MEETS ON TAP 62nd MT. SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE RELAYS
* * *
WALNUT -- After six years of using other local facilities and then, having to endure two years of cancellations due to pandemic restrictions, we return to the newly renovated Hilmer Lodge Stadium for the 62nd Mt. SAC Relays!
Competing within the same schedule with some of the top elite professionals, including a slew of Olympic athletes, and collegiates, some of the top preps in California will take their talents to Mt. SAC this weekend!
The high school action kicks off on Friday afternoon, highlighted by the Boys 4x800, where Newbury Park is going after the national record! The quartet of Aaron and Colin Sahlman, along with twins, Lex and Leo Young project to eclipse the 7:28.75 benchmark, established by Long Beach Poly in 2011. Based on the Sahlmans' 800 meters performance from last month where both crossed under 1:49 (only school in state history to have two under 1:49 in their program's history), along with the Youngs' abilities to break 4:03 for the full mile, they have every reason to believe the record come crashing down on Friday!
EDIT (11 am - Friday) - The Newbury Park boys will forgo the 4x800 and instead, focus solely on setting the national record for the Distance Medley Relay! The record of 9:49.85 has reigned since 2001 by the South Lakes High School, which anchored with Alan Webb. With conservative splits of 2:55-50-1:55-4:05, this would place Newbury Park at 9:45 but the squad has revealed the talent to go well under 9:40!
Less than an hour later, we may witness another milestone performance from the Newbury Park program. Their girls will take the stage for the Invitational portion of the 4x1600 and all indicators point to the national record being under duress!
Samantha McDonnell looked sensational a week ago in her 4:38.91 performance through 1600 meters. Add in Ailish Hawkins (4:53.66), Tiffany Sax (4:53.83), and Morgan Nygren 
(4:56.27/pictured) and you have the ingredients for a sub-19:30 squad! The national record was set last July by Saratoga Springs when they ran a 19:40.67 for the 4 x Mile. The Panthers would need to run under 19:33 (averaging 4:53 per girl) to securely place themselves with a new record!
Yep! There is, yet, another national record under assault as Upland's Shuttle Hurdles Relay squad looks to break 56.32! Starting off with Davis Davis-Lyric, then going to Kai Graves-Blanks and Dequan January, Delaney Crawford anchors, looking to bring home the record. Our compliments to the crew as they have overcome injuries and setbacks in their quest for this record while establishing a new Arcadia meet record of 57.10 last weekend!
Saturday will primarily showcase California's top sprinters. Coming double victories in the 100 and 200 the past two weekends, Servite's Max Thomas is primed for a three-peat! The USC-bound senior posted back-to-back 10.40 efforts in the 100 meters while he looks to go after his 20.78 state-leading mark this weekend. While California's best reunite together for another weekend, lane five is reserved by Nyckoles Harbor, the junior from Archbishop Carroll out of Washington D.C. With his 10.29 wind-legal best and as a football five-star recruit, you will not miss him as he stands at 6-5, 225 pounds. Do not overlook Simi Valley's Jaelon Barbarin and Long Beach Poly's Jaelen Knox while most of the same faces take on one another later in the 200 meters. Meanwhile, Serra's Rodrick Pleasant will focus solely on the 200 meters this weekend as he established a new sophomore state record last June with his 20.59 postseason performance.
St. John Bosco (41.02) and Gardena Serra (41.05) battled down to the wire last weekend in 
the 400 relay, to assume the second and third spots on the state list while Oakland's McClymonds (41.60) and Clovis North (41.65) also join the show. Cathedral (SS), at 3:15.80, is the fifth-best team in the nation and current state leader and will look to hold off Long Beach Wilson (3:16.30) in the 4x400 relay.
The girl's sprints showcase the best in Southern California with the top seven squads in the 4x100 all facing off, headlined by state leader, Golden Valley. Their 46.10 effort last weekend moved them up to fifth in the nation. Long Beach Poly's 46.47 seasonal best currently ranks tenth. Carson and Long Beach Wilson both crossed at 46.49 a week ago to add to the depth.
Individually, watch for Carson (LA) junior Reign Redmond in the 100 meters while Clovis 
North (CS) senior Takiya Cenci will only focus on the relays and 200 meters this weekend. With that, newly minted state leader for the 200m, Roosevelt (SS) senior Naomi Johnson (pictured) awaits after running a 23.99 last week in a dual meet. The UCLA-bound senior is also the favorite in the 400 meters while San Clemente (SS) senior Caroline Hawkes looks to break the 55-second barrier this weekend.
