The New Balance Nationals Outdoor championships are barely underway, and Union Catholic (Scotch Plains, N.J.) track phenom Sydney McLaughlin is already breaking national records left and right.
McLaughlin ran a 50.93 split to anchor Union Catholic’s winning Swedish medley relay — the fastest 400-meter time ever recorded by a high school runner in the event — capping her team’s winning of time of 2:07.99, which broke the record of 2:08.88 set at NBNO in 2015 … by none other than Union Catholic.
The Swedish medley relay features four teammates running 100, 200, 300 and 400 in succession, and because McLaughlin owns the fastest 400-meter dash (51.87) and 400-meter hurdles (56.23) among U.S. prep competitors in 2016, she naturally anchored the relay, carrying her team from sixth place to first.
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While McLaughlin’s split does not go down as an official 400-meter dash time, her time of 50.93 would rank fifth in U.S. prep history behind Olympic medalists Sanya Richards-Ross, Monique Henderson, Denean Howard and Sheila Ingram. As it stands, McLaughlin’s official 400 time of 51.87 at New Jersey’s Meet of Champions earlier this month ranks 18th all-time. And did we mention she’s only a junior?
McLaughlin is scheduled to compete in the 400-meter hurdles at NBNO on Sunday before competing at U.S. Junior Nationals and the Olympic Trials later this month. And she’s got another whole season before concluding her already decorated high school career, so expect a few more records to fall in the near future.