Latest news with #CIFStateChampionships
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Masked flag-wielding trans protestor arrested for attacking activist at California state track championships
A masked pro-trans protestor was arrested at the California state high school track-and-field championships this weekend after allegedly using a Progress Pride flag to attack an activist journalist who had been demonstrating at the controversial meet. Ethan Kroll is identified as the 19-year-old man booked Friday for assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, obstructing public officer and vandalism under $400, according to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office website. Kroll was released on Saturday evening. The arrest was first reported by local media after viral video of the incident was recorded by Josh Fulfer, a crowd-funded reporter protesting in support of 'the female athletes that were having to compete against a male,' as he told Fresno's Fox affiliate. This weekend's meet outside Fresno was the latest front line in the ongoing debate over trans athletes in female sports. In defiance of Donald Trump and his executive order, trans athlete AB Hernandez claimed gold in the girls high jump and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state finals. 'We were out there for a couple of hours, had no incident whatsoever,' Fulfer told Fox 26 of his protests on Friday. After seeing the masked protester, Fulfer admittedly said something amounting to: 'If you're so proud of your cause, why do you have a mask on?' I was targeted and violently assaulted today by transtifa when me and my family were leaving the CIF State Championship @ Veterans Memorial Stadium This person called me out by name before striking me multiple times with their flag pole. Fortunately I was able to pepper spray… — Oreo Express (@OreoExpress) May 30, 2025 Ethan Kroll is identified as the 19-year-old man booked Friday for assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, obstructing public officer and vandalism under $400 'Next thing I know, that person is darting out across the intersection and I hit 'record' when they're about 10 feet away. And they started assaulting me with the flagpole through my driver's-side window.' Fulfer said he reached for his pepper spray at the urging of his wife and sprayed the protestor in the face. 'That got the flagpole out of the vehicle, and then they started vandalizing the car, hitting the top of the roof of the car and the door of the car.' After running a red light and finding a safe place to park, Fulfer said he got out to witness Clovis (California) police jumping the fence to make the arrest. Fufler said he suffered some bruises and scrapes as a result of the attack. Police have said an investigation is ongoing. Daily Mail's attempts to reach Kroll have been unsuccessful. An attorney for Kroll was not listed on the Fresno County Sheriff's Office website. As for the meet, Hernandez competed under a new rule, allowing for the possibility of multiple winners in events in which she competed. Hernandez finished the high jump with a mark of 5-foot-7 (1.7 meters), with no failed attempts. Co-winners Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle also cleared that height after each logged a failed attempt. The three shared the first-place win, smiling as they stepped together onto the podium. Hernandez wrapped up the night with a first-place finish in the triple jump, sharing the top spot with Kira Gant Hatcher who trailed by just over a half-meter. Earlier in the afternoon, Hernandez placed second in the long jump. The CIF announced the new policy earlier this week in response to Hernandez's success heading into the championships. Under the policy, the federation allowed an additional student to compete and medal in the events where Hernandez qualified. The two-day championship kicked off Friday in sweltering heat at a high school near Fresno. Temperatures reached the triple digits during Saturday's finals. The atmosphere was relatively quiet despite critics - including parents, conservative activists and President Donald Trump - calling for Hernandez to be barred from competing. Some critics wore pink bracelets and T-shirts that read, 'Save Girls' Sports.' During Friday's qualifying events, an aircraft circled above the stadium for more than an hour with a banner: 'No Boys in Girls' Sports!' Two groups that oppose transgender athletes participating in women's sports - the Independent Council on Women's Sports and Women Are Real - took credit for flying the banner. The federation's rule change reflected efforts to find a middle ground in the debate over trans girls' participation in youth sports. 'The CIF values all of our student-athletes and we will continue to uphold our mission of providing students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete while complying with California law,' the group said in a statement after announcing its rule change. A recent AP-NORC poll found that about 7 in 10 U.S. adults think transgender female athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls and women's sports at the high school, college or professional level. That view was shared by about 9 in 10 Republicans and roughly half of Democrats. The federation announced the change after Trump threatened to pull federal funding from California unless it bars trans female athletes from competing on girls teams. The federation said it decided on the change before then. The U.S. Department of Justice also said it would investigate the federation and the district that includes Hernandez's high school to determine whether they violated federal sex discrimination law. California law allows trans students to compete on sex-segregated sports teams consistent with their gender identity.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Transgender track athlete wins gold in California state championships despite Trump threat
