Tack and field aficionados knew Morse High School freshman Monique Henderson would be special after she dominated AAU competition in 1998.

Sure enough, she won the state 400-meter dash that season, posting a time of 53.41 seconds en route to capturing four straight titles and setting the still-standing National Association of High Schools record of 50.74 seconds.

Compare that to Helix High School’s Ava Parker.

Few knew what to expect from Parker during her freshman season. She had only occasionally run for her Discovery Charter Middle School team as an eighth grader.

As it turns out, Helix had itself a star. Parker has clocked a time of 53.47 seconds in the 400, the fastest time for any freshman in the nation, No. 3 overall in California and No. 3 all-time in section history.

“She’s new to the running scene,” said Helix track coach Rodney Van. “When she finishes, she doesn’t ask about her time — she just wants to win. The thing about Ava is she doesn’t get rattled. She’s a very tough competitor.”

Take her performance at this year’s Arcadia Invitational. Parker was in second place and heading toward the finish line when she staggered and fell. Still, she got up and finished the race in last place in 58.45.

“It was her first big invitational, and her family was there to watch,” said Van. “Once she got there her brother hyped her up and she went out at 24.1 seconds for the 200 and 37.2 for the 300. That’s way too fast, and she just tied up at the finish.

“But she’s a quick learner.”

Seven days later, Parker was back on the track — this time at the Mt. SAC Relays, where she would again face state leader Clara Adams, a junior from Long Beach Wilson.

“I studied film of my Arcadia race and at Mt. SAC, I ran my own race,” said Parker, 15. “I felt much better. I knew what to expect this time.”

Parker improved her time to 53.47.

Parker came back and ran a sizzling 24.05 in the 200 that was aided by a 3.6 meters-per-second wind, erasing it for record consideration but eye-opening nonetheless.

By winning the 200 (23.94) and 400 (54.45) at Saturday’s CIF San Diego Section Track and Field Championships, Parker secured a golden ticket to this week’s state meet. She will be the No. 3 seed in the 400 and No. 9 in the 200 heading into Friday’s prelims at Veterans Stadium in Clovis.

Parker comes from a family of athletes. Her brother Adrian set the CIF San Diego Section boys 400 record three years ago, posting a time of 46.48 seconds. Her other brother, Eric, ran a time of 47.99 in 2019.

Their father, Eric Parker Sr., played eight seasons in the NFL, six of them with the San Diego Chargers.

Despite the pedigree, Parker is still somewhat of a newcomer to track. Parker can’t spout records off the top of her head like many runners can. At this stage of her high school career, she’s simply focused on learning how to race.

Although she’s deadly serious about running, Parker says track is the fun part of her day. The team structure and the camaraderie with her Helix teammates have helped her adjust to high school, which can be daunting for a freshman — even one who is a straight-A student.

But as she has already shown, this isn’t your typical freshman.