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.
It wasn’t the flashy finish to the season that we’ve come to expect from Long Beach Poly. The Jackrabbits had just five entries at the CIF State Track & Field Championships on Saturday in Clovis, a performance that summed up a frustrating season plagued by injuries and misfortune.
The Jackrabbits’ top finisher was senior Noah Smith, who closed out his high school career with a third-place finish in the boys’ 400m in 47.00. The USC-bound senior also ran the anchor leg on Poly’s 4×400 relay, which suffered a dropped baton on the final exchange and finished eighth in 3:21.05.
Junior Kadence Bain started the afternoon for Poly in the girls’ 100m hurdles where she out-ran her position after qualifying in ninth. Bain finished in seventh out of a tight field with a 13.85, just 17-hundredths of a second behind her personal best that she ran a few weeks ago at the CIF-SS finals.
The Jackrabbits also received their first state final appearance from freshman standout Laila Kirk, who qualified sixth in the girls’ 800m. Kirk was the only freshman in the field and went on to finish eighth in 2:10.53 to cap an impressive debut season.
Lynnox Newton endured a tough finish to his season in the boys’ 110m hurdles after clipping the ninth hurdle with roughly 20 meters to the finish. The Utah Tech signee was in the middle of the field through most of the race, but got back up after the fall and crossed the finish line before eventually being disqualified for a hurdle violation.
It was an atypical year for Long Beach Poly, which has by far the most state championships in California history on both the boys’ and girls’ sides. Still, the Jackrabbits walked away with a silver plaque at the CIF-SS Finals and plenty of promising young talent set to return next season.
Results:
Girls’ 100m Hurdles: Kadence Bain, 7th, 13.85
Boys’ 110m Hurdles: Lynnox Newton, DQ
Boys’ 400m: Noah Smith, 3rd, 47.00
Girls’ 800m: Laila Kirk, 8th, 2:10.53
Boys’ 4×400: 8th, 3:21.05, (Isaiah Jones, Justin Miranda, Darieon Shufford, Noah Smith)
