Less than two hours after running the 6th-fastest 400-meter hurdles time in U.S. scholastic history and winning a national title, Natalie Dumas anchored Eastern to the 12th-fastest sprint medley in U.S. history with a 2:03.90 split.
Eastern ran 3:53.15 at West Philly Nationals at Franklin Field Friday, breaking a 22-year-old South Jersey record by SIX SECONDS and placing 2nd to Rumson-Fair Haven, whose 3:50.10 is 4th-fastest in U.S. history.
Only Stanford-bound Clemmie Lilley’s monster anchor of her own – 2:03.49 running fresh – kept Rumson ahead of Eastern in the 1-2 New Jersey finish. Dumas and Lilley placed 1-2 in the Meet of Champions earlier this month at Pennsauken.
Senior Johnna Gonter and senior Jasmine Davies ran the 200s for Eastern and senior Samantha Osei-Kyei ran the 400, with Dumas getting the stick in 6th place in a loaded field at 1:49.25.
She passed the entire field other than Rumson, earning All-America honors for the Vikings quartet.
Eastern shattered the South Jersey record of 3:59.6, set in 2003 by Willingboro’s Rhea Mann, Chanel Hamilton, Rasheda Spratley and Okechi Ogbuokiri at its own relay meet – it was called the Eastern Regional Relay Classic that year. There’s a funny story about that race which I’ll share at the end of this post.
Dumas is now in the top-20 in U.S. scholastic history in four events – the 400, 800 and intermediates as an individual and the sprint medley as part of a relay team. She’s scheduled to race the 400 on Saturday and the 800 on Sunday.
In the previous heat, Winslow ran 4:03.47, first overall in their race. That held up for 9th place overall and is No. 12 in South Jersey history.
Sophomores Cinniya Robinson and Skyhe Seamon ran the 200s, freshman Adaiah Arango the 400 and freshman Amariah Arango anchored in 2:15.22.
[p.s. – About that Willingboro sprint medley in 2003. That meet was hand-timed and not very well. I was standing at the finish line and had Willingboro in something like 3:59.54, and Willingboro coach Tosca Bynoe had something similar on her watch. So we both agreed they had run what would be 3:59.6, since you round up with hand timing. But a woman on the finish line who was recording the winner, scribbled 3:59.6 so poorly that the “6” looked like a “0,” and in the results tent it was recorded as a 3:59.0. Now, this being a South Jersey record either way I felt it was important to get the time right. Along with someone from the timing company we went over to the finish line and asked the woman if that was a 0 or a 6. She had no idea. No clue at all. And the timer just decided, well, it looks like a 0 to me so let’s go with 3:59.0. I emphasized that this is a South Jersey record and at the time one of the fastest times in U.S. history and it’s important to get it right and they did not run 3:59.0. They didn’t care. Nobody cared. They just wanted to get paid and go home. So in my records and lists that time has always been recorded as a 3:59.6. Everywhere else, it’s been 3:59.0. And finally, 23 years later, it doesn’t matter because it’s no longer the South Jersey record.]
