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Athlete of the Week Long Beach Poly Wilson

The562.org’s Alumni Athletes Of The Week

Our high school and college Long Beach Athletes of the Week is on summer break, but we’re recognizing some of the great products of Long Beach high schools who had big weeks.

Ariana Washington, Oregon Track

Washington led Oregon’s 4×100 to a second-place finish with a phenomenal anchor leg at the NCAA Finals, and made the semifinals in the 200. The Poly alum ran in the Finals for the 100 as well, capping her collegiate career with 11 All-American honors, three individual NCAA titles, and four NCAA team championships.

Kymber Payne, LSU Track

Payne helped lead the LSU 4×400 team to an NCAA Finals appearance and grabbed an individual bronze medal by finishing third in the 400 meter hurdles NCAA Final. The Poly alum’s collegiate career concluded with four All-American honors and two All-SEC conference honors.

Mar’yea Harris, Iowa Track

Harris earned three All-American honors last weekend at the NCAA Finals, leading the Iowa 4×100 and 4×400 relay to semifinal appearances. He also made the NCAA Finals in the 400 as an individual, finishing fourth in 45.00. The Wilson alum has eight All-American honors at the conclusion of his junior year.

Jordan Bell, Golden State Warriors

After riding the bench for most of the first two rounds of the playoffs, Poly alum Jordan Bell became a key defensive sub for the Warriors in the conference finals against the Rockets. Then in the Finals against the Cavs he broke out, averaging 12 minutes a game and six points and three rebounds a game. He became Poly’s first alum to win an NBA title.

Mike Guardabascio
An LBC native, Mike Guardabascio has been covering Long Beach sports professionally for 13 years, with his work published in dozens of Southern California magazines and newspapers. He's won numerous awards for his writing as well as the CIF Southern Section’s Champion For Character Award, and is the author of three books about Long Beach history.
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