It’s taken 42 years for a City athlete to beat the CIF 1,600m record set by Belmont legend Roman Gomez at the 1984 City Championships and on Friday evening Palisades senior Ernesto Jalomo did just that. Running a 6.39 second PB and a final 800m of 1:01.42 in heat 2 of the prelims, he crossed the line in 4:08.54 as the final qualifier for Saturday evening’s Championship race. And if this was a surprise to many know this, after his 1st race this year at The TEN where he posted an impressive 4:14.93 his first comment was “… what’s the City record”.
Note: Roman Gomez ran 1-mile in 4:07.09 (4:05.66 converted 1,600m) on June 8th, 1985 at the Golden West Invitational in Sacramento but this was not a CIF-sanctioned event. Also, Paul Leuvano ran 1-mile in 4:09.70 (4:08.25 converted 1,600m) at the Azusa Meet of Champions on March 26, 2016, also not a CIF sanctioned event.
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CIF State Championship Updates
May 30th, 2026 - Buchanon HS
The surprise of the Championship evening was the Palisades’ boys 4×800m relay team. Seeded 16th out of 18th based on City Final results, Pali’s qualifying time was almost 30 seconds off the top team. But, after the 1st leg by Ernesto Jalomo the Dolphins were running strong in 3rd. Just an aberration, right? Then their 2nd leg Zach Cohen surges to the front and hands off to Jackson Taylor in the lead. Crazy! When the dust settled Palisades finished in 7th with a school and LA City Section record of 7:50.20; that averages to 1:58.05 per runner. Congratulations to Ernesto Jalomo (1:56.33), Zach Cohen (1:55.01), Jackson Taylor (1:58.38) and Mako Holt (2:00.48). Well done!
And, if you thought Ernesto Jalomo’s prelim performance in the 1600m was a one-time moonshot, he returned on Saturday evening to run 4:10.64 in the Final. Ernesto’s two performances from State Prelims and Finals both rank within the top-5 LA City performances ever! All-in-all a huge State Championship for Ernesto.
Jayden Rendon placed 2nd in the 300m hurdles just .12 seconds off the winning time. He also placed 7th in the 110m hurdles.
State performances continue to improve at a rate that seemingly defies advances in training and coaching. How much shoe technology, bicarb, etc. are contributing is conjecture but the fact that 4:09 didn’t make the boys 1600m cut and a 4:57 placed last in the girls 1600m prelim is indicative of a new world order. Nonetheless, LA City athletes rose to the occasion and delivered some exceptional performances.
Three City athletes advanced to Finals from qualifying rounds on Friday evening: Jayden Rendon (Carson) qualified in both the 110m and 300m hurdles, Ernesto Jalomo (Palisades Charter) in the 1600m and Lawrence Kensinger (Venice) in the shot put. Ernesto set school and CIF-LA Section records with his 4:08.54 performance
Some other noteworthy performances that did not qualify for State Final. Garfield senior Ruben Mendoza placed 6th in heat 3 of the 800m with a Garfield school record of 1:54.05, culminating a really impressive senior year. In heat 1 of the 800m, Marshall junior ran a 1:55.61, an over 1-second PB that ranks #3 on Marshall’s all-time 800 performances. Senior Annabelle Refnes set a new Venice school record with a 2:13.93 performance (breaking the record she held from 2025’s State meet) in heat 2 of the 800m. And, Ananya Balarama was less than a second off her 4:57.10 PB in the 1600m with a 10-second improvement over her winning City Finals time in the 1600m. Her time of 4:57. 41 ranks in the top-10 best performances ever by a City athlete.
Palisades senior Daila Harinck did not run due to illness. The Carson girls did not compete in the 4×100 (they were the top team from City Finals) and Christina Gray did not qualify for the 100m finals and did not run in the 200m prelims.
On Saturday evening Sammy Pacheco (Granada Hills), Hudson Song (Taft) and Gaby Zarat (Belmont) compete in the girls 3200m and Palisades’ Zach Cohen, Ethan Funk and Ernesto Jalomo compete in the boys 3200m. Also, Granada Hills, Palisades and San Pedro will be competing in the boys and girls 4×800m.
May 29th, 2026 - Buchanon HS
State Qualifiers
Perfect Form
Carson senior Jayden Rendon navigates the final hurdle in the 110m High Hurdles to capture his 2nd City title in the event. He’ll be a favorite at State in both the 110m and 300m hurdles. He also won the 300m City title, his 3rd City title in that event.
