The562’s cross country and track & field coverage is sponsored by Joe Carlson & Debbie Hughes.
There’s no high school track and field program in America that can boast the history that Long Beach Poly can. The Jackrabbits have closets full of Penn Relays wheels and CIF State and CIF Southern Section championship plaques, along with national records and hundreds of Division 1 athletes. The Jackrabbits are the three-time defending CIF-SS Division 1 boys’ track and field champions, and the girls’ won in 2024 and took runner-up to Wilson in the CIF-SS and CIF State meets last year, despite a year of setbacks and tough circumstances.
This year the Jackrabbits have plenty of to be excited about, as always–including one of the best freshman athletes in America.
“Overall I feel we’re in a steady, slow start,” said longtime Poly coach Crystal Irving. “Most of the years when Long Beach Poly has those starts, it ends up amazing and impactful in the end.”
The Jackrabbits will be without several top-tier football sprinters who either sustained injuries or who are embarking on recruiting trips through the heart of the track season.
“We’ve got some vets and some new babies,” said Irving. “We’re going to see some new presence this year, guys breaking out. We never feel pressure to repeat–I tell them it doesn’t matter what we did last year, you have to do the work this year. They all understand that and everyone’s working to be the best version of themselves.”
Girls’ Track and Field
The Long Beach Poly girls’ track and field team may have seen Wilson claim the last three state titles, but it’s not like the Jackrabbits have been sitting on their hands. Poly was the runner-up at the CIF State and Southern Section meets on the girls’ side last year, and have added one of the nation’s top freshmen this year in Laila Kirk.
“We’ve got new events and new athletes, I’m really excited about the possibilities for our team,” said Irving.
It’s not customary to open a Poly track preview talking about a freshman, but then in the history of high school track and field in California, there haven’t been a lot of freshmen like Kirk, a Poly legacy whose mom ran at the school.
“Here’s a fun fact about Laila,” said Irving. “When I first started coaching here we had a woman named Angelita Green who set the school record in the 800 with a 2:09–that’s Laila’s mother. Laila, as an 8th grader, ran a 2:07.”
Her father, Lamarr Kirk, was a standout runner himself at Dorsey and Washington State, and is now coaching the Jackrabbits’ distance runners; older brother Lamarr Kirk Jr. was a champion at Poly recently who’s now running at Cal. Laila, though, has a unique resume, with several USA Track and Field National Junior Olympic championships.
Her best event is the 800, where she’s so good that she has already had her own Nike billboards that have popped up around Southern California. Irving says that Kirk is capable of running the 400, 800 and mile which means she’ll be a valuable piece to figure out each year for team scoring for the Jackrabbits in the postseason meets.
“She’s setting the tone and she doesn’t back down from competition,” said Irving.
The Jackrabbits, of course, feature talent up and down the meet schedule. In the sprints, Aniyah Brooks and Brooklyn Lee will be the show-stoppers with both committed to Division colleges (UNLV and Sacramento State); Faith Magee is another senior stalwart for the Jackrabbits along with Aliyah Stokes and newcomer sophomore A’nylah Turner.
In the quarter mile, Stokes leads a talented crew that includes junior Aurya Beatty, Kirk, and Ariana Thomas. Irving likes her 4×100 and 4×400 with the depth of talent the Jackrabbits boast this year.
In the half-mile and up the Jackrabbits have Kirk but also plenty of other young talent including sophomore Sienna Young, sophomore Saniah Hooks, and others.
Another big name for the Jackrabbits this year will be hurdler Kadence Bain, a junior who burst onto the scene last year and has made big gains. Bain is currently No. 4 in the CIF Southern Section in the 100 hurdles and No. 2 in the 300 hurdles. She’s joined by senior Natalya Walker.
In the jumps, the Jackrabbits have three sophomores high jumping in Cynthia Mercado, Cybele Zeigler and Lailay Clayborne, all of whom have potential. Junior Kylee Jordan Clark has gone almost 10 feet in the pole vault, and Zayla Ridley has led the way in the long and triple jumps thus far.
Poly’s throws program continues to grow each year and this season the girls are led by senior Jayla Biggers and sophomore Kennedy McCall, with freshman Giana Johnson looking to score as well.
Boys’ Track and Field
The Long Beach Poly boys are the three-time defending CIF Southern Section Division 1 champions and are looking for the second boys’ Division 1 four-peat in history (the Jackrabbits won every year from 2001-2007). They’ll rely on some new talent as well as dealing with some ups and downs with football players shuttling in and out dealing with All-American recruiting schedules.
The Jackrabbits have no shortage of options in the sprints, however, with the top five marks in the city in the 100 so far this season and nine of the top ten.
Senior Malachi Dawson leads the way for Poly in the 100 and 200.
“That young man is going to be amazing this year in those events, his training is going very well and we’re excited about what he’s going to do,” said Irving.
Other 100/200 standouts include Donte Wright, who will be in and out with football recruiting, as well as Jaylen “Jay Bird” McNeil, Jaydin Lawrence, and Steven “Buddah” Hunter.
Poly has middle distance specialists in recent USC signee Noah Smith and Darieon Shufford, and freshman Isaiah Jones is making noise in the 400 already.
“That baby just ran 48.5, his best prior to that was 50.9,” said Irving. “He has entered the chat.”
Contributors in the 800 alongside Shufford are Miles Yim and Paul Weaver. Archie Byrom, Noah Chun and freshman Sawyer Chesnin will contribute for the Jackrabbits in the distance races.
In the hurdles, this is the senior year for Lynnox Newton, who has made big strides each year. He’s currently No. 3 in the Southern Section in the 110 hurdles and No. 10 in the 300 hurdles. He won’t be the only hurdler for the Jackrabbits this year as he’s joined by senior Armon Bly and others.
In the long jump, Jaydin Lawrence and Khalen Shepherd are tops in the city right now, with Armon Bly not far behind; Shepherd and Jeremiah Moore lead the way in the triple jump as of now. Drew Bethea and Ben Montooth are the Jackrabbits’ pole vaulters, both of whom have cleared 10 feet. Bethea is new to the event and is currently sitting with a PR of 11 feet.
In the throws, senior Jephte Tchami is stepping into the limelight. He recently broke a 60-year old Poly school record in the discus, going 175-10 at Redondo, good for the No. 3 mark in the CIF-SS this year; he’s also the city’s top shot putter right now with a best mark of 54-9, more than six feet past the next closest competitor.
“We’ve got a good group and we’re really excited for the season,” said Irving.
