CA Senior Boys All-State Track and Field Team

2023 CA Track and Field Season In Review
Jeffrey Parenti


MileSplitCA Senior Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year


RODRICK PLEASANT

Serra-Gardena (SS), Sprints

Where do you start with Rodrick? The California state record-holder in the 100-meter dash won both the 100m and 200m at the CIF-State Meet for the second year in a row, setting a meet record in the 100m (10.20/2.0). His 10.09 (3.3) at Southern Section Division 4 Finals is the fastest all-conditions 100m in California high school history. That mark ranks U.S. No. 2 or all-conditions. His 10.14 (1.3) to win Southern Section Masters to equal his state record time from 2022, ranks tied for U.S. No. 3 wind-legal. Rodrick ran a season-best 20.53 (1.7) to win the CIF-SS D-4 title (U.S. No. 5 wind-legal). He ran 20.67 (1.5) to win his second-consecutive 200m State title.


CONGRATULATIONS, Rodrick!

MileSplitCA Athlete of the Year by class winners are selected from a list of elite candidates and chosen by readers who voted via our FanPower poll articles. Rodrick received 49 percent of the vote in a statewide poll. Dijon Stanley of Granada Hills Charter (LA) was second in the voting at 29 percent. 

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SENIOR BOYS ALL-STATE TRACK AND FIELD


MileSplitCA All-State teams are subjective selections by the author based primarily but not exclusively on results achieved at the CIF-State Meet, section championships, and marks that rank high in the class in CA and nationally. Marks achieved at dual meets that are not consistent with the athlete's overall arc of performances from invitationals and section championships may not be considered. A minimum number of competitions during the CIF outdoor season is a requirement for inclusion.

FIRST TEAM

(Athletes are listed alphabetically by last name)


Jeremiah Bolanos

Redlands East Valley (SS), Triple Jump

Jeremiah was one of the state's top combo jumpers during his senior season, capping it off with a triple jump title at the CIF-State Track and Field Championships. His 48-3.25 (2.8) winning jump came on his fifth of six attempts and is a lifetime best. He placed second two weeks earlier at the Southern Section Division 2 finals (45-3) and second again the previous week at the CIF-SS Masters Meet (46-6.25). He had his previous PR of 47-11 at State Prelims.



Shane Carr

South Bakersfield (CS), Jumps

Shane reached the CIF-State Meet finals in both horizontal jumps and placed second in the triple jump final with a mark of 47-8.50. His all-conditions best in the triple jump of 48-8.75 (2.9) to win Central Section Masters ranks U.S. No. 18 in the class for all-conditions jumps. He hit his long jump PR of 23-0.50 at State Prelims. He swept the jumps at Mt. SAC, going 22-4 in the long and 47-1 in the triple. He also swept at West Coast Relays and won the triple jump at Arcadia (45-03.25).



Dylan Curtis

Redondo Union (SS), Pole Vault

Dylan was the No. 2 pole vaulter in CA throughout the outdoor season, which he capped off with a silver-medal 16-2 at the CIF-State Meet. His 16-6 lifetime best to win at Southern Section Masters ranks tied for U.S. No. 19 overall and tied or U.S. No. 12 in the senior class.



Davis Davis-Lyric

Upland (SS), Hurdles

Davis, headed to UCLA, avenged his only loss of the season to Mater Dei senior Logan Lyght in capturing the State Meet title in a lifetime wind-legal best of 13.83 (1.8). That mark surpassed his previous PR of 13.85 to win at Arcadia. He also had sub-14 performances to win at Baseline League (13.86/2.5), Southern Section Division 1 Finals (13.87/1.0), Southern Section Masters (13.89/2.7), and State Prelims (13.95/1.0). He won 16 races in the 110m hurdles during the spring, and eight in the 300m hurdles. He ran his 300mH PR of 37.81 for second at the SS D-1 Finals.



Matthew Donis

Highland (SS), Distance

The Southern Section claimed the top three spots in the 3200-meter run at the CIF-State Meet, led by Donis, who won the title with a lifetime best of 8:51.37. That time ranks U.S. No. 17 in the senior class. Matthew, who ran a 4:09.66 PR for 1600m (en route as part oof a 4:10.96 PR for second in the mile at Mt. SAC), qualified for Southern Section Masters in both the 1600m and 3200m.



Anthony Flowers

South Torrance (SS), Sprints

Anthony, survived a near-DQ at State Meet Prelims to medal in both the 100m and 200m at the CIF Championships. He placed third in the 100m in 10.44 (2.0), and fifth in the 200m in 21.32. He ran his 100m PR of 10.33 (1.3) for third at Southern Section Masters, and his 200m PR of 20.92 also for third at SS Masters. He captured Southern Section D-2 titles in both sprints, running 10.35 and 20.95, respectively. Anthony joined an elite group of 15 boys in the Southern Section who have broken 10.34 in the 100m dash.