Transgender athlete AB Hernandez competed for Jurupa Valley High School in the long jump at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis. (Tomas Ovalle / for The Times) Overcoming intense pressure to quit from President Trump, dozens of local protesters and other prominent critics of transgender athletes in girls' sports, 16-year-old AB Hernandez bounded past many of her peers to win multiple gold medals at California's high school track and field championships Saturday. The transgender junior from Jurupa Valley High School — who competed despite a directive from Trump that she be barred from doing so — won state titles in the girls' triple jump and the girl's high jump and took second place in the girls' long jump. Advertisement Hernandez's success at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships in Clovis came amid high heat — with temperatures above 100 degrees for much of the day — and under an intense spotlight. Earlier in the week, Trump had said on social media that he was "ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow" Hernandez to compete, wrongly alleging she had won "everything" in a prior meet and calling her "practically unbeatable." Protesters gathered outside the meet both Friday and Saturday to denounce her inclusion and the LGBTQ+-friendly state laws allowing it. Despite all that, Hernandez appeared calm and focused as she competed. When her name was announced for the long jump, she waved to the crowd. When she was announced for the high jump, she smiled. Hernandez beat out all other competitors in the triple jump, though the runner-up was also awarded 1st place under new rules established by the California Interscholastic Federation after Trump issued his threats. Advertisement Hernandez tied with two other girls in the high jump, with the three of them all clearing the same height and sharing the gold. Hernandez's mother, Nereyda Hernandez, heaped praise on her after the events in a statement provided to The Times, saying, "As your mother, I cannot fully express how PROUD I am of you." "Watching you rise above months of being targeted, misunderstood, and judged not by peers, but by adults who should've known better, has left me in awe of your strength," her mother said. "Despite it all, you stayed focused. You kept training, you kept showing up, and now you're bringing THE GOLD HOME!!! During some of Hernandez's jumps, a protester could be heard on a bullhorn from outside the Buchanan High School stadium chanting "No boys in girls' sports!" California Interscholastic Federation officials banned protest signs inside the facility, but outside protesters held a range of them — including ones that read "No Child Is Born in the Wrong Body," "Trans Girls Are Boys: CIF Do Better," and "She Trains to Win. He takes the trophy?" Advertisement Josh Fulfer, a 46-year-old father and conservative online influencer who lives near the stadium, said he was the protester on the bullhorn. He said Hernandez should not have been competing — regardless of how she placed — because her presence in the competition had a negative "psychological effect" on her cisgender competitors. "I stand with truth," he said. "Males should not be pretending to be females, and they shouldn't be competing against female athletes." Loren Webster, a senior from Wilson High School in Long Beach who beat Hernandez in the long jump, said she wasn't giving Hernandez much thought — instead, she was focused on her own performance. "It wasn't any other person I was worried about. I knew what I was capable of," Webster said. "I can't control the uncontrollable." A child holds a protest sign alongside a family member and others opposed to transgender athlete AB Hernandez competing in the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, at Veterans Memorial Stadium at Buchanan High School in Clovis. (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times) The intense focus on Hernandez over two days of competition Friday and Saturday reflected a broad rise in conservative outrage over transgender girls competing in sporting events nationwide, despite their representing a tiny fraction of competitors. It also reflected a concerted effort by Trump and other prominent conservative figures to single out Hernandez, individually, as an unwitting poster child for such concerns. Advertisement Recent polls, including one conducted by The Times last year, have shown that many Americans support transgender rights, but a majority oppose transgender girls participating in youth sports. California has long defended transgender kids and their right to participate in youth athletics, but other states have increasingly moved to limit or remove such rights entirely. Marci