Redondo Track Festival: Two-Day Event Is Loaded!

SATURDAY PREVIEW

Long Beach Poly junior Everett Steward (left) is one of the top 400 runners in CA. (Jeffrey Parenti photo)

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Saturday morning's action kicks off with the 400 relays, featuring several of California's best!  Starting with the girls, Calabasas will take on top-state ranked, Long Beach Poly.  Calabasas is the early favorite to earn the State team title and we will get our first glimpse of their short relay.  Poly has a 47.43 clocking on the docket this Spring.  Meanwhile, Los Alamitos (48.43) and Roosevelt (48.67) are also amongst the best squads in the Southern Section. 

For the boys, Long Beach Poly's 41.81 is the top time in California thus far.  Fourth place at the 2018 State Meet, they return all four legs.  Slated as a favorite to earn the Division 1 team title, they will have their hands full with #2 state-ranked, Clovis North (42.26).  Golden Valley opened up the season with a 42.87 effort while defending State Champions, Great Oak, comes in with a 43.12 seasonal best.  Local talent, West Torrance has opened the season well with a 43.33 effort while Los Alamitos looks to improve upon their 43.53. 

For the 1600 meters, the field is loaded with some of the Southern Section's best.  Slated to toe the line, Mayfield's Audrey Suarez, Oak Park's Sarah Shultz and Ayala's Mikaela Ramirez headline, as all three qualified for last year's Masters Meet.  Suarez eventually made her way to a fifth place finish at the California State Meet, peaking with a 4:47.83.  Ramirez finished just ahead of her at Redondo in 2018 while Shulze and Cruz-Albrecht also broke 5:10.  Shulze comes in on a high note after her 5:07.13 performance from last weekend.  Meanwhile, Chino freshman Mia Chavez rolled to a 5:09.37 two weeks ago.  Other star freshmen to watch for are Mira Costa's Dalia Frias and West Ranch's Alexis Fernandez (5:11.35 two weeks ago).   Teammate to Fernandez, Sophia Hoelzel was a Masters Meet qualifier a year ago with a 4:56.26 best.  

The boys 1600 is headlined by the West Ranch trio in Evan Bates, Isaiah Seidman and Dylan Gatua.  All three are coming off successful seasons in Cross Country where they were one of the best trios in the nation!  Bates captured the Winter Championships for the 1500 and comes in with a 4:18.53 best.  But they will contend with Great Oak's Chris Verdugo (4:17.47 best) and Tyler Tickner (4:19.84 best).  Also coming in with the top effort on his resume, Ayala's Andrew Martinez enters with a 4:12.34 personal best from 2018.  Adding onto the talent pool, Loyola, Laguna Beach and Mira Costa have their varsity squads from this past fall slated to compete.   Claremont's Jacob Moran, disappointed with his negative split performance from last week, brings along a 4:17.84 best.  Last, Hart's Jeremiah Rasmussen joins the pack with a 2018 best of 4:16.65.    Martinez and Bates are the top two returners from a year ago. 

Sophomore Bella Witt was third a year ago, competing with Birmingham (LA).  Fast forward a year and she is now representing Calabasas.  She was the Los Angeles City Section champion in 2018, qualifying for the State Meet in the process.   Witt (14.26 legal best)will be matched right beside St. Anthony's Asjah Atkinson (14.24 legal best).  Both were two of the best freshmen in the nation, with Atkinson crossing in seventh place at the California State Meet after claiming the Division 4 title.   

Regarding the Boys 110 high hurdles, two of the best in the state own the middle of the track.  Caleb Foster of Clovis North was seventh at the 2018 State Meet in this event (fourth in the long jump) as a sophomore.  His 14.12 wind-aided best will be challenged by Cathedral sophomore, Anthony Taylor.  Taylor suffered a false start at the 2018 divisional prelims, thus his disappearance from the postseason.  He owns a 14.38 legal best.  Meanwhile, Peninsula's Aiden Lieb owns the top time in California, under all conditions with a 14.66 effort.   Watch for Long Beach Poly's Liam Anderson who plans to elevate himself to one of the best in the section.  

Moving to the Girls 400 meters, 11 girls dipped below 59 seconds and we expect that same depth in 2019.  Talent wise, this is the deepest field assembled at the 2019 Redondo Track Festival!  Calabasas' DeAnna Nowling captured the event in 2018 with a 57.36 and is coming off a 58.37 last weekend.  Teammates Tierra Crockrell (56.40 best) and Kyla Robinson-Hubbard (56.07 best) will also push the pace.  Central's Daveion Robinson comes in though with the top time, as she rolled to a 55.52 last season.  Roosevelt freshman, Naomi Johnson produced a 58.14 effort this past week while Chino's Valeia Payne comes in with a 58.55 seasonal best.  Alemany's DeJahnae Jackson brings a 56.95 best to add to the deep field of talent. 