Strike a Pose
Senior Christina Gray gets ready to lead-off the Carson 4×100 relay team. Carson won the race in dominant fashion and Christina went on to win City titles in both the 100m and 200m as well to help the Carson girls win the City team title.
Zach Taylor starts the day strong anchoring the Palisade’s 4×800 relay to win the 1st race of the Championships. Zach came back 2 hours later to win the 3,200m race in a thriller that had Palisades take 1st-3rd and secure a 2nd place team finish.
It’s been a long road back since Ananya Balaraman’s championship win a year ago. But on Thursday she looked to be in top form in the 1600m, taking the lead at 800m and holding off the competition in a final 400m of 1:10 to win her 2nd 1600m title in a season best 5:07.64.
The 1600m went out in a pedestrian 2:20 1st half-mile that meant the race would be decided in the final 400m. Ernesto Jalomo closed the final lap in a blistering 57.98 that earned him the win and his 1st City championship.
Venice senior Annabelle Refnes had already competed in the long jump and high jump as she toed the starting line for the 800m. Unfazed, she led out the 1st lap of the race and then made a decisive move headed into the 2nd lap to gap the field. She held that lead through to the finish to win in 2:17.77.
In the best race of the City Championships sophomore Will Abiragi and Ruben Mendoza, the 2 top ranked 800m athletes, went to the wire in a photo finish. Will won the race in the top time ever by a sophomore at a City Finals, 1:55.96, and is only the 3rd sophomore to win an 800m City title.
Sammy Pacheco arrived at the City Finals as the prohibitive favorite and she did not disappoint. She led the race from start to finish to win with a 11-second margin in 11:23.09.
Heir and Heir Apparent
Two of City’s best celebrate after impressive performances in the 800m. Venice senior Annabelle Refnes won the race in 2:17.77 and Eagle Rock sophomore placed 2nd in a PB of 2:19.44.
North Hollywood freshman Brycelyn Pettigrew won the high jump City title by 6 inches and even at that she was clearing the bar by at least another 6 inches. Her mark of 5’-4” set a school record; the City record of 5’-9” should be hers in the next 2 years.
Taft junior Isabella Sakalowsi celebrates after a 3rd place finish and PB in the 1600m Final. Tactically a perfect race, Isabella ran even splits and closed hard in the final 100m to earn the final State berth in 5:12.96.
City’s top sophomores David Kanner (Eagle Rock) and Yael Zambrano-Meza (Franklin) lead the 1600m Final on the first lap. Stay tuned, you’ll be hearing a lot more about these boys in the next 2 years.
Palisades senior Daila Harinck coasts to a win in heat 1 of the 1600m at the City Prelims. Daila heads into Finals as the 2nd seed in the 1600m and 1st seed in the 800m and is the favorite in both.
Palisades senior Ernesto Jalombo showed why he’ll be the man to beat on May 21st. He stormed to wins in both of his heats in the 800m and 1600m, posting the top qualifying times in both.
Sammy Pacheco leads out heat 2 of the 1600m with Ananya Balaraman in tow. Ananya won the heat with the top qualifying time and Sammy placed 2nd in the heat with the 4th fastest qualifying time. Both will be looking for City titles, Sammy is a favorite in the 3200m and Ananya will challenge for the 800m and 1600m.
Venice senior Anabelle Refnes took the pace out hard in heat 2 of the 800m and held on to win the heat with the 2nd fastest qualifying time.
Ruben Mendoza continues his exceptional track season with a win in heat 3 of the 800m and the 3rd best qualifying time for Finals.
At his best, Jackson Taylor has the ability to beat anyone and he has a knack for running big when it counts. That’s to say he’ll be someone to watch on May 21st. This is Jackson in the 800m where he placed 2nd with the 4th best qualifying time. He placed 2nd in heat 1 of the 1600 earlier in the day with the 2nd best qualifying time.
Ana Jasso (Canoga Park), Whitney Derby (Venice) and Ruby Ramon King Drew) lead heat 1 of the 800m with 150 meters to the finish. Whitney won the heat with the 4th best qualifying time. Ana set a PB of 2:24.49, the 5th best qualifying time.
Franklin sophomore Yael Zambrano-Meza and Marshall junior Andrew Gardner ran in the same heats in both the 800m and 1600m, exchanging wins in each. Yael won heat 2 of the 1600 with the 6th best qualifying time (Andrew was 2nd) and Andrew won the 800m (pictured) with the 6th best qualifying time.