Long Beach Wilson 4x200 squad comes in with a 1:37.63 and could very well threaten the 28-year-old meet record of 1:36.77, held by Long Beach Poly (1994). Meanwhile, Wilson's is fourth in the nation for the 4x400 (3:44.00) with Clovis North (CS) being ranked second in the state at 3:47.68.
Back to the Friday afternoon session, the top boys featured in the Mile include Agoura (SS) senior Ethan Godsey (4:10.91 for the mile), Sage Creek (SD) senior Bryce Gilmore (4:11.93), and Big Bear (SS) senior Max Sannes (4:14.75). The senior duo from Anaheim Canyon Emma Hadley and Isabella Frisone will take on Wyoming's best in Kate Brigham. The Jackson Hole senior rolled to a 4:49.06 mile last June. Also lacing it up and shooting for a sub-4:55 mile is Del Norte (SD) junior Hannah Riggins.
The 800 meters is headlined by La Canada (SS) sophomore Arielle McKenzie (2:08.89) who is currently fourth in the state while Cate Peters (2:11.45) of Monte Vista (NC) will make the trek down to Southern California with her impressive 200/400 resume.
After a frustrating weekend at Arcadia, watch for St. Mary's Jadyn Marshall to headline in the hurdles for the men. He is the current state leader in both hurdles. While headed off to attend UCLA this fall, he stayed down south during his spring break to train. But he will have his rematch against Yan Vazquez of Red Mountain (Mesa, AZ), who rolled to a 36.40 victory last weekend.
The girls' hurdles will be a rematch featuring San Diego's best with Aaliyah McCormick of Scripps Ranch running 13.82 last weekend (into a -1.3 wind) to remain on top of the state meet list while Cathedral Catholic's Kapiolani Coleman rolled to a state-leading 42.19 effort last weekend. The top five 300-meter hurdlers in California line up for this one.
The North San Diego County crew of pole vaulters make their way up north! The Palomar League alone features six girls that have cleared 11-6 this season, led by Del Norte's Allison Leigh (13-7), Poway's Evangeline Thomson (13-3), and Rancho Bernardo's Melodie Quiroz (12-8). Meanwhile, the San Diego Section leader, Lexi Evans (13-8) of Scripps Ranch comes in as the favorite while Quincy Hansen (San Dieguito Academy) looks to improve upon her 12-8 seasonal best.
On the boys' pole vault front, state leader Hunter O'Brien of Roosevelt continues to improve as he elevated to a new personal best of 16-9 in his victory at Arcadia last weekend.
Murrieta Mesa's Cade Moran is coming off one of the best weeks for a California thrower in quite some time! Matriculating to the University of Michigan this fall, he measured out to a 199-8 in the discus last week before winning at Arcadia (198-4) while on Saturday, he burst through with a 66-10 throw in the shot to take over the national lead. He is third in the nation in the discus.
With the top five in the state locking up in the Shot Put ring, JSerra's Brendon See uncorked a huge lifetime best by over 20 feet for a 197-11 effort, thus catapulting him to fifth in the United States. With See a late add, that places the top six in the state in the discus!
Other relays that will come down to the wire are the Distance Medley Relay, featuring Great Oak and Desert Vista out of Phoenix, Arizona. The Loyola squad will focus primarily on this relay as well so watch for a new national leader once this is complete. All three will also headline in the 4x1600, but also watch for Crescenta Valley, San Clemente, Bellarmine Prep, and Royal to turn this into the fastest race in the nation for this event!
The boys' jumps will not disappoint with JC Stevenson of Great Oak coming off a monster weekend at Arcadia with 24-9.5 and 48-3.75 wind-legal victories! Meanwhile, coming in from Chandler in Arizona, Sir-Jonathan Sims has posted wind-legal bests of 23-7 and 48-5 this season. But, Elijha Ellis of Golden Valley looks to shine in his own right as he has measured out to 24-0 in 2022.
The duo from ML King in Riverside will look to steal the show in the horizontal jumps! Alyssa Hope and Josephine Scales proved that they were the real deal two weeks ago at the Trabuco Hills Invite. Hope is the current state leader in the Triple Jump. Mission Viejo's Jada Gatlin and Los Alamitos' Mackenzie Kirk will challenge for the win in the Triple Jump while the favorite in the Long Jump is Golden Valley's Kylee Davis. Also, watch for Upland's Caelyn Harris as she looks more like the freshman that captured the 2019 State Title in 2019! Davis is the current state leader in the Long Jump with a wind-legal best of over 20-feet!
* * *
Mark Gardner is a teacher, former coach, popular announcer, and a regular contributor to MileSplit
Photos by Daniel Hernandez, Jeffrey Parenti, and Raymond Tran