Interesting High School Track and Field Records Notes:
- The oldest national high school event record still untied or broken is the girls long jump: In 1976, Kathy McMillan (Raeford Hoke County, North Carolina) leaped 22’-1 ¾”.
- The boys and girls national shot put records were held by a father and daughter tandem: In 1979, Dallas, Texas Jefferson High School’s Michael Carter (who went on to become an Olympic Silver Medalist and all-pro defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers) heaved the shot an astonishing distance of 77’-00″. But that’s not the end to this tale. Later that year, Michael Carter threw 81’-3 1/2” at the Golden West Invitational, a track and field meet held in Sacramento, CA featuring the top high school athletes in the country. The NFSH has not recognized the throw as a record because it did not occur at an NFSH-sanctioned meet. However, most sports observers recognize the throw as a high school record. Consequently, many sports authorities and pundits credit Carter’s 81′-3 1/2″ shot put throw as being one of the greatest sports feats in history. Twenty-four years later (2003), his daughter, Michelle Carter (Red Oak, Texas), set the U.S. girls national record with a throw of 54’-10”. Michelle’s mark was demolished in 2017 by New Jersey’s Alyssa Wilson, who heaved a record-shattering toss of 57′ -1 1/4″.
- California’s Long Beach Poly High School track stars Shana Solomon, Jasmine Lee, and Shalonda Solomon are the only athletes to hold national records in two events. In 2004, the trio set national records as members of the 4X200 and 4×400 relay teams, clocking 1:33.87 and 3:35.49, respectively.
Latest High School Track and Field Records Set in 2024
In 2024, the landscape of high school track and field witnessed an extraordinary display of athletic prowess as new national records were set by both boys and girls. Drew Griffith of Butler HS, PA, shattered Allen Webb’s long-standing 1600-meter run record from 2001, clocking an impressive 3:57.08 at Shippensburg, PA. Vance Nilsson from Gilbert HS outperformed Reggie Wyatt’s 2009 record in the 300-meter IM hurdles, recording a stellar 34.83 at Mesa, AZ. The Humble Atascocita relay team (TX), consisting of Tory Blaylock, Landon Fontenot, Jordan Parker, and Jelani Watkins, blazed through the 4×100-meter relay in Houston, TX, with a time of 38.92 seconds, eclipsing the previous record set in 1998. Duncanville’s 4×200-meter relay team (TX), featuring Brayden Williams, Cadien Durham, Ayson Theus, and Dakorien Moore, achieved a remarkable 1:22.25 in Austin, TX, shaving a full second off the record set in 2018. Karson Gordon of Belair Episcopal made a significant leap in the triple jump, reaching 53-1½ in Austin, TX. On the girls’ side, the Lewisville Flower Mound relay team, composed of Nicole Humphries, Adeline Bennett, Alexandra Fox, and Samantha Humphries, set a new benchmark in the 4×800-meter relay with a time of 8:46:30 in Austin, TX, breaking the previous record held since 2012.
Current and Recent Class of 2024 High Schoolers Competing for Spot on U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team
It would be remiss of me not to mention current participants in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials like Quincy Wilson. At just 16 years old, he set a new U18 world record by clocking a time of 44.66 seconds, winning his 400-meter heat on Friday, June 21, 2024, and backing that up with another U18 world record (44.59) on Sunday. “The Phenom”—in the purest sense—hails from Pontiac, Maryland, where he attends Bullis High School. Wilson, along with Elizabeth Leachman (5,000 meters), are the youngest participants at the U.S. Olympic Team Track and Field Trials. Vance Nilsson, who just set the U.S. high school record in the 300 intermediate hurdles, will compete in the men’s 400 hurdles. Also, keep an eye out on high school sprint sensation Christian Miller (ST. Johns County, FL, Creeksville High School class of 2024), who takes a crack at the 100 and 200 meters. Miller is one of only a handful of U.S. athletes who have posted sub-10-seconds 100 meters in 2024, turning in a 9.93 performance this past April, breaking the U18 world record and U20 American records. Although his 100 record is 100% legitimate, it was set at a non-sanctioned NFHS event, therefore, it does not count as a U.S. High school national record.
