Natalie Dumas ran 54.98 Friday and qualified for the 400-meter dash championship final at Boston Nationals.
Dumas has not lost a 400-meter dash race this indoor season. She won the outdoor Meet of Champions last spring at Pennsauken 53.16 – 2nd-fastest in South Jersey history – and then won the indoor MoC at Ocean Breeze with a South Jersey-record 53.55. She has also run 2:11.42 for 800 meters and 58.32 in the intermediates, which she won at West Philly Nationals in June and is 4th-fastest in state history.
The eight qualifiers for the final ran between 53.23 and 54.98. The top six finishers in the final will earn All-America honors. The final is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. on Saturday. Dumas will be in lane three in the first of two races in the two-section final.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 