This is a student intern project–story by Leila Holland, video by Noah Smith, photo by Monique Taylor
The562’s cross country and track & field coverage is sponsored by an anonymous donation, in appreciation of Coach Ron Allice.
Long Beach Poly has produced a multitude of successful track and field athletes: Ariana Washington, Kenya Payne, and more recently Xai Ricks, to name a few. The Trackrabbits have found potential success once again, this time through freshman Benjamin Harris.
Harris, a dual sport athlete with football and track, began his freshman year strong. It was at the 2024 Redondo Nike Track Festival, where he made a name for himself as a sprinter at the high school level.
At Redondo, he ran a 10.44 100 meter dash. This blazing time not only broke the Redondo meet record in the 100 meter, but also broke the California State Freshman record. Harris’ race also won the meet and ranked him as #1 in California for the 100 meter dash. This serious accomplishment established Harris as a serious contender for the Moore League Title and the California State title. He went on to double in the 100 and 200 at league finals.
Ben looks to build off his current success, not only in the Moore League but in the postseason.
“He definitely set the standards high, but I do expect for him to continue to drop and do great things coming in the postseason in CIF and state,” said sprint coach Stephon Patterson.
The Poly coaching staff, plus Long Beach track and field fans, are excited to see what Harris will do this postseason, considering his unique position as a freshman.
Harris became involved with track and field from a young age. Harris, who stated that he was a “run around kid”, was put into the sport by his mother, who viewed track as a way for him to release energy.
“Ever since then, I just fell in love with track and I just kept doing it,” said Harris.
Although Harris is young, he stays motivated and craves success. He credits his success to his hard work, dedication, and strong support system, consisting of his family and his coaches.
When discussing his support system, Ben notes that his mother is his biggest motivator and supporter.
“She has had real drive and grit for the past fifteen years. She’s just shown me like even though bad stuff may come, persevere and just push through it,” said Harris.
Ben’s success stems from his support system, but it truly comes down to his work ethic. It is this work ethic that his coaches praise and appreciate him for.
“As an athlete, he’s one of the hardest workers that we have on this track, very coachable, disciplined, and willing to learn about track and field,” said Patterson.
“Really good kid, hard worker, big attention to detail, always focused, and wants to put out his best effort on the track,” said sprint coach, Doc Moye.
To understand the significance of Ben’s accomplishments, one has to understand the history of Long Beach Poly track and field.
Poly track and field is an empire steeped in tradition and pride that has been carefully crafted for decades. This has allowed the Trackrabbits to win more state championships on the girls and boys teams than any other team in California.
The majority of the current coaching staff attended Poly and participated in track and field during their time. Head Coach, Crystal Irving, attended Poly and was a CIF Champion during her high school years. In addition, mid-distance coach, Myles Andrews, attended Poly and was a part of the national record Poly holds in the 4×800 meter relay.
The Trackrabbits, with over two hundred athletes, are a relatively young team this season.
Poly does have a few successful upperclassmen, such as Xai Ricks, Jillene Wetteland, Mai Ricks, and Jaylin Hunter, but overall, they are a younger team.
“Being here over twenty five years, I’ve seen a lot of talent come and go. This is definitely a group that I can definitely see breaking a lot of records and look forward to some national records,” said Moye.
Head coach Crystal Irving believes that this season will be big for Ben Harris and for her teams, from frosh-soph all the way to varsity.
Whether it’s on a football field or on a track, Ben Harris works hard to make a name for himself and to make Long Beach Poly proud.
