Watch Jonah Ross' NC#3 All-Time 38.64 300m From The VA Showcase
The 2019 indoor track season has been one for the record books in the girls 300m dash. Currently in North Carolina history 27 girls have ever broken the 40 second barrier in the 300m on an indoor track. 8 of those 27 girls have broken that mark during this indoor season. Three girls, Kayla Davis (Run U Xpress), Jonah Ross (Garner) and Kyna Robinson (Southeast Raleigh) currently rank amongst the top 10 girls in the United States.
Number Of Girls Sub 40 Over The Last 10 Years
2019 - 8
2018 - 4
2017 - 2
2016 - 4
2015 - 5
2014 - 4
2013 - 1
2012 - 4
2011 - 3
2010 - 1
What has led to this event being loaded this year compared to years past? For starters, the bar to be the best in North Carolina was set insanely high insanely early in the season. Kayla Davis debuted in 38.03 and followed it up with a 37.92 a few weeks later. With both marks being NC#2 All-Time the standard of "fast" certainly has changed.
In both of those meets against Davis an athlete, Jonah Ross and Alexis Patterson (Parkland) also were under 40 seconds. While both Ross and Patterson ran faster marks last week at the VA Showcase it's been rare for athletes to run that fast in the event early on at JDL.
The opportunity for Indoor Track has also changed drastically in North Carolina over the last 10 years. Prior to the opening of JDL Fast Track in 2012 athletes were lucky to have 2 chances at an indoor 300m run in the season. There was only the Eastern HS Challenge and the NCHSAA State Championship at UNC within the state. Other than that you'd have to travel to Virginia to compete. With the opportunity to run indoors increasing so did the experience running on an indoor track. As a sprinter getting comfortable with the track and running the turns is certainly something that is important and takes some getting used to.
The VA Showcase is a newer event and it's certainly helped athletes run faster. The new banked indoor track at Liberty certainly helps, but so does the level of competition that the VA Showcase brings. Ariana Rivera (Providence) ran her first ever sub-40 last week at 39.99 and finished in 19th place! Having a field that deep plays a big part in helping athletes run to their potential.
The depth of star athletes the state currently has certainly helps. Davis, Robinson and Alysia Johnson (Hillside) are All-American caliber runners in the 200m & 400m. Ross is a star form 55 meters to 300 meters as is Patterson who also is strong in the short hurdles. Plus returning two of the best hurdlers in the country in Sierra Fletcher (Southeast Raleigh) and Ariana Rivera definitely helps. The 300 meter seems to be a common ground for each of these girls despite having different outdoor specialties.
With three weeks left in the indoor season leading up to the state meet there is still plenty of potential for more girls to break 40 seconds. Ani Judd (Southeast Raleigh), Zhamoura McPhail (High Point Central), Jordan Sales (J.H. Rose) and Mekyll Robinson (West Mecklenburg) are just a few on the candidates we could see join the sub-40 club by seasons end.
Also, Tamara Clark's state record and national flat track record will be in jeopardy. Her mark of 37.81 could fall if Kayla Davis takes another shot at the 300m run this season. It could also fall in a blazing fast NCHSAA 3A or 4A State Championship race headlined by Ross and Robinson in 4A and Johnson and Patterson in 3A.
Watch Tamara Clark's Flat Track National Record From 2017
