Eagle Rock senior OLIVER BARR set the ‘bar’ high at the City Prelims at Birmingham HS winning both of his heats in the 1,600m and 800m and earning top seeds for the City Finals.
City Final Preamble . . .
If the Southern Section CIF Finals are any indication prelims are the worst way to predict finals results. So any thoughts regarding favorites in tomorrow’s City Finals are pure speculation. Having said that, here are some observations:
You’ll see a different San Pedro 4x800 boys team at Finals, one that clearly has the chance to win and in the process potentially setting CIF and school records. The Pirates are led by Christopher Frelix, Evan Hadeishi, Jack Butterfield and Robbie Rivas who individually hold 3 of the top 5 City times in the 800m.
Palisades is the clear favorite in the girls 4x800m relay but the race for 2nd between valley rivals Granada Hills and Taft will be one to watch with both teams loading up their relays with their top 800m talent.
The girls 1,600 should be epic with the top 3 breaking away and racing for the City title. Ananya Balaraman has the best PR by alot but both Angelina Lopez and Angeles Feliciano looked in peak form at Prelims and won’t make this easy. If this turns strategic its anyone’s race.
With Paul Tranquilla out of the equation the boys 1,600m might be the best show in town. Any one of four runners could win this but San Pedro’s duo of Evan Hadeishi and Jack Butterfield will be tough to beat. The equalizer is the 4x800 which neither Oliver Barr or Ethan Barok are running so they’ll be fresh. Without the heat definitely would have had 4 runners under 4:20.
The Taft boys and girls impressed at Prelims and some City title should be within reach. If not, no worries, this is a young team that will surely get their due in 2026. Ethan Barok, Hunter Bennett, Isabella Sakalowsky, Sage Kodama and Sage Cowles all ran very confident races in Prelims and if tempered with a more refined race strategy tomorrow should result in some very happy Torerados.
The 3,200m races have opened up on both sides. For the boys, both Paul Tranquilla and Jorge Montenegro will not be running which positions Charles Simon as the clear front-runner. But he’ll need to run close to his PR or better to seal the victory against runners such as Zac Cohen the surprise Western League champ, Roland Balderas who has a PR just 3 seconds off of Charles, Hunter Bennet who delivers big PRs at Finals, and Owen Lewicky one of the most talented City runners who could surprise everyone.
Freshman Olivia Corrigan is the top seed for the girls 3,200m and she’ll be running fresh but will be going up against City’s best in Angeles Feliciano, the clear front-runner, and Angelina Lopez, both of whom have better PR’s. Also in the mix are Samantha Pacheco who’s PR is not far off and Zoe Morris who will likely be running this race fresh.
The 800m races for both boys and girls are a crapshoot. In the boys race, anyone of 4 runners can take the 800m title including Christopher Frelix, Evan Hedeishi, Oliver Barr and Jack Butterfield. But, all of them are running in the 4x800m, and some are in the 1,600m earlier in the day which leaves the door open for a runner like Andrew Razo who has the ability to run down anyone.
In the girls 800m 4 girls have PR’s under 2:20.0 including Ananya Balaraman, Angeles Feliciano, Annabelle Refnes and Scarlet Harris. Add Meztli Velazquez to the mix and that’s likely the front group you’ll see on the final straight-away headed into the finish. Like the boys, several of these runners have 1 or 2 races prior to the 800m, except for Scarlet and Meztli and those are 2 very talented runners who can definitely win this race.
JORGE MONTENEGRO will not be running at City Finals due to illness. He was slated to run in Monroe’s 4x800 relay as well as the 3,200m where he has the 6th fastest City time.
BLAKE SIGWORTH (formally of Palisades Charter and now with Palos Verdes) ran a 4:11.05 PR in the 1,600m at the Southern Section CIF Finals this past Saturday. For perspective, that’s a little more than a second off Roman Gomez’s time of 4:09.90, the City record that’s been on the books since 1984.
