How incredibly loaded was the Bojangles Track and Field Classic boys 400m final in 2017?
Three years later, the talent pool has only blossomed.
There's Newton (GA) graduate Elija Godwin, a current University of Georgia sophomore who went on to win silver with the Team USA Junior team at the World U20 Championships in 2018. He was third in the 400m at the SEC Indoor Championships this winter in 45.92.
Then there's High Point Christian Academy (NC) graduate Chantz Sawyers, who owns the North Carolina state 400m record. A current sophomore at the University of Florida, he finished seventh at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400m in a career best 45.24.
Goose Creek Stratford (SC) graduate Davonte Fuller, a current sophomore at the University of Miami, has run 47.49 for 400m and set a 600m program record in 2020 for the Canes in 1:19.31.
Columbia Dreher (GA) graduate Jacory Patterson, the most improved of anyone in this field three years later, has run 20.56 in the 200m and 45.46 in the 400m ...and he set an NCAA collegiate record of 32.28 seconds in the 300m in January.
And honestly, we can't forget about current Bullis School (MD) senior Ashton Allen, either. While he finished last in this race, he was the only freshman in the field and held his own -- he would actually go on to finish No. 2 in his class with a time of 47.53, and since then he's run a career best of 46.99 indoors. Allen is also headed to the University of Southern California.
You know, this field was so good ...Trey Johnson didn't even make the finals. The current Southern Mississippi sophomore would go on to finish his high school career with bests of 21.52 and 46.37 in the 200m and 400m, respectively, and would qualify for the Pan American U20 Championships in the 400m.
Want to know who won this race?
Watch the video above.
2017 Bojangles Boys 400m Final Results
Event 20 Boys 400 Meter Dash Varsity
==========================================================================
Meet Record: M 46.34 4/10/2004 Cedric Goodman, Newnan
Name Year School Finals H# Points
==========================================================================
Finals
1 26 Godwin, Elija 11 Newton 46.34M 14 10
2 Sawyers, Chantz 12 High Point C 46.43 14 8
3 Fuller, Davonte 11 Stratford 47.44 14 6
4 Jeff, Andre 12 New Hampstea 47.72 14 5
5 Patterson, Jacory 11 Dreher 48.20 13 4
6 Wilson, Nicholas 10 DeMatha Cath 48.35 14 3
7 Whitehead, Christi 12 Shiloh 48.63 13 2
8 Allen, Ashton 09 Bullis 48.84 14 1