The depth of the boys' 400 is nowhere close to the girls, but still features some of the top talent in California.  Valencia's Kai Wingo surprised with his victory in the 600 meters at the Winter Championships last month.  With that, look for Solomon Strader (47.49 best) of West Ranch to put his new uniform on full blast.   As a sophomore, Strader was a State Meet finalist in the event.  The 2018 runner-up, Roosevelt's Jalen Johnson brings a 48.61 best back to the Redondo Track Festival.    Finally, Central's Nazim Seufiden is looking to recapture the form that saw him run a 48.59 as a sophomore in 2017.  

Many top names are entered in the 400 and 100 meters, so expect to see some choose one or the other. Top level talent stand out, led by the Calabasas crew.  DeAnna Nowling is the defending state champion in the 100 meters but may stick to last year's plan and stick to the 400 meters.  Meanwhile, Witt, Robinson-Hubbard and Kennedy Waite are also listed to compete for the Coyotes.  Waite was a Division 2 finalist in this event in 2018.   Muir's Jenesis Sanford was a Masters Meet qualifier in 2018.  Long Beach Poly's Jaelyn Predium and Queen Okoh will push Nowling as well.  Transferring from Serra, Okoh is one of the favorites to capture the Division 1 title in this event. 

The boys' 100 meters will feature Long Beach Poly's best.  With the possibility of qualifying three or more athletes to the postseason, the Jackrabbits are led by Kenyon Reed, Kejuan Markham and Anthony Johnson will line next to one another in the middle of the track.  Clovis North's Naythn Scruggs comes in as the slight favorite here after his 21.78 bounded him to the California State lead for the 200 meters.  Redondo Union's Anthony Zuanich looks to defend his home turf.  Roosevelt's Dorien Mars and West Torrance's Turner Fernandez are also looking to push down below the 11-second threshold. 

In the 800 meters, expect Mayfield's Suarez (2:13.28 best) to renew her battle with Roosevelt Alexys Ford (2:13.91 best).  With a strong last 300 meters, Suarez outkicked Ford across the finish, 2:15.90-2:16.00 last year.  But, Julia Morales of Scripps Ranch makes the trip north as the favorite.   Eight place at the 2018 State Finals, Morales emerged with a 2:12.92 best.  Meanwhile, Great Oak's Fatima Cortes and Vacaville's Jaxin Woodward join the group with sub-2:15 bests from 2018.   La Canada's Ellaney Matarese (2:16.51) was a Division 3 finalist from last year while Chino's Mia Chavez opened her season up with a 2:19.27.      

LB Poly's Everett Steward and his 1:54.00 personal best headline the Boys 800 meters.  Valencia's Kai Wingo (if he drops the 400 meters) will push Steward all throughout.  Wingo impressed with winning the 600 meter Winter Championships and raced to a 1:54.30 best in 2018.   Jesse Montez (1:54.95 best) of La Serna is a two-time Division 1 Finalist in the event and has rolled to a 1:55.87.  Golden Valley's Antonio Abrego was the top freshman in the nation in 2018 with a best of 1:55.09, while also qualifying for the Masters Meet.  Dylan Wilbur (1:55.09 best) of Crescenta Valley and Konnor Paris (1:57.02 best) of Loyola also two of the best in the Southern Section.  Clovis North's Isaiah Galindo (1:56.94) is also slated to compete. 

Moving for to the Girls 300 hurdles, JW North's Amari Jenkins will open up her season as the favorite.  Jenkins was a State Meet qualifier in 2018, peaking with a 43.27 best.  Roosevelt's Myah Hatcher and Ayala's Arianna Gonzalez join one another again, as both crossed at 47.49 two weeks ago.  Meanwhile, Jordan's Tia Spears has also gone under 48 seconds this season.  Two of the nation's best in Kyla Robinson-Hubbard and Long Beach Poly's Kenya Payne have opted to focus on other events this weekend. 

In the Boys 300 Hurdles, Cathedral sophomore Anthony Taylor is coming off an impressive 39.33 effort last weekend.  But, Division 2 finalist in 2018, Mya Davis of West Ranch owns a 39.19 best.  Los Alamitos' Abraham Lotfy will look to improve upon his 39.93 best while Long Beach Poly's Liam Anderson (40.21 best) will look to both athletes to break the 40-second barrier. 

As the Redondo Track Festival forgoes the 200 meters, the meet will conclude with some of the best 4x400 Relay squads in the Southern Section. 

In the Girls 1600 relay, Long Beach Poly, Roosevelt and Alemany traditionally boast squads under 3:50!  Poly and Alemany have already run under 3:56 in recent weeks while Roosevelt opened the season with a 3:56.89 two weeks ago.  Alemany took sixth place at the 2018 State Meet Finals and return three of those legs.  Roosevelt peaked with a 3:47.20 in 2018 and have the talent and depth to eclipse 3:50 here in 2019.  Golden Valley has retooled their lineup and ran 3:58.15 last weekend while Scripps Ranch looks to eclipse the four-minute barrier for the first time this season.