Photo by Craig Amoss
Coming into the 2020 indoor season, Harford Tech's Caitlyn Bobb had already garnered six individual state titles. She had dominated events between the 200 and 500 meter dash in the 2A classification, running 23.69 and 52.79 in the previous spring as a sophomore. However, she entered the winter carrying a personal best in the 300 of "only" 40.54.
Her first few races of the season were held at the indoor tracks up in Baltimore, such as the Fifth Regiment Armory and the CCBC campuses - tracks that notoriously slow down races, especially in the sprint events. So on January 4, Bobb made her PG Sportsplex season debut at the Southern Maryland Track Classic - and what a debut it was.
Bobb's 39.34 time in the 300 meter dash was over a second and a half faster than the runner-up (Thomas Stone's Takiya Henson, who ran 41.10). It also shattered the previous meet record of 39.70, set back in the 2014 meet by Huntingtown standout Shania Collins. Bobb's 39.34 time did not stand as a personal best for long - she ran 38.61 two weeks later on the banked track at the Virginia Showcase, and then a 2A state meet record of 38.93 back at the Sportsplex in February at the state meet.
It also kicked off what was one of the fastest years in Maryland history for the 300 meter dash. Richard Montgomery's Caia Gelli ran even faster at the 4A state meet (38.89), nearly breaking the overall state meet record. Bullis' Shaniya Hall broke the 39-second mark and was one of three Bullis girls to run sub-40. And Mount de Sales' Isabella Whittaker turned in an all-time performance of 37.76 at the Millrose Games.