Strange supports protestors as they protest against transgender athlete AB Hernandez competing In the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, at Veterans Memorial Stadium In the campus of Buchanan High School in Clovis. (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times) Trump first latched onto transgender issues with fervor during his presidential campaign, spending millions of dollars on anti-transgender political ads. Since being elected, he has issued a wave of executive orders and other policies aimed at rolling back transgender rights and protections. Again and again, Hernandez has been singled out in that discussion. Advertisement Earlier this week, Trump referenced Hernandez in a social media post in which he said his administration would cut federal funding to California if it didn't block her from competing in this weekend's state finals and more broadly get in line with his executive order purporting to ban transgender youth from participating in school sports nationwide. The following day, U.S. Justice Department officials referenced Hernandez again, announcing the launch of an investigation into whether California, its interscholastic sports federation and the Jurupa Unified School District are violating the civil rights of cisgender girls by allowing transgender students such as Hernandez to compete in sports. Transgender athlete AB Hernandez competed for Jurupa Valley High School in the high jump at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis. (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times) At the meet Friday and Saturday, Hernandez often blended in with the hundreds of other athletes, hardly drawing attention. She was less conspicuous by far than the protesters there to denounce her for competing. Advertisement Hernandez's mother has pleaded with Trump and other adults in recent days to show her daughter compassion, calling it heartbreaking "every time I see my child being attacked, not for a wrongdoing, but simply for being who they are." She has said her daughter "is not a threat," while the harassment directed at her is "not just cruel, it's dangerous." Local protesters — some with ties to national conservative organizations — cast Hernandez's competing in girls' events in starkly different terms. Before being escorted out by police, Sophia Lorey, outreach director for the conservative California Family Council, walked around the stadium Saturday wearing a hat reading, "Women's Sports, Women Only." She told members of the crowd that Hernandez was a boy and handed out pink "Save Girls' Sports" bracelets and fliers directing people to an online petition calling on the California Interscholastic Federation to change its policies to bar transgender athletes from competition. Advertisement Trump administration officials have taken a similar stance. In a letter Wednesday to interscholastic federation executive director Ronald W. Nocetti, Assistant Atty. Gen. Harmeet Dhillon, who was appointed by Trump to head the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, called Hernandez's success in recent track and field events "alarming." And she said the California policies allowing Hernandez to compete are a potential violation of Title IX, the 1972 federal civil rights law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational programs and other activities that receive federal funding. Dhillon also noted Gov. Gavin Newsom's own recent remark to conservative activist Charlie Kirk that transgender girls competing in sports is "deeply unfair." Transgender athlete AB Hernandez competed in three events including the high jump, triple jump and long jump at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis. (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times) The remark came in a conversation on Newsom's podcast in March, in which Hernandez was also singled out. Advertisement Kirk, a co-founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, asked Newsom whether he would voice his opposition to Hernandez competing in girls' track and field events. Newsom said he agreed such situations were "unfair" but that he also took issue with "the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities," including transgender people. When Kirk suggested Newsom could say that he has "a heart for" Hernandez but still thinks her competing is unfair, Newsom again said he agreed. Newsom has issued no such statement since. But, the playing field has shifted in California for transgender athletes since Trump started talking about Hernandez. On Wednesday, the CIF announced a change in its rules for this weekend's championships. Under the new rules, a cisgender girl who is bumped from qualifying for an event final by a transgender athlete will still advance to compete in the finals. In addition, the federation said, any cisgender girl who is beaten by a transgender competitor will be awarded whichever medal she would have claimed had the transgender athlete not been competing. Transgender athlete AB Hernandez competed for Jurupa Valley High School in the high jump at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis. (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times) The CIF did not mention Hernandez by name in announcing its policy change, but it did make direct reference to the high jump, triple jump