CALIFORNIA STATE MEET

Engelhardt prevails in 1,600 in 4:32.06, rallies Ventura from six-second deficit to capture 4x800 crown in 8:57.21; Mt. Miguel sophomore Arrington runs wind-legal 10.33 and 20.55, Madsen triumphs in discus at 206-8 (62.99) and shot put with 62-9.50 (19.13m) mark, Long Beach Wilson girls and Long Beach Poly boys victorious

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Ken Martinez

Sadie Engelhardt ran away from every challenger in the 1,600 meters and ran down every potential contender on the anchor leg of the 4x800-meter relay Saturday at the CIF State Championships.

McKay Madsen delivered one of the most remarkable throwing doubles in state history, even if it meant taking a potential title opportunity away from his teammate and close friend at Buchanan High’s Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Brandon Arrington, Jr. began a new era of sprint supremacy and elevated two more sophomores with him.

And in addition to Engelhardt, Andreas Dybdahl and the San Clemente boys 4x800-meter relay team enjoyed back-to-back championships, with Aja Johnson adding a victory in the discus throw after securing the shot put crown last season.

INTERVIEWS | PHOTOS by Ken Martinez | Long Beach Poly boys, Long Beach Wilson girls sweep by Pete Marshall

Those were just some of the highlights at the 104th edition of the California outdoor final, with Engelhardt – a junior at Ventura High – commanding the spotlight again by becoming the fourth female athlete in state history to win three in a row in the 1,600 by clocking 4:32.06.

Corona Santiago’s Braelyn Combe was runner-up in 4:39.73, La Jolla’s Chiara Dailey took third in 4:43.30, Murrieta Valley’s Sofia Lieberman finished fourth in 4:44.54 and Tatum Olesen from Menlo-Atherton placed fifth in 4:46.76.

But perhaps the most impressive act from Engelhardt came in the 4x800 relay final, with Ventura trailing Corona Santiago by more than six seconds entering the anchor leg following the efforts of Melanie True, Tiffany Sax and Aelo Curtis.

Engelhardt achieved a 2:06.33 split over the last two laps, rallying the Cougars to the championship in 8:57.21, with Corona Santiago placing second in 9:00.13. Buchanan, the meet host, took third in 9:02.90.

Buchanan was looking for another big moment from senior Derek Smith, who achieved a lifetime-best 206-11 (63.06m) in Friday’s discus prelims.

But it was Madsen, a junior at Clovis North, who not only responded to Smith’s challenge by producing a throw of 206-8 (62.99m) in the third round Saturday, before withstanding a fifth-round effort of 198-3 (60.42m) from the Buchanan standout, as well as a sixth-round performance of 197-6 (60.19m) by Silver Creek’s Kyler Headley.

Madsen became the first Central Section athlete since Dayshan Ragans of Bakersfield Foothill in 2008 to sweep both throwing championships after rallying with a fourth-round mark of 62-9.50 (19.13m) to surpass Clovis North teammate and senior standout Brayden Bitter, who couldn’t complete the comeback following a 62-2.50 (18.96m) performance in the sixth round.

Bitter achieved a lifetime-best 65-0.25 (19.83m) on May 18 at the CIF Central Section Masters meet and then followed that effort up with a mark of 64-3.25 (18.96m) in Friday’s prelims.

But Madsen managed to hold off Bitter and a 60-foot performance (18.26m) from Zach Lewis of Garden Grove Pacifica to match the sweep achieved at last year’s state final by Brendon See of JSerra.

Arrington, a sophomore at Mt. Miguel, triumphed in the 100-meter dash in a wind-legal 10.33 seconds to emerge victorious against Jordan Coleman from Granada Hills at 10.43.

Bakersfield’s Jalen Ford (10.48) and Concord De La Salle’s Jaden Jefferson, both sophomores, ran 10.48 and 10.49, respectively to place third and fourth overall. Long Beach Poly freshman Benjamin Harris was fifth in 10.56.

Arrington prevailed against Coleman again in the 200 final by a wind-legal 20.55 to 21.04 margin, matching the sprint double achieved in 2019 by fellow San Diego Section standout Kenan Christon from Madison High.

Arrington captured his first two state titles, with Dybdahl – a senior at Santa Barbara High – getting the best of Channel League rival and friend Anthony Fast Horse from Ventura once more in the boys 1,600 final by a 4:08.23 to 4:09.32 margin.

