This is the first article in a series of event group previews in advance of the CIF-State Track and Field Championships. In the sprints, heat winners and the next fastest times to total nine (9) at Friday's prelims will advance to Saturday's finals.
BOYS
100-Meter Dash
State Meet record - 10.30 Riley Washington (Southwest/SD) 1992, 10.30 Kenan Christon (Madison/SD) 2019
The top two medalists at State last year, and two of the fastest ever in CA history, return in Serra (SS) senior Rodrick Pleasant and Jordan (SS) junior Jordan Washington. Pleasant, the returning State Meet champion in both the 100m and the 200m, ran the fastest wind-legal time in state history last year at Southern Section Masters, 10.14 (1.7), and has run the fastest windy time in state history this year, 10.09 (3.3). Washington, the 100m runner-up here last May as a sophomore, on consecutive weeks has run 10.24 (1.3), which is the second-fastest wind-legal time in CA history. There are 13 boys in CA who have run 10.45 or faster this outdoor season and most are still standing looking to earn one of those coveted nine spots in the Saturday final. Granada Hills Charter junior Jordan Coleman popped at Arcadia in 10.36, South Torrance senior Anthony Flowers went 10.33 (1.3) at SS Masters and El Cerrito (NC) senior Robert Stitts went 10.35 (3.2) at the NCS Meet of Champs. Clovis North (CS) senior Nickolas Miller has a best of 10.38 (2.4) and is more familiar with the Buchanan track than anyone in the field. Pleasant, Coleman, and Los Alamitos sophomore Devin Bragg (10th at State prelims last year), are in a stacked Heat 1.
200-Meter Dash
Pleasant (20.56/2.4) and Miller (21.18) went 1-2 in the State final last May with Washington (21.38) placing fourth. Granada Hills Charter (LA) senior Dijon Stanley placed eighth in 21.56. Pleasant, Washington, Miller, Stanley and Flowers are state's top five, all with sub-21 times this spring. Coleman is sixth at 21.01. Washington, Stanley and Stitts are all in Heat 2 with Coleman, Flowers and Miller in Heat 3. Only nine make the final.
400-Meter Dash
Three of the top 15 runners in the U.S. will take Lane 5 in each of the three heats on Friday evening with eyes on an epic Saturday night showdown. Seniors Stanley, and Adren Parker of Helix Charter (SD), along with junior Xai Ricks of Long Beach Poly (SS) are the only three of the 27 qualifiers with sub-47 second credentials. Stanley, third here last year, went 45.92 at Arcadia and qualified at 46.27, Parker, fourth here last year, went 46.48, and Ricks clocked 46.50. And only two have sub-48 qualifying times: Vanden (SJ) junior Brayden Chavez (47.80) and Lincoln (LA) senior Jaden Rattay (47.35). Liberty-Bakersfield senior Ethan Mahanke went 47.85 at Arcadia but barely made this field and will be running out of Lane 9 in the third heat. Three others have run sub-48 this season and will need something close to make the final field of nine: Oaks Christian (SS) sophomore Chase Hansen, Moreau Catholic (NC) senior Bryce Thomas, ninth here last year, and Pitman (SJ) senior Joey Stout. Los Gatos (CC) senior Will Brennan has a best of 48.02.
GIRLS
100-Meter Dash
The top two from last year's State final, seniors Reign Redmond of Carson (LA) and Brazil Neal of Serra-Gardena (SS) will find themselves next to each other in Lanes 6 and 5, respectively, of Heat 3 at Friday's prelims. Juliette Kosmont, a senior Santa Catalina (CC), is the only other returner from the 2022 Finals. She placed eighth last year and comes in with a 12.19 qualifying time that lands her in Lane 2 of guess which prelim heat? Yep, Heat 3. Kosmont has a season best of 11.99 in an event where it just may take sub-11.80 to make the final nine. Oaks Christian (SS) junior Niya Clayton went 11.46 (3.5) at Southern Section Masters, the No. 2 all-conditions time in the state this spring. Madison (SD) junior Amirah Shaheed, felled by injury at the SDS Finals last year, dropped an 11.58 (2.0) this year, the No. 4 time in the state. Others to watch include Campolindo (NC) senior Mari Testa, St. Ignatius (CC) frosh Ellie McCuskey-Hay, Carson (LA) frosh Christina Gray and senior Ta'Ahjah Fann, Edison (SJ) junior Shanye Harris, and Kenndy (SJ) senior Marlee Cavitt. Harris and Cavitt went 1-2 at SJS Meet of Champions. McCuskey-Hay is coming off a four-gold-medal day at NCS MOC.
200-Meter Dash
Neal is the returning champion here after riding a 4.6 meter-per-second gust to a 23.68 clocking. Wilson-Long Beach (SS) senior Aujane Luckey was third (23.97), Quartz Hill (SS) senior Adonijah Currie was fifth (24.05) while attending school at Golden Valley (SS). Neal ran her CA-leading time at Southern Section Masters with a strong push from Currie (23.41), Culver City (SS) sophomore Joelle Trepagnier (23.55), and Castic (SS) junior Meagan Humphries (23.55). That race produced the top four times in the state thisyear. Ayala (SS) senior Kayla McBride went 23.79 (1.8) at Southern Section Divisionals. Luckey went 23.89 in that same race and Oaks Christian (SS) frosh Rayah Rodriguez went 24.03 in the Masters final. Those are the top seven times in the state this season. And then we get to the rest of the state, led by Madison's Shaheed (24.06/2.6), La Jolla (SD) junior Payton Smith (24.08/4.1) and Corona del Mar (SS) junior Ava Simos (24.10/1.8). Redmond and Trepagnier are side-by-side in Heat 4, as are Maddox-Currie-Shaheed in Heat 2 and Rutherford, Luckey-Neal and Smith in Heat 1. Humphries, in Heat 3 with the two frosh stars, is qualified in three additional field events. We'll see what legs she has left when this challenge comes up Friday night.
400-Meter Dash
Luckey, an Arizona State-bound senior who was the runner-up here a year ago, is the CA leader and top qualifier after running 52.71 at Southern Section Masters. That time ranks U.S. No. 6 and lands her among the top 20 performers in the event in CA history. Trepagnier, seventh here last year, ran U.S. No. 12 time of 53.46 at Southern Section Masters. Her teammate Maddox, sixth here last year, went at 54.87. And, yeah, that 4x4 team sizzles. La Jolla's Smith went 54.87 at San Diego Section qualifying and has a U.S. No. 21 best of 54.12 from Arcadia. Orange Vista (SS) senior Mercy Ehiemere comes in with a qualifying mark of 55.01. Mountain View's Rutherford, the two-time Central Coast champion, has a 54.81 PR. Oaks Christian's Rodriguez comes in at 54.44. Rodriguez's PR of 54.41 from Southern Section Divisionals ranks U.S. No. 7 in the freshman class.
Jeffrey Parenti is the California State Editor for MileSplitCA
Photos by Jenn Chavez and Raymond Tran