CLOVIS, Calif. — There were many impressive performances at the CIF state track and field championships on Saturday, but the most breathtaking of all was one the fans packed inside Buchanan High’s Veterans Memorial Stadium did not see — Jaslene Massey’s throw of 196 feet and four inches in the discus — a mark that not only broke the state record but was the farthest throw ever by a girl in a U.S. high school meet.
The discus competition finished before any of the track events started and was held on an auxiliary field, but the Aliso Niguel senior got a standing ovation on the victory stand half an hour after her third throw thrust her into the record books.
“My goal was to for the gold first, then the mark,” said Massey, who will continue throwing at Oregon and may even compete in hammer and javelin. “I always dreamed of this and I wouldn’t be here without my support system.”
Massey waited several agonizing minutes while the distance was measured, but when the mark flashed on the scoreboard, she leaped in the air and screamed “Let’s go! Three more!”
After all, she still had three throws left.
“I wanted something big and I got something big,” said Massey, who defended her state title and topped the meet record of 186-9 set by Anna Jelmini of Shafter in 2009. “I had good warmups yesterday and today, and I knew I had it in me.”
To prove her historic hurl was no fluke, she came back with a 192-6 effort on her sixth and last throw. Shelbi Vaughan from Mansfield Legacy High in Texas set the American Junior record of 198-9¼ at the USA junior outdoor championships in 2012.
Massey later defended her shot put title with a throw of 52-9. She is the national leader in both events.
Also making history was Sherman Oaks Notre Dame senior JJ Harel, who repeated as boys high jump champion at 7-2. Harel cleared 6-9 on his third attempt to stay alive but still trailed Jay Woodson of American Canyon on misses until the bar was raised to 6-11. Harel cleared it on his first try while Woodson failed on his three attempts to ensure a second straight state title for Harel, who won with a height of 6-9 last year.
“I backed up on my first two attempts at 6-9 and that messed me up,” Harel said. “My heart was sinking and it went through my mind that I might finish second so when I cleared it that gave me adrenaline and muscle memory kicked in. At 6-11 I had such a great clearance, I knew I could get over at 7 and even at 7-2 I didn’t touch it.”
Harel cleared 7-2 on his first attempt — a personal best — tying for fourth on the national list this year. The bar was raised to 7-3½, giving Harel a chance to break the state record of 7-3¼ set by Lee Balkin of Glendale in 1979, but he was unsuccessful on three tries.
“I was 17 jumps deep and that took too much out of my legs,” Harel said of his unsuccessful efforts at the last height. “This season was an emotional roller coaster but I know I can get 7-3.”
Rosary won the girls 4×100-meter relay by a full second in 44.87 seconds.
Calabasas junior Malia Rainey won the girls 100 meters in 11.54. Maliyah Collins, who anchored Rosary’s relay, was third in 11.62, followed by Rainey’s teammates Marley Scoggins (11.63) and Olivia Kirk (11.63).
“I love my teammates, but today I had to focus on me — it was all about getting the win,” Rainey said. “Seeing my name up at the top made me so happy.”
Servite won the boys 4×100 in 39.73, shattering Hawthorne’s 38-year-old meet record of 40.24. Jorden Wells ran the first leg and was followed by Benjamin Harris, Kamil Pelovello and Robert Gardner. The Friars have run the seven fastest times in state history.
Harris won the boys 100 meters in a wind-aided 10.14 (the wind-legal state record remains 10.20 by Rodrick Pleasant of Gardena Serra in 2023) in a showdown against top qualifier Cy Lugo of Elk Grove, who won the 200 in a wind-aided 20.31 to edge Servite twins Jace (20.69) and Jorden Wells (20.79). Harris was fifth in 20.84.
“That’s the most locked in I’ve ever been in my whole career,” Harris said of his 100 triumph. “My mentality was kill or be killed.”
Arkansas-bound Braelyn Combe of Corona Santiago pulled off a distance trifecta, winning the 1,600 in 4:35.59, the 800 in 2:05.13 and anchoring the Sharks’ 4×800 relay, which won with a meet record time of 8:46.16. Afterward, Combe hugged her teammates. She pulled away from Stanford commit Chiara Dailey of La Jolla to repeat as the four-lap champion in the fourth-fastest time in the nation this year.
Long Beach Wilson junior Clara Adams doubled in the 400 (circling the track in 52.28, seven-tenths of a second ahead of teammate Saniah Varnado) and the 200 (clocking 23.40 to beat Amirat Temi Aganju of Pittsburg by 12-hundredths of a second.
Varnado won the 300 hurdles in 39.95 and Wilson won the girls 4×400 relay in 3:36.17.
Wilson won its seventh girls team title and fourth in a row, tying the record set by Moore League rival Long Beach Poly from 2008-11.
Dailey won the 3,200 in 10:01.91. Irvine’s Summer Wilson was sixth in 10:16.89.
Transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley won the girls triple jump in 42-8¾, won the high jump at 5-10 and was third in the triple jump, won by Ellie McCuskey of St. Ignatius with a leap of 20-3½.
Loyola’s Ejam Yohannes (45.73) clipped Servite’s Jaelen Hunter (46.05) at the wire in the boys 400 meters.
Riverside King senior Maximo Zavaleta won the 1,600 in 4:02.78 and the 3,200 in 8:52.47.
Servite closed the meet by winning the 4×400 relay in a state meet record 3:07.62 — the fastest time in the country this year — to repeat as the boys team champion with a state-record 60 points.
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