ESCARCEGA ON PREPS: ARCADIA INVITATIONAL TRACK MEET BRINGS BACK MORE NORMALCY
Glendora's Maya Shinnick and Covina's Kerry Smith win seeded events on Saturday night.
ARCADIA - Last season, masks covered up the emotions of athletes that participated in the reduced edition of the Arcadia Invitational due to the local health mandates from the COVID-19 pandemic. Fans were not allowed to be in attendance and coaches could only watch their runners perform. Those that remained in the stands were whisked away by LA County Public Health officials, in a manner that was quite embarrassing.
That was not the case over the weekend at the 54th Annual Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia. Masks were no longer needed and were replaced by huge smiles, expressions of exasperation, and celebratory hugs between runners and coaches that were tighter than usual. The stands were packed again (more than 7,000, the most since 2001), the snack bar was up and running (with the smell of enjoyable food that was another symbol that normalcy had returned to Arcadia), and the cheers were noticeably louder this year compared to recent years.
It didn’t matter whether you were a volunteer or someone like meet director Rich Gonzalez, who spends every moment of his day to make sure that this 2-day event runs as smoothly as possible, the Arcadia Invitational is a must-stop on the high school sports calendar. Athletes are treated like royalty and there is a genuine appreciation for the level of competition on the track
It’s what makes the Arcadia Invitational different from other track meets throughout the country. Elite track teams from throughout the country descend on Arcadia to compete against some of the best runners in the state.
The Arcadia Invitational is track and field's version of “The Masters” golf tournament. It’s one of a precious few track events that runs under the lights with the weather ideal for athletes (although Friday’s night action was conducted in 95-degree weather, a true abnormality).
From the moment you walk through the admission gates to enter the facility, you know that it’s a different event. If you are an athlete that is fortunate enough to compete in Saturday night’s Invitational portion of the meet, your reward is getting one of the coveted Arcadia Invitational backpacks that let’s everyone know you are one of the elite prep athletes in the sport.
Saturday night’s action certainly lived up to the meet’s mantra of “Home of National Champions.” From a big picture perspective, Servite’s Max Thomas showed that he was the fastest man in the state of California with winning performances in the 100 (10.40 seconds – just .03 seconds off a lifetime best of 10.37 earlier this season) and 200 (20.97). Temecula Valley’s JC Stevenson dominated the long jump (24-9.5) and triple jump (48-3).
Freshmen Sadie Englehardt of Venture set a new meet record for the Invitational Mile in 4:35.16. Autumn Wilson, a commit to the University of Georgia from St. Dominic Savio HS in Texas, won the 100 (11.49) and 200 (23.48).
However, track and field fans from the San Gabriel Valley had more than enough right to stick out their chests and beam with pride. No event showcased the valley’s best more than in the seeded division of the 400 meters.
Glendora’s Maya Shinnick prior to running in the girls seeded 400 at the Arcadia Invitational. (Escarcega)
Glendora’s Maya Shinnick did something that her much-heralded older brother Zach Shinnick couldn’t do – with a gold medal at Arcadia. The UC-Davis bounded sprinter came out of the blocks fast to take the early lead and just outlasted Alyssa Bean of Poway to win the event in 55.23 seconds, a new personal best. The time stacks up nicely as it is the third fastest time for runners that are from the CIF Southern Section and the fifth best in the state.
The result washed away all the unpleasant memories for the Shinnick family when it comes to this meet. Back in 2016, Zach was one of the top contenders in the 100-meter Invitational event, but pulled up 30 meters from the finish line due to a hamstring injury and would not be the same for the rest of the year.
You can understand why at the finish of the event, Maya threw a clenched fist up in the air and let out a celebratory yell before collapsing to the all-new Arcadia track surface.
For anyone that is not familiar with track and field, the 400-meter run is one of the most grueling and unrelenting races for an athlete. You must be at top speed for one lap around a track without the benefit of “resting” for any portion of the race. It’s a test of mental and physical condition that is not for the faint at heart.
All you had to do was follow Shinnick after the conclusion of the event to understand the toll the race takes on runner like Shinnick. She barely had enough energy to make it from the finish line to the cooling-off area. It took her 25-30 minutes before she could regain her senses and recall the key moments in the race.
