By Patrick Bendzick
Resting at the base of the San Gabriel mountains, Arcadia High School once again played host to the most prestigious high school track meet in the west. Soaring peaks provided a dramatic backdrop to the newly renovated stadium, and although one could spend hours admiring the picturesque scenery, all eyes were glued to the track as some of the nation's best launched an all-out assault on the record books.
Fresh off their 4x200 Meter Relay Championship at the New Balance Indoor Nationals, the Long Beach Poly girls team made a strong argument for themselves as the best team in the nation. Coupled with the boys program, they put on a display that very few combined teams could ever match. In the relays, Long Beach Poly won the girls 4x100 in a blowout; finished 4th in the girls Distance Medley; 6th in the boys Distance Medley; 4th in the girls 4x400m; and 2nd in the boys 4x400m.
When they weren't collecting awards for the relays, the Jackrabbits of Long Beach Poly were busy putting on an impressive display of depth in the individual events. Miles Andrews won the boys 800m (1:52.50) and Dynasty Gammage finished second in the girls 800m (2:08.72). Shaquille Howard won the seeded section of the 400m in 48.07; a time that would have placed him second in the invitational section. Asia Walker also won the seeded section of the 400m, and her time of 55.77 would have been 3rd in the invitational section. Add to that Alex Dalton who was second in the high jump (5'6"), Melia Cox who finished second in the triple jump (40'4.75"), plus two girls who ran under 25 seconds for 200m and two boys who ran under 22.20 in the 200m, and you can see why the legendary program continues to garner so much respect.
But Long Beach Poly wasn't the only group of sprinters to post impressive marks. Thanks to a meet management team that thinks of just about everything, a slew of wind legal national leaders emerged as the sprints were run in various directions based on the readings of the wind gauge. Sophomore Aaliyah Brown of Lincolnway, Illinois was a double winner, taking the 100m in 11.59 and the 200 in 24.13. Trinity Wilson of St. Mary's also benefitted from the savvy meet management in the 100m hurdles, winning that event in 13.51.
On the boys side, Jonathan Cabral (pictured below) of Agoura High School crushed the very talented field in both hurdle events. His aggressive running style resulted in a 13.43 clocking in the 110m hurdles and a 36.42 winning time in the 300m hurdles. In fact, he finished over half a second ahead of second place in the 110m hurdles; an eternity in the world of sprints.
In the field, Marquis Dendy of Middletown High School in Delaware made his trip worthwhile. Dendy started the evening by winning the long jump (24'9.75"), and ended the night by finishing second in the triple jump. His first jump of 48'7.75" was his only legal jump of the competition as he was over the board on two attempts and passed on three.
The male throwers used calm evening conditions to their advantage as Nicholas Scarvelis of California throwing powerhouse Dos Pueblos won the shot put in 64'1.75, and Ma'a Brown of Paramont won the discus throw with a US#1 mark of 201'04". Six of Brown's throws were at least 193 feet; all of which were 3 feet better than second place Will Parsons of La Habra (190'00").
The sprint and field event action provided plenty of excitement, but runners from across the nation make the annual pilgrimage to Southern California for one reason......the distance races. Over the past four years the Arcadia Invitational has experienced an influx of distance runners from all over the country. The word is out that the track is fast, the packs are tight, and the crowd truly appreciates distance running. That exciting combination led to some absurd qualifying standards, but it also resulted some amazing performances.
In the two sections of the Saturday evening mile, 11 girls ran under 5 minutes. The eventual winner was Amy-Eloise Neale of Glacier Peak (WA), with a new US#1 time of 4:48.01. Neal returned to the track later that evening to finish 3rd in the 2 mile (10:20.84).
Freshman sensation Sarah Baxter of Simi Valley sent the packed stadium back in time, as her 10:14.11 winning time in the 3200m evoked memories of a young Jordan Hasay. The modest and reserved superstar scoffed at the comparison, but her 4:53 split in the anchor leg of the 4x1600m coupled with her incredible 3200m performance is on par with what Hasay was running at her age.
Both Distance Medley Relays brought the crowd to their feet. Dana Hills pulled an upset over Elias Gedyon and his Loyola teammates to win the event in 10:08.02 for a new US#1 time. Loyola finished a close second in 10:09.47 (US#2), followed by Ridgewood (NJ) and Esperanza in 10:12.82 and 10:13.50 respectively.
The girls Distance Medley Relay hosted a stacked field with cross country national powers Saugus, Redondo, and Torrey Pines. But it was Harvard Westlake, with a 4:50 anchor by Cami Chapus (photo below far right), who crushed the field, winning the event and breaking the meet record in the #11 performance of all-time (11:40.89).
Last year 17 athletes ran under 9 minutes in the 2 mile; a feat we may never see again. This year only 10 athletes would break the 9 minute barrier, but Ammar Moussa of Arcadia would make it just as memorable. Mousa took control of the race with 3 laps to go en route to a new US#1 time of 8:49.59. In his last Arcadia Invitational, Moussa thrilled the home crowd with a blistering final lap and then ran straight to his own personal cheering section at the end of the track.
Two of the best mile performances of the year were the result of one athlete. Jantzen Oshier of Trabuco Hills anchored his 4x1600m relay team in 4:10 and then returned the next day to win the invitational 1600m in 4:06.81. He ran negative splits to open a small gap on the rest of the field and finished with number one time in the country.
The Arcadia Invitation seems to be a turning point for national caliber performances each year. The next month should provide track fans with some amazing moments, and if the marks this weekend are any indication, we may continue to see records fall.
By Patrick Bendzick