Amira Whitehead made a statement Saturday afternoon during the Mt. SAC Relays at Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut.
Whitehead, the sophomore from Summit High School, brought home the championship in the girls invitational division 400-meter dash with a personal-best time of 53.77 seconds. She announced herself a true state title contender with California’s fastest time in the event this season.
And Whitehead turned in another strong effort in the rated 200-meter dash, claiming that title in a personal-best and wind-legal time of 24.05.
Saturday was a good day for another sophomore, Etiwanda’s Brandon Andrade, who won the boys invitational title in the 300-meter hurdles in a personal-best and state-leading time of 36.79. Andrade also placed fourth in the invitational 110-meter hurdles with another PR of 14.13.
Elsinore senior Nicolas Alexis claimed the boys invitational long jump title with a personal-best but wind-aided mark of 23 feet and 11 inches. Alexis also shined in the invitational triple jump, finishing third with a wind-aided leap of 47-1 1/2.
Temescal Canyon senior Megan Crum followed up a victory at the Arcadia Invitational (girls seeded mile) with another strong effort at the Mt. SAC Relays. Crum captured the title in the girls invitational 3200 meters Saturday with a personal-best time of 10:21.00.
Jurupa Valley’s AB Hernandez claimed the titles in the girls invitational horizontal jumps. Hernandez won the triple jump with a personal-best and wind-legal state-leading mark of 41-4. The junior also captured the title in the long jump with wind-legal leap of 19-2.
Santiago won the title in the girls invitational 4 x 1600 relay, with the quartet of Taylor Davis, Sofia Ramirez, Audrey Buckley, Nicole Samson posting a time of 20:52.54.
Several other Inland athletes and relay teams had Top 5 finishes in invitational events.
Riverside Poly’s Beckett Sullivan finished second in the boys 800 meters with a personal-best time of 1:51.57. Sullivan also teamed up with Santiago Ambriz, Michael Gaines and Owen Weems for a second-place finish in the sprint medley relay (3:30.10).
Yucaipa’s Benjamin Lingenfelter finished second in the boys shot put (56-2 1/2) and fourth in the boys discus (166-6). King’s Andrew Dixon placed second in the boys discus (171-11). Murrieta Mesa’s William Bright placed second in the boys 110-meter hurdles with a personal-best and wind-legal time of 13.85, while Temecula Valley’s Jack Stadlman placed second in the boys 200 meters (21.44).
Rancho Cucamonga was fourth in the boys 4 x 100 relay, as John Campbell, Rodney Sernons, Tahj Crutchfield, Cameron Sermons posted a time of 41.79. Temecula Valley finished fifth in that event (41.82). Great Oak’s quartet of Jack Paradise, Brayden Colletti, Marco Franco and Jacob Brown placed fourth in the boys distance medley relay (10:07.01).
Chaffey’s Daniel Reza was fifth in the boys mile (PR of 4:13.07), and Great Oak’s Colin Green was fifth in the boys triple jump (45-9 1/2).
Chaparral’s Keelan Wright finished second in the girls 100-meter dash behind a season-best and wind-legal time of 11.51. That race ended with a photo finish, and Ryan Jennings of Timber Creek Regional (Erial, N.J.) edged out Wright by .005 seconds.
Su’Riah Williams of Redlands placed third in the girls shot put (41-3) and fifth in the girls discus (139-2).
Santiago finished second in the girls distance medley relay, as Braelyn Combe, Davis, Samson and Rylee Blade crossed the line in 11:51.94. King’s quartet of Gracie Guzzetta, Elizabeth Jacklin, Jude Abu-Ghazalej and Natalie Drewitz placed third in the girls 4 x 800 relay ( 9:21.72).
Riverside Poly’s Kylani Gaines was fifth in the girls 100-meter hurdles (14.22), and Upland finished fifth in the girls 4 x 200 relay (1:41.95).
A handful of Inland athletes and relay teams won titles in rated or seeded division events:
Boys 100, seeded: Rodney Sermons, Rancho Cucamonga (10.40).
Boys 100, rated: Darron Tyson, San Gorgonio (10.60).
Boys 200, rated: Darryl Conyer III, Murrieta Mesa (21.40).
Boys 800, seeded: Mason Colwell, King (1:53.17).
Boys 110 hurdles, rated: Luke Amico, Roosevelt (14.52).
Boys 4 x 100 relay, seeded: Murrieta Mesa’s Artyon Celestine, Darryl Conyer III, Grant Constantine, William Bright (41.46).
Boys 4 x 400 relay, rated: Murrieta Mesa’s Brandon Pereira, William Right, Chris Hanson, Darryl Conyer III (3:18.49).
Girls 4 x 400 relay, seeded: Claremont (3:55.13).
Girls long jump, seeded: Ndiah Hall, Rancho Cucamonga (17-7 1.2).
