Servite 3-Star WR Headlines Record-Breaking Weekend at Redondo Nike Invitational

REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA — In the cool ocean air of the Sea Hawk Bowl, the Redondo Nike Invitational once again proved why it belongs on the shortlist of must‑watch high school track meets.

Dozens of teams decamped to the South Bay for a two‑day festival of distance, throws and track finals that felt like a mini‑Arcadia. The Redondo Nike Track Festival has built a reputation for producing national‑class marks and giving emerging athletes a major‑meet experience. In 2016 alone the meet produced 139 elite performances and nine state‑leading marks as more than 2,500 athletes from 75 schools competed. A later edition saw more than 50 schools, with four national‑leading and 14 state‑leading times and marks recorded. That mix of depth and quality drew athletes from Northern California, Nevada and even Texas to Friday’s distance carnival and Saturday’s track and field extravaganza.

Prestige and Community

The invitational’s stature has grown alongside the volunteer corps that powers it. Organizers recruit hundreds of parents, alumni and community members to staff the meet, transforming Redondo Union High’s campus into a hive of activity for two days. Vendors line the concourse, school banners hang from the stadium’s railings and athletes warm up on adjacent soccer fields. It is a big‑stage environment, but one that retains the feel of a South Bay block party.

After Nike pulled sponsorship following the pandemic, the meet briefly rebranded to the Redondo Track Festival and continued to attract top talent. This year the swoosh returned, and with it a surge of entrants and fans eager to see how California’s best athletes would fare against visiting powers.

Friday opened with the Distance Carnival, where the 3200‑meter races and 4 × 800 relays set the tone. Saturday’s schedule packed sprint prelims, hurdle finals and field events into a tight slate culminating with the invitational 4 × 400 relays. Throughout the weekend, athletes shattered meet records and delivered performances that will echo into the national rankings.

Sprints – Harris and Brooks Make History

The sprint finals produced some of the meet’s headline moments. In the boys 100‑meter dash, Servite’s Benjamin Harris powered through a 1.9 m/s tailwind to stop the clock at 10.27 seconds, taking more than a tenth off the previous meet record

The junior's explosive start separated him from a stacked field that included Nicolas Obimgba of Torrance (10.34) and Loyola’s Zion Phelps (10.39). For context, Harris’s time has him sitting in 76th place nationally of wind-legal times. (you can see the race here)

The girls 100 was nearly as fast. Aniyah Brooks of Long Beach Poly displayed veteran poise, holding off West Ranch freshman Tamea Crear to win in 11.70 seconds. Brooks edged Crear by four hundredths; Devyn Sproles and Aria Pearce were right behind at 11.77 as five girls ran 11.78 or faster.
6 of the top 10 100-meter times in California were ran at this meet, with Brooks holding the state leading mark.

The boys 400-meter produced the weekend’s most jaw‑dropping performance. Loyola junior Ejam Yohannes blasted a 46.24 to win by more than a second and erase Noah Smith’s (Long Beach Poly) 47.29 meet record and places him 4th nationally.

Central East senior Emanuel Morgan (47.28) and Long Beach Wilson's Kaedyn Burroughs (47.29) gave chase, but Yohannes’s smooth stride and sub‑47 time signaled he could challenge for the CIF State title as he has already shaved more than a second off from last season's personal. All three of these individuals are the current

On the girls side, Long Beach Wilson's Brooke Blue continued her steady progression by winning the 400 in 54.82. Helix sprinter Ava Parker (55.38) and Canyon’s Alaya Graves‑Hogains (56.07) rounding out the top three. The trio ranks first, third and ninth in California respectively, while Blue sits 25th nationally.

