In the span of a little more than 30 seconds Saturday, Notre Dame senior Khalfani Muhammad could elevate his status from state champion to one of the all-time great sprinters in California prep history.
Of course there are clean starts to execute, preliminary heats to run first and potential headwind to encounter at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis, but if all goes according to form, Muhammad’s final state track and field meet could be a historic showcase.
Muhammad and Long Beach Poly junior Ariana Washington are looking to become the first male and female athletes in state championship history to defend their 100-meter dash titles in the same year. Only twice — in 1975 and ’76, along with 2006 and ’07 — has the feat been in achieved in the 200.
“We’re like the dynamic duo. We know the track world is going to be watching and we can’t let each other down,” Washington said. “We’ve been friends for a long time and more than anything, we push each other, because if I go out and run a great race, then he’s going to be even more motivated to run well. I know he’s going to show up and perform, and I’m going to do the same, and that’s what makes it such an exciting story. To have an opportunity to make history together with one of my best friends is pretty special.”
Muhammad became the first male sprinter since Compton’s Ricky Carrigan in 1991 to capture state titles in the 100 and 200, as well as the 4 x 100 relay, when he led Notre Dame to its first state team championship last year.
“He’s definitely someone I look up to because if he sets his mind to something, he’s going to accomplish his goal. I hope I can live up to his success because he’s really inspired me,” said Washington, who looks to lead Long Beach Poly to its record 13th girls state team championship.
“He’s always been about taking care of his business. He’s come here for a purpose and he takes care of that purpose. He’s really quiet and really intense and really humble, one of the most humble people I’ve ever met.”
Although a repeat of Notre Dame’s team crown likely won’t occur Saturday, Muhammad’s results in the 100 and 200 could allow him to achieve something no local male sprinter has ever accomplished by repeating as state champion in both events.
Hoover graduate Forrest Beaty was the last area male athlete to win back-to-back state 100 titles in 1961 and ’62 — when it was the 100-yard dash.
Former Taft standout Quincy Watts was the most recent local runner to capture consecutive state 200 championships in 1986 and ’87.
Hoover’s John Bradley secured the 200 title in 1947 and ’48, but only won the 100 crown in 1947. Beaty fell short of repeating in the 200 in 1962 and Watts only prevailed in the 100 in 1987, creating another opportunity for Muhammad to add to his legacy Saturday.
“I love the challenge,” Muhammad said. “The competition brings out the best in me. It brings me up to another level. It makes me push even harder to get the victory.”
Muhammad became the area’s first male athlete to capture back-to-back Southern Section Masters titles in the 100 and 200, delivering personal bests under all conditions Friday at Cerritos College with a wind-aided 10.22 and a wind-legal 20.73 seconds.
“That’s probably the most relaxed I’ve felt in the 200,” Muhammad said. “I wanted to attack the curve as much as I could, so I was happy with the result. But I still feel like there’s more there for me to accomplish.”
Perhaps the only thing that separated Muhammad from the fastest wind-legal 100 mark in state history was an ill-timed breeze, with a race reading of 2.1 meters per second, one-tenth over the allowable limit.
Hawthorne’s Henry Thomas still holds the wind-legal state 100 record of 10.25 set in 1985.
“That would have pretty been awesome if I would have broke it and (it would have been the) U.S. No. 1 time also (this year),” Muhammad said. “But the most important thing was the victory. I came out and accomplished what I wanted to and it set me up well for (state).”
The state-meet standard in the 100 still belongs to Riley Washington of Southwest High in San Diego, who clocked 10.30 in 1992.
Long Beach Poly’s Bryshon Nellum, a redshirt senior at USC, produced the fastest 200 time at a state final with his 20.43 in 2007, also a California all-time record.
Although Nellum’s 200 mark might be out of reach even for Muhammad, one or both 100 records — state meet or overall — are well within striking distance.
Ariana Washington, the national prep leader this season under all conditions in the 100 at 11.20, is chasing the girls state-meet standard of 11.14 set by Thousand Oaks’ Marion Jones in 1992, as well as the all-time California mark of 11.11 produced by Chino’s Angela Williams in 1998.
“I love the pressure. I think the pressure really excites us because we both love when people expect that from us,” Washington said. “We’ve always put the team first and we’ll both do whatever it takes for the team to win, but Saturday night is the night that we want to take over the track world. All I can say is get ready for a show because it could be a really special day in history for both of us.”
Following his Masters victories, Muhammad looked ahead to the final act of his brilliant prep career. And much like his combined time on the track in the 100 and 200, the outlook took a little more than 30 seconds to assess.
“This is just the premiere,” Muhammad said. “(At state) I’m going to come out hard and give it everything I’ve got. There’s no going back now. I’m going to leave it all on the track, so be ready to be amazed.”
