If you have ever won a 100 meter dash in high school, you’ve dreamed about becoming an Olympian. Because the moment I first got a taste of first place, I was hooked on it. If you are really good, you’re much less concerned with whoever is in the other lane, than you are about whatever the clock has to say when you cross the line. But what really happens to the fastest runners in high school? Only one sprinter every years runs the fastest time in the nation, and the truth is, high school is really on the start of a young sprinters career.

To make this list as the best sprinter in high school, you had to have the top recorded time on either MileSplit or Athletic.net that is both FAT and wind legal. So here is a breakdown of what happened to the fastest high school boy in the 100 meter dash, every single year, for the past 10 years. Names that you might recognize, and some you likely have forgotten. Remember, it doesn’t really matter how good you start, as much as it does how you finish.

2022 - T’mars McCallum

T’mars McCallum is the most recent addition to this list. He earned his spot by running 10.13 with only a .4 wind out of Carolina Forest High School in South Carolina. He actually ran that time at the state championship meet, and needlessly to say he won the event. He is now in his first season at the University of Tennessee sprinting in the SEC where he is wrapping up his freshman year season. To this point, he ran a personal best of 6.74 in the 60 meter dash, and only finished 19th at the SEC championships. Which proves just how competitive the SEC is, because that time would have won him a conference championship throughout half of Division 1. Outdoors he has run a seasons best of 10.58 in the 100 meter and 21.20 in the 200 meter, both a ways off of his high school prs. So he doesn’t appear to be a threat to make the finals in the SEC championships yet in either event, but he is running on Tennesses’s 4x100m relay team which is currently ranked 5th in NCAA Division 1.

2021 - Jaylen Slade

In 2021 Jaylen Slade was the fastest 100 meter runner in 2021 who ran 10.09 in a race against professionals at the Pure Athletics Summer Invitational. He chose to turn pro in 2021 signing with Adidas when he was still just 17 years old, prior to his senior year of high school. At that time Slade was aiming to qualify for the Olympic trials. But 2 years later in 2023 we haven’t seen much from Jaylen Slade. In 2022 he was listed as unattached in the races he did run, and doesn’t seem to have run faster than 10.30, a time that was wind actually wind aided. He also failed to break 21 in the 200 meter that season. To this point he doesn’t have any times registered in 2023, so lets hope we haven’t seen the last of Jaylen Slade.

2020 - Erriyon Knighton

In 2020 the fastest 100 meter runner was Erriyon Knighton, who probably needs no introduction. In a year dominated by the pandemic he still recorded 10.29 into a slight minus wind before competition was suspended outdoors. He has since signed with Adidas, qualified for the Olympics and World Championships, and become a medalist in the 200 meter dash. In early 2023 he recorded 9.98 in a slightly wind aided performance to break the 10 second barrier for the first time. It is hard to believe Erriyon isn’t even 20 years old yet. But the truth is he is an other worldly talent, who is already threatening to chase down Usain Bolt’s world record in the 200 meter dash. Erriyon was actually a 4 star football recruit who originally was headed to compete for the Florida Gators. Even though he turned that down, things appear to be working out for him just fine.

2019 - Matthew Boling

Matthew Boling was the fastest high school runner out of Texas, in a season where he actually recorded the fastest time under all conditions of 9.97, but was highly wind aided. His best wind legal time was a 10.11 at the Junior Pan American games that year. Since Matthew has become a star for the Georgia Bulldogs track team. He has won 2 NCAA indoor titles in the 200 meter dash, but yet to win a championship in the 100 meter dash either at the SEC championships or NCAAs. He did win an SEC title in the 60 meter dash in 2022, and to this point has run 9.98 wind legal, just one hundredth of a second off of his wind aided high school PR. And unlike most of the men on the list, Matthew is also incredibly talented in the 400 meter dash. Which is why Georgia has one of the fastest 4x400m relay teams in Division 1, with Matthew on the team.

