ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA, April 05–06 — With cool temps being unfavorable for the Arcadia girls sprints and field events, it was no surprise the distance races shone, and the mile was the undeniable star of the show.
Ventura junior and 2-time defending champion Sadie Engelhardt was the favorite entering the mile, but fellow junior Jane Hedengren, (Timpview, Utah) wasn’t going to let the hype deter her.
A field of 11 toed the line with Engelhardt and Hedengren, including Air Academy senior Bethany Michalak, juniors Chloe Huyler (Lakeridge, Nevada), Olivia Cieslak (Haverford, Pennsylvania) and sophs Addy Ritzenhein (Niwot, Colorado’s Nike Cross champion) and Timpview’s Lily Alder.
Engelhardt, ’23’s No. 1 mile All-America, wasted no time, immediately jumping to the lead and after 1 lap she was a step in front of Ritzenhein and the field, covering 400 in 67.48.
After a 70.14, Engelhardt passed 800 in 2:17.65 with Hedengren breaking from the pack to inch closer, followed by Ritzenhein, Huyler and the rest.
With 600 to go, Hedengren was hot on Engelhardt’s heels, and the pair were side by side as they approached 1200, only to have Hedengren take the lead at the bell.
That lead was short-lived, as Engelhardt made her move with 300 to go and stretched her margin as she got closer to the line. She covered her final 400 in 65.4 to finish in 4:34.31, breaking the meet record she set in ’22 and setting a new mile PR that strengthened her hold on the No. 5 spot on the all-time list. The time was also an outdoor junior-class record.
Hedengren hung on to finish 2nd for the second straight year in 4:37.17, with Alder finishing 3rd in 4:40.82, followed by Michalak (4:41.63), Ritzenhein (4:42.56), Huyler (4:44.22) and Cieslak (4:44.57), all PRs.
Talking about being challenged by Hedengren on the last lap, Engelhardt said, “I was waiting for her to make a move, I even slowed down to let her catch me so I’d have the opportunity to draft a little bit, but I didn’t expect that.”
Other highlights included Isabel Allori (Liberty, Ft. Collins, Colorado) taking the 3200 in 9:58.08 over Californians Holly Barker from Trabuco Hills (10:02.52) and Eastlake’s Jaelyn Williams (10:02.56) and Allison Ince (Normal, Illinois) in a runaway in the 800 with a 4-second plus victory, clocking 2:05.26.
ARCADIA GIRLS RESULTS
100(1.3): Keelan Wright (Chaparral, Temecula) 11.54, Mayen Usoro (Chavez, Laveen, Az) 11.63;… dnc—Mia Brahe-Pedersen (Lake Oswego, Or).
200 (1.7): 1. Wright 23.97.
400: 1. Josie Donelson (Lake Oswego) 53.17, 2. Payton Smith (La Jolla) 53.56, 3. Madison Mosby (St Mary’s, Inglewood) 53.74.
800: I–1. Allison Ince (Community, Normal, Il) 2:05.26.
II–1. Kaitlyn Arciaga (Westview, San Diego) 2:09.26.
Mile: 1. Sadie Engelhardt (Ventura) 4:34.31 (5, 6 HS; 8, x AJ) (junior-class outdoor record),
2. Jan Hedengren (Timpview, Provo) 4:37.17, 3. Lily Alder (Timpview) 4:40.82, 4. Bethany Michalak (Air Academy, Air Force Academy, Co) 4:41.63, 5. Addison Ritzenhein (Niwot, Co) 4:42.56, 6. Chloe Huyler (Lakeridge, Lake Oswego) 4:44.22, 7. Olivia Cieslak (Haverford, Havertown, Pa) 4:44.57.
3200: 1. Isabel Allori (Liberty, Ft Collins, Co) 9:58.08, 2. Holly Barker (Trabuco Hills) 10:02.52, 3. Jaelyn Williams (Eastlake, Chula Vista, Ca) 10:02.56, 4. Anna Callahan (Skyline, Sammamish, Wa) 10:04.80, 5. Gioana Lopizzo (La Costa Canyon, Carlsbad) 10:05.65, 6. Ella Hagen (Summit, Frisco, Co) 10:06.19.
100H (1.6): 1. Kori Martin (Hamilton, Chandler, Az) 13.67, 2. Kyndall Harrington-Spain (Ritter, St Louis) 13.67, 3. Jaden Billings (Westlake, Atlanta) 13.77.
300H: 1. Morgan Herbst (Carlsbad) 41.45, 2. Danayja Harper (Westlake) 42.17, 3. Annaleise Taylor (Canyon View, Waddell, Az) 42.30
4 x 100: 1. Westlake 45.81; 2. Calabasas 45.94, 3. St. Mary’s, Inglewood 46.25.
4 x 200: 1. Union Catholic, Scotch Plains, NJ 1:37.75
4 x 400: 1. Calabasas 3:46.30, 2. St. John’s, DC 3:48.33, Union Catholic 3:49.70.
4 x 800: 1. Union Catholic 8:53.48, 2. JSerra, San Juan Capistrano 9:05.12, 3. Ventura 9:10.42 (Engelhardt 2:06.5).
4 x 1600: 1. Lone Peak, Highland, Ut 20:01.50, 2. Jesuit, Portland 20:25.80.
800Med: 1. Oaks, Westlake Village 1:45.66, 2. Poly, Long Beach 1:46.64.
SpMed: 1. Wilson, Long Beach 4:01.90; 2. St. John’s 4:02.48.
DisMed: I: Buchanan, Clovis 11:52.07, 2. Newport Harbor, Newport Beach 11:52.09, 3. Santiago, Corona 12:06.16,
4. Cathedral, San Diego 12:07.63, 5. Monte Vista, Danville 12:07.92, 6. Oaks 12:08.84.
4 x 100H: 1. Wilson 60.49, 2. Mitty, San Jose 61.47, 3. Poly 61.66.
HJ: 1. JaiCieonna Gero-Holt (Emerald Ridge, Puyallup, Wa) 5-10.
PV: 1. Jathiyah Muhammad (Home, Dublin, Ca) 13-9, 2. Julie Segroves (Biloxi, Ms) 13-3.
LJ: 1. Shaylan Roy Williams (Turlock) 19-¾.
TJ: 1. Alyssa Alumbres (Vista Murrieta, Murrieta) 39-9¾.
SP: 1. Alexa Sheldon (Edison, Huntington Beach) 44-3½.
DT: 1. Aja Johnson (Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks) 151-7.
Hept 1. Valerie Jirak (Star Valley, Afton, Wy) 4920.