Purple TC (Ann Arbor Pioneer) Shuffles Lineup And Still Wins Another National Relay Title; Riley Hough, Carley Wilkes Win 5,000s

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Even without its star anchor in the lineup, the Purple Track Club of Ann Arbor, Mich. has enough pieces to win national relay championships. 

Showing off its depth, the lineup of Syliva Sanok Duffalo, Emily Cooper, Cookie Baugh and Sarah Forsyth ran No. 16 all-time and US#4 this year 20:08.62 to win the 4xMile relay Thursday on the first night of action at New Balance Nationals at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. 

Rachel Forsyth, a sophomore who anchored New Balance Nationals Indoor wins for Purple TC in the 4x800 and Distance Medley, has been out this spring with an injury. 

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On a night that featured the longest races of the four-day meet, Union Catholic TC's quartet of Myles Plummer, Caudell Cajuste, Jimmy Wischusen and Shane Brosnan won the boys 4xMile title with No. 12 all-time 17:12.34 that nearly matched the legendary New Jersey record of 17:12.2 (hand time) by Essex Catholic in 1966. That team was anchored by Marty Liqouri, who would become the third prep runner to run a sub-four mile. 

Brothers TC (Christian Brothers Academy) NJ was second with 17:33.68. 

Riley Hough, the Eastbay Cross Country champion, won the boys 5,000 meters. The Michigan State-bound Hough ran 59.92 on his final lap and moved past one of his in-state Michigan rivals, Hunter Jones, to get to the tape in 14:21.81. 

"If I'm behind someone (I think) I gotta stay with it, I gotta go with it, no matter how painful it is, I just got to keep going," Hough said. 

Jones, a junior from Benzie Central MI, was second in 14:22.57. 

Carly Wilkes of Salem, Va. (Glenvar) took the lead with a mile to go and won the girls 5,000 meters in 16:48.10.

Wilkes, a Furman commit, won the Virginia Class 2A titles in the 800 meters and 1,600 meters. 

"I've never run a 5K on the track before," Wilkes said. "And my cross country season was cut short because I got COVID on the Tuesday before (Eastbay South Regionals). 

"So I really wanted to run the 5K again because I'm a senior and I'm probably going to run it a lot in college next year."

Jolena Quarzo of Brownsville, Pa., was second in 16:57.85.