CLOVIS, Calif. — A transgender athlete bested the competition Saturday at the California high school track and field championship to take home gold in the girls high jump and the triple jump at a meet that has stirred controversy and drawn national attention.

AB Hernandez competed under a new rule change that may be the first of its kind nationally by a high school sports governing body.

Hernandez finished the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 7 inches, with no failed attempts. Co-winners Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle also cleared that height after each logged a failed attempt. The three shared the first-place win, smiling as they stepped together onto the podium.

Hernandez wrapped up the night with a first place finish in the triple jump, sharing the top spot with Kira Gant Hatcher who trailed by just over a half-meter. Earlier in the afternoon, Hernandez placed second in the long jump.

Olympians Marion Jones and Tara Davis-Woodhall previously set state championship records in the long jump in 1993 and 2017, respectively, both surpassing 22 feet. This year’s winner, Loren Webster, topped 21 feet, with Hernandez trailing by a few inches.

The California Interscholastic Federation announced the new policy earlier this week in response to Hernandez’s success heading into the championships. Under the policy, the federation allowed an additional student to compete and medal in the events where Hernandez qualified.

The two-day championship kicked off Friday in sweltering heat at a high school near Fresno. Temperatures reached the triple digits during Saturday’s finals.

SEE ALSO: Protesters gather as California transgender student-athlete competes in CIF finals amid controversy

The atmosphere was relatively quiet despite critics – including parents, conservative activists and President Donald Trump – calling for Hernandez to be barred from competing. Some critics wore pink bracelets and T-shirts that read, “Save Girls’ Sports.”

During Friday’s qualifying events, an aircraft circled above the stadium for more than an hour with a banner: “No Boys in Girls’ Sports!” Two groups that oppose transgender athletes participating in women’s sports – the Independent Council on Women’s Sports and Women Are Real – took credit for flying the banner.

California at center of national debate

The federation’s rule change reflected efforts to find a middle ground in the debate over trans girls’ participation in youth sports.

“The CIF values all of our student-athletes and we will continue to uphold our mission of providing students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete while complying with California law,” the group said in a statement after announcing its rule change.

A recent AP-NORC poll found that about 7 in 10 U.S. adults think transgender female athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls and women’s sports at the high school, college or professional level. That view was shared by about 9 in 10 Republicans and roughly half of Democrats.

The federation announced the change after Trump threatened to pull federal funding from California unless it bars trans female athletes from competing on girls teams. The federation said it decided on the change before then.

READ MORE: Threatening to withhold funding for California, Trump cites case of transgender athlete at IE school

The U.S. Department of Justice also said it would investigate the federation and the district that includes Hernandez’s high school to determine whether they violated federal sex discrimination law.

California law allows trans students to compete on sex-segregated sports teams consistent with their gender identity.

The federation said the rule opens the field to more “biological female” athletes. One expert said the change may itself be discriminatory because it creates an extra spot for “biological female” athletes but not for other trans athletes.

The federation did not specify how it defines “biological female” or how it would verify whether a competitor meets that definition.

Sophia Lorey, outreach director with California Family Council, was among those at the stadium Saturday. She said the federation’s policy is not a fix for the issue and only ends up causing more confusion.

“At the end of the day,” Lorey said, “it shows the girls that we know this is wrong and we’re still letting it happen to you.”

Hernandez told the publication Capital & Main this month that she cannot worry about critics.

“I’m still a child, you’re an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person,” she said.

Other students break records

California’s championship stands out from that of other states because of the sheer number of competitors. The state had the second-largest number of students participating in outdoor track and field in the nation during the 2023-2024 school year, behind Texas, according to a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

The boys 100-meter heats also were a highlight, with junior Jaden Jefferson of De La Salle High School in Concord finishing in 10.01 seconds Friday, 0.19 seconds faster than a meet record set in 2023. But he fell just shy of making it count as a meet record with a final time of 10.27 seconds in Saturday’s final.

Athletes set new meet records in several events, including boys and girls relay races, hurdle competitions and the boys pole vault.

RELATED:
Central Valley lawmakers call for removal of transgender athlete from upcoming CIF girls finals
DOJ investigating whether CA violated federal law by allowing transgender athletes in girls’ sports

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Tia Oliver concluded Sacramento State’s time at the NCAA West First Round by placing 40^th in the women’s steeplechase at Texas A&M.
 
Oliver, who was making her first appearance at the NCAA postseason outdoor meet, ran the race in 10:41.70. The senior will depart Sacramento State as the school record holder in the steeplechase (10:24.82). She is also ninth in the indoor mile (4:58.07) and second in the indoor 3K (9:45.23).
 
The Hornets had six student-athletes compete at the NCAA West First Round, its highest total since 2019. Senior Miles Grant was able to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the high jump. He will compete on June 13 in Eugene, Ore.
 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The North Carolina Central University men’s and women’s track and field teams had five qualifiers compete at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships East First Round on May 28-31 at Hodges Stadium.

Division I student-athletes from all over the East region battled for a spot in the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Only the top 12 qualifiers from each event could punch their ticket to Hayward Field, meeting up with the same number of qualifiers from the West region first round at Texas A&M.

