Championships

CLOVIS, Calif. — There were many impressive performances at the CIF state track and field championships on Saturday, but the most breathtaking of all was one the fans packed inside Buchanan High’s Veterans Memorial Stadium did not see — Jaslene Massey’s throw of 196 feet and four inches in the discus — a mark that not only broke the state record but was the farthest throw ever by a girl in a U.S. high school meet.

The discus competition finished before any of the track events started and was held on an auxiliary field, but the Aliso Niguel senior got a standing ovation on the victory stand half an hour after her third throw thrust her into the record books.

“My goal was to for the gold first, then the mark,” said Massey, who will continue throwing at Oregon and may even compete in hammer and javelin. “I always dreamed of this and I wouldn’t be here without my support system.”

Aliso Niguel senior Jaslene Massey competes in discus at the CIF state track and field championships on Saturday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Massey waited several agonizing minutes while the distance was measured, but when the mark flashed on the scoreboard, she leaped in the air and screamed “Let’s go! Three more!”

After all, she still had three throws left.

“I wanted something big and I got something big,” said Massey, who defended her state title and topped the meet record of 186-9 set by Anna Jelmini of Shafter in 2009. “I had good warmups yesterday and today, and I knew I had it in me.”

To prove her historic hurl was no fluke, she came back with a 192-6 effort on her sixth and last throw. Shelbi Vaughan from Mansfield Legacy High in Texas set the American Junior record of 198-9¼ at the USA junior outdoor championships in 2012.

Massey later defended her shot put title with a throw of 52-9. She is the national leader in both events.

Also making history was Sherman Oaks Notre Dame senior JJ Harel, who repeated as boys high jump champion at 7-2. Harel cleared 6-9 on his third attempt to stay alive but still trailed Jay Woodson of American Canyon on misses until the bar was raised to 6-11. Harel cleared it on his first try while Woodson failed on his three attempts to ensure a second straight state title for Harel, who won with a height of 6-9 last year.

“I backed up on my first two attempts at 6-9 and that messed me up,” Harel said. “My heart was sinking and it went through my mind that I might finish second so when I cleared it that gave me adrenaline and muscle memory kicked in. At 6-11 I had such a great clearance, I knew I could get over at 7 and even at 7-2 I didn’t touch it.”

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s JJ Harel competes in the high jump at the CIF state track and field championships on Saturday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Harel cleared 7-2 on his first attempt — a personal best — tying for fourth on the national list this year. The bar was raised to 7-3½, giving Harel a chance to break the state record of 7-3¼ set by Lee Balkin of Glendale in 1979, but he was unsuccessful on three tries.

“I was 17 jumps deep and that took too much out of my legs,” Harel said of his unsuccessful efforts at the last height. “This season was an emotional roller coaster but I know I can get 7-3.”

Rosary won the girls 4×100-meter relay by a full second in 44.87 seconds.

Calabasas junior Malia Rainey won the girls 100 meters in 11.54. Maliyah Collins, who anchored Rosary’s relay, was third in 11.62, followed by Rainey’s teammates Marley Scoggins (11.63) and Olivia Kirk (11.63).

“I love my teammates, but today I had to focus on me — it was all about getting the win,” Rainey said. “Seeing my name up at the top made me so happy.”

Servite won the boys 4×100 in 39.73, shattering Hawthorne’s 38-year-old meet record of 40.24. Jorden Wells ran the first leg and was followed by Benjamin Harris, Kamil Pelovello and Robert Gardner. The Friars have run the seven fastest times in state history.

Servite’s record-setting 4×100-meter relay team (from left): Jorden Wells, Kamil Pelovello, Benjamin Harris and Robert Gardner.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Harris won the boys 100 meters in a wind-aided 10.14 (the wind-legal state record remains 10.20 by Rodrick Pleasant of Gardena Serra in 2023) in a showdown against top qualifier Cy Lugo of Elk Grove, who won the 200 in a wind-aided 20.31 to edge Servite twins Jace (20.69) and Jorden Wells (20.79). Harris was fifth in 20.84.

“That’s the most locked in I’ve ever been in my whole career,” Harris said of his 100 triumph. “My mentality was kill or be killed.”

