A Look Back: T'Mars McCallum, Coach Reflect on 2022 Season


T'Mars McCallum has had a little over a month to reflect on what ranks as one of the top overall performances in state meet history. The recently graduated Carolina Forest sprinter won four individual titles and set three state records at the SCHSL 5A meet in May.

Watch the 2022 South Carolina 5A Track and Field Championship meet

His team fell a single point shy of winning the championship to Spring Valley. McCallum won the 100 and 200-meter dashes, 4x100-meter relay and long jump. He ran an amazing time of 10.13 to claim the record in the 100 to set the tone. "I wanted the board to say 9.7-9.8," McCallum said. I'd been practicing a lot. I got a little bit of a slow start but straightened it out."




Carolina Forest coach Jesse Patrick said that watching the 100 was a sight to behold. "It would have been fourth in the NCAA," he said. "It tied a record for seventh all-time in the U.S. In my opinion, he had one of the greatest achievements in South Carolina history. It's one thing to win four championships, but to set three state records is incredible."

McCallum ran a 20.71 in the 200 and topped the long jump at 24-8.5. He combined with Erhard Owusu, Jalien Porter and Andrew Bilderback to finish at 40.72 in the 4x100-meter relay. McCallum said it was the relay he's most proud of. "I'm definitely proud of the 4x1 out of all of them," he said. "We PR'd by a whole second."

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McCallum is now looking into options for his collegiate career. He's also just coming off posting times of 10.17 in the 100 and 20.98 in the 200 at the New Balance Nationals.

Although his high school career is over, McCallum said that his memories will never go away. "I'm definitely going to miss the team," he said. "I'll just miss the long bus rides and fun we had. They definitely pushed me and helped me be better." "He just got faster and faster," Patrick said. "I've described it to other people that he's not just an amazing athlete. He's a generational athlete."