Roosevelt’s Roberson sweeps boys 110 and 300 hurdles, Long Beach Wilson’s Webster achieves 20-1 long jump, Culver City’s Trepagnier triumphs against Mosby in girls 400 and Long Beach Millikan’s Parra prevails in boys 3,200

By Pete Marshall for DyeStat

Photos by Pete Marshall

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Early season outdoor track and field results can mean little to the eventual success of the season.

But they can also foreshadow great things for the remainder of the season or perhaps for a high school career.

At Friday and Saturday’s 21st California Relays at Long Beach Wilson High some notable results were posted by athletes who are coming off successful 2023 seasons.

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Take for instance Wilson junior Loren Webster, who took fourth in the state in long jump last year, and Saturday she went a personal-best 20 feet, 1 inch (6.12m into a -1.0 m/s headwind) and had a second outstanding jump when she went 19-3.50 (5.88m)

“I’m extremely happy,” Webster said. “I started off the season pretty strong. I jumped my PR a few weeks ago so to come out here and PR again, it’s been a long journey. So to get it … it feels good. The goal is 21 feet (this season). I know I can get it.”

Roosevelt of Eastvale senior Cayden Roberson took third in the state last year in the 300 hurdles and was a rare double-winner at the California Relays when he triumphed in the 300 hurdles Friday night (38.06) and came back Saturday to take the 110 hurdles (14.71).

“I feel like it (having races on different days) is a lot better because usually it’s 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles you’re a little bit fatigued. It’s nice to be fresh Friday and come back Saturday and be fresh again. I’m pretty happy. Coming over the last hurdle (in the 300) I kind of fell, but I was still happy with my time.”

Long Beach Millikan senior distance runner Jason Parra had a good chance to do the same, but after winning the 3,200 Friday night (a meet-record 8:50.61, faster than he ran at state last year), he chose not to run in the 1,600 Saturday after not sleeping well Friday night and not feeling great Saturday.

“I feel pretty excited about the (3,200) time right now,” Parra said. “I would’ve liked a faster time to get ready for Arcadia. I really wanted to get that personal-best mark, 8:45, I know I still have a little bit more to improve on. I am pretty satisfied right now.”

The meet did provide an early season reminder of one of the best rivalries in CIF Southern Section high school track: the Culver City and Wilson girls 4x400 relay teams.

Culver City was first and Wilson was second at Southern Section Masters as well as the state finals last year, but Wilson got early season bragging rights in 2024 with a time Saturday of 3:44.63, only about two seconds off their state finals time from last year. Culver City was second in 3:47.58.

“I love Culver City because they have such a good team,” said Kaylin Edwards, who ran the second leg Saturday after winning the 300 hurdles Friday. “It’s friendly competition. It’s a competitive sport. Who wouldn’t want that?”

It was a very successful weekend for the Wilson girls relay teams. The Bruins not only won the 4x400, but won the 4x200 (1:39.26) and 4x800 (9:20.96) on Friday and won the 4x100 (46.79) and distance medley relay (12:36.60) on Saturday.

Perhaps the best finish of the meet came Saturday in the girls 400 when Culver City junior Joelle Trepagnier (second in the state last year) edged out St. Mary’s Academy junior Madison Mosby, 53.69 to 53.71.

“(Tight races) don’t happen often,” Trepagnier said. “They usually come later, like Arcadia, CIF, state. So I’m excited I got to see her run and compete right now to give me a taste of what it’s going to be like at state.

“I was expecting (a tight race). We’re best friends. We grew up together. We always used to race. It’s nothing new.” 

Claremont senior L’Mio Edwards was a state finalist in both the 800 and 4x800 last year. She ran both at the California Relays, taking second Friday in the 4x800, before coming back Saturday to win the 800 in 2:15.17.

“Compared to last year where I started I’m pretty good,” Edwards said. “Considering I ran the 4x800 and 4x200 (Friday) I couldn’t be happier with my time.”

While many of the winners at the California Relays are coming off successful 2023 high school seasons, that was not the case for Kaedyn Burroughs of Wilson, who is only a freshman, but triumphed Saturday in the 400 in 48.71 after having the top mark coming into the meet.

‘“I see myself as the underdog because I’m the youngest out of the group,” Burroughs said. “I was looking for 47. I feel like I could’ve come out a little bit faster and I would’ve gotten that time.”

His teammate, J.T. Kraemer, is a senior. Yet, he is in only his second year of running track yet and like Burroughs is showing he will be a force as the season unfolds. He ran an impressive 1:53.62 to win the 800 by more than three seconds.

“I’m really happy with that, especially dealing with injuries early on in the season so I had a very limited off-season,” Kraemer said. “It’s nice to come out here with a sub-1:54. I’ll take that for sure.”

Other girls varsity winners were: Millikan’s Nadia Mejia (3,200, 11:23.27), Valley View’s Amara Thomas (high jump, 5-2), Santee (4x1600 relay, 23:46.21), Serra (800-meter sprint medley relay, 1:51.70) Long Beach Poly (1600-meter sprint medley relay 4:05.44), Woodbridge’s Abby Biber (,1600, 5:11.70), Serra’s Jaiya Fletcher (100 hurdles, 15.38) and Mia Flowers (100, 11.96), Los Alamitos’ Olivia Bettinger (pole vault, 12-0), Long Beach Poly’s Mai Ricks (shot put, 41-3 and discus, 127-8) and Wilson’s Daqari Hampton (triple jump, 35-11).

Other boys varsity winners were: Long Beach Jordan’s Jerman Simms (high jump, 6-0), Long Beach Poly (4x200, 1:26.60), Millikan (4x1,600, 19:01.77), Wilson (4x800, 7:54.48), Glendora (800-meter sprint medley relay, 1:36.42 and distance medley relay, 10:35,06), Downey (1,600-meter sprint medley relay, 3:37.05), Cajon (4x100, 42.40), Claremont’s Lyle Mideiros (1600, 4:23.19), Los Alamitos’ Devin Bragg (100, 10.69), and Culver City (4x400, 3:17.01).

Millikan’s Duke Hemsley (shot put, 48-10 and discus, 139-3), Long Beach Jordan’s Jamar Andrews, Jr. (triple jump, 45-1.50), Redlands’ Michael Cullen (pole vault, 15-0) and Carson’s Jerald Martin Evangelista (long jump, 22-2) also secured victories.