Arkansas-bound Braelyn Combe of Corona Santiago pulled off a distance trifecta, winning the 1,600 in 4:35.59, the 800 in 2:05.13 and anchoring the Sharks’ 4×800 relay, which won with a meet record time of 8:46.16. Afterward, Combe hugged her teammates. She pulled away from Stanford commit Chiara Dailey of La Jolla to repeat as the four-lap champion in the fourth-fastest time in the nation this year.

Long Beach Wilson junior Clara Adams doubled in the 400 (circling the track in 52.28, seven-tenths of a second ahead of teammate Saniah Varnado) and the 200 (clocking 23.40 to beat Amirat Temi Aganju of Pittsburg by 12-hundredths of a second.

Loyola’s Ejam Yohannes, left, celebrates after winning the boys 400 meters at the CIF state championships. Riverside King’s Maximo Zavaleta, right, wins the boys’ 1,600 meters.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Varnado won the 300 hurdles in 39.95 and Wilson won the girls 4×400 relay in 3:36.17.

Wilson won its seventh girls team title and fourth in a row, tying the record set by Moore League rival Long Beach Poly from 2008-11.

Dailey won the 3,200 in 10:01.91. Irvine’s Summer Wilson was sixth in 10:16.89.

Transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley won the girls triple jump in 42-8¾, won the high jump at 5-10 and was third in the triple jump, won by Ellie McCuskey of St. Ignatius with a leap of 20-3½.

Loyola’s Ejam Yohannes (45.73) clipped Servite’s Jaelen Hunter (46.05) at the wire in the boys 400 meters.

Riverside King senior Maximo Zavaleta won the 1,600 in 4:02.78 and the 3,200 in 8:52.47.

Servite closed the meet by winning the 4×400 relay in a state meet record 3:07.62 — the fastest time in the country this year — to repeat as the boys team champion with a state-record 60 points.

There are plenty of compelling storylines involving Southland teams and athletes heading into the CIF state track and field championships this weekend in Clovis, perhaps none more enticing than Long Beach Wilson’s bid for the national record in the girls’ 4×400 relay.

Having just smashed Long Beach Poly’s 22-year-old California standard of 3:35.49 with their 3:33.83 clocking at the Southern Section Masters Meet in Moorpark last Saturday, the foursome of Brooke Blue, Brooklyn Fowler, Saniah Varnado and Clara Adams will try to go even lower.

Adams also established herself as the favorite to win the 400 meters at Buchanan High in Clovis — prelims are Friday and finals Saturday — after a blistering 51.98-second effort at the Masters Meet that broke the Southern Section record. The Bruins are vying for a fourth consecutive team title.

Servite won the boys’ team title last year and is well positioned to defend it if the Friars pile up points as expected in the relays and sprints, paced by junior Benjamin Harris, who anchored their nation-leading 39.70 clocking at the Arcadia Invitational, which broke the Friars’ own 4×100 state record. Harris remains the front-runner in the 100. His wind-aided 10.17-second timing in the 100 last weekend equaled the fourth-fastest time in state history.

Harris is the clear favorite since the last two state champions — Brandon Arrington of Spring Valley Mount Miguel (who reclassified from the 2026 to the 2025 recruiting cycle) and Concord De La Salle’s Jaden Jefferson (who graduated early) — are not in the field. Harris’ wind-aided 20.51 in the 200 two weeks ago also sets him up for a duel with Nicolas Obimga of Torrance (the wind-legal state leader at 20.66) and Elk Grove’s Cy Lugo (20.67), the Sac-Joaquin Section record holder.

In the 400, Servite’s Jaelen Hunter (whose 46.32 last spring was a state freshman record) will try to avenge his loss to Loyola’s Ejam Yohannes by 11-hundredths of a second at the Masters Meet.

Defending state 300 hurdles champion Jayden Rendon of Carson faces stiff competition in that event from state leader Brady Tse of San Jose Harker, Palm Desert’s Kingston Penny and Etiwanda’s Brandon Andrade.

Venice senior Lawrence Kensinger threw himself into the front-runner role with a personal-best and City Section record mark of 65-11 on May 21 and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s JJ Harel will try to repeat as high jump champion after clearing a state-leading 7-01 in the section finals two weeks ago.

Braelyn Combe beat Santa Rosa Montgomery’s Hanne Thomsen by five-hundredths of a second in a personal-best 4:35.64 in last year’s state 1,600 final and the Corona Santiago senior is favored to win that event again while attempting to become the first girl in state history to pull off a 1,600, 800 and 4×800 relay trifecta.

