In just her 2nd 400-meter hurdles race since June of 2024, Ocean City’s Sophia Curtis, a Clemson freshman, ran a PR 59.59 at the Texas Relays.
Curtis’s previous PR was 59.80 at the state Group 3 Championships at Delsea in 2024. She ran 1:00.58 at a meet in Orlando a week earlier in her only previous race this spring.
Curtis spent last year at Virginia Tech but never competed.
Her 59.59 is fastest by a Clemson freshman in five years, since Kori Carter ran 59.10 at the NCAA East Prelims in Jacksonville in 2021.
She’s currently No. 13 in the ACC and No. 3 among freshmen behind Arabella Wilson of Duke [57.93] and Stanford’s Addie Pendergast [58.96].
She’s the No. 10 freshman in all of NCAA Division 1.
Curtis hit 40-8 ¼ in the triple jump indoors and has gone 40-6 outdoors. She jumped 41-9 ½ when she won the state Group 3 title at Delsea in 2024.
Curtis is the 3rd South Jersey woman to run sub-60 this spring. Aliya Garozzo of Paul VI ran 55.69 in Raleigh and Natalie Dumas of Eastern ran 59.96 in Deptford. Arianna Smith of Pennsville, who ran 56.11 last spring, hasn’t raced yet outdoors.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 