The562’s cross country and track & field coverage is sponsored by Joe Carlson & Debbie Hughes.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Former Jackrabbits Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
The Long Beach Poly track and field program is once again bringing some hardware back to 1600 Atlantic Ave as the girls’ program finished as the runner-up at the CIF-SS Division 1 Finals on Saturday at Moorpark High School.
It was the ninth straight year that the Jackrabbits took home a plaque and it all came down to the final event as Arianna Thomas, Laila Kirk, Kadence Bain and Aliyah Stokes took second in the 4x400m relay to give the Jackrabbits eight points – lifting them over Mira Costa.
“We’re very happy with what our kids did today,” Long Beach Poly coach Crystal Irving said. “It’s been quiet all year, but they still came out and had some personal bests, especially with the way we started the day.”
The Jackrabbits’ Faith Magee, Aniyah Brooks, Anylah Tuner and Brooklyn Lee took first in the 4x100 to start track events. Bain had a strong afternoon after taking gold in the 100m hurdles to go with her second place finish in the 300m hurdles. Kirk joined Bain with a fifth-place finish for the Jackrabbits.
In the field events, Zayla Ridley had a strong performance in the long jump as she took second in the long jump with a 42.89. Stokes took the final podium spot for the Jackrabbits with a seventh-place finish in the 400 with a 56.91.
Poly will have plenty of athletes moving onto the Masters meet next week as they look to qualify for state, but there will need to be some adjustments as Brooks pulled up in the 100m with an apparent injury.
“We’ll still need to make some changes to our relay lineups to replace the young lady who got hurt today,” Irving said. “But we’re glad we’re still in it, and the kids will have another opportunity to shine over the next two weeks.”
On the boys’ side, Poly wasn’t able to complete their four-peat but Justin Miranda, Isaiah Jones, Darieon Shufford and Noah Smith made sure the Jackrabbits came away with a win as they won a thrilling race in 4x400m relay to secure third place.
“My legs were kind of hurting, so I honestly didn’t know how I was going to hold up,” Smith said of being the anchor leg in the 4x400. “But I knew my team wanted to win today, so I just had to give it everything I had. I put it in God’s hands, and we made it happen.”
Smith had a busy afternoon taking third in the 400 and seventh in the 200 after being brought into the main event as an alternate.
“The main thing was just getting my team those points. The 200 isn’t really my main race, but I knew we needed it. I’m just glad I could help my team out.”
Lynnox Newton continued to show his strength in the hurdles as he took second in the 110m hurdles with a 13.74.
The Jackrabbits will now turn their attention to the Masters meet next week as they look to qualify for the state meet.
“I feel very blessed to have been with this team all four years,” Smith said of his four years at Poly. “We were going for a CIF-SS four-peat and didn’t exactly get it, but we still survived and advanced in every event. I’m proud of my guys and proud of what we put out today. I think we’re ready for next week.”
Girls
1st Place
Kadence Bain - 100m hurdles - 13.68
Faith Magee, Aniyah Brooks, Anylah Tuner and Brooklyn Lee - 4x100 - 46.36
2nd Place
Kadence Bain - 300m hurdles - 42.89
Zayla Ridley - long jump - 17-10
Arianna Thomas, Laila Kirk, Kadence Bain and Aliyah Stokes - 4x400 - 3:51.54
5th Place
Laila Kirk - 800m - 2:11.13
7th Place
Aliyah Stokes - 400m - 56.91
Boys
1st Place
Noah Smith, Jaylen McNeil, Armon Bly and Lynnox Newton - 4x400 relay - 3:14.09
2nd Place Lynnox Newton - 110m hurdles - 13.74
3rd Place Noah Smith - 400m - 47.26
Khalen Shepherd, Jaydin Lawrence, Noah Smith and Jaylen McNeil - 4x100 relay - 41.40
4th Place Armon Bly - 110m hurdles - 14.33
5th Place
Jephte Tchami - shot put - 54-11 1/2
Jephte Tchami - discus - 154-3
Khalen Shepherd - long jump - 22-4
6th Place
Armon Bly - 300m hurdles - 39.42
Jaydin Lawrence - long jump - 21-4
7th Place
Noah Smith - 200m - 21.65
Jaylen McNeil - 400m - 48.91
8th Place
Lynnox Newton - 300m hurdles - 40.50
