiple broken records I was super excited, and it was really special to get to celebrate something like that with these girls.”
“Getting to break these records not only on our home track but in front of everyone who came to watch and compete was awesome because it gave us a chance to really prove ourselves and our abilities in front of some great competition.”
With postseason competition underway, Vernon’s relay team has already secured its place as one of the top sprint relay squads in school history.
