NORWALK, California — When thousands of the nation's top age group track and field athletes get together, records are bound to fall, and fall they did in 12 events at the USATF National Junior Olympics Track & Field Championships at Cerritos College.
Over seven days of Southern California sunshine and heat, athletes ages 7-18 competed in the culmination of a summer-long progression of meets from local to national, and the cream rose to the top. One of the oldest national records on the books fell in the boys' 11-12 3000, where Brady Ridl clocked 9:31.14 to trim more than seven seconds off the standard of 9:38.52 set by Chris Dominic in 1998. Behind Ridl, the record was also bettered by Junho Eo of Quick TC (9:35.88) and Nico Batres of the Claremont Nighthawks (9:37.49).
Dylan Prescott erased the boys' 13-14 3000 race walk record of 13:42.07 that was set by walks legend Tyler Sorensen in 2008, finishing in 13:39.81. Sorensen was a two-time World U20 Championships team member and was fifth at the 2011 World U18 Championships. He still holds several U.S. age group records across the spectrum of walk events.
Track Houston's Maryann Akpobassa broke another legend's record in the girls' 13-14 triple jump, bounding 12.24 to add a centimeter to the mark established in 2015 by Jasmine Moore. Moore was a double Olympic bronze medalist in the long jump and triple jump at Paris in 2024 and holds the American indoor record in the triple jump.
In the boys' 13-14 3000, Lukas Derheimer of Eagles Wings TC bettered the record of 8:56.93 that was set by Phillip Richa in 2012, running 8:52.03. In second place behind Derheimer, Tucker Mauck also bettered that time with an 8:56.55 for silver.
Two boys in the 9-10 age group broke the record of 44.18 in the javelin that was set in 2016 by Eugene Brooks IV. Archer Gorelik of 3M TC launched the spear 53.02 to add almost nine meters to the previous record, and Alexander Lenda of Hershey Blaze also topped the previous record with his 45.56 effort. Another record tumbled in the boys' 11-12 javelin where Mateo Largaespada hit 43.77 to break the mark of 41.95 set by Max Berger in 2017.
Dash records went to Zayn Phillip of Speed Skills in the boys' 7-8 100 and Xavier Johnson in the boys' 11-12 100. Phillip clocked 13.36 to beat the old record of 13.53 that was set in 2019 by Kareem Knox II, and Robert Scotland III also dipped under that record with a 13.49 for silver. Johnson's 11.61 was .03 faster than the previous record set by Bryce Love in 2009.
The boys' 13-14 200 saw two athletes better the record of 21.77 that was set in 2016 by Ashton Allen. Eli Walker of AP Ranch won in 21.52, with Darius Bolling of Prospect Park Youth RC second in 21.70. Allen went on to win NCAA gold on the USC 4x100 in 2022.
A pair of relay records were broken in the boys' 13-14 4x100 and 7-8 4x400. AP Ranch ran 42.63 to win the 4x100 and dismantle the record of 43.19 set by Valley United TC last year, while Dungeon Athletics clocked 4:40.47 to take the 4x400 record from Afterburners TC.
California high school state champion Jasir Fontenot, one of the most successful prep hurdlers in recent memory, tied the men's 17-18 record in the 110 hurdles with a 13.38 that equaled the mark set by Wayne Davis in 2009.