and long jump — the three events in which she was to compete. Advertisement Under the new rules, Hernandez shared her place on each of the event podiums with other girls. The CIF did not respond to a list of questions about its new policy. A spokesman for Newsom applauded the change, but others were unimpressed. Critics of transgender athletes rejected it as insufficient and demanded a full ban on transgender athletes. Fulfer, the protester on the bullhorn, said the CIF was "admitting that they've got it wrong for a long time" while still not doing enough to fix it — which Trump would see clearly. "I hope Donald Trump sees what happens this weekend, and I hope he pulls the funding away from California," Fulfer said. Advertisement LGBTQ+ advocates also criticized the rule change, but for different reasons, calling it a crass capitulation that singled out a teenager to appease a crowd of bullies picking a political fight. "The fact that these same political players continue to bully and harass one child, even after CIF changed its policy, shows this was never about sports or fairness," said Kristi Hirst, co-founder of the public education advocacy group Our Schools USA. "It was simply about using a child, while compromising their personal safety on a national scale, to score political points and distract from the serious issues families and communities in this country are actually concerned about," Hirst said, "affording groceries, the loss of health care, and access to quality teachers and resources in their public schools." Transgender athlete AB Hernandez competed for Jurupa Valley High School in the long jump at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis. (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times) Nereyda Hernandez said she hoped AB's wins would serve as inspiration for other kids who feel "unseen." Advertisement "To every young person watching, especially those who feel unseen or unheard, let AB be your reminder that authenticity, courage, and resilience shine BRIGHTER than hate," she said. "It won't be easy, but definitely worth it." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Transgender track athlete wins gold in California state championships despite Trump threat
Transgender athlete AB Hernandez competed for Jurupa Valley High School in the long jump at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis. (Tomas Ovalle / for The Times) Overcoming intense pressure to quit from President Trump, dozens of local protesters and other prominent critics of transgender athletes in girls' sports, 16-year-old AB Hernandez bounded past many of her peers to win multiple gold medals at California's high school track and field championships Saturday. The transgender junior from Jurupa Valley High School — who competed despite a directive from Trump that she be barred from doing so — won state titles in the girls' triple jump and the girl's high jump and took second place in the girls' long jump. Advertisement Hernandez's success at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships in Clovis came amid high heat — with temperatures above 100 degrees for much of the day — and under an intense spotlight. Earlier in the week, Trump had said on social media that he was "ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow" Hernandez to compete, wrongly alleging she had won "everything" in a prior meet and calling her "practically unbeatable." Protesters gathered outside the meet both Friday and Saturday to denounce her inclusion and the LGBTQ+-friendly state laws allowing it. Despite all that, Hernandez appeared calm and focused as she competed. When her name was announced for the long jump, she waved to the crowd. When she was announced for the high jump, she smiled. Hernandez beat out all other competitors in the triple jump, though the runner-up was also awarded 1st place under new rules established by the California Interscholastic Federation after Trump issued his threats. Advertisement Hernandez tied with two other girls in the high jump, with the three of them all clearing the same height and sharing the gold. Hernandez's mother, Nereyda Hernandez, heaped praise on her after the events in a statement provided to The Times, saying, "As your mother, I cannot fully express how PROUD I am of you." "Watching you rise above months of being targeted, misunderstood, and judged not by peers, but by adults who should've known better, has left me in awe of your strength," her mother said. "Despite it all, you stayed focused. You kept training, you kept showing up, and now you're bringing THE GOLD HOME!!! During some of Hernandez's jumps, a protester could be heard on a bullhorn from outside the Buchanan High School stadium chanting "No boys in girls' sports!" California Interscholastic Federation officials banned protest signs inside the facility, but outside protesters held a range of them — including ones that read "No Child Is Born in the Wrong Body," "Trans Girls Are Boys: CIF Do Better," and "She Trains to Win. He takes the trophy?" Advertisement Josh Fulfer, a 46-year-old father and conservative online influencer who lives near the stadium, said he was the protester on the bullhorn. He said Hernandez should not have been competing — regardless of how she placed — because her presence in the competition had a negative "psychological