From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Heat sheets are out for the U.S. Championships in Eugene this week, and Eastern High School’s Natalie Dumas will line up in Lane 6 in the 3^rd of four sections of the 800 Thursday evening.

This will be Dumas’s first race since she won national high school titles in the 400, 800 and 400 hurdles last month at West Philly Nationals at Franklin Field. She qualified for U.S. Senior Nationals in all three races with all-time U.S. high school top-10 times in each before opting to race the 800 this weekend at Hayward Field.

Dumas is scheduled to race at 6:37 p.m. EST. Standing on the starting line just to her right will be South Orange native and Columbia High graduate Olivia Baker, a two-time podium finisher at nationals. Other New Jersey entries are Neptune’s Ajee’ Wilson, the U.S. indoor 800 record holder, Monmouth graduate Allie Wilson, Trenton Olympic gold medalist Athing Mu and Sage Huerta, who grew up in Moorestown but moved away before high school.

There are nine runners in each of four semifinal races, and 27 of the 36 starters will advance to the semis.

The top six finishers in each race advance to the semifinals along with the next three-fastest times. The semis are scheduled for 7:01 p.m. Friday, with the top two finishers in each of three races along with the next three-fastest times advancing to a nine-runner final at 4:18 p.m. Sunday.

https://results.usatf.org/2025Outdoors/

Also Thursday, Florence’s Curtis Thompson, already a four-time U.S. champion, shoots for his 5^thnational title. Thompson is the top seed and the only entry with the world standard of 280-6. He threw 287-11 in Austin in March. The javelin is scheduled for 4:20 p.m. Thursday with the top eight after three throws getting three more throws. If nobody in the field hits the world standard, Thompson would represent the U.S. at the World Championships in Tokyo in September.

At 7:07 p.m., Eastern’s English Gardner will race in the 100 trials. She’ll be in Lane 2 in the 3^rd of four heats. Gardner ran 11.04 – her fastest time in seven years – on June 14. Same as the 800, the top six in each race plus the next three-fastest advance to the semifinals. They’re scheduled for 7:20 p.m. Friday, with the final at 10:27 p.m.

Winslow’s Tionna Tobias will also compete Thursday. She’s one of 16 women who qualified in the long jump. Tobias jumps at 9 p.m. Thursday. The top eight after three throws get three more jumps.