Dybdahl is the first male athlete to repeat in the 1,600 since Bakersfield Stockdale’s Blake Haney in 2013-14.

Beckman’s Ibzan Felix took third in 4:10.33, Benjamin Bouie of Crystal Springs Uplands was fourth in 4:10.40 and Cathedral’s Emmanuel Perez placed fifth in 4:10.67.

San Clemente defended its title in the 4x800 relay in 7:38.07, slightly faster than its 7:38.59 performance to capture the inaugural state crown. Brett Ephraim, Taj Clark, Pierce Clark and Jackson Brownell led the Tritons to the championship repeat.

Livermore Granada placed second in 7:40.29, with Great Oak taking third at 7:40.66.

Johnson, a junior at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, overcame an early deficit in the discus final against eventual runner-up Sol Bitners from Davis Senior and her 154-9 (47.06m) performance in the opening round.

Johnson rose to the occasion on her fourth attempt to produce a 158-10 (48.41m) effort and never looked back, elevating from a fourth-place finish last year.

Despite a third-round mark of 46-8.75 (14.24m) in the shot put final, Johnson wasn’t able to enjoy the effort for long, as Campolindo’s Pinkie Schnayer responded right away by regaining the momentum with a 47-3.75 (14.42m) performance, winning the first state title in the history of the track and field program.

Jathiyah Muhammad, a senior at Pittsburg High, won her second state girls pole vault crown in three years with a first-attempt clearance at 13-9 (4.19m). Muhammad, who won the championship in 2022 while representing Dublin High, was able to hold off Paige Echsner from Del Norte at 13-5 (4.08m). 

In addition to Arrington’s multiple victories, it was an impressive championship meet for the entire San Diego Section.

Kai Anderson from University City High and fellow junior Khaliq Muhammad from Pittsburg, Jathiyah’s brother, battle back and forth in an impressive pole vault showdown.

Anderson became the first University City male competitor to win a state championship in any event since 2009, clearing 16-8 (5.08m) on his second try to edge Muhammad at 16-4 (4.97m) on his third opportunity.

San Diego High’s Anisa Bowen-Fontenot became the second female athlete from her school in three years to triumph in the 100-meter hurdles final in a wind-legal 13.59 seconds, following Charlize James in 2022.

South Pasadena’s Mia Holden was runner-up in 13.83 and Bakersfield Liberty’s Bella Turner took third in 14.01.

Carlsbad’s Morgan Herbst was victorious in the 300 hurdles in 41.26, ahead of Long Beach Wilson’s Saniah Varnado in 42.11. Bowen-Fontenot took third in 42.76, Holden was fourth in 42.77 and Turner placed fifth in 43.13.

Poway’s Tessa Buswell prevailed in the 800 in 2:06.51, with Carlsbad’s Makenna Herbst finishing second in 2:07.23 and Newport Harbor’s Keaton Robar securing third in 2:07.40.

Cain Evans added another championship for Carlsbad by edging Long Beach Wilson’s Wyland Obando by a 1:50.21 to 1:50.26 margin in the 800-meter final, leading seven athletes to sub-1:52 efforts.

La Jolla’s Payton Smith triumph in the girls 400-meter final in 53.39, with Mountain View’s Hannah Rutherford placing second in 53.70.

Madison’s Amirah Shaheed earned the girls 200 title in 23.53, with Culver City’s Morgan Maddox finishing second in 23.60 and Serra’s Mia Flowers taking third in 23.87.

Chula Vista Eastlake’s Jaelyn Williams ran 9:57.11 to hold off 2022 state champion Hanne Thomsen from Santa Rosa Montgomery (9:59.81) in the 3,200 final. Junior Rylee Blade from Corona Santiago, last year’s winner, took third in 10:06.26 and La Canada junior Maya De Brouwer was fourth in 10:09.23.

Williams’ performance set the stage for the deepest boys 3,200 final in state history, with junior Evan Noonan capturing the championship for Dana Hills in 8:43.12, just ahead of Palo Alto senior Grant Morgenfeld at 8:44.40, as 17 athletes eclipsed the 9-minute barrier.

Long Beach Millikan’s Jason Parra (8:47.43), Ponderosa’s Josh Chu (8:48.38), Albany’s Lucas Cohen (8:48.63) and Templeton’s Joshua Bell (8:50.22) all made the state podium, recognizing the top six competitors.

