2 weeks Ago
PHILADELPHIA— It was a special homecoming for a former South Jersey track legend on Thursday. In her first meet back at Franklin Field since graduating from Penn, Duke graduate student Aliya Garozzo snagged a bronze medal in the college 400 meter hurdles, finishing third with a time of 57.01.
The former Paul VI graduate (Class of 2020) was in fourth place with roughly 200 meters to go and nearly secured second place after a strong kick once she got onto the straightaway. “I don’t think I executed the race too well today, but I did just try to finish up with everything I had left,” Garozzo said. “But it is special for me to back at Penn and to run this event, especially since this is my last Penn Relays in college,” Garozzo added.
“I’m very thankful. Thankful every time I get the opportunity to race here. And this opportunity is really what it means to most to me.
” Garozzo had the backing of a large crowd behind her, who made their presence felt during the race with plenty of cheers. They came not only from her former Penn teammates, but also friends and family from South Jersey. “I think coming to Duke and having the (graduate) year from COVID has been a really great and unique experience, so I’m really thankful for that,” Garozzo said.
“But I absolutely miss Penn Relays. I miss the area, especially cause I was so close to home. So just to come back here is really nice to see.
Everybody feels like I’m back home for some time. While Garozzo wasn’t necessarily satisfied with her performance, Thursday’s race still adds to a stellar early season resume, which includes one of the greatest hurdle performances in New Jersey history. Coming into Thursday’s meet, she held the sixth-fastest time in the 400 hurdles among all Division I competitors (55.
77), achieving that mark at the Duke Invitational on April 10. Getting such a low time like that also keeps her on track for her goals, which includes winning an individual ACC title in the 400 hurdles and also helping Duke capture the team conference title. She also wants to finally qualify for nationals as an individual athlete.
Garozzo contributed to Penn’s 4x400 relay that qualified for the NCAA Championships in both indoor track and outdoor track in 2024, but making it to nationals in the 400 hurdles would be the cherry on top to a great career. “It was very exciting,” Garozzo said about her performance at the Duke Invitational. As soon as I started running outdoor track, I knew that my fitness was in a really good place, and my training had been going well.
So to get that time down early (in the season) was really amazing and just makes me excited for the rest of the year." Aliya Rae Garozzo of Paul IV (second from right) is set to compete in the hurdles at the 2025 Penn Relays for Duke. Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.
com Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media Garozzo’s mark is even more impressive when you realize that her PR of 55.77 is the fastest 400 hurdles time in South Jersey history and the second-fastest time from a N.J.
girls competitor ever. It only trails two-time Olympic gold medalist and World champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who owns the world record of 50.37 in the event.
McLaughlin-Levrone graduated from Union Catholic in 2017. “That was very exciting to hear, especially being behind Sydney, who is honestly the greatest to ever do it in the hurdles,” Garozzo said. “And just to also be from New Jersey, because I feel like they are always so many good sprinters and hurdlers from New Jersey too.
It’s really awesome to represent the state at this level.” Garozzo also takes pride in knowing that she’s representing Paul VI. During her high school career from 2017-2020, Garozzo won Non-Public A state titles in both the 110 hurdles and 400 hurdles, and was a five-time medalist at the Meet of Champions.
“My track program at Paul VI was amazing, and that’s really what introduced me to track and field and helped me build my passion for the sport,” Garozzo said. “I’m really thankful for that experience, and because of that, I’m very prideful that I get represent the sport at the highest level.” RESULTS Corey Annan can be reached at cannan@njadvancemedia.
com . Follow him or send him a message on Twitter/X @coreyannan360 . The N.
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