PHILADELPHIA – Renee Tomlin of Ocean City and Chelsea Cox of the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township grew up running at The Penn Relays Carnival.
On Thursday, they helped Georgetown University win the women’s college distance medley Championship of America – one of the meet’s most prestigious races – at the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field.
The two joined with Amanda Kimbers and Emily Infeld to win in 10 minutes, 51.49 seconds – the fifth fastest time in Penn Relays history. Tennessee, the defending champion, ran 10:56.20 to finish second. Southern Regional graduates Danielle Tauro and Jill Smith helped Michigan finish sixth in 11:07.76.
The victory seemed to overwhelm Tomlin, Cox and the rest of the Hoyas.
“Being a fifth-year senior , you’d think I’d be able to formulate my emotions into words,” Tomlin said. “But right now I can’t say anything how special this is to me.”
Tomlin graduated from Ocean City High School in 2006. Cox is a 2010 Southern Regional graduate and a Georgetown freshman. Both Tomlin and Cox have run at Penn since they were high school freshmen.
“It’s like being on home turf,” Tomlin said. “This is something really special. Penn Relays isn’t always about running the fastest. It’s more so about the competition and being able to rally your team.”
The Hoyas were the fifth seed and felt overlooked before the race. Villanova, the NCAA indoor champion, was the prerace favorite. But the Wildcats dropped the baton on the second leg and finished 13th in 11:26.49.
“I like being the underdog going into it,” Infeld said. “It takes the pressure off. There’s so many great teams out there, but we knew we would be right with them.”
Tomlin led off for Georgetown. She surged on the last lap of her 1,200-meter leg and gave the Hoyas the lead for good with a 3:19.81 leg.
“I thought to myself on that last lap, ‘This is chance,’ ” Tomlin said. “You have to finish hard and do it for your team because they are the people who really count on you.”
Georgetown kept the lead with a 54.54 400 leg from Kimbers.
Cox wasn’t surprised to get the baton for her 800 leg in the lead. Cox ran her two laps with Chanelle Price of Tennessee on her hip. Price is one of the nation’s best 800 runners.
“Coach told me I might get the baton in the lead,” Cox said. “I kept thinking, ‘Go out hard and try your hardest not to let anyone pass you.’ I felt Chanelle Price gave it her best, and we were battling out at the end. But I just thought if I get the baton we’re there. I know Emily’s going to bring it home for us.”
Infeld held the lead with a 4:31.56 1,600 anchor. Tomlin, Kimbers and Cox held hands in the infield as Infeld pulled away on her final lap.
“I was overcome with excitement,” Cox said. “We’ve been thinking, dreaming, breathing about track.”
The race in some ways served as a southern New Jersey high school track and field reunion. Cox teamed with Smith and Tauro to help Southern Regional win the high school girls distance medley Championship of America race in 2007.
“Just before race, I smiled at them,” Cox said Tauro and Smith. “They’re always going to be my friends.”
Tomlin and Tauro were friends and rivals in high school. They ran one of the most scintillating races in New Jersey high school history in 2005, when Tauro won the 1,600 run at the outdoor track and field Meet of Champions in 4:47.55, and Tomlin finished second in 4:49.11.
Tauro and Tomlin toed the starting line next to each other Thursday.
“We ran together and made each other better,” Tomlin said of Tauro. “Being out there with her for the leadoff leg, I thought this is definitely a cool thing.”
Georgetown last won the Championship of America distance medley in 1996.
The team attended a news conference in the media center after its victory. The runners kept the paper signs with their names on it that identified who they were during the interviews.
Tomlin kept saying there were no words to describe how she felt.
She didn’t have to.
The tears in her eyes and the smile on her face told everyone who asked how she felt.