Not yet verified but word on the street is that Palisades has a new XC and distance coach with some formidable credentials. BRIAN BENNET’s the name and most recently he’s been with Loyola, A D1 southern section powerhouse. Prior to Loyola he’s been affiliated with top-tier organizations such as University of North Carolina and Christian Brothers Academy. Finally, some good news for Palisades.
City Prelims
Birmingham Community Charter HS
Thursday May 15th, 2025
FAVORITE IMAGE OF THE PRELIMS - D5 junior ANGEL SOLORIO surges ahead of the lead pack on lap 3 in the 1st heat of the 1,600m. Angel’s PR in the 1,600m prior to this race was 4:43.56 and he barely qualified for Prelims with a 4:46.60 win at the Central Valley League Finals. No one knew who this kid was but with 500m to go he’s in front of City’s absolute best athletes. Angel finished this race with a 13-seconds PR of 4:30.10, the 4th fastest Prelim time, and a school record for Sun Valley Magnet. Phenomenal performance!
SYNCHRONISITY - GIANNA IACOBELLIS hands of to SAVANAH WILLIAMS in perfect unison on the final transition of heat 1 of the 4x100m at City Prelims. The Granada Hills girls relay posted the top time at Prelims by over a second.
FAST START - ANGELINA LOPEZ and ISABELLA SAKALOWSKY are on near-record pace on the 2nd lap of heat 1 of the 1,600m. The duo ran the fastest 1st 800m across both heats by over 6 seconds with Angelina posting the top overall time and Isabella earning the 4th seed for Finals and a PR. Angelina has already shown her phenomenal abilities; sophomore Isabella looks to be the heir apparent.
Taft junior HUNTER BENNETT leads out the 1st lap of heat 1 of the 1,600m with some of City’s best in tow. MARIO ALUIZO (Narbonne), NATHANIEL MELGOZA (Cleveland) and Hunter all ran PR’s to qualify for City Finals but lying low are San Pedro’s JACK BUTTERFIELD (not visible) and EVAN HEDEISHI who will likely deliver very different performances next Thursday.
BOMBS AWAY - Venice junior LAWRENCE KENSINGER launches the winning throw on his 3rd attempt at the City Prelims. His put of 55’-5” was almost 6 feet ahead of the 2nd place finisher and has him in line for his 2nd consecutive City title next week.
FRANCHISE - JUSTIN HART will be looking for 4 City titles on May 22nd in the 200m and 400m individual races and the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. In this picture Justin is rounding the 2nd turn in heat 4 of the 400m which he won by almost 3 seconds to earn top seed at Finals.
IN FLIGHT - Girls Academic Leadership Academy senior DEAUNA LOUIS eyes the finish in heat 4 of the girls 300m hurdles. She won this race as well as the 100m hurdles, earning top seed in both. Love the white kit!
LILA WOOD heads to the finish in heat 3 of the girls 400m. She won the race and posted the 4th best time overall of 1:00.20. She also anchored the winning El Camino Real 4x400m relay team in heat 2. At the West Valley League Finals a week earlier she broke 1-minute for the 1st time in the individual 400m.
NO SURPRISES - RFK senior NEFTALI PEREZ leads heat 1 of the boys 800m at City Prelims. His credentials this season are impressive, nearly breaking the 2:00, 4:30 and 10:00 (actually did this, 9:56.41) milestones in the 800m, 1600m and 3200m so no surprise that he won this heat and also qualified for the 1,600m final.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING - The girls 1,600m Finals will be one of the best in City history and ANANYA BALARAMAN and ANGELES FELICIANO will be front and center. Prior to City Prelims they were ranked #1 and #2 in LA City securing school records in the process. The prelims proved to be perfunctory with both runners well off their PR’s but the race made for a good photo op :)
FRESHMEN RULE - Kennedy Freshman EMILY RODRIGUEZ was the top freshman qualifier for the 1,600m finals posting a 7-second PR of 5:27.92. Behind her is ANGELIQUE MORALES (Sr - Bravo Medical) who also qualified with the 7th fastest time of 5:27.81.
