Nevada High School Track & Field: The Top Performers and Biggest Breakthroughs from March 23-29
Nevada's early-season picture is starting to sharpen, and while there are already some established names putting up strong marks, there are also quite a few athletes who have taken real jumps. Across sprints, hurdles, distance, relays, field events, and jumps, this past week gave a much better sense of who might be ready to break out this spring.
Sprints
The top of the boys sprint leaderboard was strong again, with Brayley Manning (Bishop Gorman) running a wind-legal 10.73 in the 100 and Jayden Patton (Mojave) dropping 21.53 in the 200. Close behind, a few athletes had huge weekends in terms of progression.
Jovias Reinaldo (Liberty) made one of the cleaner jumps of the week, lowering his 200 best from 22.76 to 22.01, while I'Jon Jackson (Mojave) broke through in the 400 by dropping from 50.61 to 49.44. Erik Ruiz (Legacy) also got under 50 with a 49.80 after previously sitting at 50.61, and Benjamin DeSantiago (Pahrump Valley) improved from 50.34 to 49.65.
The girls side had the same balance of headline performances and major progress. Jessica Davis (Canyon Springs) was one of the top sprint performers of the week, going 12.00 in the 100 and 24.26 in the 200, while Teanna Codd (Centennial) backed up her form with a rock solid 11.84, 24.28 double.
Leilani Washington (Centennial) cut her 100 from 12.86 to 12.45, and Roxanne Mae Alibin (Liberty) improved from 12.60 to 12.35 while also PR'ing in the 200. Alexandria Austin (Centennial) made one of the more impressive improvements of the week, dropping from 13.13 to 12.55 in the 100 while also running 46.35 in the 300 hurdles. Jordan Taylor (Durango) ran 12.91, which is a huge jump from last year's 13.95. Logan Scott (Centennial) and Andraea Mitchell (Centennial) also both moved significantly in the 200, giving Centennial even more emerging sprint depth.
Hurdles
The top-end hurdle marks were strong enough to stand on their own this past week. Christian Kai (Arbor View) ran 14.89 in the boys 110 hurdles, and Elyjah Cobwell (Green Valley) impressively doubled with a 14.94 in the highs and 40.42 in the 300 hurdles. On the girls side, Genesis Roussel (Centennial) clocked 15.15 in the 100 hurdles, while Heaven Deloney (Centennial) posted one of the best doubles of the week with 15.96 showing in the 100 hurdles and going 45.40 in the 300 hurdles.
Justin Robinson (Canyon Springs) continues to look like one of the most important young risers in the state. His 16.12 in the 110 hurdles and 41.43 in the 300 hurdles already make him relevant, and that becomes even more impressive when paired with what he did in the jumps: a PR and win in the long jump in 21-8, and third place distance of 43-2 in the triple.
On the girls side, Alexandria Austin has not just been a breakthrough sprinter - her 46.35 in the 300 hurdles makes her an undeniably all-around athlete. Clarissa Monarrez (Centennial) is one of the clearest breakthrough names in Nevada right now. She ran 15.94 in the 100 hurdles and followed it with a huge jump in the pole vault, making her an impressive and unique underclass headliner.
Distance
Randin Patty (Centennial) running 1:53.70 in the boys 800 and Calvin Rivera (Centennial) coming back to run 9:08.41 in the 3200 gave Nevada two of the strongest distance performances of the week. Jason Benedict (Bishop Gorman) also had a huge weekend, running 4:18.57 in the 1600 and improving from 10:00.06 to 9:28.03 in the 3200 - one of the biggest drops anywhere in the state.
There was also a lot more movement below the very top. Juan Morales (Bonanza) cut his 800 from 2:04.83 to 2:01.48, while Elias Mitchell (Somerset Sky Pointe) made a major jump from 2:07.24 to 2:01.62. Karter Matthews (Canyon Springs) also dropped from 2:04.19 to 2:01.90, and Camden Marchini (Clark) lowered his 1600 from 5:01.32 to 4:51.10. Oliver Lewandowski (Desert Oasis) made one of the more significant distance breakthroughs of the week by dropping from 16:59.50 to 16:22.59 in the 5K.
The girls distance side had the same split between top-end performances and meaningful breakthroughs. Brooke-Lynne Miller (Coronado) led the 800 at 2:17.36, while Autumn McQuirter (Liberty) ran 5:20.40 in the 1600 and Lacy Mayes (Centennial) posted 11:28.18 in the 3200.
India Jones (Faith Lutheran) made one of the better underclass breakthroughs of the week by dropping from 5:53.86 to 5:37.66 in the 1600. Kiana Harworth (Liberty) made an even bigger leap, going from 6:04.62 to 5:35.44, which is a major improvement and one that immediately changes her place in the state picture. Aislin McMahon (Somerset Sky Pointe) improved from 17:59.00 to 17:45.57 and moved herself firmly into the top tier of girls 5K runners in Nevada.
Relays
There were still a few clear team statements this week. On the boys side, Centennial continues to look dangerous everywhere after running 42.32 in the 4x100 and 3:26.99 in the 4x400, while Canyon Springs dropped a 1:27.49 in the 4x200 and Bishop Gorman posted a 8:16.21 in the 4x800. On the girls side, Centennial may have had the strongest relay week in the state, going 48.11 in the 4x100, 3:55.50 in the 4x400, and 9:37.68 in the 4x800, while Canyon Springs and Coronado also put together big relay efforts.
Throws
The boys throws had both elite marks and real progression. Gabriel Weimer (Coronado) led the shot put at 50-8.25, and Clifton Young Jr. (Sierra Vista) put together one of the strongest throws performances of the week with 162-11 in the discus.
Tony Carillo (Moapa Valley) improved from 43-3 to 47-6 in the shot put, making a serious jump and making him more of a top contender in the state. Maverick Fox (Faith Lutheran) also took a major step with a 47-1.5 throw after previously sitting at 42-6.5. Clifton Young Jr. and Laseth Bryant (Centennial) both also made significant gains in the discus, showing that even some of the best throwers in the state are still moving upward.
On the girls side, Kaliyah Guillory (Eldorado) and Tallulah Berckley (The Meadows) provided some of the best top-end marks, throwing 40-4 in shot and 132-10 in discus. But the biggest breakthrough belongs to Nneka Ebonka (Arbor View), who has quickly become one of the more important young field event names in Nevada thanks to her 39-4.25 shot and 122-0.75 in the discus as an underclassman. Alexis Pittman (Centennial) also continues to trend upward, and Maliah Tanuvasa (Liberty) has already positioned herself as another underclass thrower worth watching.
Jumps
This might be where the breakthrough theme shows up the clearest.
At the top of the boys jumps, Justin Santana (Green Valley) had one of the biggest single-event breakthroughs of the week by improving from 6-0 to 6-6 in the high jump. John Medeiros (Valley) also took a huge step, improving from 5-10 to 6-4, while Luke Juden (Shadow Ridge) continued his strong season by clearing 15-0 in the pole vault. In the horizontal jumps, Justin Robinson keeps surfacing as one of the most exciting young names in the state with 21-8 in the long jump and 43-6 in the triple jump.
The girls jumps had just as much movement. Aniyah Burress (Legacy) was still one of the top overall performers of the week, going 18-7 in the long jump and 39-5.5 in the triple jump, while Ashley Galvis (Amplus Academy) went 17-7 and 38-8. But the most important breakthrough here may have belonged to Clarissa Monarrez, who improved from 10-6 to 11-7 in the pole vault - a massive move for the freshman, and one that instantly makes her one of the more important young multi-event prospects in the state.