Hilton Green

Buchanan (CS), Pole Vault

Hilton, headed to the University of Oklahoma, is one of only 19 boys in California high school track and field history to clear at least 17-1 in the pole vault. He did that to win the Central Section Division 1 title for the second year in a row. A runner-up for the State Meet title in '22, Hilton became the State champion this spring with a clearance of 16-6. His 17-1 PR ranked tied for U.S. No. 7 and he is one of only eight boys nationwide to reach that height this season. He won the pole vault at 11 meets during the spring, including Arcadia, where he cleared 16-9, and West Coast Relays where he cleared 16-6.


Joe Lighthall

Hughson (SJ), 800 meters

Joe won the 800-meter run at the CIF-State Track and Field Championships in 1:52.06. Daring the rest of the field to stay with him, he blazed a 55.22 first 400m and came back with a 56.84 to capture the title. He had seasonal PRs of 1:51.95 to win at the Sacramento Meet of Champions. He won nine races at the two-lap distance during the outdoor season, including Stanford (1:52.64), Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4/5 (1:56.06), and SJS Masters (1:53.41).


Roman Mendoza

Santa Margarita (SS), 300mH

Roman ran CA's fastest time in the 300m hurdles with his 37.39 lifetime best to win at Arcadia. He was undefeated in 10 races at that distance until his season ended prematurely when he was injured while winning the Southern Section Division 3 title in the 110m hurdles, running a lifetime best of 14.21. 


Nickolas Miller

Clovis North (CS), Sprints/Jumps

Nickolas won two medals in the sprints at the CIF-State Championships, and ranks among the state's elite in three events. At State, he placed third in the 200m (21.02) and fifth in the 100m (10.48). He swept the sprints titles at both the Central Section Division 1 and Masters meets. His 200m PR of 20.86 (1.8) to win at Mt. SAC ranks tied for CA No. 3. His 100m PR of 10.38 (2.4) to win at West Coast Relays ranks tied for CA No. 6, and his long jump PR of 23-9.50 (2.5) to win at Sanger Metric ranks CA No. 5.

 

Aaron Sahlman

Newbury Park (SS), 800m

Aaron, headed to Northern Arizona University, is one of the nation's best middle-distance runners. He competed in the minimum number of high school meets during the CIF season for consideration here. He's unquestionably worthy, having run CA-leading times in the 800m (1:49.07) at Arcadia, and 1600m (3:58.96) at Oregon Relays. Those times rank U.S. No. 10, and U.S. No. 5, respectively. His 1600m time is the only one among the nation's top seven not achieved at a post-season showcase meet.


Brendon See

JSerra (SS), Throws

Brendon, headed to the University of Oklahoma, joined an elite group of boys in CA high school track and field history to win both the shot put and discus throw at the same CIF-State Championships. Brendon threw 196-4 to win his second consecutive CIF-State Meet discus title. He had a best of 62-9.50 to win his first State title in the shot put. His post-season 205.3 discus throw at Nike Outdoor Nationals ranks U.S. No. 4. His 65-10 shot put PR at Trinity League Finals ranks U.S. No. 8. He won the discus throw competition 11 times and the shot put competition 10 times during the spring. 



Jake Stafford

JSerra (SS) High Jump/Discus Throw

Jake, headed to UCLA, emerged as one of the great headlines from the CIF-State Meet where this true hybrid of athletes pulled off an unlikely double that lifted JSerra to the State Meet's runner-up team trophy. He won the State high jump at 6-7, and earned three key team points with a sixth-place finish in the discus throw with a then-PR of 182-2. He improved on that in the post-season at Nike Outdoor Nationals with a new best of 192-11.75. Jake won the Southern Section Division 3 title in the high jump with a PR clearance of 6-8.


Dijon Stanley

Granada Hills Charter (LA), Sprints/Relays

Dijon almost single-handedly carried Granada Hills Charter to its first-ever CIF-State Track and Field team championship by having a role in scoring 34 of the team's 36 points while competing in four events. The University of Utah-bound Stanley won the 400-meter title in a 2023 state-best time of 45.77, was second in the 200 in 20.95, ran on a leg of the State championship-winning 4x100 relay (40.39), and his 45.90 anchor split on the 4-400m relay moved GHC from sixth place to third place earning the necessary points to secure the team title. In the LA City Section Finals, Stanley won the 200 and 400 events each year from 2021-23.



Darryll Stevens

Jordan (SS), 300mH

Darryll won the State Meet title in the 300-meter hurdles, running a lifetime best of 37.44, the second-fastest time in CA during the outdoor season. Stevens ran 37.72 for second at Southern Section Masters and 37.75 as the top qualifier at State Prelims. The race at State became one of the highlight races of the two-day meet with a three-way deadhead. Darryll edged Monrovia's Devin Paton and Roosevelt's Cayden Roberson with a time of 37.432. Paton was clocked in 37.435, and Roberson in 37.437.