FORM AND FUNCTION - Carson junior CHRISTINA GRAY effortlessly melds power and technique in her start of heat 1 of the girls 100m. She won the race handedly and is the favorite to win the City titles in the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES - Barely a year ago San Pedro senior JACK BUTTERFIELD languished in non-rated invitational races and was unable to make it out of Prelims. But Jack is a testament to the power of determination and a superb distance program. In the ‘process’ he has evolved into one of the most athletic runners in the City section who has top City marks in the 800m, 1600m and 3200m.
NATHAN SANTA CRUZ lowers the boom on the final leg of the 4 x 400m to win heat 1 for Venice in the 4th fastest team time overall. Nathan had the 2nd fastest time in the individual 400m race earlier in the day, just .2 seconds off Justin Hart’s time.
CITY PRELIMS PREVIEW
Live Results
Prelim Program
CIF LA Section Prelim/Finals Bulletin
City Teams are gunning for a top finish in the 4 x 800m relay which will be run as the first race at the City Championships on May 22nd (no prelims). Teams placing 1st and 2nd have a direct pass to the State Finals on Saturday on May 31st so the stakes are high. Palisades Charter has the top time by a large margin for both the girls and boys but the battle for 2nd place will be fierce for the boys with San Pedro and Venice boys within a second of each other based on league final performances. Granada Hills’ girls should take the 2nd place spot handedly. This new order of events, with the 4x800m leading off the City Championships, is not without its detractors. Several teams will need to make decisions on which athletes to prioritize for the relay with the consequence that competition in the individual 800m and 1,600m races will likely be diluted. Nonetheless, arrive early because the 4 x 800m races will be something to watch!
Three of City’s top distance runners will not be running at City Prelims this Thursday. Venice senior PAUL TRANQUILLA has been out since before Arcadia due to injury. The clear favorite in the 1,600m and 3,200m his absence dramatically changes the prospects for other City runners in these events. Verdugo Hills sophomore AMBER LOPEZ, the D3 City XC champion, continues to struggle with an injury that plagued her last fall. Finally, Palisade’s freshman standout MAYA HIVELY who had to contend with an extended soccer season and the aftermath of the Palisades fires never seemed to get in top form this spring and did not participate in league finals.
City Final scoring prognostications based on league final dope sheets has Carson winning the girls’ team City Championship but the boys team title will be a barn burner between Granada Hills and San Pedro (1-point difference) where San Pedro’s distance runners will likely be the decisive factor.
Girls League Champs
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Girls 800m League Champs
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Girls 1,600m League Champs
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Girls 3,200m League Champs
Boys League Champs
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Boys 800m League Champs
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Boys 1,600m League Champs
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Boys 3,200m League Champs
West Valley League Finals
Birmingham HS - Friday May 9th, 2025
Granada Hills swept all the team events at the West Valley League Finals led by JUSTIN HART and ANI BROWN but Taft impressed in the distance events winning 4 of the 6 varsity races led by ETHAN BAROK, HUNTER BENNET and ISABELLA SAKALOWSKY. Cleveland senior MEZTLI VELAZQUEZ won her 4th West Valley title in the 800m and Granada junior SAMANTHA PACHECO earned her 2nd title in the 3,200m. Freshman AVA WOODINGS won all 3 of the Frosh/Soph girls distance races to help Chatsworth to a 2nd place team score. Birmingham sophomore DANIEL SALAZAR won both the 1,600m and 3,200m Frosh/Soph races and placed 4th in the 800m.
Marine League Finals
Carson HS - Thursday May 8th, 2025
Carson High School was the site of some of City’s best sprinters and distance athletes competing at the Marine League Finals. Carson was led by phenoms CHRISTINA GRAY and JAYDEN RENDON who both took home 3 Marine league championships. San Pedro distance runners stole the show with JACK BUTTERFIELD, CHRISTOPTHER FRELIX and EVAN HEDEISHI combining to win all varsity boys races from the 400m to 3,200m. The Pirates won all the other distance races as well, frosh/soph and varsity, boys and girls, with a different runner winning 11 of the 12 distance races. Impressive depth.
