From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Apparently there’s a 3rd “national” meet, and it’s held a week after Armory and Boston “Nationals” in Virginia Beach.

Eastern junior Natalie Dumas, hot off her South Jersey-record 2:07.68 at Armory Nationals, made the trip to Virginia Beach to anchor Eastern’s sprint medley team on Sunday.

While she was waiting, she jumped in the 400 and … won it.

Dumas ran 53.66 and one by eight meters over Kadia Rock of SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio, who was 2nd in 54.66.

Dumas set a South Jersey-record 53.55 when she won the Meet of Champions 400 at Ocean Breeze earlier this month, so she was only 11-100ths of a second off her PR Saturday at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. That time is No. 4 in state history.

The previous South Jersey record was 54.24 set in 2003 by Willingboro’s Okechi Ogbuokiri when she won the 400 at 2003 Armory Nationals. So Dumas now has the two-fastest indoor times in South Jersey history.