Middle distance – Zavaleta and Yakaitis rewrite the record book

Martin Luther King senior Maximo Zavaleta engaged in a tactical duel with Poly Riverside’s Jace Deledonne and Palos Verdes’ Blake Sigworth before pulling away over the final lap to win in 4:08.93. His time broke his previous meet record (4:12.43) by nearly four seconds and makes him second in California andt the nation this season. Deledonne (4:11.03) and Sigworth (4:11.27) both dipped under the old mark as well, while four more runners ran between 4:11 and 4:12 to show the depth of the field. Adrian Cantu (Saugus) and South Pasadena’s Michael Scarince closed hard for fourth and fifth. Ryan Burger of Mira Costa was not far behind with 4:12.84. The meet produced six of the top 11 marks in the state.

The girls 1600 was just as entertaining. Gretchen Yakaitis of Carondelet looked calm through the first three laps before accelerating away to win in 4:53.83. She shaved a few tenth of a seconds off the meet record set in 2018 (4:54.03) and moved into the top tier of California distance runners. West Torrance standout Kamilah Salim (4:55.08) and Stockdale’s Reese Holley (4:56.71) also ran top 10 times in the state this season. They sit first, third, and sixth respectively while Yakaitis is the current national leader.

Distance fans were in for a treat Friday night for the boys 3200, where Mira Costa's Krish Desai claimed the win in 8:59.29. Maximo Zavaleta took second (9:02.12), with Mario Montoya third in 9:04.56. Desai’s closing speed suggests he will be a factor in the 3200 at Arcadia. These were all top three times in California this season, while Desai sits third nationally.

Hurdles and Relays

In the boys 300‑meter hurdles, Beaumont junior Kai’nalu “Kai” Johnston flirted with the meet record, leaning across the line in 38.07 second just six hundredths shy of the 38.01 meet record. He outdueled Mateo Loo of Mira Costa (38.12) and Blaise Burwell of Edison (38.37). The trio ranks second, fourth, and seventh respectively in California, while the meet produced a total of 5 top 10 California marks this season. Johnston sits at 20th in the nation.

The girls 300 hurdles saw Central East’s Sofia Lopes and Eleanor Roosevelt’s Trishelle Barge battle it out until ultimately Barge pulled away in the final straight to win in 43.49. Lopes held on for second (43.76) ahead of Windward’s Nia Faulknor (44.24), with eight athletes under 47 seconds. Barge sits at fifth in the state and 26th nationally.

A meet record was close to falling in the boys 110 hurdles as USC commit Jayden Rendon of Carson ran a 13.91, just 0.04 off from tying the record set last year. The time was the fastest time by an LA City Section athlete since 2009. Central East's Sofia Lopes took home a state leading mark to win the 100 hurdles with a time of 14.17.

Relay fans always look to see whether Long Beach Poly will add to its storied history. The Jackrabbits’ boys 4 × 100 did just that, getting the baton around in 41.00 seconds. Notre Dame (SO) (41.29) and Servite (41.35) were close behind, with eight teams under 42.1. (Note: Servite was missing some key relay pieces with some athletes at Nike Indoor nationals)

In the girls 4 × 100, Calabasas took down Centennial (NV) , winning 47.07 to 47.26. Mira Costa (47.59) snagged third, while Central East (48.14) and Long Beach Wilson (48.44) rounded out the top five.

Saturday’s finale delivered pure drama. With the stadium lights on and crowds pressed against the railings, the boys 4 × 400 became a dual between Loyola and Central East. Anchored by Yohannes, the Cubs clocked 3:14.44—another meet record—to hold off Central East (3:15.08) and Scripps Ranch (3:18.70)

Canyon (3:20.82), Mira Costa (3:22.60) and Dorsey (3:23.37) rounded out the top six. Earlier, the girls 4 × 400 saw Canyon Country run 3:52.75 to edge Long Beach Poly (3:53.67)

A day earlier, Wilson of Long Beach set yet another meet record in the girls 4 × 800 with a 9:02.44, erasing the old mark by nearly nine seconds. Millikan captured the boys 4 × 800 in 7:49.98, outleaning host Redondo Union (7:50.75). Millikan took home the No. 2 outdoor time in the nation this year as the race featured five of the top seven times in the country for 2026 and seven out of the top 10.