Western League Finals
Hamilton HS - Wednesday May 7th, 2025
Palisades Charter dominated many of the girls and boys distance events at the Western League Finals on Hamilton’s new track but Venice claimed victories in both varsity 1,600m races and Hamilton ran strong in the boys frosh/soph.
The surprise of the meet was ZAC COHEN’s win in his first 3,200m (and 1st high school track race ever) in a time of 9:47.30. Quite possibly the most talented City athlete currently running, he accomplished this on very limited training, coming off a recent illness and while committed to his primary spring sport tennis. With PAUL TRANQUILLA out for the remainder of his senior year with a stress fracture Zac will be in the hunt for a top finish at City Finals. Hamilton freshman ESBIN ARDON won both the frosh/soph 1,600m and 800m but this may be the last we see of him as he plans to transfer out of the City section for his sophomore year next fall.
Venice senior CHARLES SIMON won comfortably in the varsity 1.600m and was runner-up in the 3,200m. Teammates WHITNEY DARBEY and HARINA GIRMAY, both freshman, placed 1st and 2nd in the girls 1,600m and then went 2-3 in the 3,200m. They now have the #2 and #3 ranked City times for the 1,600m and 3,200m and both are within range of Venice’s 1,600m freshman school record of 5:24.21.
Palisades’ freshman SADIE HEDFORD won both the Frosh/Soph 800m and 1,600m and ZOEY MORRISON finished off the distance events with a win in the 3,200m
Venice freshman OSCAR LESTER dipped below 11 minutes for the third time this year to win the Frosh/Soph 3,200m and JULIA MADDAUS (Hamilton, freshman) won the girls race in only her 2nd 3,200m race.
Northern League Prelims
Marshal HS - Friday May 2nd, 2025
Eagle Rock athletes strutted their stuff at the Northern League Prelims with dominant boys and girls performances from the 100m to the 1,600m. Led by OLIVER BARR and OLIVIA CORRIGAN the Eagles posted the top times in all of the varsity distance events. Franklin freshman YAEL MEZA prevented a sweep with the top frosh/soph time in the 1,600m and for the girls Wilson freshman REYNA RACANCOJ did the same with top frosh/soph performances in the 800m and 1,600m. Bravo Medical showed their depth with strong performances by ALEXANDER HERNANDEZ and JASMINE HERNANDEZ and the top time in the boys 4 x 800m where ALEJANDRO HERRERA posted the top split of 2:00.0 in the final leg. Esteban Torres senior SAMANTHA AVILA won her 1.600m varsity heat with the 2nd best time on the day.
Eastern Valley/Valley Mission League Prelims
Birmingham HS - Thursday May 1st, 2025
North Hollywood had the top performances in all of the varsity distance events at the Eastern Valley League Prelims led by freshman KENSUKE OHSHIMA (this kid is going to be good!) who posted the top time of 4:49.61 in the 1,600m and junior ANANYA BALARAMAN who cruised in at a pedestrian time of 2:33.12 in the 800m. Teammate XAVIER LAINEZ also posted the top boys 800m performance. North Hollywood is quickly becoming a team to watch! Monroe showed their depth though with top performances in both the girls and boys 4x800m relays. The Verdugo Hills boys are rebuilding this year but have some promising young runners. JOSHUA MENDOZA and ANTHONY VILLA RECENDEZ posted the top frosh/soph times in the 800m and 1,600m for the Dons and teammate ADAN HERNANDEZ places 2nd in the frosh/soph 3,200m. Verdugo’s top girl AMBER LOPEZ only ran in the 4 x 800m and looks to be focusing exclusively on the 3,200m this year for City Finals in terms of individual events.
