West Sacramento star wins 2 medals, shares with trans athlete at CIF track finals
Brooke White said her intent coming into the final meet of an already accomplished career was to achieve the coveted “PR,” as in, personal record.
The River City High School of West Sacramento senior accomplished her goal in her two events on a blistering hot Saturday evening in Fresno County in the 105th CIF State Track & Field Championships. The senior placed second in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 13.59 seconds and she was second in the long jump at 19 feet, 4 1/4 inches at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
The hurdles effort came in a top-tier field in which six runners cracked 14 seconds. White also secured a place in regional history. She became the fastest 100-meter hurdler in Sacramento prep history, according to section, CIF and coach-created online record pages.
Vacaville star Jurnee Woodward of Vacaville High has the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section mark of 13.42 set in 2017. White’s 13.59 ranks second all-time in section history. Her best last season was 14.14.
This is how difficult it is for Sacramento-area athletes to win a CIF state girls hurdles race: No local has ever done it since girls started competing in this event in 1974.
White was at her best just as the national leader was. USC-committed Anisa Bowen-Fontenot of San Diego High clocked a sizzling 13.06, which was just shy of the state and national record of 13.03 set by Vashti Thomas of Mt. Pleasant High of San Jose in 2007.
Bowen-Fontenot also placed third in the 300 hurdles in 40.88, a race won by Morgan Herbst of Carlsbad of San Diego County in setting an overall state record in 39.64, which is also the second fastest time in national high school history, according to the CIF.
White became River City’s highest finisher in track and field since Reggie Williams, who in 1988 won the boys 1600 and 3200 races.
Sharing 2nd place in long jump
There was extra attention on the girls long jump with transgender student-athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High of Riverside County. Hernandez had the second-best long jump at 20-8 3/4, but the governing body CIF implemented a plan, announced earlier in the week but worked out weeks ago, to stem a national controversy on trans athletes competing in athletics.
The CIF awarded duplicate medals for any cisgender, biological female student-athlete who would have had that placing if not for a transgender competitor.
So White and Hernandez were both awarded second-place medals, and the two hugged on the medal stand.
White, in an interview with The Sacramento Bee earlier in the week, defended Hernandez and said her competing “does not bother me at all.”
“I don’t believe that she deserves any of this backlash, and I’m sure it’s making her feel worse.”
Hernandez also tied two others in winning the high jump at 5 feet, 7 inches, and all three winners were awarded gold. Hernandez won the triple jump at 42 feet, 2 3/4 inches, and per the CIF policy, Kira Gant-Hatcher of St. Mary’s of Moraga also earned a first-place medal with her 40-feet, 5-inch effort.
‘Astoundingly proud’
White was giddy with her final prep meet, high-fiving and hugging other runners and beaming on the medal stand when a CIF official placed a medal around her neck.
“I am astoundingly proud,” White said later to The Bee. “I sacrificed my last three jumps because my leg was hurting, and it all worked out. To run a 13.58 at the perfect race — the CIF State Finals — is exactly what I needed to finish off my season.”
White expected to medal in the hurdles, a race in which she went unbeaten until Saturday. She didn’t know what to expect in the long jump, having picked up the event for the first time this season. The honors student with a 4.3 GPA said of her long jump, “It was so unexpected, but I am so proud of myself.”
White will compete at UC San Diego in track and field and major in psychology. She didn’t compete in track until her freshman year.
“Joining track has been the best decision I ever made,” she said. “It opened my doors to friendships, college opportunities and self growth. I feel so much more confident as a person, and I am living and thriving with purpose. I have found my passion and cannot wait for what the next four years hold for me.”
Sizemore of Vanden sizzles
Naiaja Sizemore of Vanden of Fairfield continued her remarkable junior season, taking the 100-meter dash in 11.33 seconds and the 200 in 23.18 in shattering two Sac-Joaquin Section sprint records. Sizemore became the first girl from the 200-member Sac-Joaquin Section to win a CIF sprint crown since those races were introduced in state meets in 1974.
Sizemore’s 100 effort is tied for the fastest time in the state this season, duplicating her showing from Friday night’s preliminary races. Her 11.33 shattered the Sac-Joaquin Section record of 11.58 set by Jennifer Nash of West High of Tracy in 2004. Nash that same year also ran a 23.73 in the 200, a section record until Sizemore came along.
The previous section top times in the 100 before Nash was set by rivals Monica Taylor of Grant in 1983 (11.59) and Pam Qualls of Burbank in 1984 (11.63), an indicator of how some records stand the test of time.
Jesuit star takes second in 800
Lucas Alberts placed second in a tight 800 in 1 minute, 51.32 seconds, just off of his seasonal section-leading best of 1:51.27 set last weekend in the CIF Section Masters meet.
Alberts, a star from Jesuit’s CIF State cross country championship team last fall, ran a strong two-lap race in a stout field, won by Wyland Obando of Wilson of Long Beach at 1:51.24.
Alberts later ran anchor on Jesuit’s 4x800 relay, the Marauders placing a gritty fifth in 7 minutes, 39.44 seconds. Jesuit came in with the top time in Northern California in that race and recorded the best NorCal effort in a monstrous field on Saturday. JSerra of the Southern Section won in a seasonal national-leading time of 7:33.43.
McClatchy was ninth in 7:47.89.
Pleasant Grove vaulter is third
Sophia Forst of Pleasant Grove of Elk Grove placed third in the girls pole vault at 12 feet, 6 inches.
She had the seventh best vault in the state coming in.
Inderkum, Antelope, Jesuit jumpers medal
Jayden Goodman of Inderkum and Quintin Mitchell of Antelope represented the Sacramento region well in placing second and third in the high jump, respectively.
Joshua Harel of Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks won with a best of 6 feet, 9 inches. Goodman cleared 6-8, as did Mitchell, but Goodman earned the higher place on fewer misses. Mitchell came into the meet with the state’s best jump at 7 feet.
Naryan Banerjee of Jesuit tied for sixth at 6-7.
Elk Grove sprinter has record effort
Cy Lugo of Elk Grove placed fifth in the boys 200 meters in a lifetime best 20.94 seconds, easily a school record and also the fourth fastest time in Sac-Joaquin Section history (Kevin Willhite’s 20.81 time for Cordova High won the 1981 CIF State meet for the section’s fastest-ever time).
Prince Buchango-Babolola of St. Ignatius of San Francisco won over a stacked field in 20.79 as five runners went sub-21 seconds.
Local shot putters win medals
Sidney Johnson of Rio Americano was fifth in the girls shot put at 42 feet, 11 3/4 inches, and fellow San Juan Unified School District member Zenallah Hatcher-Simmons was sixth at 42-6 3/4.
Aja Johnson of Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks won with a put of 45-5 3/4.
▪ Complete CIF State track results are available on the CIF website.
This story was originally published May 31, 2025 at 10:50 PM.