Natalie Dumas took down four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin’s state 400-meter dash record Saturday in winning her 2nd national title in two days and 4th overall.
Dumas, a junior at Eastern, won the 400 at West Philly Nationals at Franklin Field in 51.15, the 6th-fastest time in U.S. history and fastest in 13 years.
Dumas and McLaughlin shared the state record at 51.87, which McLaughlin ran at the 2016 Meet of Champions in Berkeley Township, and Dumas ran last month at South Jersey Group 4 sectionals at Pennsauken.
On Friday, Dumas won the 400-meter hurdles in 55.99, the 6th-fastest time in U.S. history. She also anchored Eastern’s sprint medley team, which ran 3:53.15, the 12th-fastest time in U.S. history. She’ll run the 800 on Sunday, going on with a PR of 2:02.75 – the 18th-fastest time in U.S. history.
If there was ever any doubt before the 400 final that Dumas is one of the greatest in scholastic track history, there isn’t anymore.
She got a tremendous challenge from senior Sydney Sutton of the Bullis School in Potomac, Md., but held her off, diving across the line and winning by 9-100ths of a second. Sutton was 2nd in 51.23, the 10th-fastest time in U.S. scholastic history and the fastest non-winning time ever run by a U.S. high school girl.
Dumas’s 51.14 is fastest by any high school girl since Kadecia Baird of Bedgar Evers Prep in Brooklyn ran 51.04 in the semis of 2012 World Junior Championships in Barcelona.
It’s fastest in a high school-only race in 25 years, since Monique Henderson of Morse High in San Diego ran 50.74 at the 2000 California State Championships in Sacramento.
Only five women from New Jersey have ever run faster, including Olympic gold medalists McLaughlin [48.74 in 2023] and Trenton’s Athing Mu [49.57 in 2021]. The others are Mikele [50.63] and Me’Lisa [50.87] Barber of Montclair and Bridgeton’s Nadia Davy [50.66 in 2003].
Her time is No. 50 in the world this year, according to the World Athletics database, and No. 17 among U.S. women.
It’s also No. 10 all-time on the world Under-20 list and #4 on the U.S. list, behind Mu [49.57 in Eugene in 2021], Sanya Richards-Ross [49.89 in Sacramento in 2004] and McLaughlin [50.07 in Gainesville in 2018].
It’s No. 1 on the world Under-20 list this year.
Her time would have placed her 5th in the NCAA Championships in Eugene earlier this month.
South Jersey 11th-grader girls have now won five national titles in the last two days – two by Dumas and one each by Lindenwold’s Egypt Bolan in the high jump, Pennsauken’s Sianni Wynn in the 100 and Delsea’s Hannah Nuhfer in the discus.
All-Time U.S. 400-Meter Run List
50.69 … Sanya Richards [St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.], 2002
50.74 … Monique Henderson [Morse, San Diego], 2000
50.87 … Denean Howard [Granada Hills, Calif.], 1982
50.90 … Sheila Ingram [Coolidge, Washington, D.C.], 1976
51.04 … Kadecia Baird [Medgar Evers Prep, Brooklyn], 2012
51.14 … Natalie Dumas [Eastern], 2025
51.17 … Lauren Lewis [Prosper (Texas)], 2023
51.17 … Kayla Davis [William A. Hough, Cornelius, N.C.], 2019
51.21 … Alexis Holmes [Cheshire (Ct.) Academy], 2018
51.23 … Sydney Sutton [Bullis School, Potomac, Md.], 2025
51.39 … Lynna Irby [Pike, Indianapolis], 2016
51.44 … Tyra Cox [Northwestern, Miami], 2025
51.57 … Skyler Franklin [Monteverde (Fla.) Academy], 2024
51.57 … Jan’taijah Ford [Northeast, Oakland Park, Fla.], 2019
51.63 … Jessica Beard [Euclid, Ohio], 2007
51.09 … Sherri Howard [San Bernadino], 1979
51.45 … Ericka Harris [Gig Harbor, Wash.], 1981
51.63 … Jessica Beard [Euclid, Ohio], 2007
51.75 … Diane Dixon [Brooklyn], 1982
51.77 … Jameesia Ford [Jack Britt, Fayetteville, N.C.], 2023
51.87 … Sydney McLaughlin [Union Catholic, Scotch Plains], 2016
51.91 … Mabie Ferguson [Pomona, Calif.], 1972
51.92 … Arria Minor [East, Denver], 2018
51.94 … Jennie Gorham [Kansas City], 1979
51.95 … Elise Cooper [McDonough, Owings Mills, Md.], 2025
51.96 … Brandi Cross [Fort Bend, Texas], 2006
51.98 … Athing Mu [Trenton, N.J.], 2020
51.99 … Shae Anderson [Norco (Calilf.)], 2017
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 