The562’s cross country and track & field coverage is sponsored by Joe Carlson & Debbie Hughes.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
There’s winning, and then there’s dominating.
The Wilson girls’ track & field team showed the difference between the two at the CIF-SS track finals on Saturday at Moorpark High School, taking wins in six events while racking up 107 team points — a new school record. That was 32 points more than second place, capping a dominant performance to claim the CIF-SS Division 1 championship.
“This is saying a lot. I think the fact that you can have a victory like this with so many division champions,” said Wilson co-coach Neil Nelson. “We won five individual races and then the relay. So it’s a good feeling.”
The boys’ also put up an impressive 26 points from just six total athletes to take eighth place. The Bruins boys found themselves with a CIF-SS champion in Wyland Obando who won the 800m.
Wilson will be back at Moorpark next week for the Masters Meet, where they’ll look to qualify as many entries as possible into the CIF State finals. The CIF State finals will be held at Buchanan High School in Clovis on May 30–31.
Girls
The CIF-SS championship is the sixth for the Wilson girls’ track program and their first since 2023. The Bruins’ 107 team points are the most by a Division 1 girls’ team since Long Beach Poly scored 124 in 2014.
Kaylin Edwards brought home two of the Bruins’ five individual wins and also anchored the 4x100m to another first place finish. Edwards finished first in the 100m hurdles with a 13.90 and won the 300m hurdles with a 41.24.
“It’s big that I was able to contribute to my team as much as I can,” Edwards said. “It’s beautiful. My team has a legacy and it’s just beautiful to watch and know that even when I leave this team will continue to be great.”
Saniah Varnado had an impressive win out of Lane 7 for the Bruins in the 400m where she ran a 54.88 for first place. The time easily became the sophomore’s new personal-best.
Wilson had a pair of wins in the field events, where Loren Webster won the long jump with a 18-6.50 on her second attempt. Journii Spencer also found a win in the triple jump with a 38-6.50 on her first attempt.
“I’m super excited about my win because last year when I competed I came in fourth, so it just showed a lot of growth and improvement in myself,” said Spencer. “It’s not a PR but I’m very proud of it and it’s close to it. I’ve never been to [CIF] State so my goal is to get there and jump 40 feet. I really wanna try my best and see if I can do it.”
The Bruins had already clinched the championship well into the final few events but ended the night with a win in the 4×400. Brooke Blue, Shariyah Lewis-Williams, Alene Washington, and Edwards ran a 3:45.84 to take first place.
Including Edwards, Wilson had a total of four athletes competing in the 300m hurdles. Seven total Long Beach athletes were in the event between Wilson and Poly.
Varnado finished in third with a 43.29. Washington fell on the final hurdle but still managed to get up and finish in sixth with a 44.81. Jamiyah Sanders finished behind her in seventh with a 44.99. The Bruins totaled 21 points from the 300m hurdles alone.
Boys
The Bruins had two pairs of brothers competing in the CIF-SS Finals on Saturday, out of just six total Wilson boys. Wyland Obando delivered the only win for the Wilson boys with a first-place finish in the 800m. He ran a 1:51.01, while his older brother, Cash, placed ninth with a 1:55.82.
“I came in as the defending champ, so to do it two times in a row is amazing,” said Obando. “Even though we’re not winning team titles we’re still here doing the things we want to do and impressing everyone with the small team that we have.”
Kaedyn Burroughs finished in third in the 400m with a time of 47.99. He also placed fifth in the 200m while his older brother, Ky’zir, finished ninth in the 200m with a 21.99.
The Bruins finished the night off with a tight 4x400m race, where Charles Chatman, Ky’zir, Kaedyn, and Wyland Obando ran a 3:13.63 for third place. Rancho Cucamonga finished ahead of them in second by seven-hundredths of a second despite a strong anchor from Obando.
Both the Masters Meet next week and the CIF State meet will include the 4×800, which plays to the strengths of Wilson’s boys. Nelson had high praise for the team and their effort despite their lack of size in numbers.
“I’m proud of the way the six of them showed up there,” he said. “They’re going out there and trying with what they have and they made it through. We’re just going to push what we have. We don’t have the depth but we have some hard runners.”
Wilson Girls’ Results:
4×100 – 2nd, (London Weston, Saniah Varnado, Kaylin Edwards, Loren Webster), 46.99
100m Hurdles – Kaylin Edwards, 1st, 13.90
100m Hurdles – Alene Washington, 4th, 14.53
100m Hurdles – Saniah Varnado, 6th, 14.80
400m – Saniah Varnado, 1st, 54.88
400m – Brooke Blue, 5th, 57.18
100m – Loren Webster, 9th, 12.46
800m – Shariyah Lewis-Williams, 2nd, 2:12.39
800m – Riley Jones, 4th, 2:13.41
300m Hurdles – Kaylin Edwards, 1st, 41.24
300m Hurdles – Saniah Varnado, 3rd, 43.29
300m Hurdles – Alene Washington, 6th, 44.81
300m Hurdles- Jamiyah Sanders, 7th, 44.99
3200m – Nadia Mejia, 6th, 10:52.58
4×400m – 1st (Brooke Blue, Shariyah Lewis-Williams, Alene Washington, Kaylin Edwards), 3:45.84
Long Jump – Loren Webster, 1st, 18-6.50
Triple Jump – Journii Spencer, 1st, 38-6.50
Wilson Boys’ Results:
400m – Kaedyn Burroughs, 3rd, 47.99
800m – Wyland Obando, 1st, 1:51.01
800m – Cash Obando, 9th, 1:55.82
200m – Kaedyn Burroughs, 5th, 21.77
200m – Ky’zir Burroughs, 9th, 21.99
4×400m – 3rd (Charles Chatman, Ky’zir Burroughs, Kaedyn Burroughs, Wyland Obando), 3:13.63