Robert Stitts

El Cerrito (NC), Sprints
Robert was a double winner at the NCS MOC meet taking both the 100m and 200m titles. In the 100, Stitts ran a wind-aided 10.35 at the NCS MOC final and saved his most impressive effort for the State Meet. There he ran a wind legal 10.31 for third place which is the fastest 100 all-time in NCS history surpassing Jahvid Best's 10.36 from 2007. Stitts was also invited to the Brooks PR meet where he finished in third place against some of the best sprinters in the country.


Chukwunonso Udeh

De La Salle (NC), Jumps/Hurdles

Chuk won four medals at the CIF-State Championships including the title in the long jump a week after four podium appearances at the North Coast Section Meet of Champions. At State, he won the long jump with a best of 23-9.75, placed fourth in the high jump (6-4) fifth in the 110m hurdles (14.287/1.0), and ran on the fifth-place 4x100m relay team (41.28). At the NCS MOC, Udeh was a triple winner taking the 110-meter hurdles, long jump, and high jump titles. He also ran a leg on the second place 400 meters relay team which narrowly lost to Acalanes 41.46 to 41.67.




SECOND TEAM

Manuel Correia (Point Loma/SD), mid-distances; Stephen Dahdouh (Pleasant Grove/SJ) hurdles; Kai Deines (Redondo Union/SS), throws; Ian Dossman (Franklin Elk Grove/SJ) sprints; Christian Edwards (Liberty-Bakersfield/CS) jumps; Zachary Fagin (Los Altos/CC), jumps; Ethan Fong (Lincoln-Stockton/SJ), jumps; Andrew Fu (Harker/CC), sprints; Tarron Johnson (Vista Murrieta/SS), 800m; Lamarr Kirk Jr. (Long Beach Poly/SS), long sprints; Alex Lamoureux (College Park/NC), distances; Logan Lyght (Mater Dei/SS), hurdles; Adren Parker (Helix/SD); sprints; Devin Paton (Monrovia/SS), hurdles; Justin Pretre (Menlo/CC), distance; Jaden Rattay (Lincoln/LA) sprints; Noah Ray (Buchanan/CS), mid-distances; Miles Roberts (Leland/CC), hurdles/jumps; JeyQuan Smith (Cajon/SS) sprints; Jose Soto (Tulare Western/CS), shot put; Bryce Thomas (Moreau Catholic/NC), mid-distances; Ryan Thomas (Torrey Pines/SD), distance; Zach Weaver (Buchanan/CS); mid-distance; Jaylon Wells (Warren/SS), throws.


HONORABLE MENTION

This is to recognize all remaining senior boys who were among the top-9 medalists at the State Meet Finals.

Aiydan Bague (Ventura Academy/SJ), high jump; Jaelon Barbarin (Simi Valley/SS), 100m; Liam Brennan (Santa Clara/CC), discus throw; Will Brennan Jr. (Los Gatos/CC), 400m; Spencer Ciccarelli (North Torrance/SS), pole vault; AJ Cornthwaite (Valhalla/SD), long jump;  Elijah Crook (Sultana/SS), long jump; Delbert Davis (Golden Valley/SJ), high jump; Leo Davis (Newport Harbor/SS), pole vault; Jason Deal (Paloma Valley/SS), 200m; Cole Dinkler (Foothill Tech/SS), pole vault; Pyrce Edwards (Thousand Oaks/SS), 300mH; Nathan Fifer (Montgomery/NC), high jump; Alexander Franco (Dublin/NC), 400m; Marcell Francis-Mitchell (Long Beach Wilson/SS), 800m. 


Jeremy Frank (Thousand Oaks/SS), 110mH; Leland Godfrey (Chaparral/SS), shot put; Kesean Goodson (Oceanside/SD), triple jump; Isley Gutierrez (Mater Dei/SS), high jump; Kyle Hughes (Bullard/CS), 110mH; Zachary Jones (Archbishop Riordan/CC), sprints; Tyler Knowles (Rancho Buena Vista/SD), shot put; Mateo Malko-Allen (St. Mary's/NC), 1600m; Evan Markelz (Mountain View/CC), 3200m; Justice Mephors (J.W. North/SS), discus throw; Sean Morello (Albany/NC), 3200m; Obi Nwafor (Vista Murrieta/SS), triple jump; Peter Olson (Junipero Serra/CC), 300mH; Derek Ray (McKinleyvilley/NC), shot put; Levi Romero (Los Gatos/CC), 400m; Micah Sanchez (Liberty Charter/SD), 3200m; Danny Tragarz (Del Norte/SD), 300mH.


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Photos by DeAnna Turner and Raymond Tran

Jeffrey Parenti is the state editor for California MileSplit

California MileSplit associate editors Ryan Blystone, Albert Caruana and Mark Gardner contributed to this article.