effect" on her cisgender competitors. "I stand with truth," he said. "Males should not be pretending to be females, and they shouldn't be competing against female athletes." Loren Webster, a senior from Wilson High School in Long Beach who beat Hernandez in the long jump, said she wasn't giving Hernandez much thought — instead, she was focused on her own performance. "It wasn't any other person I was worried about. I knew what I was capable of," Webster said. "I can't control the uncontrollable." A child holds a protest sign alongside a family member and others opposed to transgender athlete AB Hernandez competing in the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, at Veterans Memorial Stadium at Buchanan High School in Clovis. (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times) The intense focus on Hernandez over two days of competition Friday and Saturday reflected a broad rise in conservative outrage over transgender girls competing in sporting events nationwide, despite their representing a tiny fraction of competitors. It also reflected a concerted effort by Trump and other prominent conservative figures to single out Hernandez, individually, as an unwitting poster child for such concerns. Advertisement Recent polls, including one conducted by The Times last year, have shown that many Americans support transgender rights, but a majority oppose transgender girls participating in youth sports. California has long defended transgender kids and their right to participate in youth athletics, but other states have increasingly moved to limit or remove such rights entirely. Marci Strange supports protestors as they protest against transgender athlete AB Hernandez competing In the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, at Veterans Memorial Stadium In the campus of Buchanan High School in Clovis. (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times) Trump first latched onto transgender issues with fervor during his presidential campaign, spending millions of dollars on anti-transgender political ads. Since being elected, he has issued a wave of executive orders and other policies aimed at rolling back transgender rights and protections. Again and again, Hernandez has been singled out in that discussion. Advertisement Earlier this week, Trump referenced Hernandez in a social media post in which he said his administration would cut federal funding to California if it didn't block her from competing in this weekend's state finals and more broadly get in line with his executive order purporting to ban transgender youth from participating in school sports nationwide. The following day, U.S. Justice Department officials referenced Hernandez again, announcing the launch of an investigation into whether California, its interscholastic sports federation and the Jurupa Unified School District are violating the civil rights of cisgender girls by allowing transgender students such as Hernandez to compete in sports. Transgender athlete AB Hernandez competed for Jurupa Valley High School in the high jump at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis. (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times) At the meet Friday and Saturday, Hernandez often blended in with the hundreds of other athletes, hardly drawing attention. She was less conspicuous by far than the protesters there to denounce her for competing. Advertisement Hernandez's mother has pleaded with Trump and other adults in recent days to show her daughter compassion, calling it heartbreaking "every time I see my child being attacked, not for a wrongdoing, but simply for being who they are." She has said her daughter "is not a threat," while the harassment directed at her is "not just cruel, it's dangerous." Local protesters — some with ties to national conservative organizations — cast Hernandez's competing in girls' events in starkly different terms. Before being escorted out by police, Sophia Lorey, outreach director for the conservative California Family Council, walked around the stadium Saturday wearing a hat reading, "Women's Sports, Women Only." She told members of the crowd that Hernandez was a boy and handed out pink "Save Girls' Sports" bracelets and fliers directing people to an online petition calling on the California Interscholastic Federation to change its policies to bar transgender athletes from competition. Advertisement Trump administration officials have taken a similar stance. In a letter Wednesday to interscholastic federation executive director Ronald W. Nocetti, Assistant Atty. Gen. Harmeet Dhillon, who was appointed by Trump to head the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, called Hernandez's success in recent track and field events "alarming." And she said the California policies allowing Hernandez to compete are a potential violation of Title IX, the 1972 federal civil rights law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational programs and other activities that receive federal funding. Dhillon also noted Gov. Gavin Newsom's own recent remark to conservative activist Charlie Kirk that transgender girls competing in sports is "deeply unfair." Transgender athlete AB Hernandez competed in three events including the high jump, triple jump and long jump at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis. (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times) The