Eastern’s Kadence Dumas ran the 6th-fastest 800 in University of Delaware history Saturday at the CAA Championships and became the fastest freshman in Blue Hens history.
Dumas lowered her PR from 2:10.44 down to 2:08.90 and placed 3rd at the Coastal Athletic Association Championships in Elon, N.C. She finished behind North Carolina A&T junior Fajr Kelly [2:06.72] and Northeastern senior Ava Duggan [2:08.53].
According to figures listed on TFRRS [Track and Field Race Reporting Service], her time is fastest by a CAA freshman in 11 years, since 2013, when Jocelyn Hubbard of Northeastern won the conference title at Towson in 2:10.39.
At Eastern, Dumas ran an all-time South Jersey No. 7 time of 2:10.44 this past June to become the first South Jersey girl to win the Meet of Champions in 24 years.
She ran 2:12.24 indoors at the Armory and then 2:10.45 in a meet in Charlottesville, Va., last month, missing her lifetime-best by 1-100th of a second.
This past weekend, she cruised to the 800 final at the CAA meet in 2:13.02 before destroying her PR in the final.
She became the fastest South Jersey alum on the all-time Delaware list, bumping Lenape graduate Carly Pettipaw , who ran 2:09.75 at the 2018 Towson (Md.) Invitational.
Dumas is the third South Jersey collegian under 2:10 this spring. Rutgers senior Shelby Whetstone from Lenape ran 2:05.81 in Ann Arbor this past weekend in the Big Ten Championships, and Maryland senior Kami Joi Hickson from Washington Township ran 2:08.15 in Azusa, Calif., last month.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 