Throughout the 2026 season, California's Future Stars have demonstrated that their time is now, time and again. Which freshman or sophomore truly embodies the term Future Star after the season has come to a close?
Vote for "California's Future Star of the Year" from the 2026 Track and Field season below.
This poll will close at 5 pm PST on Sunday, June 28th.
Jasir Fontenot (Mater Dei Catholic - San Diego)
The CIF State 110m hurdles final was a display of complete dominance by Jasir Fontenot for the second consecutive year. All season, Fontenot battled back from a basketball injury, but that didn't stop him from repeating as CIF State Champion. He ran a season's best of 13.52 at Nike Outdoor Nationals, which is U.S. #2 among sophomores.
After an incredible freshman cross-country season, Sterling White broke the 3200m freshman class record with a personal record of 8:59.26. White finished eighth in the CIF 3200m final and was the #3 freshman in the nation. He also posted a 1600m personal best of 4:13.74, ranking him the U.S. #5 freshman.
Although Jalen Hunter's sophomore season was marred by injuries, he still finished as runner-up in the CIF State 400m final for the second consecutive year. At the USATF U20 Championships, he ran a personal best of 45.76, leading all sophomores in the nation. He also anchored Servite to the U.S. #3 all-time mark in the 4x400m with a time of 3:07.62 at the CIF State meet.
During Antowne Beatie's freshman season, he was dominant across the Sac-Joaquin Section in the 400m. He finished the season as the CIF-SJS 400m champion and fourth in the CIF State 400m final. Beatie's personal record of 47.04 is the top mark among freshmen in the nation this year.
During the track season, Mario Montoya focused on the 3200m, and it paid off with a fourth-place finish in the CIF State 3200m final. Montoya ran 8:51.63 this season, ranking him #9 among all sophomores in the nation and #3 in California.
At the CCS Championship, Alex Garza ran 1:52.19 in the 800m to finish runner-up and become one of California's fastest freshmen in history. According to the MileSplit database, only Michael Granville's freshman time of 1:51.03 is faster than Garza's. At the end of the season, he leads all freshmen in the nation.
In Damari Dean's first track and field season, he made an immediate impact for De La Salle. He went on to finish runner-up in the CIF State long jump final and finish the season ranked CA #3 because of his personal record of 24-9 feet. That mark also ranks him #3 as a sophomore in the country this season.
In Cooper Haydock's sophomore season, he started strong with a shot put personal record of 59-10.5. Haydock found his biggest success in the discus, where he threw 192-6 and finished 4th in the CIF State final.
At the end of this season, Anthony Walker emerged as a serious threat after sweeping the D1 CIF Southern Section 100m and 200m. That momentum helped Walker finish seventh in the CIF State 100m final. In his first track season, Walker finished in the top 10 in both short-sprint events.
Although injuries hampered parts of Jace Wells' season, he still finished second in the CIF State 200m final and fifth in the CIF State 400m final. He also ran the leadoff leg on Servite's U.S. #3 all-time 4x400m team alongside Jaelen Hunter. Beyond his outdoor season, Wells ran 20.99 indoors in the 200m, which is the California state record.