remark came in a conversation on Newsom's podcast in March, in which Hernandez was also singled out. Advertisement Kirk, a co-founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, asked Newsom whether he would voice his opposition to Hernandez competing in girls' track and field events. Newsom said he agreed such situations were "unfair" but that he also took issue with "the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities," including transgender people. When Kirk suggested Newsom could say that he has "a heart for" Hernandez but still thinks her competing is unfair, Newsom again said he agreed. Newsom has issued no such statement since. But, the playing field has shifted in California for transgender athletes since Trump started talking about Hernandez. On Wednesday, the CIF announced a change in its rules for this weekend's championships. Under the new rules, a cisgender girl who is bumped from qualifying for an event final by a transgender athlete will still advance to compete in the finals. In addition, the federation said, any cisgender girl who is beaten by a transgender competitor will be awarded whichever medal she would have claimed had the transgender athlete not been competing. Transgender athlete AB Hernandez competed for Jurupa Valley High School in the high jump at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis. (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times) The CIF did not mention Hernandez by name in announcing its policy change, but it did make direct reference to the high jump, triple jump and long jump — the three events in which she was to compete. Advertisement Under the new rules, Hernandez shared her place on each of the event podiums with other girls. The CIF did not respond to a list of questions about its new policy. A spokesman for Newsom applauded the change, but others were unimpressed. Critics of transgender athletes rejected it as insufficient and demanded a full ban on transgender athletes. Fulfer, the protester on the bullhorn, said the CIF was "admitting that they've got it wrong for a long time" while still not doing enough to fix it — which Trump would see clearly. "I hope Donald Trump sees what happens this weekend, and I hope he pulls the funding away from California," Fulfer said. Advertisement LGBTQ+ advocates also criticized the rule change, but for different reasons, calling it a crass capitulation that singled out a teenager to appease a crowd of bullies picking a political fight. "The fact that these same political players continue to bully and harass one child, even after CIF changed its policy, shows this was never about sports or fairness," said Kristi Hirst, co-founder of the public education advocacy group Our Schools USA. "It was simply about using a child, while compromising their personal safety on a national scale, to score political points and distract from the serious issues families and communities in this country are actually concerned about," Hirst said, "affording groceries, the loss of health care, and access to quality teachers and resources in their public schools." Transgender athlete AB Hernandez competed for Jurupa Valley High School in the long jump at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis. (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times) Nereyda Hernandez said she hoped AB's wins would serve as inspiration for other kids who feel "unseen." Advertisement "To every young person watching, especially those who feel unseen or unheard, let AB be your reminder that authenticity, courage, and resilience shine BRIGHTER than hate," she said. "It won't be easy, but definitely worth it." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Servite's 'Fab Four' show their blazing speed at state track and field prelims
Jace Wells, right, slows up after passing the baton to Servite teammate Jaelen Hunter for the second leg of the first boys' 4x100-meter relay heat at the CIF state track and field preliminaries at Buchanan High School in Clovis on Friday. (Steve Galluzzo / For The Times) Call them the 'Fab Four.' Servite's boys' 4x100-meter relay team, consisting of freshmen Jace Wells, Jaelen Hunter, Kamil Pelovello and Jorden Wells got Friday's CIF State Track and Field Championships off to a blazing start by winning the first heat in 40.28 seconds and earning the top qualifying time — not bad for the foursome's first go around the oval. Advertisement Robert Gardner ran the anchor leg behind Jace Wells, Hunter and Pelovello six days earlier when the Friars clocked 40.40 to win the Southern Section Masters Meet and fellow sophomore Benjamin Harris joined Jorden Wells, Hunter and Gardner when Servite set a state and meet record at the Arcadia Invitational in April. Justin Hart of Granada Hills ran the 400 meters in 47.72 seconds on Friday to earn the final qualifying spot for the CIF state final. (Steve Galluzzo / For The Times) Friday was all about the 'youth movement." They left Veterans Memorial Stadium at Buchanan High believing that they could return Saturday to break the state meet record of 40.24 set by Hawthorne in 1989. 'This is the first time that all four of us have been in the same relay,' Hunter said. 