PHILADELPHIA – If the track and field world didn’t know who Natalie Dumas was before this weekend, it certainly does now.

 

The Eastern Regional NJ junior capped off her busy New Balance Nationals Outdoor weekend with an unprecedented triple and one of the greatest three-day performances in high school track and field history on Sunday at Franklin Field.

 

Already a winner in the open 400 meters and 400-meter hurdles, Dumas added the 800 crown in an astonishing 2 minutes, 00.11 seconds, moving her to No. 5 on the all-time high school list.

 

“The hardest one was the 800 only because it was my last event,” Dumas said. “Overall, it was the hardest, but at the same time it was a lot of fun. I had no stress already winning two other titles, so to come out here and run the 800, it was just for fun.”

 

Stressful moments didn’t hold Dumas back from completing this trifecta. All three of her wins came down to final 50 meters, sometimes even right to the line.

 

In the 400 hurdles on Friday, Dumas held off Sydney Sutton (Bullis MD) by a margin of 55.99 to 56.04. In the 400 on Saturday, Dumas not only edged Sutton again, but she also beat Elise Cooper (McDonogh MD). All three girls ran under 52 seconds, highlighted by Dumas’ 51.14 while diving at the line.

 

Sunday’s 800 final was no different. It was a close contest with US#1 Emmry Ross (Onsted MI).

 

Dumas got out fast from the gun just ahead of Ross before they cut in with the rest of the field. Ross, who’s been a front-runner all year long, took the lead back when they went through 200 meters.

 

Ross remained ahead at the bell in 58.85 seconds and Dumas was in second at 59.08. Dumas took the lead back upon reaching the back stretch, beginning to surge away from Ross.

 

Dumas held position for another 150 meters right into the home stretch.

 

“My legs were a ticking time bomb, about to drop and just fall on the ground again,” Dumas said. “It was really hard. I went home yesterday, did ice bath, I did everything I could to make sure I came out here as fresh as I could.”

 

Ross went to the outside of Dumas’ shoulder, holding an advantage for a slight moment, but Dumas responded quickly with another last-minute surge to carry her across the line first to complete the trifecta.

 

“It’s grit really; you go out there and fight hard on the line,” Dumas said. “All these athletes are spectacular; they’re amazing. I go out there and bring my own mindset to the game, honestly. It’s having the biggest mindset and knowing you can win.”

 

Dumas broke all-time New Jersey records held by Olympians Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (400) and Ajee Wilson (800).

 

Ross, on her way to the University of Michigan next fall, improved her former US#1 time by a hair, running 2:00.25. She moves right behind Dumas on the all-time list at No. 6.

 

Sadie Engelhardt, also in her final high school race before heading to NC State, ran a personal best 2:02.50 to complete one of the most storied careers at the prep level. Seven girls ran under the previous meet record of 2:04.59.

 

Twins Elise and Elena Cooper of McDonogh MD concluded their high school career with titles of their own on what was already an exciting final day in Philadelphia.

 

Elise, heading to the University of Texas next fall, won her first outdoor national title in the 200 with an impressive 22.44, moving her to No. 5 on the all-time high school list.

 

Elena, off to Stanford University, bounced back from a third-place finish in the girls triple jump, winning the long jump with a mark of 21 feet, 1.50 inches.

 

The only other individual track final, the 100 hurdles, went in favor of Alexia Reid (Dillard FL). The Central Florida commit ran a personal best 13.37 to best defending champion Taylor Cox (Union Catholic NJ), who finished fourth in 13.54.

 

Bullis MD, per usual, swept all three of the relay races contested on the last day, including a meet record in the 4x100 relay.

 

Payton Payne, Aida Joseph, Kassidy Hopkins and Sydney Sutton ran 44.80 to shatter Archbishop Carroll DC’s time of 45.36 from the 2024 meet. It’s the second-fastest time in school history.

 

Sutton was joined by Kennedy Brown, Chrishelle Campbell and Tatum Lynn in the 4x400 relay final, taking back the title with a 3:37.24 effort after coming up short of Montverde FL in 2024.

 

In the first race of the day, Hopkins, Lynn, Solai Russell and Gabby White earned Bullis’ second consecutive girls shuttle hurdle relays title in 56.32, improving on their time of 56.47 from last year’s title run.

 

Eliana Schneider (Cedar Crest PA) won the girls javelin in tough wind conditions, throwing 147-3.

 

 

Caleb Winders didn’t need to be in the final and fastest section of the boys 800 to win a national title.

 

The Bloomington North IN junior won the 800 title out of the penultimate section in a personal best 1:46.85, elevating to No. 7 on the high school all-time list. His time was over a second faster than the fastest section winner, Cole Boone, who clocked 1:48.13.

 

Winders entered Sunday’s race with a personal best 1:49.74, which he hadn’t touched since last year during his sophomore season. Winders ran an outdoor season’s best 1:50.88 back in May.

 

Winders was fourth at the bell in 52.91 seconds, then worked his way past the field on the backstretch. Winders closed a little over a second slower on his last lap, running 53.95 to put himself in the driver seat ahead of the final section.

 

Boone responded to Winders’ first lap with a 52.33 second opening split in the final section, but closed in 55.81 in the latter.

 

Zamarii Sanders (Cardinal Newman FL), the 100 champion, ran away from Ja’Neil Harris (T.W. Andrews NC) and defending champion Jake Odey-Jordan (Archbishop Carroll DC) in the final of the 200, winning 20.61. Harris ran 20.74 for second; Odey-Jordan ran 20.99 for third.

 

Kahiem Carby (Plant City FL) needed a hundredth of second difference to win the boys 110 hurdles title, running 13.44. Will (Jaiden) Smith (Belleville MI) finished second in 13.45.

  

Bullis’ quartet of Alex Lambert, Cameron Homer, Colin Abrams and Quincy Wilson lowered their own meet record in the boys 4x400 relay final, running 3:08.28. Bullis now owns the fastest and fourth-fastest 4x400 relay times on the high school all-time list.

 

Forge Track Club NJ’s 4x100 relay team of Malik Dark, Brian Harris, Matt Fisher and Owen Sharlow ran 40.69 to win a close race against Flanagan FL, who ran 40.72.

 

Micah Tang (3:02.12), Zeke Kearney (49.13), Tayshaun Ogomo (1:51.40) and Jackson Spencer (4:07.57) of Herriman ran the fifth-fastest boys distance medley relay time in high school history, clocking 9:50.19 to claim the program’s second national tile of the weekend. Herriman won the boys 4x800 relay on Friday in a national record 7:26.12.

 

North Track NJ, featuring Camryn Thomas, Jael Hester, Mordecai Ford and Mamadi Diawers, won the boys shuttle hurdle title in a meet record 56.10. Ann Arbor Track Club MI, the initial champions, broke the meet and national record in 55.68 but was later disqualified for a lane violation.

 

Justin Woulard (Melbourne Central Catholic FL) won the boys long jump title with a first-round mark of 24-5.50, beating his competition by over seven inches.

 

Markos Hantsoulis (Highland Park NJ) won the boys javelin by just six inches, throwing 203-3.