Melanne Sutton opened for NCCU on May 29 in the women’s 100m first round. Sutton finished 37^th in the preliminary round in 11.47 seconds out of 48 sprinters. The top three from each heat, along with the six fastest times advanced to the next round. Sutton finished seventh in her heat.

The next day, Malcolm Forbes competed in the men’s triple jump. The junior leaped 14.49m in his first round, but closed out the third round with a mark of 14.57m, placing 41^st in the event.

Jonathan Raijon-Koger was two spots outside of the top 12 in the men’s high jump, hanging tough in the event. Raijon-Koger cleared 2.10m, tying for 14^th overall. Fellow Eagle Theodore Skinner didn’t record a height in the event.

Tia Lucas was also in striking distance in the women’s high jump on the final day. Lucas tied for 17^th after clearing 1.74m in her second jump. She attempted the 1.79m mark but couldn’t successfully clear it, which would have topped her personal record of 1.77m.

With the conclusion of the postseason for NC Central, the Maroon & Gray will turn its attention to reaching new heights next season.

For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com, or download the NCCU Eagles Athletics app.

2024: Appeared in five matches and nine sets, making two starts … Averaged 0.82 kills per set and finished the year with two digs and four blocks … Had five kills, two digs and two blocks in her first-collegiate appearance at Penn (Oct. 5) … Had three kills and a block at Columbia (Nov. 16).

Before Brown: Played volleyball at Hinsdale Central High School … Was named All-State Second Team and AVCA All-Region Team … Named All-Conference three times and was three time Athlete of the Month … Played for 1st Alliance Volleyball Club and took first in both the Windy City Qualifier and Great Lakes Region (Open Divisions) … Placed third overall at Nationals in the Open Division … Is a four-time member of the All-State Academic Team, four-time member of the Dean’s List and National Merit Finalist.

Personal: Father Michael and brothers Michael and Will played football at Michigan. Mother Kimberly was a track & field athlete at Ohio State. Third brother Charlie played football at Columbia.

Why Brown?: “I chose Brown because of the unique opportunity to compete at a university that offers both high academics and athletics. The team and coaching staff were immediately welcoming and cultivated a culture I couldn’t wait to be a part of.”

MUNICH: Rampant Paris Saint-Germain won a first European Cup after outclassing Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final, thanks in part to Désiré Doué’s double on Saturday, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.

Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, at Inter 2020-2021, struck the opener on 12 minutes in Munich and France’s Doué scored either side of the interval after the Qatar-backed French champions produced two lightning quick counter-attacks.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Senny Mayulu added the gloss for the biggest ever win in a European Cup final.

Inter’s Federico DiMarco had played Hakimi onside for the first, and Doué’s shot deflected in off the wing back for the second as the Parisians wrapped up an unprecedented French treble of Champions League, Ligue 1 and Coupe de France. 

PSG, who lost their only other final 1-0 to Bayern Munich in 2020, have undergone a change in emphasis under Luis Enrique with big names such as Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe replaced by solid performers and up-and-coming talents.

Spaniard Enrique had previously won the title as coach with Barcelona in 2015, also in Germany in Berlin. He joins an elite group of coaches to win the prize for two different clubs, including Carlo Ancelotti, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Jupp Heynckes, Ernst Happel, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho. – BERNAMA-dpa

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The UC Santa Barbara Men’s and Women’s Track & Field team has finished their competitions at NCAA West Regionals at Texas A&M University, where ten Gauchos put their skills to work in their respective events throughout the four-day meet. Over the course of the meet, the Gauchos took part in eleven total events.

FIELD

The men’s hammer throw saw the first Santa Barbara athlete of the day, where senior Andy Buttrell recorded a mark of 58.60m in the event. Later in the meet, senior Eitan Goore notched a 5.17m mark in the men’s pole vault. Senior Will Denning also impressed in the men’s triple jump as he posted a jump of 15.19m.

On the women’s side, Kennedy Johnson was the sole representative in the field, where she took on the triple jump and delivered a mark of 12.46m.

TRACK

For the women, freshman Mia Shepard recorded a time in the 400m that was just short of a nationals qualifying time. The two-time Big West Athlete of the Week came out of the race with a time of 53.62. Maddie Conte, the only Gaucho to compete in multiple events at West Regionals, also recorded 13.69 in the 100m hurdles and was six places away from qualifying in the 400m hurdles with a time of 59.09.

On the men’s side, the Gauchos had two competitors in the 200m, where senior Justin Steele ran 21.16 and Curtis Borden III was just hundredths of seconds away from a qualifying time in the event. Borden recorded a time of 21.01.

Sophomore distance specialist Parker Simmons took on the 3000m steeplechase on the third day of the meet, where he delivered a time of 8:53.52. Freshman Finn Andrews, who was the BIg West champion in the 400m hurdles a few weeks ago, recorded 52.07 in the event.

UP NEXT

At the NCAA Track & Field Championships, senior multis expert Brad Thomas will be representing the blue and gold. The four-day meet will take place at Eugene, Ore. on June 11-14.