Canyon High from Canyon Country crowned a pair of champions, with Mikaela Warr emerging from one of the closest finishes in state history in the girls 100-meter dash by an 11.401 to 11.407 margin against Flowers.

Jordehn Gammage prevailed in the boys 300-meter hurdles in 37.35, with Carson’s Jayden Rendon clocking 37.59 for second and Cathedral Catholic’s Vincent Atilano taking third in 37.62.

Myles McFarland secured the first state title in Consumnes Oaks program history with his victory in the 110 hurdles in a wind-aided 13.69, edging Fresno Central’s Noel Felix in 13.77 and El Capitan’s Jonathan Tseko-Biffle in 13.98.

Long Beach Poly’s Xai Ricks won the first boys 400 crown for the Jackrabbits since 2011 by running 46.79, with Covina Northview’s Dylan Ochoa achieving runner-up in 47.20.

There was plenty of drama in the jumping finals, especially in the final rounds of the boys long jump and triple jump competitions.

Trevor Rogers of Lafayette Acalanes, the state leader in the long jump, was down to his last attempt and trailed the 24-1 (7.34m) fourth-round effort by Tyson Bonilla from Wilcox.

But Rogers delivered his best when it mattered most, coming through in the clutch with a 24-3.75 (7.41m) performance on the penultimate jump of the competition, before Bonilla fouled his final opportunity.

Brandon Rush made history by becoming the first boys state champion for Bishop O’Dowd in any event, rallying from outside of podium contention entering the final round to winning the triple jump championship on his final try with a wind-legal 47-5 (14.45m) effort.

Jordan Carter from Vista Del Lago also achieved his best mark in the sixth round with a wind-aided 47-2.25 (14.38m) performance.

Ventura’s Valentina Fakrogha and Menlo School’s Summer Young both cleared 5-8 (1.72m) on their first opportunities in the high jump, but the state title wound up being decided on fewer attempts at 5-6 (1.67m). Fakrogha made the earlier height on her first try, with Young needing two chances.

Loren Webster became the first Long Beach Wilson female athlete to win the long jump crown with a third-round performance of 20-5.25 (6.22m).

Alyssa Alumbres captured the first state crown by any Vista Murrieta female athlete with a wind-legal mark of 40-11 (12.47m) in the second round, with Simi Valley Royal’s Quincie Richards placing second with a wind-legal effort of 39-9.50 (12.12m) in the fifth round.

Alumbres was also runner-up in the long jump at 19-5.50 (5.93m) in the second round and Turlock’s Shaylan Roy-Williams took third with an opening-round attempt of 19-4 (5.89m).

DeShawn Banks produced the first 7-foot clearance in the boys high jump at the state final since 2016, clearing 7-0.50 (2.14m) on his opening attempt to capture the first state championship for Birmingham.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame sophomore Joshua Harel was second at 6-10 (2.08m).

Rayah Rodriguez, Imani Clayton, Kyra Terry and Niya Clayton led Oaks Christian to victory in the girls 4x100 relay in 45.67, the first championship in the event for the Lions since 2015.

Long Beach Poly was runner-up in 45.78.

Jamar Searcy, Michael Stallworth, La’Rico Tezeno and Tim Edwards helped Pittsburg prevail in the boys 4x100 against Long Beach Poly by a 40.77 to 40.80 margin.

Long Beach Wilson clinched a second straight girls team title with 36 points following a victory in the 4x400 relay, as Brooke Blue, Alene Washington, Kaylin Edwards and Varnado clocked 3:41.40, with Calabasas securing second in 3:42.40.

Ventura was the team runner-up with 30 points.

Despite Long Beach Wilson’s Jae’Ron Harris, JT Kraemer, Kaedyn Burroughs and Obando winning the boys 4x400 title in 3:12.54, a second-place finish in 3:13.03 by rival Long Beach Poly was enough for the Jackrabbits to win their first team championship since 2011 and their state-record 11th overall.

Long Beach Poly rallied past Clovis North to emerge victorious by a 33-30 margin.

Fresno Central took third in the 4x400 in 3:13.13.

Team Champions

Long Beach Wilson girls 36 points; Long Beach Poly boys 33 points - RESULTS