Others competing: Elise Cooper – 200 meters; Sadie Englehardt – 1500 meters; JaiCieonna Gera-Holt – high jump: Scottie Vines – high jump; Skylynn Townsend – triple jump and Talia Green – 20,000 meter race walk
Last updated June 23, 2024:
U.S. High School Track and Field National Records
| BOYS | GIRLS |
|---|---|
| Sprints | Sprints |
| 100: MATTHEW BOLING, Houston Strake Jesuit, TX (2019)—10.13. | 100: MIA BRAHE-PEDERSEN (Lake Oswego, OR) at Eugene, OR —11.00 (2023). |
| 200: ROY MARTIN, Dallas Roosevelt, TX—20.13 (1985). | 200: ALLYSON FELIX, Los Angeles Baptist, CA—22.52 (2003). |
| 400: ALDRICH BAILEY, Mansfield Timberview, TX—45.19 (2012); MICHAEL NORMAN, Vista Murrieta, Murrieta, CA–45.19 (2015). Note: In 1982, Darrell Robinson, from Tacoma, Washington’s Wilson H.S, ran 44.69 as a high school sprinter in a non-NFHS sanctioned contest. | 400: MONIQUE HENDERSON, San Diego Samuel F.B. Morse, CA—50.74 (2000). Shattered previous record by 2 seconds. |
| Distance Runs | Distance Runs |
| 800: MICHAEL GRANVILLE, Bell Gardens, CA—1:46.45 (1996). | 800: ROISIN WILLIS, LaCrosse, WI—2:00.03 (2022). |
| 1600: DREW GRIFFITH, Butler at Shippensburg, PA—3:57.08 (2024). He crushed Allan Webb’s record set in 2001 by nearly 2 and a half seconds. | 1600: ALEXA EFRAIMSON, Camas, WA—4:33.29 (2014). |
| 3200: SIMEON BIRNBAUM, (Rapid City Stevens) at Arcadia, CA8:34.10 (2023). | 3200: KATELYN TOUHY, Thiells North Rockland, NY—9:47.88 (2018). Broke previous record |
| Hurdles | Hurdles |
| 110HH: DENNIS BRANTLEY, Houston Worthing, TX—13.10 (1980) manual time. CHRIS NELLOMS, Dayton Dunbar, OH—13.30 (1990) FAT. | 100HH: VASHTI THOMAS, San Jose Mt. Pleasant, CA—13.03 (2007). |
| 300IM: VANCE NILSSON Gilbert at Mesa , AZ—34.83 (2024). | 300LH: LASHINDA DEMUS, Long Beach Wilson, CA—39.98 (2001). |
| Relays | Relays |
| 4×100 HUMBLE ATASCOCITA, TX (Tory Blaylock, Landon Fontenot, Jordan Parker, Jelani Watkins) at Houston, TX—38.92 (2024). | 4×100: DESOTO, TX (JaEra Griffin, Jayla Hollis, Taylor Armstrong, Rosaline Effiong)—44.24 (2018). |
| 4×200: DUNCANV ILLE, TX (Brayden Williams, Cadien Durham, Ayson Theus, Dakorien Moore) at Austin, TX—1:22.25 (2024). | 4×200: LONG BEACH POLY, CA (Shana Solomon, Jasmine Lee, Shana Woods, Shalonda Solomon)—1:33.87 (2004). |
| 4×400: HAWTHORNE, CA (Michael Marsh, Michael Graham, Sean Kelly, Henry Thomas) —3:07.40 (1985). | 4X400: LONG BEACH POLY, CA (Shana Solomon, Dashanta Harris, Jasmine Lee, Shalonda Solomon)—3:35.49 (2004). |
| 4×800: WARRINGTON CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH, PA (Jeffrey Dickson, David Manion, Matthew Poiesz, Thomas Mallon)—7:33.48 (2009). | 4×800: LEWIS FLOWER MOUND, TX (Nicole Humphries, Adeline Bennett, Alexandra Fox, Samantha Humphries) at Austin, TX—8:46:30 (2024). |
| Field Events | Field Events |
| Shot Put: MICHAEL CARTER, Dallas Jefferson, TX—77-00 (1979) Carter later bested this throw, heaving it 81-3 1/2 at the 1979 Golden West Invitational (see Interesting Record Notes above). | Shot Put: ALYSSA WILSON, Toms River Donovan Catholic, NJ—57-1 1/4 (2017). Demolishes previous record by over a foot. |
| Discus: MASON FINLEY, Buena Vista, CO—236-6 (2009). | Discus: EMMA SRALLA (Flower Mound Marcus, TX) at Dallas, TX—193-8 (2023). |
| Javelin: BILLY STANLEY, South Park, PA—246-9 (2012). | Javelin: MADISON WILTROUT, Connellsvile, PA—185-8 (2015). |
| High Jump: VERNON TURNER, Yukon, OK —7-6 (2017). | High Jump: VASHTI CUNNINGHAM, Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas, NV—6- 4 1/2 (2015). |
| Pole Vault: ARMAND DUPLANTIS, Lafayette, LA—19-5 1/2 (2018). It shatters the previous record by over a foot. | Pole Vault: HANA MOLL, (Olympia Capital) at Arcadia, CA—15-0 (2023). |
| Long Jump: JAMES STALLWORTH, Tulane Union, CA—26-4 3/4 (1989). | Long Jump: KATHY McMILLAN, Raeford Hoke County, NC—22-1 3/4 (1976). |
| Triple Jump: KARSON GORDON, Belair Episcopal at Austin, TX—53-1 1/2. (2024). | Triple Jump: JASMINE MOORE, Mansfield Lake Ridge, Austin, TX—44-10 (2019). |
Related Links
National Federation of State High School Associations (NFSH) Offical Record Book