Herbst Twins Dominate 

Morgan Herbst took full advantage of this opportunity by embracing the high-level competition and rewriting the high school record books in the 400m hurdles. 

First in the semi-finals, Herbst crossed the line in utter disbelief after seeing 55.89 on the clock. A fantastic mark that placed her fifth on the U.S. high school girls' all-time list. She said that the performance was a big shock and showed "how much more (she) has in the tank for the (finals)."

In the 400m hurdles finals, she bolted to the early lead, and it was a repeat of the day before.She completely dominated the competition and won the USATF U20 Title, improving her time from the previous day with a 55.78 to further solidify her fifth-place position on the all-time list. 

The next standout California performance also came from the Herbst family, with Makenna Herbst in the 800m. After finishing third in 2024, she obliterated the competition with a 2:02.48 to win by five seconds. 

Makenna also ran 2:02 at the CIF State Track and Field Championships at the end of May making the moment bittersweet, but she chose to focus on the positives.

"I think that was my last race, so I'm not gonna be disappointed with it. It's still another solid time. I'm proud of myself."

The Herbst Twins will be competing at the University of Arkansas this upcoming season and have high hopes for their NCAA careers. 

Standing on the Podium

As expected, several California athletes made the podium, but only a select few were among the top three in their respective events.

Khaliq Muhammad had a great performance in the men's U20 pole vault, which resulted in his second-highest vault of the season. Muhammad placed third with a height of 17-5 against an extremely competitive field. 

This was an impressive performance considering his long season, which included jumping the CIF State Meet record, 17-10.5, at the end of May. He's ending the high school season nationally ranked as the second-best pole vaulter in the nation. 

Joshua Haven also delivered an excellent performance in the pole vault, competing alongside nine other events. The Bellarmine Prep junior finished third in the men's U20 decathlon with an impressive 6,857 points. He has demonstrated his outstanding ability throughout the competition by always being in close proximity to the gold. 

His hurdling ability, which placed him sixth at the CIF State Meet, helped him end the first day in second place. He ran 14.73 in the 110m hurdles, which turned out to be his highest-scoring event of the entire competition. 

Ultimately, it wasn't enough for Haven to win, but he is someone to watch next year during the CIF season. He competed in the high jump, 300m hurdles, and 110m hurdles at this year's state meet. 

On the girls' side, Anisa Bowen-Fontenot continued her amazing season with a second-place finish in the 100m hurdles at U20s. The USC commit utilized her otherworldly ability to run down any competition to finish as the top high schooler. 

Although Bowen-Fontenot was one of the last runners off the line, she closed the gap on the elite field once she found her rhythm with superb form. It wasn't enough to beat the University of South Carolina freshman, Josslyn Hamilton, who outleaned her by a thousandth of a second.

Other Notable Performances

Women's 100 Meter Dash

Men's Discus