After the CIF State Championships, several Californians traveled to St. Louis, MO, and/or Seattle, WA to compete against the best athletes in the nation. Even after going through the relentless CIF schedule in May, many found great success at the HOKA Festival of Miles and Brooks PR Invitational.
Girls Results
On the girls' s
HOKA Festival of Miles - 6/4
800m
Josie Hill (Sonoma Academy, NC) - 2:05.86, 1st
Azra Gercek (Portola, SS) - 2:11.23, 8th
Nicole Samson (Santiago Corona, SS) - 2:14.34, 9th
Quick Take: After a great junior season, Josie Hill captures a PR and an 800m win that will surely catapult her into a great senior season.
Mile
Braelyn Combe (Santiago Corona, SS) - 4:32.41, 2nd Championship Mile
Chiara Dailey (La Jolla, SD) - 4:42.50, 6th Championship Mile
Gretchen Yakaitis (Carondelet, NC) - 4:48.98, 7th Elite Mile
Quick Take: Braelyn Combe runs herself into the U.S. high school history books with a hard-fought runner-up finish and a personal record of 4:32.41 (U.S. #5 outdoor all-time).
Brooks PR Invitational - 6/7
100m
Olivia Kirk (Calabasas, SS) - 11.77 (+0.2), 8th
Quick Take: Olivia Kirk doesn't have her best race of the season, but don't discount her outstanding senior season at Calabasas.
400m
Saniah Varnado (Wilson-Long Beach, SS) - 52.99, 2nd
Quick Take: Saniah Varnado's strength shines through as she finishes runner-up in the 400m and runs 52 seconds for the third time this season.
800m
Braelyn Combe (Santiago Corona, SS) - 2:04.70, 4th
Josie Hill (Sonoma Academy, NC) - 2:06.17, 7th
Quick Take: Braelyn Combe and Josie Hill run great races on tired legs in a competive race at the Brooks PR Invitational.
Mile
Aelo Curtis (Unattached-CA) - 4:39.11, 1st Invitational Mile
Maya Pawlowicz (JSerra Catholic, SS) - 4:50.17, 8th Freshman Mile
Quick Take: Aelo Curtis looks ready for championship-style racing at the U20 USA Championships, while Maya Pawlowicz continues to demonstrate great potential as she hits another PR.
2 Mile
Chiara Dailey (La Jolla, SD) - 9:49.57, 1st
Quick Take: A deserving victory on the national stage for Dailey, who's been nationally rated since her freshman year.
Boys Results
HOKA Festival of Miles - 6/4
800m
Lucas Alberts (Jesuit, SJ) - 1:49.59, 3rd
Quick Take: Lucas Alberts bounced back after a disappointing CIF State Championships to run under 1:50 for the second time this season.
Mile
Stephen Sziebert (Bellarmine College Prep, CC) - 4:04.29, 6th Elite Mile
Maximo Zavaleta (ML King, SS) - 4:04.92, 9th Championship Mile
Aidan Antonio (Woodbridge, SS) - 4:07.92, 11th Elite Mile
Quick Take: The CIF State Championships 1600m podium produced good performances on tired legs in St. Louis.
Brooks PR Invitational - 6/7
100m
Benjamin Harris (Servite, SS) - 10.58 (-1.8), 1st
Jorden Wells (Servite, SS) - 10.69 (-1.8), 4th
Quick Take: More proof that Servite is going to be an issue with Harris (11th) and Wells (10th) finishing in the top four at Brooks PR.
400m
Jaelen Hunter (Servite, SS) - 46.72, 2nd
Ejam Yohannes (Loyola, SS) - 47.08, 3rd
Quick Take: It's a shame we got Hunter vs Yohannes III was on tired legs and cooler weather at Brooks PR.
800m
Josiah Bowman (Sage Creek, SD) - 1:50.47, 5th
Quick Take: A good performance for Josiah Bowman in an incredibly congested field
Mile
Maximo Zavaleta (ML King, SS) - 4:08.09, 10th Invitational Mile
Sterling White (Oaks Christian, SS) - 4:15.41, 5th Freshman Mile
Liam Tassa (Mountain View, CC) - 4:19.53, 7th Freshman Mile
Owen Burton (Crescenta Valley, SS) - 4:19.53, 8th Freshman Mile
Quick Take: The Californian freshmen demonstrate that they will be strong contenders in the CIF circuit over the next three years.
110mH
Jasir Fontenot (Mater Dei Catholic, SD) - 14.03 (+0.7), 6th
Quick Take: Not Jasir Fontenot's best race, but don't count out the back-to-back CIF State Champion who has a long summer of racing to look ahead to.