Servite Boys Run All-Time California Best To Edge Long Beach Poly In 4x200; Jesuit CA Boys Break 22-Year-Old 4x800 Meet Record; American Fork UT Boys Run Under 17 Minutes Again In 4x1600

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Ken Martinez photos

Results | INTERVIEWS

ARCADIA, Calif. -- The Union Catholic NJ girls ran the two fastest 4x800s in prep history in 2024. To open this spring, a new national record target is the 1,600 meter sprint medley. 

On a night filled with an array of spectacular relays under a full moon at Arcadia High, the UC girls put together one of the top performances with a No. 2 all-time 3:48.83. That smashed the meet record held by Harvard-Westlake (2012) by eight seconds. 

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Paige Sheppard, who was part of last year's historic 4x800 success, anchored the team with a 2:06 split. 

"We're stepping away from the 4x800 just a little bit, but we may go back to it," Sheppard said. "Right now we're playing to our strengths and that seems to be the SMR. And we're going to try the DMR eventually down the line. 

"We're taking the opportunity to shine the light on the other girls and the other relays that we have."

The SMR national record is 3:47.65 has been held by Rush-Henrietta NY since 2015. 

The boys from Servite, a quartet of freshmen and sophomores, broke the all-tme California best in the 4x200 relay. Servite ran a time of 1:23.88 and held off Poly (Long Beach), which ran the second-fastest time in state history with 1:24.08. 

Servite's time is US#2 this season behind Duncanville TX. 

Servite's sister school in Orange County, the all-girls Rosary, won the 800 meter sprint medley in 1:42.20 for the second-fastest time in meet history. 

In the boys 4x800, Jesuit CA broke a 22-year-old meet record and ran a US#1 time of 7:41.54. Lucas Alberts split 1:49.4 on the anchor leg. J Serra CA was second in US#3 7:42.60. 

J Serra CA, with Anne Packard running on the anchor leg, also took down a two decades' old record when it ran 8:53.85 to unseat Wilson (Long Beach) as US#1 in the girls 4x800. 

Wilson (Long Beach) smashed the meet record in the boys 1,600-meter sprint medley, running 3:22.91. That's a little bit slower than the team ran when it won the event at the Texas Relays two weeks ago. Wyland Obando anchored for Wilson in 1:50.

American Fork UT won the longest relay in the meet for the fourth year in a row. The Cavemen ran under 17 minutes for the third time, clocking 16:52.45 in the 4x1600 (In 2023, it was a 4xmile). Ryker Bement ran 4:09 on the anchor leg and Kaden Evans preceded him with 4:10.6.

For the third time in those four years, Jesuit OR was second. The Crusaders got a 4:10.2 anchor split from Kellen Williams on the way to 17:14.69.  

Buchanan CA won the girls invitational 4x1600 in 20:27.26 and finished five seconds ahead of Mountain View UT. 

Brophy Prep AZ edged out hard-charging Boise ID to win the shuttle hurdles relay, 58.96 to 58.97. Those were the third-and fourth-fastest times in meet history. 

Wilson (Long Beach) put together a time of 58.98 to win the girls shuttle hurdles, led by Kaylin Edwards. 

Wilson also won the girls 4x200, edging out Long Beach rival Poly, 1:38.28 to 1:38.38. 

Liberty of Nevada won the boys 800-meter sprint medley in 1:32.07. 

In the first batch of 3,200 meters races, Zarian Rodriguez of Hamilton AZ earned the distinction of the weekend's first sub-nine performer with a personal best 8:59.16 in the Open 1 race. 

Delaney Reuter from Eaton CO ran the fastest time ever on Friday for the girls, taking the seeded section in 10:18.67 for US#10.