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Long Beach Poly’s track and field stars were on the big stage at the 57th annual Arcadia Invitational this weekend, where records were broken and new personal-bests were achieved.
The Poly boys kicked things off on Friday by setting a new school record in the boys’ 4x200m, which was previously in the hands of the 2019 Jackrabbits. Malachi Dawson, Julius Johnson, Noah Smith, and Jarrius Hill combined to run a 1:24.08.
The time was good enough for second place in Arcadia despite being the second fastest time in state history. That’s because, shockingly, Servite set the state record in the same race with a 1:23.88.
“As normal boys, they weren’t happy with their second place finish on Friday,” said Poly coach Crystal Irving. “We were so focused on their mental state that we hadn’t even realized they broke the school record. So once we realized that they broke the record and how significant it was I sent a group message to all the kids. I [told them] congratulations and that they need to know how significant it was.”
The Jackrabbits then broke their school’s Arcadia record in the boys’ 4x100m on Saturday that was previously held by a stacked 1999 team. The Jackrabbits group of Dawson, Johnson, Jaylen McNeil, and Donte Wright ran a 40.32, which is just a mark off of Poly’s school record of 40.14.
“With none of them being seniors, I told them that if you can break these records before you leave, you’ll be the greatest of all time in Poly history,” Irving said. “So I told them to stay the course. Be patient.”
The Jackrabbits came in second place in that race, with Servite breaking yet another state record with a jaw-dropping 40.00. Former Jackrabbit Benjamin Harris was a part of that team after transferring midway through the school year. Harris was the first freshman to win the 100m at the Arcadia Invitational last year with the Jackrabbits, and he will likely see his former team again this year when Poly and Servite cross paths at CIF and State meets.
“I always say that competition makes you better, and you need that competition to see how you line up and what you need to improve on,” Irving said. “[Harris] was No. 1 a Jackrabbit, and no matter where he’s at we’re always going to support him and always going to love him. But at the same time, we have to love on our kids at the same time, and we’re going to go with whoever wants to be at Long Beach Poly.”
The Jackrabbits also found a new personal-best in the girls’ 4x100m, where they were previously No. 1 in California. Leila Holland, Jaylin Hunter, Aniyah Brooks, and Brooklyn Lee ran a 45.60 on Saturday which is now second in the state. Rosary is now No. 1 in California after running ahead of them at Arcadia with a 45.47.
The Poly girls also got a preview of their Moore League rival in the 4x200m, where Holland, Hunter, Lee, and Aurya Beatty ran a 1:38.38 in second place. Wilson finished one-tenth of a second in front of them with a 1:38.28.
“I think just the fact that we have a boys and girls team at the same school, running such impressive numbers and running PR’s, it’s [pretty crazy],” Irving said.
Poly also had a handful of solo standouts, including Johnson, who competed in four events—more than any other Jackrabbit. He ran in the 100m, 4x100m, and 4x200m invitationals, as well as the seeded 200m. Johnson finished 6th in the 100m invitational with a 10.54.
Smith was another strong solo runner, placing second in the 400m invitational. Smith finished with a 46.56, just one-hundredth of a second off of his personal-best that he set a month ago at the Chandler Rotary Invitational.
The Jackrabbits had a pair of athletes in the girls’ high jump invitational, where Joy Anderson jumped 5 ‘4 and placed second while Jillene Wetteland finished 10th with a 5’ 2. The pair have both topped 5 ‘8 earlier this season, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them back near the top as CIF approaches.
The night ended on a tough note in the boys’ 4x400m, where the Jackrabbits had an error on the baton exchange while handing off to Smith. Smith was knocked down while trying to pick up the baton, but still managed to run a 49.73 split. He, Hill, Gus Armstrong, and Darieon Shufford finished in 6th place with a 3:16.97.
“I think today was just a big learning point for me of what I have to work on and change,” Smith reflected. “I still know I have to be grateful because I’m at the point in my career where I’m hitting times that I’ve been dreaming about since I started running track. “
With the amount of eyes on the event, the Arcadia Invitational is the final product for a lot of teams who try and peak their athletes for what is one of the nation’s biggest track meets. For Poly, the Jackrabbits are preparing to run at their peak as Moore League and CIF meets approach.
“I told them that I don’t need your best today. I need your best later on,” Irving said. “We train our kids to peak around the league and then again at CIF finals, and whatever they hold onto for two more weeks they just hold on to. So when we hit CIF finals that’s when I;m really looking to see what they’re gonna do.”
For the full results of the 2025 Arcadia Invitational, including the seeded, open, and rising stars results, click HERE.
Long Beach Poly’s Invitational Results
Friday:
Girls’ 4x200m Relay Invitational: 2nd, 1:38.38, (A. Beatty, L. Holland, B. Lee, J. Hunter)
Boys’ 4x200m Relay Invitational: 2nd, 1:24.08, (J. Hill, N. Smith, M. Dawson, J. Johnson)
Girls’ 800m Sprint Medley Invitational: 4th, 1:46.35, (F. Megee, A. Thomas, A. Stokes, N. Lewis)
Boys’ 800m Sprint Medley Invitational: 8th, 1:36.02, (J. McNeil, D. Wright, L. Newton, J. Weston)
Saturday:
Girls’ 4x100m Relay Invitational: 2nd, 45.60, (L. Holland, J. Hunter, A. Brooks, B. Lee)
Boys’ 4x100m Relay Invitational: 2nd, 40.32, (M. Dawson, J. Johnson, J. McNeil, D. Wright)
Boys’ 100m Invitational: Julius Johnson, 6th, 10.54
Boys’ 400m Invitational: Noah Smith, 2nd, 46.56
Boys’ 4x400m Relay Invitational: 6th, 3:16.97, (G. Armstrong, J. Hill, D. Shufford, N. Smith)
Girls’ High Jump: Joy Anderson, 2nd, 5-04
Girls’ High Jump: Khalen Shepherd, 8th, 5-02
