Nevada Track & Field: Top Underclassmen Performances from May 4th-10th
Nevada's underclass talent was on full display during regional championship competition May 4th-10th, with freshmen and sophomores producing state-level marks, personal bests, and podium finishes across nearly every event group. Athletes from the NIAA 4A State Championship, 3A Southern Region, and 2A Northern Region led the way with several breakout performances heading into more championship competition.
Sprints & Hurdles
Jayden Patton (Mojave High School) continued his dominant sophomore campaign by winning both the 100-meter dash (10.68) and 200-meter dash (21.10) at the NIAA 4A State Championship. He also added a 16.20 performance in the 110 hurdles and ran 42.24 in the 300 hurdles.
Jordan Johnson (Durango High School) finished fifth in the 100-meter final at the NIAA 4A State Championship in 10.94, while Damir Owens (Eldorado High School) placed seventh in 11.11 before later jumping 20-8.75 for fourth in the long jump.
Freshman Sherrod Leslie (Canyon Springs) clocked 21.88 to place fourth in the 200-meter final at the NIAA 4A State Championship, one of the top freshman sprint performances in Nevada this season.
On the girls side, Samantha Lientz (Coral Academy - Reno) won the NIAA 2A Northern Region title in the 100 meters with a 12.68 performance and later added a runner-up finish in the 200 meters at 26.24.
Freshman RileyJo Glascock (Wells) captured the NIAA 1A Northern Region title in the 100 meters in 12.90 and also won the 400 meters in 1:01.14.
Also worth noting was Giuliana Hovenic (Sage Ridge School) who ran 13.32 in the 100m at the NIAA 1A Northern Region Champs, improving from her previous best of 14.05. She also went on to PR in the 200m at the same meet with her 28.61 finish.
In the hurdles, freshman Kaleez Kennard (Eldorado High School) ran 15.63 to finish second at the NIAA 4A State Championship before also placing third in the long jump with a 17-3 mark. Anna Winward (Moapa Valley High School) swept the hurdle titles at the NIAA 3A Southern Region, winning the 100 hurdles in 15.89 and the 300 hurdles in 47.10.
Middle Distance & Distance
Freshman Kade Wolfe (Incline High School) delivered one of the biggest distance breakthroughs of the week at the NIAA 2A Northern Region. Wolfe dropped his 3200-meter PR from 10:50.84 to 10:31.28 for third place, while also running a lifetime best 2:07.72 in the 800 meters and 4:51.05 in the 1600 meters.
Sophomore Ryan Heater (Coral Academy - Reno) also broke through in the 800 meters, running a school-record 2:06.61 to place third at the NIAA 2A Northern Region after entering with a previous best of 2:10.43. Teammate Angel Burgueno (Coral Academy - Reno) followed with a PR of 2:08.37.
Andrew Duncan (Clark High School) emerged as one of Nevada's top sophomore distance runners, placing second in the 1600 meters at the NIAA 4A State Championship in 4:37.17 before returning to run 10:10.49 in the 3200 meters.
For the girls, sophomore Shelby Erikson (Incline High School) had one of the strongest all-around weekends in the state, winning the NIAA 2A Northern Region titles in both the 200 meters (26.00) and 400 meters (58.70) while also claiming the 800-meter title in 2:20.19.
Freshman Lucia Avril (North Tahoe High) swept the distance events at the NIAA 2A Northern Region, winning the 1600 meters in 5:16.39 and the 3200 meters in 11:33.70, while also finishing runner-up in the 800 meters at 2:23.75.
Freshman Payton Howse (Clark High School) won the NIAA 4A State Championship 3200-meter title in 12:19.80, while teammate Caylee Hernandez (Clark High School) placed third in the same race.
Jumps
Freshman Justin Robinson (Canyon Springs) was one of the top all-around field athletes of the week. At the NIAA 4A State Championship, Robinson placed second in the 110 hurdles (15.41), third in the long jump (21-5), second in the triple jump (43-10), and seventh in the 300 hurdles.
Sophomore Ashton Hickman (Moapa Valley High School) won the NIAA 3A Southern Region 300 hurdles title in 38.93 and also ran 50.99 for third in the 400 meters.
Freshman Ava Bobis (Coral Academy - Reno) cleared a personal-best 5-2 to win the NIAA 2A Northern Region high jump title, breaking her previous best of 4-10 while moving to No. 1 among Nevada freshmen this season.
Freshman Piper Rose (North Tahoe High) followed closely with a runner-up finish in the same competition at 5-0.
Throws & Vault
Sophomore Cody Aten (Boulder City High School) threw 46-8 to place second at the NIAA 3A Southern Region in the shot put, while sophomore Koen Shedd (White Pine County) won the NIAA 2A Southern Region title with a 42-8.5 mark.
Freshman Nakari Lee (Basic High School) led the girls throws, placing second in the discus at the NIAA 4A State Championship with a 107-4 throw and fourth in the shot put at 33-0.75. Sophomore Viola Charles (Sage Ridge School) won the NIAA 1A Northern Region shot put title with a 32-2.25 mark and added a runner-up finish in the discus at 99-0.
In the pole vault, sophomore Joseph Mckeon (Green Valley High School) cleared 11-6 to place third at the NIAA 4A State Championship, while freshman Brad Pike (Lincoln County High School) finished runner-up at the NIAA 2A Southern Region with a 10-6 clearance.
On the girls side, sophomores Ana Freeman (Moapa Valley High School) and Jesenya McGuigan (Mojave High School) shared the top clearance of the week at 8-9, with Freeman winning the NIAA 3A Southern Region title and McGuigan placing second at the NIAA 4A State Championship.
Overview
Nevada's Class of 2028 and 2029 athletes showed impressive depth during regional championship competition, particularly in the sprints, hurdles, and distance events. Athletes continued to establish themselves among the top young talents in the state, while several freshmen delivered breakthrough performances that could signal major state-meet impacts in the coming weeks.