Irvine’s Summer Wilson, who broke the Woodward Park course record at the state cross-country finals in the fall and breezed to victory in the 3,200 meters at last week’s Masters Meet in a personal-best 10:14.25, is the co-favorite to win the eight-lapper Saturday along with La Jolla’s Chiara Dailey, the San Diego Section 800, 1,600 and 3,200 champion.

Attention screenwriters, producers and agents: The Jonah Jeovany Vasquez story continues this weekend in Clovis, and it’s giving off Disney-like vibes.

The senior at Cathedral High is running in the 1,600 at the CIF state track and field championships on Friday at Buchanan High. He had never stepped on a “squishy” surface, otherwise known as a track, before this season.

“I never even knew what a track felt like,” he said. ”Everything was new to me.”

For three years, he attended Alliance Leichtman-Levine, a small Los Angeles charter school near his home in South Los Angeles. He ran cross country on his own with little coaching.

“They would hire a random coach off the street and we’d play flag football,” he said.

His training was jogging on a treadmill for two miles and maybe getting eight to 10 miles a week.

He finished third at the 2024 City Section Division V finals in 16:48 as the only representative from his school. In the state final, he finished 76th in Division V with a time of 16:58.60. That experience gave Vasquez motivation.

“Seeing so many people pass me bothered me,” he said. “I promised myself I was going to train hard so it wouldn’t happen again. I wanted to prove to myself I could run with the top guys.”

Jonah Jeovany Vasquez of Cathedral is on the podium after finishing second in the Division 3 1,600 at Moorpark.

(Cathedral)

He transferred to Cathedral last May, and coach Martin Farfan aggressively trained him to make up for lost time. Vasquez ran 15:35 on the state championship course in Fresno. But two weeks before the state championships, he was struck by an E-bike during a 10-mile workout running along the L.A. River. He went flying and had a gash on his knee.

“It was traumatic. I was at the peak of my power. I was super fit and faster than I had ever been,” he said.

He iced the knee and stopped training. He still ran in the CIF prelims. “I had no fitness,” he said. “I was like a deer in the headlights.”

Farfan started calling coaches telling them he had a talented runner but the recruiters were unimpressed. They took to the internet and couldn’t find a single track time for Vasquez. Farfan had a ringer about to try track for the first time.

Two weeks ago at the Southern Section divisional championships, he finished second in the Division 3 final in a personal-best 4:08.44.

Vasquez is healthy and eager to be the one passing runners with his late kick on Friday and Saturday night. He also has a scholarship waiting for him at Long Beach State.

“I’ve always had natural endurance,” he said. “I’ve been active since I was little. I honestly believe when I’m in college, I’m going to do some great things. I have that spark in me not every athlete has. I have the drive to be the best I can possibly be. Maybe not by my freshman year, but I will develop. I will not stop until reaching my goal. It’s all I want. When I sleep or do activities with my family, all I think about is running.”

His father immigrated from Nicaragua. His mother has family in Guatemala. They’ve supported Vasquez as running became his passion.

“I honestly believe I have a 4:04 or 4:05 in me,” he said.

Never doubt what can happen when a teenager finds something they love and devotes time and energy to achieving their dreams.

The number of high school baseball and softball teams in Southern California not wanting to participate in the regional playoffs next week continues to grow. The question is: Next season, when there are state championships held in the two sports, will there be fewer opt outs?

“I would think so,” said Brian Seymour, associate executive director of the CIF.

The City Section Open Division baseball champion, Birmingham, and runner-up, El Camino Real, both passed on the regional playoffs. Three of the four Division 1 semifinalists — Norco, Harvard-Westlake and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame — also opted out. In Southern Section softball, the two Division 1 finalists, JSerra and La Mirada, are ending their seasons on Friday.

Travel ball begins in June, and that’s the big roadblock for softball, with many coaches and players participating. Next season, the state championships would be held the first weekend of June, the same dates as this year’s regional finals, so solving the softball dilemma remains uncertain.

“We’ve heard the comment from a number of different coaches [that] once we go to a state tournament, they were more inclined to make it work,” Seymour said. “Softball may take a little longer to come around. The power of representing your community and school is a little bit more than playing for your fifth travel team.”

But players invest thousands of dollars in club softball and coaches make good summer money in travel ball.

Seymour said multiple sites are under consideration in Southern California and Northern California to host the state championships.

