55 Meter Dash
One of the top breakout sprinters of the winter, Great Mills' Marcus Smith has shaved three tenths of a second off of his 55 meter dash time from last winter. (Photo by Craig Amoss)
| Athlete | Season Best | Regional Performance |
| Marcus Smith, Great Mills | 6.52 (SMAC Meet #2) | 6.57 (1st, 3AE) |
| Davon Carroll, Northeast | 6.53 (Virginia Showcase) | 6.54 (1st, 3AC) |
| Sundiata Kamau, Reservoir | 6.61 (3A East Regionals) | 6.61 (2nd, 3AE) |
| Walter Scheuerman, Kenwood | 6.61 (3A Central Regionals) | 6.61 (2nd, 3AC) |
| Rodger Wright, Milford Mill | 6.65 (HoCo Winterfest) | 6.67 (3rd, 3AC) |
Last year, Great Mills' Marcus Smith didn't make it past the preliminary rounds of the 3A East Regionals in the 55 meter dash. This winter, he enters the state meet with the fastest time in the event among 3A competitors. It didn't come entirely out of nowhere - he placed eighth in the 100 meter dash last spring - but it's one of the biggest year-to-year improvements among Maryland sprinters.
Aside from Smith, only Northeast's Davon Carroll has clocked a time under 6.60 so far this winter. Carroll didn't run the 55 at last year's state meet, either, but he was the runner-up in the 100 at the outdoor state meet this past May.
If you're sensing a theme among the 55 meter dash field of this year's 3A state meet. Only one runner from last year's field (11 of 16 of which were seniors) is back for this year's state meet, meaning a whole new look to the event and some runners who have never squared off before. Among them is Kenwood senior Walter Scheuerman, who has already dropped his time this winter from 7.07 to 6.61.