MileSplitCA Sophomore Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year
Ventura (SS)
Sadie is a two-time 1600m CIF-State champion, who set the meet record this spring with a U.S. No. 1 time of 4:33.45 (just off her 4:33.29 CA record from a year ago), and then she went out and did the unthinkable, doubling in the 800m with a late kick for a 2:07.22 victory to defeat the defending champion and current national leader. It was only the second time in State Meet history that a girl had won both the four-lap race and the two-lap race in the same meet (and she had to run qualifiers on Friday in both just to earn the chance to compete). Forget rankings in the class with Sadie, she completed the season as the national leader in the 1600m, U.S. No. 3 in the mile (4:36.26), U.S. No. 4 for 1500 (4:18.64), and U.S. No. 4 for 3200m (9:51.49). She ranks U.S. No. 3 in the class for 800m (2:06.71).
MileSplitCA Athlete of the Year by class winners were selected from a list of elite candidates and chosen by readers who voted via our FanPower poll articles. Sadie received 42 percent of the vote in a statewide poll. Kaylin Edwards of Long Beach Wilson (SS) was second in the voting at 39 percent.
SOPHOMORE GIRLS 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 consideration.
(Athletes are listed alphabetically by last name)
Murrieta Valley (SS), Sprints
State leader under all conditions for 100 meters (11.82w); placed tenth at the
California State Meet and was CIF-SS D-1 champion. Going into the postseason, her lifetime wind-legal
best was 12.16.
Laguna Hills (SS), Distances
Fifth in the nation for the Class of 2025, her 10:11.56 was fifth at the State Meet,
the fastest ever for placing that low in meet history. Also with a 4:52.41 season best for 1600
meters, Barker captured the CIF-SS D-3 title and was runner-up at the CIF-SS
Masters Meet.
Santiago-Corona (SS), Distances
The surprise state champion in the 3200 meters erupted for a 19-second
improvement and third in the nation (and California) at 10:02.19. She was also third in the state for her class
at 4:46.28 for the 1600 meters. She
captured CIF-SS D-1 titles in both events.
San Diego (SD), Hurdles
Fifth in the nation for her class and best for the state, her 13.92 wind-legal
best captured the CIF-SD section. With a
13.89w to place fourth at the State Meet but she rallied to place runner-up in
the 300 hurdles with a lifetime best of 41.88 and ranked second for California
and third nationally for the Class of 2025.
Long Beach Wilson (SS), Hurdles
Kaylin (pictured above) was a huge component for her state team champion squad, she was the State Meet champ in the 300 hurdles (41.57), ranking her second in her class in the nation. Her 14.20 (nwi) was second in the
state under all conditions for the class as she placed second at the CIF-SS D-1
final there. Edwards also played vital
roles in the relays, helping her 400-relay place third and 1600-relay squad
place second at the State Meet.
Ventura (SS), Distances
The national leader for the Class of 2025 in the 1600 (4:33.45) and 3200 meters
(9:51.49), she became the first girl since 1975 to capture state titles in the
800 and 1600 meters at the State Meet. Her 2:06.71 seasonal best was third in the nation for all sophomores as
she has already amassed a resume like no other in California prep history. She added two more CIF-SS D-2 titles as well.
Del Norte (SD), Pole Vault and Distances
The multi-talented athlete cleared 12-9 in the pole vault to lead her class
in California and rank fifth in the nation. She placed sixth at the State Meet in the event but also anchored her
4x800 relay crew that won the state title and captured the Nike Outdoor
Nationals to finish 2023 as the top squad in the nation. She owns a 2:12.36 for the 800 meters.
Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks (SS), Throws
The national leader in her class for the shot put (46-10) and this discus
(154-3), she captured the State Meet title in the former while she placed
fourth in the latter. Johnson also took
home the CIF-SS D-3 title in the shot put while placed runner-up in the
discus.
Buchanan (CS), Distances
Fourth in California and eighth in the nation for her class, as her 4:46.82
four-second improvement saw her place sixth at the State Meet for the 1600
meters. She also posted 10:39.61 for the 3200 meters and 2:14.65 for the 800 meters.
Newport Harbor (SS), Distances
Her 2:09.13 was second-best for her class in California as she placed fifth at
the State Meet. Along with a 4:57.42,
she dropped seven different performances under 2:11 for the 2023 season after
coming in with a 2:16.32 lifetime best beforehand.
Mountain View (CC), Sprints
Central Coast champ and placed fourth at the State Meet in the 400 meters,
running 54.55 at Friday's prelims. Also
advanced to the State Meet in the 200 meters as CIF-CC runner-up for the 200
meters. Also third in her class in the state with a wind-legal 200 meters (24.55).
Montgomery (NC), Distances
The defending state champion in the 3200 meters in 2022 improved to a 9:55.31
at the Arcadia Invite for the second-best time in the nation for her class and
moved up to eighth on the California all-time list. She also improved to a 4:43.63 for 1600
meters, ranking fifth in the nation for all sophomores.
Culver City (SS), Sprints
Pulling the upset, she was the state champion in the 200 meters (23.62) and
fastest in California overall. She was
also the runner-up in the 400 meters (53.46 seasonal best) and the fastest
sophomore in the nation for the event. Trepagnier
anchored the state champion 4x400 relay squad (3:41.09) which ran the fastest time
in the state since 2014.
Long Beach Wilson (SS), Jumps
Taking on the long jump in 2023, she was top-ranked in her class and provided
huge points for her state title squad by placing fourth at the State Meet
(19-10.5w). Under all conditions, Webster was fifth in the nation for her class
while also anchoring her 4x100 relay squad that placed third at the State
Meet.
Long Beach Poly (SS), Jumps
She was first in the state for her class (5-6.25) and placed fifth at the State
Meet (5-6). This was her second trip to
the State Meet in as many years.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Kaylee Best (Norco/SS) jumps; Eleanor Borchard (Oaks Christian/SS) hurdles; Michal Coates (Great Oak/SS) pole vault; Journey Cole (Redondo Union/SS) sprints; Kinga Czajkowska (Palo Alto/CC) distances; Maya DeBrouwer (La Canada/SS) distances; Golda Demby (Hollister/CC) throws; Mairead Frankel (Sage Creek/SD) throws; Makenna Herbst (Carlsbad/SD) sprints; Morgan Herbst (Carlsbad/SD) hurdles; Annie Ivarsson (Dana Hills/SS) distances; Evangeline Marheineke (Archbishop Mitty/CC); Madison Mosby (St. Mary's Academy/SS) sprints; Amaya Rice (Lakewood/SS) sprints; Sanaiya Watkins (Quartz Hill/SS) hurdles
Photos by DeAnna Turner and Raymond Tran
Mark Gardner is a former coach, TF and XC announcer, and an associate editor for MileSplit