“This is only the third 400 that I’ve run this season,” said Maya with her older brother Zach standing nearby, sporting a USC bucket hat. “It's good that times are dropping. I couldn’t feel anything in the final 100 and I just trying to get to the finish line. I felt really good on the backstretch, and I was concerned about finishing the race. The last 100 was pain, just pure pain.”
Less than five minutes later, Covina’s Kerry Smith showed that his performance last week at the Covina Invitational (posting a state-best time of 47.33) was no fluke as he won the seeded division in 47.46 seconds defeating Villanova Prep’s Liam Gair for the second consecutive week.
It was a bittersweet win for Smith, who lost his status as the state’s top runner in the 400 when West Ranch’s Christopher Goode won the Invitational heat in 47.05. For now, he’ll have to be content with the status as the fastest man in the San Gabriel Valley.
Covina’s Kerry Smith after winning the boys 400 seeded at Arcadia Invitational. (Escarcega)
“This was the most nervous I’ve ever been,” Smith said. “This crowd size, it’s a whole different game. My coach (Kevin Glasby) said “Leave it on the track and you have nothing to lose.’ I want to get to 46 (seconds) and I know that I work to do to get there. I felt better getting out of the blocks, I felt better the whole race, it felt more smooth.”
Smith was one of the biggest casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic. He openly admits that he didn’t do anything in 2020 and 2021. Which makes it that much more remarkable to see the success that he has earned in 2022.
“I didn’t touch the track the entire time that we were in quarantine,” Smith said. “I was like everyone else – watching TV. These guys have been working at, so every time I get the chance to work I have to take advantage of it. These guys have been doing it longer than me.”
Covina’s talks with former Damien great and current member of the USC Track and Field team Zach Shinnick, after the 400 at the Arcadia Invitational. (Escarcega)
Another athlete that appears to be headed for a big postseason is St. Francis hurdler Dario Rock. The senior, who medaled at the CIF-SS finals last season, was no match for Emmitt HS (Idaho) senior Landon Helms (14.01) and finished in second place in 14.48 seconds. Rock, who has the fastest time in the CIF-SS for Div. 3, knows that there’s more work that needs to be done to get the state meet in June.
St. Francis’ Dario Rock after finishing second in the 110 Seeded Hurdles. (Escarcega)
“I lagged a little bit out of the blocks,” Rock said. “What I was working on, before I got sick last week (due to the Flu) was my reaction time, getting my feet down quicker, and that just didn’t happen (Saturday).”
Rock admits that last year’s performance at the Div. 3 finals has been a motivational factor for him in 2022. “I’ve been on more of a revenge tour more for myself because I felt like more in the tank last year than the time showed. This year, I did my job in the winter and trying to translate it to the spring. I’m excited about Mission League finals, sectionals, and state.”
The reality of the Saturday night invitational portion of the meet is that the hot glare of the spotlight can be harsh on anyone. Not even La Canada’s super sophomore Arielle McKenzie, a double gold medalist at the CIF-SS Div. 3 finals last season, was spared from the intensity that comes out when the sun sets and the lights shine brightly.
McKenzie was in close proximity to the pacemaker in the first stage of the 800 Invitational. However, the pace proved to be too much for McKenzie to handle and she fell back prominently in the final stages and finished in 12th place with a time of 2 minutes, 13.80 seconds.
“I don’t know what happened,” McKenzie said. “This is the motivation that I need to get back and train harder. I know that I have some work to do. This is the fastest field that I have competed against. The atmosphere was amazing, and it made me so nervous. The pressure is up a few notches more than what I’m used to.”
Another disappointment occurred in the Boys Invitational 3200, where Pasadena High School’s talented distance runner Isaiah Givens pulled himself out of the race at the halfway point.
Maranatha’s Finn Andrews posted a lifetime best mark of 39.03 in the boys seeded 300 meters but that was good for fifth place. Mayfield’s Sade Falese (18-7) captured ninth place in the girl's long jump, Glendora’s Kennedy Johnson (39-05) improved on her area-best mark in securing fifth place in the girl's triple jump, and South Pasadena’s Nik Iwankiw took fourth place in the boy's discus (177-8) and eighth place in the shot put (56-2).
The time is ticking for these area athletes, as the road to Clovis gets more intense with each week that passes. The next stop is next week’s Mt. SAC Relays at the newly renovated Hilmer Lodge Stadium.