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Congratulations to Xai Ricks of Long Beach Poly (SS) the top vote-getter for MileSplit Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Winter.
Ricks, a junior, shattered the CA Winter Championships meet record in the 600-meter run in one of the fastest times ever, 1:16.13, and later he placed second in the 300-meter run in 33.23. Earlier in the winterr, Xai won both the 300 (34.21) and the 600 (1:21.77) at the Redondo WCQ. Before that, he traveled to Lubbock, Texas where he ran a then-U.S. No. 1 time for 400m (47.77) at the Texas Tech Under Armour HS Classic indoor meet. Compared nationally with times mostly achieved indoors, Xai's 600 is U.S. No. 1, his 300m is U.S. No. 2, and his 400m run indoors now ranks U.S. No. 3.
Xai received 29 percent of the vote in a statewide poll. Dijon Stanley, a senior at Granada Hills Charter (LA), received 24 percent, and Aaron Sahlman, a senior at Newbury Park (SS), received 18 percent.
Congratulations to all athletes who crushed the winter season with performances that warranted consideration in polls over the last six weeks. And thanks to everyone who voted to support these amazing athletes.
Who's next?
This week, we have a sampling of the outdoor season, which launched in some sections of CA, true indoor performances, and one final nod to cross country.
Check out the resumes below and then make sure to vote in the FanPower module at the bottom of the page. That is where you decide the top boys athlete track and field athlete of the week.
As always, voting closes Friday at 9 p.m.
WHO YA GOT?
This week's candidates (listed alphabetically by last name)
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Jonah Bazerkanian (Royal/SS) - Jonah, a senior, won both the 800m (1:56.75) and the 3200m (9:35.30) at the Westlake Distance Carnival.
Anthony Flowers (South Torrance/SS) - Anthony, a senior, opened his outdoor season sweeping the 200m (22.02) and 400m (51.09) at the Spartan Opener at South Torrance.
Dion Gavin (Saugus/SS) - Dion, a senior, won both the 800m (1:56.48) and the 1600m (4:23.36) at the Crescenta Valley Distance Invite.
Roman Mendoza (Santa Margarita/SS) - Raman, a senior, opened the season by sweeping the hurdles at the Eagle Invitational at Santa Margarita HS, running 14.37 for the 110m hurdles and 38.74 for the 300mH.
Justin Pretre (Menlo/CC) - Justin, a senior, won the invitational 800-meter run at the MVP Vibefest indoor meet in Chicago, running 1:54.57. He also competed in the invitational 1600m, where he placed fifth in a time of 4:32.86.
JeyQuan Smith (Cajon/SS) - JeyQuan, a senior, had a hand in two meet records at the Ontario Relays, first anchoring the Cowboys' 4x100m relay team to a 42.04 clocking, and then he came back to crush the 100m in 10.66 (0.9).
Bryce Thomas (Moreau Catholic/NC) - Bryce, a senior, ran 48.80 to win the invitational 400-meter competition at the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho.
Leo Young (Newbury Park/SS) - Leo, a senior, placed 16th as the first American finisher at the World U20 Cross Country Championships in Australia, leading the U.S. men to a top-three podium finish for the first time in more than 40 years.
Photo by Raymond Tran