Canoga Park topped varsity performance in the Valley Mission League Prelims, run concurrently with the East Valley. ANGELINA LOPEZ had the top performances in the 800m and 1,600m for the girls while senior THEODORE SCHNIDERMAN had the boys fastest 1,600m. Kennedy freshman EMILY RODRIGUEZ continues to impress finishing strong in both the 800m and 1,600m. The Van Nuys girls are showing some promise in the frosh/soph ranks with LESLIE CRISTOBLE who had the top frosh /soph times in both the 1,600m and 3,200m and VALERIE SANCHEZ who placed well in the same races. Kennedy freshman FELIPE PEREZ posted top times in both the frosh/soph 1,600m and 3,200m.
The ‘25 Track Season is Finishing Strong
The tables below compare City’s 2025 track distance performances to the best year in City track since 2006 for each event, per athletic.com. Based on results so far ‘25 is looking to rank as one of City’s best. 2013 was the highwater mark for the boys with San Pedro’s Steve Correa leading the rankings. For the girls Granada Hills’ record setting 2018 team led by Sofia Abrego set standards that will be difficult to beat. In past years approximately 60-75% of the top times occurred in May and June so we’ll re-publish these tables after City Finals for a final tally on how 2025 City track season ranks. The ‘Trend’ icon indicates LACXC.com’s prediction on how 2025 performances for each event will ultimately rank against the referenced ‘Best’ year.
RUNNERS SET . . . .
Updates for Month Ending April 30th
This is the final installment of “Runners Set . . .” for the ‘25 track season. Stay tuned for LACXC.com’s in-depth coverage of City’s post season in May including deep-dive statistical analysis.
April typically delivers in terms of top performances as athletes gear up for league and City final competitions and five invitationals provided the venues that continued that tradition: ASICS Irvine Distance Carnival on April 11th, Arcadia Invite on April 11-12th, Tiger Invite on April 12th, Mt. SAC on April 18-19th, and the South Bay Championships on April 18th.
BOYS
CHARLES SIMON has had an epic April. He’s now ranked in the City Top-5 in all 3 distance events with 3 superlative PR performances in April. At ASICS Irvine on April 12th in his first high school 800m race he posted the top time at the meet, winning in 1:57.55 (#5 City). A week later at the South Bay Championships he posted another PR in the 1,600m, 4:22.48 (#5 City), to place 5th in the fastest heat. The evening before, at the Mt. SAC Relays, he ran a PR of 9:24.23 (#2 City)! Rested and tapered Charles should be targeting low 9’s for the 3,200 in post- season. Very impressive stuff from a program that is on fire!
Some big performances at the South Bay Championships on April 18th where San Pedro’s CHRISTOPHER FRELIX and EVAN HADEISHI both set PRs in the 800m (1:54.66, 1:56.19). Frelix’s time was a 4-second PR and both performances rank them in the top 3 in City. At the Tiger Invite in Arcadia a week earlier Frelix also set a PR in the 1,600m crossing the line in 4:20.87. In the right race (not tactical) on May 22nd, San Pedro has the potential to accomplish what no City team ever has; have 3 runners (Jack Butterfield is the other) finish under 4:20 at City Finals. Side note: Evan and Jack are both ranked in the City top-10 in all the distance events. Oh yeah, and let’s not forget their record-setting DMR performance at the Mt. SAC Relays. Another program that is firing on all cylinders.
At the Tiger Invite on April 12th Eagle Rock senior OLIVER BARR ran a PR of 1:56.56 in the 800m, a 2-second improvement over his previous PR. Barr saves his best for May so look for him to be in the mix for the 800m City Championship. Also at Tiger, In Heat 2 of the 1,600m, ROLAND BALDERAS (Sr-Santee) placed 2nd in 4:26.10, #6 City. A week later at the Mt. SAC Relays Roland posted a 9:34.19 in the 3,200m, just off his 9:27.33 PR (#3 City).
