Girls MileSplitCA All-State Track and Field Team

CA 2021 Track and Field Season In Review

Jul 09, 2021

From Paige Sommers' national standard in the pole vault to Mia Barnett's unparalleled season in the distances to the amazing versatility of the likes of Elise Miller, Lauren Fowler, Asjah Atkinson, and Jade McDonald, the Girls MileSplitCA All-State Track and Field team for 2021 is stocked full of record-setters, history-makers, and champions.

What makes the accomplishments of these girls even more amazing is that the 2020 season was mostly lost to the Coronavirus pandemic and the 2021 season was an inconsistent mess statewide. In some sections, athletes were able to have a season full of opportunities, while others were met with severe limitations.

Four of the state's 10 CIF sections did not sanction a post-season and only four offered an actual dual-gender no-division championship (Central, Central Coast, Oakland, San Diego). The Southern Section held separate division championships and Los Angeles City split its section finals by gender on different days. San Diego went to a three-division format for the first time, all at separate venues, but in the 11th hour added a sanctioned "Open" masters meet the weekend after divisionals.

We haven't had a CIF-State Track and Field Championship meet since May of 2019.

Enterprising coaches and meet directors scrambled to fill voids with the likes of the Sundown Track Series (Meets 1-3); Dublin Social Distance Fiesta (Nos. 1-3); MOC Distance Classic (canceled but quickly resurrected); a rare CA-only Arcadia Invitational (but without spectators), and post-season events like the NorCal Championships and the unsanctioned California State Championships. Athletes in search of competition found non-CIF open meets throughout the spring and also traveled to states like Arizona, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington.

By whatever means necessary, it seemed, athletes found a way to get out there and compete. And when they did, WOW, what a result!

Congratulations to all of the girls listed below for being selected to the MileSplitCA All-State Track and Field Team.

Ultimately, this is a subjective team. Among the criteria considered: Overall U.S. ranking, CA-leading marks, depth and consistency of resume, gold-standard performance at a major championship and/or invitational, and first-team selection on one of the MileSplitCA All-State teams by class.

We limited the first team to 22 athletes and tried to represent each event. We could have expanded it to 25, but whatever the number, the final choices are never easy. We had to cut it off somewhere, so we settled on 22.

The exceptional depth of some events put limitations on achieving the objective of representing each event. As a result, we felt compelled to add an Honorable Mention listing of athletes whose marks warranted inclusion. All athletes who earned first-team recognition on the All-State Senior team are guaranteed mention here.

Be sure to check out the All-State teams by class, easily located by clicking the "CA 2021 Track and Field Season In Review" link above.

Girls MileSplitCA All-State Track and Field Team

FIRST TEAM

(Athletes are listed alphabetically by event group)

Name	School	Grade	Event	Comment
Mia Barnett	Crescenta Valley (SS)	SR	Distance	U.S. No. 1 - 1600m/3200m; CA No. 1 - 800m/Mile; CA No. 3 all-time (1600m), No. 4 all-time (3200m); No. 25 all-time (800m)
Mia Chavez	Chino (SS)	JR	800m	CA No. 2, U.S. No. 22; Winner - Arcadia, CIF-SS D-2, CA State Champs
Hannah Fredericks	Saugus (SS)	JR	Distance	CA No. 4 combo 1600m/3200m CIF-SS Division 1 champion - 3200m
Dalia Frias	Mira Costa (SS)	JR	Distance	CA No. 2 combo 800m/1600m; CA No. 3 combo 1600m/3200m
Miliana Perez	Clovis North (CS)	JR	Distance	CA No. 5 - 1600m; CIF-CS Masters winner - 1600m
Sophia Nordenholz	Albany (NC)	JR	Distance	CA No. 2 combo 1600m/3200m; CA No. 2 - 3200m; Three times swept 16/32 at Dublin
Audrey Suarez	Mayfield (SS)	SR	Distance	CA No. 3 combo 800m/1600m; CA No. 2, U.S. No. 22 -1600m; CA State Champs winner - 1600m
Sydney Sundgren	Buchanan (CS)	SO	Distance	U.S. No. 6 (1600m) and No. 7 (3200m) in 2023 class; CA No. 5 overall (3200m); CA No. 5 - 1600m/3200m combo
Kapiolani Coleman	Cathedral Catholic (SD)	SO	Hurdles	CA No. 3 combo hurdler; U.S. No. 7 - 300mH in 2023 class; CIF-SDS Open champion - 300mH
Aaliyah McCormick	Scripps Ranch (SD)	JR	Hurdles	CA No. 1 combo hurdler; U.S. No. 6 - 100mH, No. 8 - 300mH in 2022 class
Asjah Atkinson	St. Anthony (SS)	SR	100mH/LJ	CA No. 6 - 100mH; CA No. 1(wl) - LJ; CIF-SS Division 4 champion - 100mH, 300mH, LJ
Lauren Fowler	Buchanan (SS)	SR	100m/200m/LJ	CA No. 2 - 100m; CA No. 3 - 200m; CA No. 3(wl) - LJ; CIF-CS Champion - 100m/200m
Jade McDonald	Long Beach Poly (SS)	SR	Hurdles/Jumps	CA No. 2 combo LJ/TJ; CA No. 2 - 100mH; CA No. 7 - 300mH; CIF-SS D-1 champion - 100mH, TJ
Elise Miller	San Pasqual (SD)	SR	100mH/LJ/TJ	CA No. 1 combo LJ/TJ; U.S. No. 4 - TJ; CA No. 4 LJ, No. 4 - 100mH; SDS TJ record (42-3.5), CA No. 14 all-time; CIF-SDS D-1 winner - LJ, TJ, 100mH
Ashley Callahan	Rancho Bernardo (SD)	SR	Pole Vault	U.S. No. 3 - PV; CA No. 2 all-time (14-6); SDS record; CIF-SDS D-1 champion
Allison Leigh	Del Norte (SD)	JR	Pole Vault	CA No. 3, U.S. No. 8 (tie), CA No. 5 all-time (14-0)
Paige Sommers	Westlake (SS)	SR	Pole Vault	Set national pole vault record (14-9); six meets at 14 feet or higher; 14 wins including Arcadia, Ventura Co. Champs, CIF-SS D-1, CA State Champs
Takiya Cenci	Clovis North (CS)	JR	Sprints	CIF-CS Masters and CA State Champs winner - 400m; CA No. 2(ac) - 200m
Aujane Luckey	Long Beach Wilson (SS)	SO	Sprints	CA No. 1 combo 200m/400m; CA No. 1, U.S. No. 20, U.S. No. 3 in 2023 class - 400m
Raykiyat Olukoju	J.W. North (SS)	JR	Sprints	CA No. 1 - 200m; CA No. 3 - 100m; CIF-SS D-2 champion - 100m and 200m
Aysha Shaheed	Madison (SD)	SR	Sprints	CA State Champs, SDS Open and SDS D-3 champion - 100m and 200m
Faith Bender	Liberty (CS)	SR	Throws	U.S. No. 1 discus throw, No. 12 shot put; Discus champion CIF-CS Masters, CA State Champs, Outdoor Nationals