'We're going after the record tomorrow.' Advertisement Sherman Oaks Notre Dame won Heat 2 in 40.83, the second-fastest time. Hunter showed why he's the fastest freshman in the country one hour later when he looked like he was saving his energy for the finals even while winning his 400-meter heat in 47.43, the third-fastest prelims time behind Temecula Valley senior Jack Stadlman (46.99) and Culver City's Duaine Mayrant (47.38). Jace Wells clocked a personal-best to win his 200 meters heat in 21.03 while Stadlman (21 flat), Antrell Harris (21.14) and Leo Francis (21.16) from Santa Margarita also advanced to the finals ahead of USC-bound RJ Sermons of Rancho Cucamonga, who raced Nicolas Obimgba of Torrance head-to-head at 11 p.m. for the last qualifying spot after they tied to the thousandth of a second for ninth. Sermons won by 20 hundredths in 21.11 with the stadium empty to secure his spot in the finals. Advertisement 'I've never been in a run-off before,' Sermons said, shaking his head. 'I had a bad start the first time. No one to blame but me." Rancho Cucamonga's RJ Sermons, right, wins a run-off against Nicolas Obimgba of Torrance to earn the last spot in the boys' 200-meter finals. (Steve Galluzzo / For The Times) Servite capped its impressive day by winning its 4x400 meters heat in 3 minutes 10.94 seconds, holding off Cathedral (3:11.13) for the second-fastest qualifying time behind Long Beach Poly (3:10.70). Maintenance crews will be working overnight trying remove the scorch marks on the track after the boys' 100 meters. All nine sprinters who advanced to Saturday's finals clocked 10.51 or under, led by De La Salle junior Jaden Jefferson, whose wind-legal 10.01 bettered the California record of 10.14 by Rodrick Pleasant of Gardena Serra in 2022. Second in the heat was Obimgba (10.20) and third was City Section champion Antrell Harris of Birmingham, giving a single heat the first, second and fourth-fastest times in the state this year. Advertisement USC-bound RJ Sermons of Rancho Cucamonga bounced back from a subpar Masters race, where he finished fourth in 10.47, to win his heat in 10.40 and Demare Dezeurn, who repeated as Masters champion in 10.35 seconds, also topped his heat Friday in 10.43. Benjamin Harris won Heat 4 in 10.49. 'Today was all about qualifying for finals, said Dezeurn, a sophomore from Alemany. 'It's great competition. I have to go hard tomorrow. If I can beat [Jefferson] at the start I can beat him in the race. He is good, though. Seeing those times just makes me love the game even more. I want to prove I belong here. I run to win!' Kyra Terry, left, receives the baton from Oaks Christian teammate Rayah Rodriguez in a girls' 4x100-meter relay heat at the state preliminaries on Friday. (Steve Galluzzo / For The Times) Christina Gray anchored Carson's girls' 4x100 relay, which posted the fastest qualifying time (46.16) while Journey Cole's late kick on the anchor leg in Heat 2 allowed Redondo Union (46.33) to clip last year's state champion Oaks Christian, which posted the same time (46.39) as Long Beach Poly. Gray followed with a personal-best 11.47 in the 100, beating Chaparral's Keelan Wright by two hundredths of a second for second in her heat. Advertisement Calabasas sophomore Malia Rainey yelled 'C'mon' after winning her heat in a personal-best 11.57 while teammate Marley Scoggins won Heat 4 in 11.67. Wright bounced back to post the best time (23.58) in the girls' 200 meters while Gray finished second in 23.71, the second-fastest time and much swifter than her 24.62 at City Finals. 'In the 100 I had a great start, now I just have to work on the finish,' Gray said. 'It's still a great time for me. I'm feeling pretty good, there was no negative wind and winning the relay gave me confidence as I was feeling doubtful before that but after the 4x100 I knew I'd do well the rest of the day. Carson 4x100-meter relay anchor runner Christina Gray crosses the finish line during a heat at the CIF state track and field preliminaries on Friday. (Steve Galluzzo / For The Times) Reigning discus champion Aja Johnson Sherman Oaks Notre Dame struggled Friday but secured the 12th and last finals spot with an effort of 139 feet 3 inches. Camarillo's Trinity Tipton was the top qualifier at 152-06. The 2023 shot put state champion, Johnson was the top qualifier Friday at 45-05, beating Aliso Niguel's Jaslene Massey by six inches. Advertisement Transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley was the leading qualifier in the girls' long jump (19-11.75), triple jump (40-09.75) and high jump (5-05.00). Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Fox News
5 days ago
- General
- Fox News
California girls' field championship gets more big rule changes amid trans athlete outrage, Trump's pressure