2017/2018 - Anthony Schwartz

In 2018 and 2017 Anthony Schwartz was the fastest man on the track in the 100 meter dash. He ran 10.15 wind legal as a junior and improved on that to run 10.09 as a senior. He was the under 20 world leader in the 60 meter dash and 100 meter dash graduating high school at American Heritage School in Florida. But Anthony was also a football star who took his talents to Auburn. There he focused on football, sprinting sparingly for the Auburn track team in the 100 meter and 60 meter dashes for only one season. He actually ran 10.21 in the 100 meter in college, and 6.59 in the 60. Which would have given him a shot to run at the NCAAs indoor and outdoors, yet he didn’t show up to compete. Since that time he has become an NFL player for the Cleveland Browns, drafted in the 3rd round in 2021. Anthony is a truly special talent, who probably could have become one of the best sprinters of his generation, but we will likely never get to see it since he is now competing exclusively on Sundays.

2016 - Noah Lyles

In 2016 it was Noah Lyles who wore the crown as the fastest 100 meter runner. He recorded 10.17 in a wind legal time out of T.C. Williams high school in Virginia. He famously skipped college after committing to run for the Florida Gators, after his performance at the Olympic trials. But Noah is a top flight talent, specifically in the 200 meter dash. Today we know how good he actually is. He has won USA championships in the 100 meter and 200 meter dash. And just completed the most dominant 200 meter dash season ever, winning the world championships to go along with his many other international medals. But he isn’t the world record holder, yet. Perhaps 2023 will change that, since he said himself, that he is coming for all the records.

2015 - Devin Duvernay

In 2015 it was Devin Duvernay out of Texas who ran 10.27 wind legal to win a 6a state championship, and claim the title of fastest boy in the nation. But he was a 4 star football recruit who doesn’t seem to ever have run in college. And instead played football for the Texas Longhorns. A decision that has worked out well for him, because now he plays for the Baltimore Ravens as a third round pick in the NFL draft.

2014 - Trentavis Friday

In 2014 I felt I had to make an exception, because there were 2 sprinters who could argue for the title of fastest boy in the nation legitimately. The first is Trentavis Friday. He ran a wind legal 10.00 at the USA junior championships as a senior in high school before winning the world junior championship in the 200 meter dash. He then attended Florida State but only for 1 year where he struggled with injuries and did not win any ACC championships or make an NCAA final. He chose to turn pro after that with a Chinese company called Xtep. But unforuntately his world junior performances are still his PRs to this point. After 2016 he has really struggled to perform close to the talent he showcased out of high school. He hasn’t recorded any official times since 2020, so it seems we may have seen the last of Trentavis Friday.

2014 - Kendal Williams

The year 2014 also belonged to another sprinter out of Florida. Kendal Williams. A Jacksonville, Florida native at Stanton College Prep, he actually ran at World Juniors with Friday, winning the 100 meter dash in a time of 10.21 into a negative wind against Trayvon Bromell who was already the NCAA champion at the time! Williams went on to attend Florida State with Trentavis Friday for 1 year, where he won the ACC championship in the 60 meter dash and medaled outdoors in the 100 and 200. But he would transfer to Georgia to finish his career where he would qualify for a few NCAA championship finals before finally winning a 100 meter dash title at the SECs as as senior in 9.99 wind legal. A year where he would not make the NCAA 100 final, but finish third in the 200 meter in 20.32. Today Kendal is still running professionally but his PRs still date back to his college career in 2018. Today he has proven to be a threat to make a USA championship final in any event that he enters.

2013 - Trayvon Bromell

Last but not least is Trayvon Bromell out of Florida was the fastest boy In high school in the year 2013. A season where he actually ran 9.99 wind assisted and 10.27 wind legal. He went to Baylor for two seasons before turning pro signing with New Balance where he would win the NCAA championship in the 100 meter dash in a time of 9.97 as a freshman wind legal. He later lost as a sophomore to Andre De Grasse, even though he would run 9.88 wind assisted. Bromell is now an Olympian, world championship medalist, and a threat to run the world leading time in the 60 or 100 meter dash in any race he enters. He has also overcome great adversity to not only make it to the top but stay there, including recovering from a torn achilles, before getting back to the world championship stage.

The Bottom Line

Becoming the fastest sprinter in high school is a great accomplishment, but all it really means is that you have great talent and great potential. Which does not mean a whole lot if that Potential is never realized, because a great deal of talent alone is not enough to make anyone an Olympian. Hard work is the other ingredient required for success. But regardless of who makes it to the top of the sport, America has no shortage of talent to draw from in the 100 meter dash.

KNOW THE GAME. WIN THE GAME.

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