Vote: Who Was California Boys Track and Field 2026 Athlete of the Year?

California has long been regarded as one of the premier high school track and field states in America, and the 2026 season has done nothing to change that reputation. Across every event group, athletes have delivered nationally competitive performances and historic breakthroughs.

From Ejam Yohannes' dominance in the 400 meters to Cy Lugo's sprint supremacy and Maximo Zavaleta's distance double, the Golden State is loaded with elite talent. With the postseason reaching its climax, we present some of California's top athletes deserving consideration for High School On SI's California Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year fan vote.

Take a look at some of California’s top-performing boys high school track and field athletes and vote for who you think is the best at the bottom of the page. The voting poll will close on Thursday, June 11 at 11:59 p.m. (PT).

(Stats are pulled from athletic.net and historical rankings prepcaltrack.com)

Ejam Yohannes, Sr., Loyola

Few athletes have demonstrated versatility like Yohannes this season. The Loyola star owns California's top 400-meter time at 45.73 seconds while also ranking among the state's elite 800-meter runners with a 1:51.04. (8th in CA)

Yohannes has consistently delivered against top competition and remains one of the nation's premier quarter-milers entering championship season. and moved into the CA All-time top 10 (9th) with his personal best at State Finals. He ranks 4th nationally just a spot behind Olympian Quincy Wilson. He also owns the 10th best mark in CA for the 200 with a time of 20.85 and a personal best of 10.83 in the 100.

Benjamin Harris, Jr., Servite

While Harris ranks second in California in the 100 meters (10.14) and second in the 200 meters (20.51), his impact extends beyond individual events. He has been a critical piece of Servite's historic relay success, helping power one of the fastest sprint programs California has ever seen.

He wrapped up this season taking home the state title in the 100-meter, finished 5th in the 200 and was a part of the #1 relay team in the nation across two different relays (4x1, 4x2) and added another medal around his neck winning state in the 4x1 breaking a 37-year old record held by Hawthorne. His wind aided PB in the 100 is good for 4th all-time in CA history (all conditions). Harris' aided PBs rank him 12th for the 100 and 10th nationally in the 200.

Cy Lugo, Sr., Elk Grove

Lugo has established himself as California's fastest overall sprinter. He leads the state in the 200 meters with a blistering 20.31 and ranks third in the 100 meters at 10.17. He also owns one of California's fastest 300-meter hurdle performances at 36.67 winning the Arcadia 2026 invitational.

He really stole the show ate the state finals running neck and neck with Harris finishing second in the 100 and first in the 200. He ranks 5th all time in CA history with his wind aided state finals performance and 2nd all time in CA (all conditions) only behind the great Michael Norman (20.02 at the 2016 olympic trials) He is ranked 31st nationally in the 300 hurdles and 18th and 4th respectively in the 100 and 200.

Quran Clayton, Jr., Oak Hills

Clayton has emerged as one of California's most explosive dual-event stars. He owns the state's fastest 100-meter mark at 10.12 and also ranks among California's elite hurdlers with a 13.62 in the 110-meter hurdles.

Very few athletes in the nation can combine elite flat speed and hurdle ability at such a high level. Unfortunately, injury cut his season short and he did not get to compete past CIF prelims. He ranks 2nd all-time in CA with his wind aided 100 and 15th all time in the hurdles.

Maximo Zavaleta, Sr., M.L. King (Riverside)

The distance ace has put together one of the most impressive seasons in the country. Zavaleta leads California in both the 1600 meters (4:02.78) and 3200 meters (8:43.21).

His distance double places him among the nation's most accomplished distance runners and gives him a legitimate claim to California's top athlete honor. He ranks 1st in CA in both long distance events and 6th nationally in the 1600 and 9th in the 3200. He ranks 19th in CA history for the 1600 and 16th for the 3200.

Jasir Fontenot, So., Mater Dei Catholic (SD)

After dealing with injury all season he was able to finish his season strong winning his second straight state title in the 110 hurdles running a wind aided 13.33, good for the best mark of the season in CA and 9th in the nation.

His wind aided 13.21 from last season stands as the best mark in CA history, and his best time this season would have been good for the 3rd best all-time mark excluding his personal best from the list. He has the potential to be a 4x state champion.

Brady Tse, Sr., Harker

Tse has been California's king of the hurdles this season. He ranks No. 2 in the 110-meter hurdles with a 13.46 and leads the state in the 300-meter hurdles at 36.23.

The senior has consistently delivered elite performances in both hurdle disciplines and remains a major championship threat. His wind aided PR was good for 2nd in the state finals while taking home first in the 300. He ranks 15th and 16th respectively in the nation for the hurdles.He boasts PRs of 10.68 in the 100, 21.31 in the 200, and 47.32 in the 400 all top 100 times in CA with the 400 being ranked at 14th in the state. He ranks 31st all time in CA history for the 300s and 6th all time for wind aided marks in the 110s.

Karsyn Van Grouw, Sr., Bucchanan

Van Grouw became the first California boy this season to break the 200-foot barrier in the discus, unleashing a state-leading throw of 202 feet, 1 inch.

That performance places him among the elite discus throwers in the nation and gives California another nationally ranked field-event star. Ranking 14th in the nation and 30th all time in CA history, he also throws a respectable 53'10.5" in shot put and made it to the masters meet shotput.

Riley Gash, Jr., Ventura

The California leader in Pole Vault by half an inch with a height of 17 feet, one and a half inch is also good for the 14th best mark in the nation. The vaulter also competes in the 100, 200 and 400 this season.

He is ranked 16th all-time in CA state history.

Joshua Harel, Sr., Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks)

Harel sits atop California's high jump rankings after clearing 7 feet, 2 inches. Reaching seven feet remains one of track and field's most exclusive milestones, and Harel has done exactly that.

The senior's consistency throughout the season has made him one of California's premier field-event athletes. He is ranked 16th all-time in CA state history and ranks No. 4 in the nation (tied with six others).

Bo Ausmus, Sr., Redondo Union

Ausmus delivered one of the best throwing seasons in California this year, ranking No. 3 in the state in the shot put (63 feet, 7.75 inches) and No. 2 in the discus (200 feet, 1 inch). He became one of only two California athletes to surpass 200 feet in the discus this season while setting school records in both events.

The Redondo Union senior swept the CIF Southern Section Division 1 titles in both the shot put and discus before finishing as the CIF State runner-up in the discus and fourth in the shot put. His marks of 63 feet, 7.75 inches in the shot put and 200 feet, 1 inch in the discus ranked No. 34 and No. 17 nationally, respectively. He also ranks No. 95 all-time in California history in the shot put and No. 42 all-time in the discus, cementing his place as the best thrower in California.

Case Jacobson, Sr., St. Francis (Mountain View)

Jacobson established himself as one of California's premier throwers this season, launching a personal-best 65 feet, 3.5 inches in the shot put to rank No. 2 in the state and No. 14 nationally. His mark also places him No. 47 all-time in California history, putting him among the state's elite shot putters.

The St. Francis senior consistently delivered throughout the state championship season, winning the Central Coast Section Championships and placing 7th at the CIF State Championships. He also added a discus best of 177 feet, 5 inches, giving him one of the strongest throwing résumés in Northern California this season. His Arcadia winning personal best was good for the second best toss in in CIF Central Coast section history and broke a 51 year old school record.

About Our Athlete of the Week Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals.Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports.Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.

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