Field Events – A Weekend of Flights and Throws

Redondo has long produced big horizontal jumps, and this year was no exception. Ayala’s Nathaniel Baca turned in one of the meet’s star performances, leaping 23'9.25" (7.25 m) to win the boys long jump and set a meet record by 3 inches. A record which had stood since 2018.

Emmanuel Pullins (Notre Dame — Sherman Oaks) reached 22''9½" (6.95 m) for second, while Maxwell Miles of Centennial NV claimed third at 22 feet. Later in the afternoon Baca returned for the high jump and added a second title, clearing 6'5" (1.95 m) to top a field that included Charles Halvorsen and Jaden Solis at 6'1" His multi‑event prowess echoed the meet’s past stars, many of whom have gone on to NCAA decathlons.

Kaia Musalborn of El Segundo produced the meet’s most eye‑popping jump on the girls side. The sophomore flew 20 feet (6.10 m) on her first attempt to set a meet record by nearly a foot. Journi Spencer of Long Beach Wilson finished second at 17'9" (5.41 m) and Rylee Hagger of Central East third at 17''7.5". Musalborn sits as the California leader and fourth nationally.

In the triple jump, South Torrance’s Isabella Cavallari hopped, stepped and jumped 37'4.25" (11.39 m) to edge Mira Costa’s Lily Roberts and Long Beach Poly’s Kelis Acker, both of whom were within two inches. Cavallari sit's at 12th in the state.

The boys triple jump title went to Liberty‑Bakersfield’s Piercen Jones at 44'7.25" (13.59 m), ahead of Canyon Country’s Michael Madera (44'0.5").
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The pole vault runway saw its own fireworks. Mira Costa senior Tomek Gorzkowski cleared 16 feet even (4.87 m) to win the boys vault. This ranks him 26th in the nation and second in California.
Etiwanda’s Isaac Lanaro and Eleanor Roosevelt’s David O’Brien both topped out at 15'6"(4.72 m) to share second.

Crossroads’ Prahlika Hatti took the girls pole vault with a 12‑foot clearance (3.65 m), while Mira Costa’s Skyla Burmeister and Liberty‑Bakersfield’s Madelyn Porter tied for second at 11 feet even.

Home athlete Bo Ausmus delivered a show for the Sea Hawk faithful in the boys shot put, spinning the 12‑pound ball out to 60'6"Clovis North sophomore Cooper Haydock nearly matched him with a 59'10.75" throw, while Silas Nur of Loyola took third at 55'9". In the boys discus it was filled with some absolute bo,mbers. Bo Ausmus ended up winning with a toss of 181'8". He is currently ranked first in California for shotput (5th in the nation) and #rd in the state for discus (8th nationally)

The girls discus title went to Centennial (NV) thrower Alexis Pittman at 125'5" (38.22 m), ahead of Mira Costa’s Katherine Maloney (123‑4). Journee Scott won the girls shot put at 44'7", with a mark that should move her to No. 2 in California.

What’s Next

The Redondo Nike Invitational once again succeeded in blending community spirit with high‑level competition. Meet director Brian Giguere and his volunteer army delivered a well‑run program that produced at least five meet records (boys 100, boys 400, boys and girls 1,600, girls long jump) and numerous personal bests. For athletes like Benjamin Harris, Gretchen Yakaitis, Maximo Zavaleta and Ejam Yohannes, the performances here will serve as springboards into the Arcadia Invitational and state championships. For fans, the weekend offered a reminder that Southern California’s track scene remains deep and dynamic. Now the focus shifts to Arcadia, where many of these athletes will face national‑level competition. If Redondo is any indication, more fireworks are in store.

Meet records and breakthrough performances highlighted the Redondo Nike Invitational in Redondo Beach, where Benjamin Harris, Ejam Yohannes, Gretchen Yakaitis and other California stars posted nation‑leading times and marks.