All-Time U.S. Sprint Medley List
3:47.65 … Rush-Henrietta, Henrietta, N.Y., 2015
3:48.83 … Union Catholic, Scotch Plains, 2025
3:49.59 … Pine View, Utah, 2019
3:50.10 … Rumson-Fair Haven, 2025
3:50.82 … Columbia, Maplewood, 2014
3:51.90 … Roosevelt, Greenbelt, Md., 2007
3:52.07 … Columbia, Maplewood, 2013
3:52.22 … West Catholic, Philadelphia, 2004
3:52.33 … West Babylon (N.Y.), 2017
3:52.38 … Roosevel;t, Greenbelt, Md., 2006
3:52.74 … Neptune, 2010
3:53.15 … Eastern, 2025
3:53.60 … Oak Ridge, Orlando, Fla., 2004
3:53.62 … Randolph, New York, 2004
3:53.93 … Sparta, 2010
3:54.37 … Southern Regional, Manahawkan, 2007
3:54.72 … Oak Park, Mich., 2024
3:54.95 … Oak Park, Mich., 2024
3:54.96 … Lake Creek, Montgomery, Texas, 2025
All-Time New Jersey Sprint Medley List
3:48.83 … Union Catholic, 2025
3:50.10 … Rumson-Fair Haven, 2025
3:50.82 … Columbia, 2014
3:52.07 … Columbia, 2013
3:52.74 … Neptune, 2010
3:53.15 … Eastern, 2025
3:53.70 … Columbia, 2010
3:53.93 … Sparta, 2010
3:54.37 … Southern Regional, 2007
3:55.7h … Columbia, 1980
3:56.54 … Columbia, 2009
3:57.44 … Union Catholic, 2017
3:57.51 … Columbia, 2012
3:57.82 … Union Catholic, 2016
3:57.96 … Westwood, 2014
3:58.12 … Union Catholic, 2024
3:58.26 … Pope John XXIII, 2014
3:58.41 … Union Catholic, 2015
3:58.56 … Columbia, 1995
3:58.59 … Shabazz, 1986
3:59.6h … Willingboro, 2003
4:00.34 … Willingboro, 2006
4:00.71 … Willingboro, 2002
4:01.07 … Lenape, 2015
4:01.52 … Pope John XXIII, 2008
4:01.80 … Ridgewood, 2022
4:01.91 … Woodbridge, 2018
4:01.92 … Sparta, 2012
4:02.25 … Union Catholic, 2021
4:02.36 … Piscataway, 2006
4:02.60 … Sterling, 2017
4:02.68 … Pope John XXIII, 2007
4:02.69 … Columbia, 1998
4:02.69 … Willingboro, 2004
4:02.81 … Roxbury, 2017
4:02.84 … Westwood, 2013
4:02.89 … Woodrow Wilson, 2002
4:02.91 … Woodbridge, 2019
4:03.06 … Columbia, 1996
4:03.13 … Pope John XXIII, 2012
4:03.13 … Columbia, 2017
4:03.21 … Southern Regional, 2002
4:03.26 … Trenton, 2001
4:03.32 … Sparta, 2013
4:03.47 … Winslow Twp., 2025
4:03.52 … Colts Neck, 2007
4:03.55 … South Brunswick, 2010
4:03.66 … Union Catholic, 2018
4:03.68 … Trenton, 2002
4:03.71 … Ridgewood, 2007
4:03.74 … Pope John XXIII, 2018
4:03.90 … Morris Catholic, 2019
4:03.97 … Southern Regional, 2009
All-Time South Jersey Sprint Medley List
3:53.15 … Eastern, 2025
3:59.6h … Willingboro, 2003
4:00.34 … Willingboro, 2006
4:00.71 … Willingboro, 2002
4:01.07 … Lenape, 2015
4:02.60 … Sterling, 2017
4:02.69 … Willingboro, 2004
4:02.89 … Woodrow Wilson, 2002
4:03.04 … Camden, 1995
4:03.31 … Eastern, 2024
4:03.42 … Millville, 2008
4:03.47 … Winslow Twp., 2025
4:03.54 … Lenape, 2006
4:04.00 … Eastern, 2023
4:04.44 … Millville, 2013
4:04.69 … Cherokee, 2022
4:04.86 … Woodrow Wilson, 2009
4:05.2h … Winslow Twp., 2003
4:05.36 … Willingboro, 2010
4:05.38 … Paul VI, 2019
4:05.63 … Winslow Twp., 2025
4:05.70 … Ocean City, 2004
4:06.06 … Ocean City, 2005
4:06.36 … Millville, 2011
4:06.56 … Rancocas Valley, 2007
4:06.81 … Winslow Twp., 2024
4:07.16 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2015
4:08.08 … Kingsway, 2017
4:08.16 … Lenape, 2017
4:08.22 … Cherokee, 2023
4:08.23 … Timber Creek, 2011
4:08.27 … Washington Twp., 2007
4:08.64 … Woodrow Wilson, 2003
4:08.76 … Willingboro, 1998
4:08.81 … Cherokee, 2011
4:09.23 … Pennsauken, 2014
4:09.42 … Ocean City, 2014
4:09.46 … Clayton, 2021
4:09.47 … Rancocas Valley, 2018
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 