Boys MileSplitCA All-State Track and Field Team

CA 2021 Track and Field Season In Review

Jul 10, 2021

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A season that ended with a stunning 10.25-second wind-legal 100-meter sprint by Mater Dei junior Domani Jackson to equal a long-standing California record graced us throughout the spring with unforgettable performances that make up the Boys MileSplitCA All-State Track and Field team for 2021.

A few of the many highlights:

- Epic 3200m at Arcadia led by Colin Sahlman and Lex Young

- Jadyn Marshall's impressive hurdles sweep at Arcadia

- Upland's state record-setting shuttle hurdle relay anchored by Delaney Crawford

- John Lester's CA No. 3 all-time 800m

- Ajani Salcido's 1600m/3200m double at Dublin

- Garrett Brown's unmatched brilliance in the pole vault

- Jeremiah Walker's consistent sprint dominance and relay anchor reliability

What makes the accomplishments of these athletes 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 boys 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.

Boys MileSplitCA All-State Track and Field Team

FIRST TEAM

(Athletes are listed alphabetically by event group)

Name	School	Grade	Event	Comment
Christopher Caudillo	Clovis (CS)	SO	Distance	U.S. No. 2 in the 2023 class for 3200m, U.S. No. 3 in the class for 1600m; CA No. 6 overall 1600m/3200m combo
Isaiah Givens	Pasadena (SS)	JR	Distance	CA No. 4 overall 1600m/3200m combo; CA No. 2 overall 800m/1600m combo
John Lester	Amador Valley (NC)	SR	800m	U.S. No. 1 - 1:47.65, which ranks CA No. 3 all-time. Also ran 1:48.50 at Music City, 1:49.77 at Sound Running, and 1:50.57 at Brooks.
Colin Sahlman	Newbury Park (SS)	JR	Distance	U.S. No. 1 3200m (8:43.42), U.S. No. 3 1600m (4:03.58), U.S. No. 6 mile (4:04.86); CA No. 9 all-time 3200m, CA No. 16 all-time 1600m; Gatorade CA top boys track athlete
Ajani Salcido	Jesuit (SJ)	SR	Distance	CA No. 3 1600m/3200m combo runner; U.S. No. 4 for 2-miles (8:46.32); U.S. top 20 for 1600m (4:07.81) and 3200m (8:51.32)
Nolan Topper	Bellarmine Prep (CC)	SR	Distance	CA No. 5 - 1600m/3200m combo; Swept the distances at CIF-CCS Finals; 8:51.83 for 2-miles at Brooks is U.S. No. 8
Lex Young	Newbury Park (SS)	SO	Distance	CA sophomore state record for 3200m (8:43.71); U.S. No. 1 in the 2023 class for 3200m; CA No. 2 overall 1600m/3200m combo
Kai Graves-Blanks	Upland (SS)	SO	Hurdles	CA No. 1 and U.S. No. 1 in 2023 class for 110mH (13.91/1.3); U.S. No. 10 (tie) overall for 110mH; Ran lead leg on shuttle hurdle relay state record (57.75)
Jadyn Marshall	St. Mary's (SJ)	JR	Hurdles	CA No. 2 for both 110mH and 300mH; Swept the hurdles at Arcadia Invitational; 13.76 (1.2) ranks tied for U.S. 7 (wind-legal); 36.77 for 300mH is U.S. No. 10
Aaron Kim	Palo Alto (CC)	SR	High Jump	Cleared 7-0 to win CIF-CCS title; CA No. 1 and tied for U.S. No. 6; mark is five-inch improvement on previous PR
Gabriel Martin	Oaks Christian (SS)	SR	Long Jump	CA long jump leader (24-2.75/1.9); U.S. No. 6 (wind-legal); CIF-SS D-4 champion; Winner three invitationals including CA State Champs (23-7/0.0)
JC Stevenson	Great Oak (SS)	JR	Triple Jump	CA triple jump leader (48-10.50/nwi), U.S. No. 19 (all conditions); CIF-SS D-1 champion (46-1.50/0.2)
Delaney Crawford	Upland (SS)	JR	100m/300mH	CA No. 1 300mH (36.64); Anchored CA-record shuttle hurdle relay team (57.75); tied for CA No. 9 for 100m (10.55/2.6); CA No. 3 for 110mH (14.08/nwi); Anchored 4x100 and 4x400 relays
Phillip Jefferson	Long Beach Wilson (SS)	SR	400m/300mH	Capped season with CIF-SS D-1 titles in the 400m, 300mH, 4x400m relay; 3:15.26 for 4x4 is CA No. 1, U.S. No. 8; CA No. 3 for 300mH (37.73) and No. 6 for 400m (48.27); won 14 of 15 races between those two events
Nathan Johnson	Clovis (CS)	JR	100m/200m/LJ	Top 100m/200m combo sprinter; CIF-CS Masters champion for 100m (10.52/1.4) and LJ (22-9.25/1.3). 10.49 (2.5) is CA No. 5; 21.34 (1.4) PR for 200m is CA No. 7
Cameron Tarver	Fresno Central (CS)	JR	100m/200m/LJ	CA No. 3 100m/200m combo; CA No. 3 - 200m (21.34/1.9), No. 5 - LJ (23-6/2.1), No. 6 - 100m (10.53/2.0); Arcadia LJ champion; member of CA No. 2 ranked 4x100m relay (41.25)
Garrett Brown	La Costa Canyon (SD)	SR	Pole Vault	U.S. No. 3 overall; San Diego Section record (17-2); CA No. 13 all-time; eight meets at 16-8 or higher; wins include Arcadia (16-3), Gateway (16-9), California Relays (16-10), CIF-SDS D-2 (17-2), CIF-SDS Open (16-2)
Tristyn Flores	Rancho Cucamonga (SS)	SR	Sprints	CA No. 2 100m/200m combo; anchored CA-best and CIF-SS D-1 champion 4x100m relay (41.20); CA No. 3 - 100m (10.35/2.0), No. 4 - 200m (21.22/3.5)
Domani Jackson	Mater Dei (SS)	JR	100m	Equaled the state 100m record of 10.25 (1.7) with win a CA State Champs; U.S. No. 4 overall (wind-legal); CIF-SS D-2 champion - 100m (10.48/0.8)
Rodrick Pleasant	Serra (SS)	SO	Sprints	Set CA sophomore record of 10.32 (1.7) for second in the 100m at CA State Champs, and 200m (20.59/-0.3) to win at CA State Champs; U.S. No. 6 overall 100m (wind-legal), U.S. No. 2 in 2023 class; 200m PR is tied for U.S. No. 6 all conditions, and tied for U.S. No. 4 wind-legal; CIF-SS D-4 champion 100m (10.46/0.8), 200m (21.02/1.3)
Jeremiah Walker	Fresno Central (CS)	JR	Sprints	CIF-Central Section champion for 200m and 400m, and anchored winning 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams; CA No. 1 ranking for 400m (47.43) and No. 2 for 200m (21.02/1.9); won final nine 400m races
Cade Moran	Murrieta Mesa (SS)	JR	Throws	Top combo thrower; CA shot put leader (63-6) is U.S. No. 17 overall, U.S. No. 5 in 2022 class; top shot put mark in 13 of 15 meets including IE Champs (62-4.50), CIF-SS D-1 (59-5.50), and CA State Champs (63-1.75 in prelims, 60-2.25 in final)