Eastern sophomore Natalie Dumas ran a big indoor PR Saturday and won the 400-meter dash at the state Group 4 meet at the Bubble.
Dumas lowered her PR from 57.66 from last year’s Meet of Champions to 57.12, edging Franklin’s Qiora Rollins, who finished 2nd three meters back in 57.50.
Her time is No. 10 in Camden County history.
Dumas has an outdoor 56.53 to her credit from last year’s Group 4 sectionals at Pennsauken. That made her the No. 2 freshman in the state, behind Pennsauken’s Sianna Wynn, who ran 53.97 to win the state Group 4 title.
So far this year, Dumas is No. 10 in the state and No. 2 in South Jersey, behind Wynn’s 55.51 at Ocean Breeze last month.
Her 57.12 Saturday is 10th-fastest ever by a South Jersey girl on the slow, flat 200-meter track at the Bubble.
Here’s the all-time Camden County indoor 400 list:
55.16 … Krystal Cantey [Winslow Twp.], 2006
55.51 … Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken], 2024
55.4h … English Gardner [Eastern], 2008
55.6h … Denise Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
56.19 … Nylah Perry [Winslow], 2020
56.44 … Avionne Sloan [Camden], 2006
56.62 … Ste’yce McNeil [Winslow Twp.], 2012
56.85 … Nylah Perry [Winslow], 2020
56.98 … Jade Pope [Pennsauken], 2020
57.12 … Natalie Dumas [Eastern], 2024
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 