Zachary McGrath out leans Brandon Cook in heat 1 of the 800m. Both boys qualified for Thursday’s City Final. Julian Mendez is close behind and also qualified. All 3 sets PB’s in the race.
Eagle Rock sophomore Fiona Walts will have her work cut out for her in the 800m Finals in a very deep event that will likely have 5 girls dipping under 2:20. This is Fiona in heat 2 where she placed 2nd with the 7th fastest qualifying time.
Heat 3 of the 800m line up for the start.
(l-r) Ruben Mendoza, Jeovanny Rodriguez, Tristan Bookman, Adrian Aguire, Andrew Alba Romero
Bold - Qualifier
San Pedro junior Rebekah Lopez has quietly moved up the 800m rankings throughout this season to arrive in post season as a legitimate contender. She placed 3rd in heat 3 of the 800m with a PB of 2:24.72, the 6th fastest qualifying time.
Ethan Barok runs a :50-second high split on Taft’s 4×400 relay team. That was his 3rd race on a busy day that included 2nd place finishes in the 800m and 1600m earlier in the day, races he’ll be a top contender in on May 21st.
Avery Cavalier leads out the 1st lap of heat 1 of the 1600m. She was 1 of 2 freshman to qualify for the 1600m City Finals and the only D5 athlete.
Taft senior Hunter Bennett and Carson sophomore Miguel Mora lean for the finish of heat 1 of the 1600m. Both qualified with Hunter posting the 8th best qualifying time and Miguel the 9th best.
Cleveland’s Fab 4×400
Will Abiragi, Sawyer Pichford, Dylan Marks, Sho Evans
Varsity League Champions - GIRLS
Varsity League Champions - BOYS
West Valley League Finals
Birmingham HS - June 8th, 2026
The Granada girls won all 3 varsity distance event with senior Sammy Pacheco leading the charge with wins in both the 1600 and 3200m. Ethan Barok led the Taft boys with wins in the 800 and 1600. Granada sophomore Mia Abrego won the girls varsity 800m while teammate Joaquin Ortega-Tomaselli won the 3200m.
Taft ran 3 freshman girls in the varsity finals: Krystal Tjenalooi placed 2nd in the 800m, Unica Guerrera placed 5th in the 1600m and 4th in the 3200m, and Madison Fabro placed 6th in the 800m. Really nice performances that bodes well for the future.
Sammy Pacheco takes charge in the varsity 3200m. She went on to win the race, her 3rd league title in the event, after having won the 1600m race earlier in the day.
Ethan Barok heads into the final lap of the varsity 1600m with stiff competition in tow. Ethan won the race in 4:27.64. An hour later he won the 800m in another race that was won in the last 50 meters.
Joquin crosses the finish line in the varsity 3200m for the win after a late-race surge that separated him from the competition. This is Joaquin Ortega-Tomaselli’s 1st league title, track or cross-country, which seems incredible for a runner of his caliber. That just shows the level of talent in the West Valley.
Yesenia Valdez posted one of the few PB’s at the West Valley league finals, in the varsity 1600m where she placed 2nd in 5:20.70. Later she placed 3rd in the 3200m in 11:58.71.
Cleveland sophomore Will Abiragi leads the varsity 800m after the 1st lap. Will placed 2nd in the race in 2:00.82, just .07 seconds off the winning time. An hour early he placed 2nd in the 1600m in 4:27.97, another close race that was decided by .33 seconds.
Taft sophomore Hudson Song ran negative splits in the varsity 3200m to place 2nd, posting the 3rd best time across all City league finals.
Taft senior Hunter Bennet leads out the varsity 3200m at the West Valley league finals. He settled for 2nd place in 10:16.42, a performance he’ll likely avenge in 2 weeks.
Granada Hills sophomore Elena Medrano takes a big lead on the 1st lap of the varsity 800m. She placed 3rd in the race. That’s Mia Abrego in 2nd place. She won the race in a PB of 2:28.19.
Unica Guerrera was the top freshman at the West Valley league finals, placing 5th in the varsity 1600m and 4th in the 3200m.
The chase pack in the varsity 3200m: Indie Hyman, Daniel Salazar, Julian Segal and Alexis Heurta
East Valley-Valley Mission League Finals
Birmingham HS - June 7th, 2026
Ananya Balaraman and Kensuke Ohshima led the charge for North Hollywood with 2 individual East Valley league titles each helping the Huskies to a team title for the girls (their 2nd in a row) and a 2nd place finish for the boys behind Verdugo Hills.
