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MOORPARK -- Late in the evening on a cold and windy Friday night at Moorpark High School, Sadie Engelhardt took the line and ran 3,200 meters faster than any freshman girl had ever done.
Her eight-lap trip in 10:00.60 not only is the fastest ever by a freshman girl, but the 10th fastest ever in the state. It comes only a couple of days after Mira Costa (SS) senior Dalia Frias dropped the state's No. 9 all-time mark in a tri-meet, 9:59.94, and pushes out of the top 10 the 10:00.85 clocking by Davis (SJ) Senior High's Fiona O'Keeffe in 2015.
Saugus (SS) senior Isabella Duarte placed second in 10:46.83 and Quartz Hill junior Brianne Smith was third in 11:17.48.
Engelhardt's accomplishment came toward the end of a long and bitterly cold evening, and hours after she ran a "warm-up" two-lap leg as part of Ventura's winning 4x800 relay effort (10:20.52).
It also serves as a "warm-up" for her weekend challenge to come in the 1-mile championship race at the New Ballance Indoor meet at The Armory in New York. It also comes just two weeks after she dropped a national class record with a stunning 4:38.24 mile on the track at Azusa Pacific University in the Sundown Track Series meet.
While the amazing freshman star warranted the overnight headlines and social blasts, there were plenty of standouts from the two-day showcase that attracted nearly 50 schools and 3,500 athletes.
Oaks Christian (SS) sophomore Payton Godsey rolled to a 5:01.87 win in the 1600 meters on Friday night. Saturday, she came back to win the 800 in 2:22.37. Viewpoint junior JiaLian Mackey was second in the 1600m (5:04.88) with Agoura senior Georgia McCorkle third (5:09.79). Calabasas sophomore Zoe Ray placed second in the 800m (2:23.76).
There were only two individual double winners aside from Godsey, her 2024 classmate Niya Clayton, and Thousand Oaks (SS) junior Jeremy Frank.
Clayton doubled in the 100 meters (12:30/3.5) and the 100-meter hurdles (15.81/2.4). Frank swept the hurdles, winning the 110-meter barriers in 15.55 (2.9) and the 300s in 40.29.
Simi Valley (SS) junior Jaelon Barbarin ran what could emerge from the weekend as an all-conditions state leader with his sizzling 10.60 clocking for the 100 meters, aided by a 2.1 meters-per-second wind. He also anchored the fastest 4x100-meter relay team of the meet, although it was subsequently DQ'd.
A sampling of other top marks:
Oaks Christian frosh Eleanor Borchard won the 300-meter hurdles (46.17), Calabasas soph Lehela Ray took the 400m (1:00.32), Moorpark soph Savannah Hutchins road a 3.7 mps wind to a 25.61 meet best for 200 meters (Clayton was second in 25.73/3.7). Golden Valley (SS) senior Kylee Davis soared 18 feet, 5.75 inches to win the long jump (she placed third in the 100m, 12.55/2.1), and her Grizzlies classmate Olivia Dowd won the triple jump (34-11.25).
Boys highlights included a 176-6 PR discus throw by Westlake (SS) junior Adam Laycock, which could be a top-5 national mark by the end of the weekend; a 14-10 pole vault by Foothill Technology (SS) senior Aidan Hagerty, a 21.98 (2.8) clocking by Buena (SS) senior William Boyd in the 200 meters (he placed second in the 100m (10.85/2.1)), a 48.43 victory in the 400 meters by Villanova Prep (SS) senior Liam Gair, and a 1:54.78 performance by Oxnard (SS) senior Ryan Fabian in the 800 meters. Fabian's time is faster than anyone in CA coming into the weekend and should emerge as a top-10 national mark when all the meets have reported. Thacher (SS) senior Ellis Delvecchio was second in the 800m (1:55.37), which would be CA No. 3 based on the state leaderboard coming into the weekend.
In the boys 200m, Oaks Christian senior Elijah Gipson ran the second-fastest time among multiple sections, stopping the clock at 22.27 in a race where the aiding wind was reported as 4.4.