2022 OUTDOOR SEASON IN REVIEW
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A return to the California State Championships could have not gone better for the girls of Serra than what transpired in 2022. Despite the Southern Section only capturing five gold medals at this year's State Meet, in the end, the Cavaliers of Serra ascended to the top to capture the team championship!
It was the unlikely star in Serra junior Brazil Neal that emerged as the hero at this year's State Championships. Over the 2022 season, Neal only won ONE race -- that being the 200-meter final at the State Meet which sealed the state team title! Neal had played runner-up to teammate and fellow junior Jordan Washington all season long. But, in Clovis -- she earned the silver in the 100 meters before running away with the upset victory in the 200 meters. Washington placed third in the 100m, and sixth in the 200m, earning her squad nine points. Beforehand, with a seasonal best of 46.08, the junior duo combined with sophomores Jaiya Fletcher and Mia Flowers for the upset win over Golden Valley. They were the only team to run a seasonal best in the final.
The Southern Section star that shined most was Ventura freshman Sadie Engelhardt. With her season still not fully complete, no girl has ever dominated the distance landscape quite like she has in this 2022 inaugural campaign. She established new all-time California records in the 1500 meters, and the 1600 meters, while also crashing into the top-10 lists for the 800m and 3200m.
Against the most talented field assembled, Engelhardt pulled off the win in the 1600 meters with the second-fastest time (4:36.67) in State Meet history. She went in already owning the California state record for the distance at 4:33.29 at the Arcadia Invite, and just last weekend, further solidified her standing in prep lore with a 4:11.79 for the 1500 meters. More on the freshman phenom later. ...
Any other year, Mira Costa senior Dalia Frias and Newbury Park senior Samantha McDonnell would be the featured stars in the distances!
The Duke-bound Frias went into the California State Meet to renew her friendly rivalry with Engelhardt for the state title in the 1600 meters. But the freshman simply had too much with Frias running out of real estate and taking second in the third-fastest time (4:37.09) ever in State Meet history. But, we have more to share with Frias below. ...
McDonnell also graduates as one of the top distance preps in California history with her historic 2022 campaign. Headed off to the University of Alabama, her third-place, 4:37.17 performance elevated her to fifth in CA history for the 1600 meters. Earlier in the season, she posted a 2:08.33 but it was McDonnell's third-place, 10:12.76 effort in the 3200 meters that truly moved her into elite company as she joins Ventura's Engelhardt, Mia Barnett (Crescenta Valley), and Alex Kosinski (Oak Ridge) as the only four in state history to run under 2:09, 4:40 and 10:15!
And ... hot off the presses, the senior improved her mile time with a 4:38.44 performance at the Brooks PR meet on Wednesday in Seattle!
Also of note is the season that Chino senior Mia Chavez assembled. In Engelhardt's shadow in placing second in the 800 and 1600 meters at the CIF-SS Division 2 finals, the University of Arizona-bound senior was at her best at the State Meet with an eight-second personal best of 4:41.71 to place fourth before returning to place third in the 800 meters in one of the best doubles in State Meet history.
With Engelhardt and Chavez shining in their 1600/800 doubles, it was JW North junior Mackenzie Browne who also earned one of the five gold State Meet medals in 2022. She made her move ahead of Engelhardt with 250 meters and held on for her lifetime best of 2:08.66 for the state title. Capping off a successful season that included the CIF-SS Division 1 title two weeks earlier, Katella senior Ashlynn Viramontes placed fourth.
The Southern Section sprinters took center stage at the State Meet as Serra captured the State Championship off of two individuals and their 4x100 relay squad.
In that same 400 relay, Long Beach Poly placed fifth, just ahead of Culver City in sixth.
Long Beach Wilson junior Aujane Luckey had herself quite the State Meet as she placed second in the 400 meters before returning to earn the bronze in the 200 meters. Her 53.83 season best ended up being the third-fastest in the state.
Without the services of one of their top athletes, the Bruins settled for second in the 4x400 relay, despite finishing the 2022 season with the top mark in California. Their 3:43.87 from the Mt. SAC Relays was the fastest in California for the season.
Also representing the Southern Section in that 1600-relay final, Culver City posted their season best of 3:48.68 to place third with Calabasas earning fourth place while also matching their 400 relay effort, Long Beach Poly crossed in fifth.
In the 400 meters, behind Luckey, Glendora senior Maya Shinnick placed third with San Clemente senior Caroline Hawkes earning the fourth-place medal. Meanwhile, Culver City sophomore Morgan Maddox earned the sixth-place medal.
ML King junior Alyssa Hope headlined the Southern Section in capturing the state title in the Triple jump after earning the silver in the Long Jump. More on Ms. Hope later. ...