California's high school sports league made a major rule change to its upcoming girls' track and field state championship for the second day in a row. The changes come as the state faces increasing pressure, both internally from its own residents and from President Donald Trump's administration, due to a growing controversy involving a trans athlete. On Wednesday, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) announced that Saturday's state title meet will now expand its pool of competitors and even medal recipients to accommodate any female athletes that are displaced by a biological male competitor. The CIF is specifically making this rule change for the long jump, high jump and triple jump events. "On Friday, May, 30, if necessary, in the high jump, triple jump and long jump qualifying events at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, a biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark will also be advanced to the finals," the CIF announcement read. "Additionally, if necessary, in the high jump, triple jump and long jump events at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, a biological female student-athlete who would have earned a specific placement on the podium will also be awarded the medal for that place and the results will be reflected in the recording of the event." The CIF's track and field postseason has been rocked by a national controversy involving trans athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School competing in those events, and regularly dominating female competition. The athlete took first place in long jump and triple jump at a sectional final and state qualifying round in the last two weeks. The CIF's latest change comes just a day after the federation expanded the size of its competitor pool. "Any biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark for one of their Section's automatic qualifying entries in the CIF State meet, and did not achieve the CIF State at-large mark in the finals at their Section meet, was extended an opportunity to participate in the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships," the CIF said Tuesday. Wednesday's change also comes just a day after the family of a female competitor set to face Hernandez in the championship told Fox News Digital that they believe the CIF expanding the competitor pool was enough. CIF's 'solution' to this situation, which allows additional girls to compete at the state championship who otherwise didn't qualify because the transgender athlete took their spot, isn't good enough – it's still an unfair competition and an injustice to the girls competing," said the family of La Canada girls' track star Katie McGuinness, in a statement. "Allowing biological males to compete in women's sports is unfair, unjust and defies common sense," the family added. Controversy involving Hernandez has prompted local, state and national outrage by families and activists, while President Donald Trump has shown he is willing to sanction the state over the situation. Trump sent a post on Truth Social Tuesday morning warning California and Gov. Gavin Newsom of potential federal funding cuts to the state, and even orders to send local authorities to stop a trans athlete from competing in the girls' category on Saturday. Trump did not specifically name the athlete or school he was referring to in the social media post. But on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would be launching an investigation into the CIF and California Attorney General Rob Bonta over the state's law that allows biologically male trans athletes to compete with girls and women. A letter of complaint informing of the investigation was addressed to Jurupa Valley High School, the DOJ has told Fox News Digital. Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD) has told Fox News Digital it has not received a letter. The DOJ's announcement lists the school district in the official announcement of the investigation. JUSD has previously defended letting Hernandez compete in the girls' category. "JUSD continues to follow both California law and CIF policy regarding school athletics. Both state law and CIF policy currently require that students be permitted to participate in athletic teams and competitions consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records. JUSD remains committed to protecting the rights and safety of the students we serve, in accordance with applicable state and federal laws," the district said in a previous statement provided to Fox News Digital. Other competitors have spoken out throughout the track and field postseason against the CIF and state for allowing the situation to progress to this point. The second-place finisher to Hernandez in triple jump at a sectional final on May 17, Reese Hogan of Crean Lutheran High School, made it a point to stand on the first-place podium spot for a quick and symbolic photo op. Footage of Hogan taking the top podium spot after the trans athlete stepped off went viral on social media over the weekend. "It's just kind of sad just watching. He's obviously a really talented athlete, we've all seen him jump and stuff, and I wish him the best of luck, but in a boys' division," Hogan previously told Fox News Digital about competing against the athlete. "It's pretty obvious the certain advantages that he has, and it's obviously just sad as a woman to watch that." Brea Olinda student Julia Teven was one of the few female athletes to have beaten Jurupa Valley's athlete this year, tying for first place in the high jump at the sectional prelims earlier this month, while the trans athlete finished eighth. "I genuinely believe he doesn't have a harmful intent towards girls sports. I think it's the kind of like, CIF allowing him that's kind of put him in his position," Teven said. "I think genuinely, he's just, like, being enabled by the CIF, and he's just taking his opportunity presented to him." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