In the Valley Mission league, Emily Rodriguez earned league titles in the 1600 and 3200 and the Golden Cougars were just one point shy of winning the team title which Sylmar won. Three different Kennedy boys won league titles in the 800, 1600, 3200 and the team won the league title for the 3rd year in a row.
Ananya Balaraman leads out the combined East Valley/Valley Mission league final varsity 1600m race at Birmingham HS. Ananya won the race as well as the 800m race an hour later to earn her 3rd league title in the 800m and 2nd in the 1600m.
Kennedy sophomore Felipe Perez crushed the final 400m in the Varsity 1600m to win the combined race and the Valley Mission league title.
North Hollywood sophomore Kensuke Ohshima takes gold in the East Valley varsity 3200m race. Earlier, Kensuke won the East Valley league 1600m.
Kennedy sophomore Emily Rodriguez clears 1200 meters on her way to winning the Valley Mission varsity 1600m. She also won the Valley Mission 3200m.
Canoga Park senior Ana Jasso dominated the Valley Mission varsity 800m with an almost 7-second PB to win in 2:24.91. Look for bigger things to come May 21st.
Nour-Alali G Insfran De Fazio finishes strong to take the Valley Mission varsity 800m race.
Julian Mendez is running almost 15 seconds faster in the 800m in his senior year at North Hollywood versus last year. Proof positive that it’s never too late. He had the fastest time on the day winning the East Valley league title in 2:03.47.
Monroe junior Mishelle Zuniga won the East Valley league final 3200m. This image is Mishelle finishing the 2nd lap; 6 more to go!
Josiah Castro went out hard in the varsity 3200m and gutted out an heroic finish to earn the Valley Mission league title.
Western League Finals
Hamilton HS - June 6th, 2026
Palisades Charter swept all the varsity distance races, boys and girls, in the Western league finals at Hamilton HS on Wednesday, May 6th. Daila Harinck and Zach Cohen both earned 2 league titles to lead Palisades to overall team wins as well.
Senior Daila Harinck earned 2 Western league titles on Wednesday in the 800m and 3200m. This photo is at the finish of the 800m.
Running at less than 100% Ernesto Jalomo still managed to take league titles in the 800 and 1600. This picture is the finish of the 800m
Back in top form senior Maya Bhasin wins her first varsity league title in the 3200m. That’s junior Kendal Shaver in 2nd.
Zach Cohen leads a Palisades sweep in the varsity 3200. Sophomore Theo Mayeda and senior Ernesto Jalomo placed 2nd and 3rd.
Freshman Alec Sharpley set a blistering pace on the 1st lap of the Frosh/Soph 1600m to drop all competition and held the lead to the finish to win the race and the league title.
Freshman Natlie Chen wins the Frosh/Soph 800m in dominant fashion.
Sophomore Maxwell Chi takes the Frosh/Soph 800m with an impressive final 100m surge.
Northern League Prelims
Belmont HS - April 30th, 2026
Ayrton Holguin wins heat 2 of the frosh/soph 1600m race in style.
Fiona Walts, Ayleen Torres and Raquel Salgado compete in heat 1 of the Varsity 800m.
City’s best compete in heat 1 of the varsity 1600m at the Northern league prelims
(l-r) Jackson Gloyd, Isaac Fabian, Damian Mendoza, Yael Zambrano-Meza, David Kanner
Marshall junior Andrew Gardner takes the win in heat 2 of the varsity 1600m.
Eagle Rock junior Lillian Olin ran a PB in heat 2 of the varsity 800m, earning the top seed for the League Finals next week.
Bravo Medical’s top ranked runner, sophomore Heily Rosas, competes in heat 2 of the varsity 1600m.
4 × 800m LEAGUE CHAMPS - EAGLE ROCK
(L-R) Brandon Cook, Lucky Guevarra, Isaac Fabian, Elias Kornsweig
4 × 800m LEAGUE CHAMPS - EAGLE ROCK
(L-R) Fiona Walts, Lillian Olin, Winter Ryu-Whitney, Rhea Solbes
‘The Drive’
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The goal is to evangelize exceptional teams and athletes with high quality, curated content and editorial perspectives in an online periodic publication.
Each volume will include a ‘Special’ section, as well as Athletes of the Week/Month, ‘The Week in Pictures’ including a ‘Picture of the Week’, ‘The Numbers’, and ‘Heard on the Trail’.
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