A brief encounter at a middle school dual meet helped build a relay team for the ages. Alondra Grover looked over at Ella Petrosky and introduced herself.

Both were in the starting blocks. Both were about to run absurdly fast for an eighth-grader in the 100 meters. Petrosky placed first. Grover took second. The opponents didn’t know they were about to become teammates.

“She said that when she first met me, she thought I was gonna be mean,” Grover said with a smile.

Why would Petrosky think that?

“When I’m locked in,” Grover said, “my face is serious.”

The sprinters had competitiveness in common. They started to search for each other at future meets and a friendship grew. Petrosky transferred from Hempfield to Lancaster Country Day in December, just in time to join McCaskey’s indoor track and field team.

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McCaskey, which has a co-op with Country Day, already had two parts of a stellar 400 relay in place. Damani Crosson was the first leg. Corrine Miller was the anchor. Petrosky and Grover, both freshmen, settled into the middle two spots.

The foursome started to build chemistry over the winter. They ran one of the fastest times in Pennsylvania history at their first spring invitational: 46.57. They broke the Lancaster-Lebanon League record by 0.59 seconds.

It happened on a chilly day. It happened despite a headwind. They beat the rest of the field at Chambersburg by more than 2.5 seconds. The result looked like a misprint.

“I saw Corrine,” Crosson said. “It was like she was cutting through the wind. Then I saw the time. I couldn’t believe it.”

Once the astonishment faded, a question inevitably rose: If they’re running this fast, this quickly, how low can they go from here?

Just getting started

A search through Pa.milesplit.com’s rankings revealed the significance of McCaskey’s time. No girls 400 relay team broke 47 seconds last season. Only two, Cheltenham at 45.79 and Norristown at 46.46 in 2016, ran faster over the past 20 years.

Both of those teams set their PRs at the PIAA championships in late May. McCaskey’s number was posted in March.

“That’s a time I didn’t think I’d ever see,” coach Derek Jennings said. “I tell people, ‘Listen, I’ve never coached people this fast.’ Once you get into territory that nobody has been in, it’s hard to know where they can go.”

McCaskey’s fleet foursome has barely gotten started. Crosson is a junior and Miller is a sophomore. They were part of a relay with Aasly DeLeon and Isabel Roman that placed third in the state last season. Adding the two freshmen took them to another level.

Petrosky is a generational talent. She began her high school career by running 12.24 in the 100 and 24.57 in the 200. Her 200 time ranks fourth in L-L history.

Jennings said he likes to put his fastest athlete in the second leg. That’s Petrosky. After watching the Red Tornado’s sprinters from a distance, she was excited to join forces with them.

“Obviously, I’ve always known about McCaskey track,” Petrosky said. “Getting to run with them, I knew we were gonna do big things. I knew it was gonna happen eventually. I didn’t think it would happen this soon.”

Crosson goes first because she’s the best out of the blocks. Miller goes last because she’s a “hawk” who can chase down the leader.

Grover took the third leg because that’s the slot that was open. She’s the bridge from Petrosky to Miller. The freshmen who met last spring usually make sure Miller doesn’t have to catch anyone.

“This is exactly what McCaskey needed,” Miller said. “It keeps us from getting down. I feel like if we would have stayed at the time we were at last year, it would have been disheartening. This year we see improvement and we want to work harder.”

The previous L-L record of 47.16 was set by a group of McCaskey legends: twin sisters Kamiah and Kamyah Wright, DeLeon and Lucie De Syon. Three of those girls were part of a 1,600 relay team that ranks fifth in the state this century.

Jennings informed his 400 relay about the L-L and school record before its first big race. It was a goal all four figured they could reach at some point down the line.

“We kind of just brushed it off our shoulders,” Grover said. “We were like, ‘OK, we’re gonna beat it.’ That same day we beat it.”

READ: Here are the top 20 all-time L-L League girls track and field record holders

READ: Here are the top 20 all-time L-L League boys track and field record holders

Staying in the moment

It’s always tempting to focus on what could happen instead of what has actually happened. That’s a trap McCaskey wants to avoid.

This relay team could be together for two seasons. Three of them could remain side-by-side for three seasons. One can’t help but peek into the future and wonder. Could they win a PIAA gold medal? Could they win two?

“This is already all-time,” Jennings said. “It’s easy to be like, ‘This could be even better than all-time,’ whatever that is. I’m trying to stay in the moment because you never know.”

Injuries can strike. Bad luck is possible. The road from the beginning to the end of the track and field season is often littered with broken dreams.

What’s certain is McCaskey’s possibilities are great and it’s understandable to be intrigued by them. Red Tornado athletes typically improve as the weeks unfold.

Maybe these four girls can move their time into the low 46s. Maybe they can become the second Pennsylvania team to break 46.

“It can get lower,” Petrosky said. “As we keep getting stronger and keep getting better, we can go anywhere with that time.”

All eyes will be on this group at every meet they run together. Good fortune, and a brief encounter last year, have placed them in this moment. The rest is in their hands.

“I love being part of a team that’s No. 1 in the league,” Crosson said. “It’s exciting because people know you. You have that spotlight in a way.”

McCaskey’s four speedsters should be in the spotlight for a long time.