He’s hopeful both will catch on like swimming did when the CIF first had state championships.

“We have everybody in swimming now, where the first year was hit and miss,” he said.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Pack up the car and get ready for temperatures in the upper 80s this coming weekend in Clovis and Fresno, where CIF state championships will be held in track and field and boys’ volleyball.

Buchanan High School is the site Friday and Saturday for the track championships, where City Section record-holder Lawrence Kensinger will try to win a state title in the shotput after his astonishing mark of 65-11 at the City finals broke a record established in 1973. Running events begin at 5 p.m. Friday to qualify for Saturday’s finals.

Servite sprinters will try to put on a show in the 4×100 relay, the 100, 200 and 400 races. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame high jumper JJ Harel will try to defend his state title. At the Southern Section finals, he cleared a career-best 7-1.

Fresno City College is the site for the volleyball championships on Saturday.

Tickets are available only through gofan.co.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

When Lawrence Kensinger stepped into the circle for his last throw of the City Section shot put finals on Thursday afternoon in Lake Balboa, he felt a surge of adrenaline like never before.

Energized by spectators and fellow competitors clapping behind him, the Venice High senior gave them reason to cheer with his Herculean heave of 65 feet, 11 inches, breaking a 53-year-old City record and taking over the state lead in the event.

“Number one baby!” Kensinger screamed as he hugged his dad, Cliff. “When you release it, you don’t even feel it coming out of your hand … it’s like air,” he said. “That’s how you know it’s good. It felt amazing!”

After scratching on his first two attempts by stepping over the board, Kensinger played it safe on his third, then let loose on the fourth to shatter the section record of 64-08.75 set by David Gerasimchuck of Narbonne in 1973. That was the second-longest standing City record behind only the boys pole vault which dates back to 1969.

“I got 62 [feet] on my first attempt so even though it didn’t count I felt pretty good,” said Kensinger, who won with a throw of 55 feet at last year’s City finals after a 55-09 effort at prelims. “It did get in my head a little but the third throw I just wanted to get a mark out there. Then on the last one I was told just go out there and rip it.”

Kensinger played football in ninth and 10th grade but quit to focus on the shot put. His goal at last year’s state meet was to qualify for finals. This time, he wants to be on the top step of the podium.

He works with Nick Garcia, the strength and condition coach at Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks. “I’ve been throwing since my freshman year and go to his clinics and train with him once a week. He gives me my lifting program. I send him videos and he does technical analysis. Having a good coach is vital. I couldn’t have done this without him.”

Venice senior Lawrence Kensinger puts the shot 65-11 in the City finals Thursday at Birmingham High.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Kensinger bettered the 65-3.5 thrown by Case Jacobson of Mountain View St. Francis at the Arcadia Invitational in April.

“I’ve been eyeing that number … he beat me there,” added Kensinger, whose prior best was 59-08 at the Irvine Invitational earlier this spring.

“I like to say it’s just small steps, but 65 is top tier in the country. I was throwing 60 consistently in practice so I knew I could do it.”

The current national leader is CJ Williams of Frisco Heritage High in Texas with a mark of 72-0.25.

Kensinger wants to go to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where his father played football, but he has yet to sign with the Mustangs.

“I’m just a shot guy right now, but I’d like to do the shot and hammer throw in college,” Kensinger said. “Hammer’s very technical because you do four spins instead of one.”

Was the record-setting throw the highlight of his career?

“So far,” he said. “But I have plenty more to accomplish.”

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British judoka Emma Reid won silver to clinch the first European Championships medal of her career.

Reid, who finished fifth in 2025, was beaten in the- 78kg final by Italy’s Alice Bellandi in Tbilisi, Georgia.

“I’m very happy with my performance, and it’s great to end the day with a medal,” said 30-year-old Reid, who won bronze at the World Championships in 2024.

“It has been a tough and busy block at the start of this year, so it’s nice to see the hard work paying off with my first European Championships medal.”

Reid won her last-16 and quarter-final contests with sankaku-gatame against Ukrainian Anna Kazakova and juji-gatame against Lithuanian Migle Julija Dudenaite respectively.

She then guaranteed herself at least silver by forcing her semi-final opponent, Slovenia’s Metka Lobnik, to submit just one minute into the contest.

Adam Peaty puts on an “astonishing” performance in the men’s 100m breaststroke final, with a time of 58.97 seconds at the Acquatics Great British Swimming Championships.

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