Previewing the 2022 Arcadia Invitational track meet: As usual, there's an All-Star field
The best track and field athletes in the state will compete at this weekend's Arcadia Invitational meet. Here's everything you need to know ahead of Friday and Saturday's action.
100 Meters
The Men's 100 Meter Dash Invitational race will take place on Saturday at 6:29 p.m. It's arguably the biggest race of the meet. Servite's Max Thomas currently holds the state's top 100 meter time at 10.37 seconds. He'll be racing on Saturday along with several of the state's other top sprinters. High school football fans will want to pay attention to this race. Foothill's Austin Overn, Gardena Serra's Rodrick Pleasant, St. John Bosco's Rayshon Luke and Clovis' Nate Johnson all starred on the gridiron in the fall and will be racing on Saturday. Pleasant has the state's top wind legal time this season at 10.39 seconds.
The Women's 100 Meter Dash Invitational race will take place on Saturday at 6:25 p.m. The current state leader, Gardena Serra's Jordan Washington, will race in the event. She ran an 11.63 second race at the 94th Annual Texas Clyde Littlefield Relays on March 26.
200 Meters
The field for the 200 Meter Dash Invitational race resembles the 100 Meter Dash field on the men's side. Thomas holds the state's top 200 meter men's time at 20.78 seconds.
On the women's side, Golden Valley junior Adonijah Currie currently holds the third best time in the state at 24.44 seconds. She comes in as the top runner in the Women's 200 Meter Dash Invitational field.
400 Meters
Covina senior Kerry Smith leads the state with a 400 meter time of 47.33 seconds. He'll be running in the Seeded race on Saturday. Helix junior Arden Parker holds the state's second fastest time in the 400 meter event this spring at 47.50. He'll be running in the Invitational race. Another athlete to pay attention to in the Invitational race is Granada Hills' junior Dijon Stanley. He's a top football recruit who's run a 47.56 this spring.
On the women's side, state leader Takiya Cenci (Clovis North) will run in the Invitational race. She leads the state with a ridiculous 400 meter time of 53.19 seconds, which is nearly a second faster than any other runner.
800 Meters
Despite holding the state's top two 800 meter times, Newbury Park's Colin and Aaron Sahlman will be running the 3,200 meter race instead of the 800 meter. That gives state No. 3 Jai Dawson (Dana Hills) a strong chance to win. Dawson ran a 1:50.63 800 at the Irvine/ASICS Track and Field Invitational in March.
The top two women's 800 meter runners won't be competing in the 800 race either. Ventura freshman Sadie Engelhardt, who leads the state with a 2:05.66 800, and Newbury Park senior Sam McDonnell, who is second in the state with a 2.08.33 800, will both run the mile instead.
The state's current No. 3 800 runner, La Cañada's Arielle Mckenzie, will run in the Women's 800 Meter Invitational race.
1 Mile
Newbury Park's Lex and Leo Young currently lead the state in the mile, but similarly to teammates Colin and Aaron Sahlman, the Young's won't run in the race despite being atop the leaderboard choosing instead to run the 3,200.
Agoura's Ethan Godsey, the current state No. 6 at 4.10.91, will run in the Men's 1 Mile Invitational race. He has the top time in the field heading into Saturday.
Mira Costa's Dalia Frias holds the state's top women's mile run this season at 4:35.06. She has chosen to run the 3,200 instead of the mile. Ventura freshman Sadie Engelhardt, the state's No. 2 miler at 4:36.63 will run in the 1 Mile Women's Invitational race.
3,200 Meters
Get your popcorn ready. The Men's 3,200 Meter Invitational race has just as much star power as the Men's 100 Meter Dash. The top 10 3,200 runners this spring will all race in either the Seeded or the Invitational races at Arcadia led by the four Newbury Park standouts in the Invitational: Lex and Leo Young and Colin and Aaron Sahlman.
State leader Dalia Frias of Mira Costa will run in the Women's 3,200 Meter Invitational race. She ran a 9:59.94 3,200 at the South / Mira Costa / Torrance Tri-Meet in March.
Hurdles
UCLA football bound senior Jadyn Marshall (Stockton St. Mary's) is one of the nation's top hurdlers. He leads the country with a 110 meter hurdle time of 13.35 seconds. Marshall will run in the Men's 110 Meter Hurdle Invitational race on Saturday as well as the Men's 300 Meter Hurdle Invitational race. He leads the state in the 300 meter hurdles event with a time of 36.73 seconds.
Scripps Ranch senior Aaliyah McCormick leads the state in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 13.86 seconds. She will be running in the Women's 100 Meter Hurdle Invitational race as well as the Women's 300 Meter Hurdle Invitational race. Cathedral Catholic junior Kapiolani Coleman will be running in the Women's 300 Meter Hurdle Invitational race as well. She currently holds the state's top time at 42.88 seconds.
Relays
In the Men's 4x100 Meter Relay Invitational, state leader Central Fresno will race along with teams from Servite, Buchanan, Clovis North, Grandview, Serra Gardena, St. John Bosco, Helix and Eastvale Roosevelt.
The Women's 4x100 Meter Invitational field consists of Carson B, Gardena Serra, Long Beach Wilson, Long Beach Poly, Westlake (Georgia), Golden Valley, Eastvale Roosevelt, Carson A and Calabasas.
State leader Serra Gardena will run in the Men's 4x200 Meter Relay Invitational. State leader Long Beach Wilson will run in the Women's 4x200 Meter Invitational.
State leader Cathedral will run in the Men's 4x400 Meter Relay Invitational. State No. 2 Clovis North will run in the Women's 4x400 Meter Invitational. State No. 1 Long Beach Wilson will not.
State leader Long Beach Wilson will run in the Men's 4x800 Meter Relay Invitational. State leader JSerra will run in the Women's 4x800 Meter Invitational.
State leader Long Beach Poly will run in the Men's 800 Sprint Medley Invitational. State leader Long Beach Wilson will run in the Women's 800 Sprint Medley Invitational.
State No. 2 Bellarmine College Prep will run in the Men's 1600 Sprint Medley Invitational. State leader Monte Vista will run in the Women's 1600 Sprint Medley Invitational.
Men's Field Events
Every current Men's field event state leader will be competing at Arcadia:
- Murrieta Mesa's Cade Moran is the state leader in shot put (64-7.5) and discus (199-8).
- Cajon's Seth Johnson holds the state's top high jump mark (6-9).
- Eastvale Roosevelt's Hunter O'Brien leads the state with a 16-8 mark on the pole vault.
- Golden Valley senior Elijah Ellis has the furthest long jump currently in California (24-0).
- Great Oak's JC Stevenson leads the state in the triple jump (48-6).
Women's Field Events
On the women's side, seven current state leaders in field events will compete at Arcadia:
- Clovis East discus thrower Feyi Olukanni leads the state with a 153-7 mark.
- Whitney's Ashanti Elie's high jump mark of 5-10 leads the state.
- Three pole vaulters hold the current top mark in California high school track and field at 13-7. Scripps Ranch's Lexi Evans, Del Norte's Allison Leigh and Dublin's Jathiyah Muhammad will all compete on Saturday.
- Golden Valley's Kylee Davis' 20-0.5 inches long jump mark tops the state
In the Women's triple jump and shot put, both state No. 2's will be at Arcadia. Riverside King's Alyssa Hope has a 39-11 inch triple jump mark and Cathedral Catholic's Kennedy Clarke has thrown a shot put 44-0.