With one of the strongest groups in section history where ten girls advanced over the at-large standard in the Long Jump to advance! Upland senior Caelyn Harris ended her fine career with a third-place medal while if you remember in 2019, she captured the state title as a freshman. Golden Valley senior Kylee Davis, who ended the season with the top wind-legal mark (20-4.5) in the state for 2022, placed fourth while Vista Murrieta sophomore Alyssa Alumbres earned the fifth-place medal.
In the triple jump, with Hope earning the gold, Etiwanda sophomore Alaya Robinson placed fourth. Los Alamitos senior Mackenzie Kirk ended in fifth with Vista Murrieta's Alumbres placing sixth to earn her second medal. Unfortunately, Mission Viejo junior Jada Gatlin was unable to get a mark on Saturday after bounding out to a 40-9 at Friday's prelims. That mark ended as the top performance in the state for 2022.
In there was a weak spot for the Southern Section girls in 2022, the rest of California dominated the headlines in the hurdles. Orange Vista junior Kailah McKenzie was the sole medalist at the State Meet placing sixth in the 100 Hurdles. Upland sophomore London Davis recorded the fastest wind-legal time in the section for 2022 at Friday's prelims (14.00) but one hurdle mishap was enough for her to place ninth.
With the section's only finalist in the 300 Hurdles, we did witness one of the step-up performances in Long Beach Wilson freshman Kaylan Edwards, who posted a seasonal best of 43.16 to earn the fourth-place medal at the State Meet. Nationally, she ended as the fourth for the Class of 2025.
Special recognition goes out to Redondo Union senior Eve Divinity. After placing sixth in the Long Jump and fearing that she might not be able to compete in her other two individual events due to an injury suffered while jumping, she came back with her two best performances of 2022 with fourth-place finishes in the 100 (11.74w) and 200 meters (24.03w). Keep in mind, that she was the last to qualify in both sprints at the CIF-SS Masters Meet.
The trio from Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks dominated the throwing scene in the Southern Section for 2022. Advancing all three (senior Hope Gordon, junior April Fontenette, and freshman Aja Johnson) to the State Meet in the Shot Put was one for the record books as they also owned the top three marks for 2022 in the section.
At the State Meet, Johnson placed second in the Shot Put and leave 2022 as the top freshman (43-6) in California. Meanwhile, Fontenette earned two medals with her runner-up finish in the Discus and a third-place finish in the Shot Put. Her 157-1 lifetime best came at Friday's state meet prelims. Also earning a medal was Roosevelt senior Karyssa Owens.
In the High Jump, competitors fought against some of the toughest winds in meet history. Tying for second place, Golden Valley sophomore Meagan Humphries just missed the state title a week after flying up over the 5-9 bar at the CIF-SS Masters Meet. Meanwhile, Calabasas sophomore Amia Witt tied for fourth place, rebounding back from a tough showing when only placing fifth at the CIF-SS Division 3 finals two weeks earlier.
In the pole vault, only one girl earned a medal at the State Meet as Murrieta Valley junior Madisyn Negro tied for sixth. Along with Vista Murrieta sophomore Aspen Fears, the two became the 11th and 12th girls in section history to clear 13-2 this past season.
Done in by the dreaded honest effort rule at the State Meet, we cannot conclude with highlighting the season turned in by Roosevelt senior Naomi Johnson. Although not allowed to compete, her 53.87 and 23.69w finished 2022 as the fourth fastest in California. She captured both titles at the CIF-SS Division 1 final while leading her team to the third-fastest time (3:46.13) in California in 2022 for the 1600 relay.
Disappointed with the finish to her finish as well, Golden Valley senior Adonijah Currie had a superb season. Her 23.45w best was the fastest under all conditions in 2022 while earlier at the Mt. SAC Relays, her 53.69 was the second-fastest in the state. She also anchored the fastest 400-relay team for 2022 as her squad rolled to a 45.82 at Friday night's State Meet prelims.* * *
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Well, well, well ... talk about someone inserting themselves at the last minute! Based on her 9:50.70 national record-setting performance at the Brooks PR Two-Mile, there was simply no way we could leave Frias off the top of the proverbial podium. The Duke-bound Frias kicked off the season with a 9:59.94 solo performance to become only the ninth girl in California state history to eclipse the 10-minute barrier. Weeks later, she unleashed a kick for the ages in running down Engelhardt to establish the California state record for the mile in 4:35.06! Along the way, she fit in a solo 2:09.88 effort but she leaves the season holding state records in the mile and now, the 3200 meters!
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TEAM CHAMPIONS BY DIVISION
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DIVISION 1
DIVISION 2
DIVISION 3
DIVISION 4