Down in Irvine at the ASICS Distance Carnival on April 12th ALEJANDRO HERRERA (Sr-Bravo Medical) posted an otherworldly 1:57.57 in Heat 2 of the 800m, a 6-second PR that ranks him #6 in City. Later in the afternoon in the 1,600m at Irvine ASICS Taft junior ETHAN BAROK dropped a monster final lap of 1:01.27 to move from 9th to 4th in the final 300m in a PR of 4:22.23, #6 in City. Teammate HUNTER BENNET set a PR in the 3,200m of 9:41.82 later in the day, his best since City Finals last year. Look for continued improvements from the Taft boys in May. Ethan and Hunter, along with GABE PEREZ (400m) and DANIEL TOCHNER (800m), also broke a 35-year old school record in the 4K Distance Medley Relay at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 19th with a time of 10:38.61 (see updated City DMR top school performances below). A program in ascendancy for sure!
The Palisades team has had a rough go if it in 2025 but junior JACKSON TAYLOR is defying the odds with top-10 City times in the 800m and 1,600m. On April 11th at the Tiger Invite he posted a PR of 4:28.83 and a week later the South Bay Championships he ran 1:59.94 in the 800m.
GIRLS
ANGELES FELICIANO is back. After struggling with some injuries in the fall she’s on top of her game with 3 impressive PR’s in April. At the Tiger Invite on April 12th she placed 3rd in the fastest heat in 2:20.68, a school record and #3 in City. The same day in the 1,600m she placed 7th in the 1,600m in 5:11.96, (#2 City). And then, a week later at the Mt. SAC Relays, she posted a 22-second PR of 10:57.89, a school record and one of the best City 3,200 performances ever.
MEZTLI VELAZQUEZ set a near PR of 5:15.23 in the 1,600m at the Tiger Invite, her 3rd sub-5:20 performance this year, to place 9th in the top heat. She already has a #4 City-ranked 2:22.34 PR in the 800m from the Don Greene Invite. Like every post- season she’s participated in, track or XC, Meztli will be in the mix for a championship in May.
The Palisades girls will keep the 800m interesting this year. ANNABELLE REFNES finally broke through the 2:20 barrier in the 800m, first at Simi Valley and then again this week in a tri-meet where she ran a PR of 2:18.93, #2 in City. And teammate DAILA HARINCK was just ½ second off her PR in the same race, 2:24.62 (#8 City) and should be gunning for a time somewhere closer to 2:20 on May 22nd.
Birmingham junior YESENIA VALDEZ impressed this past fall with a 10th place finish in the D1 City Finals and she continues her ascent this spring with a PR of 11:38.02 at the Tiger Invite, which ranks #5 in City. There is a lot more there in Yesenia. Maybe not this year but imminently she'll be winning races.
ISABELLA SAKALOWSKY (So-Taft) and OLIVIA CORRIGAN (Fr-Eagle Rock) have both set PR’s in each of their 1,600m efforts this year; 5 for Isabella and 4 for Olivia. Isabella’s top time is 5:26.51 (#8 City) which she ran in a dual meet on April 21st and Olivia’s PR is 5:28.52 (#9 City) at the Tiger Invite. Both should be targeting sub 5:20 in May.
KIANA DIAMOND is in top form running a near-PR 2:23.83 (#8 City) in the 800m at a GHC-ECR dual meet and a PR of 5:31.70 (#12 City) in the 1,600m at Simi Valley. If previous seasons are an indication look for Kiana to shine in May with a sub-2:20 in the 800m on her radar.
Freshman WHITNEY DERBY, part of Venice’s youth movement that includes freshmans HARINA GIRMAY and BREANNA MORALES, scored a big 3,200m PR at Irvine ASICS of 11:41.23 (#7 City). Harina was close behind in 11:59.83. They both have impressive freshman 1,600m PR’s as well, 5:32.08 for Harina and 5:32.75 for Whitney. And all 3 have top ranked 800m times.
‘The Drive’
Is dedicated to LA City’s high school distance running community
The goal is to evangelize exceptional teams and athletes with high quality, curated content and editorial perspectives in an online periodic publication.
Each volume will include a ‘Special’ section, as well as Athletes of the Week/Month, ‘The Week in Pictures’ including a ‘Picture of the Week’, ‘The Numbers’, and ‘Heard on the Trail’.
ENJOY!