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Natalie Dumas has done it again!!
The junior at Eastern added another epic performance to one of the greatest seasons in NJ history by continuing her assault on the record book at Friday's New Balance National Championships at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
The indefatigable Dumas, the favorite in the girls 400-meter hurdles, edged senior Sydney Sutton of Bullis, Md. to win her second straight title, stopping the clock at 55.99 to smash the meet record and move all the way up to No. 2 in NJ history and No. 6 in U.S. high school history. It took a record performance from Dumas to defeat Sutton, who was second in 56.04, No. 8 all-time!
The 55.99 by Dumas destroyed the meet record of 58.37 that was set by Myla Greene of Bullis in 2022 and places Dumas No. 2 on the all-time U.S. high school list for a junior.
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Dumas is in super fast company!!!!
The only 400 hurdler faster than Dumas in NJ history and ahead of her on the U.S. all-time list for high school juniors is the legendary Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of Union Catholic, a 4-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the 400 hurdles.
McLaughlin-Levrone ran the U.S. high school and NJ record of 53.82 when she finished sixth at the 2017 USATF Championships in Sacramento, Calif. McLaughlin-Levrone's fastest time as a high school junior was 54.15, which she ran to place third at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field when she made the U.S. Olympic team as a 16 year-old!!
Check this out!!!!
The 55.99 by Dumas also places her fourth all-time on NJ's all-time women's alumni list. Only McLaughlin-Levrone (world record of 50.37 in the Olympics last summer), Paul VI grad Aliya Garozzo (55.77 in April), and Rancocas Valley alum Tonya Lee (55.78 in 1996) have run faster than Dumas at any level.
How awesome is that!!!
Dumas isn't done yet!
She will be back on the track later on Friday to anchor the SMR and will run the 400 on Saturday and the 800 on Sunday!!!
Stay tuned!!!
