The Arcadia Invitational meet is considered to be one of the most prestigious high school track and field events in the United States. It’s held at Arcadia High School, and people all over the country come to compete. It serves as an elite, top-tier meet that has produced over 30 national records and 176 U.S. Olympians. 

We even had a few athletes from Torrance High invited to compete at this meet! Including Nicolas Obimgba, Morgan Dixon, Chance Lacey, and Winston Craig, who broke yet another school record. Their 4×1 team ran 42.35, placing them 17th out of 58 schools, breaking the previous record of 42.58 from one year ago. Their team consisted of two seniors, Obimgba and Lacey, one junior, Dixon, and one freshman, Craig. “With it being my first year on track, I was pretty nervous. I mean, Coach Irvine just moved me up to varsity not that long ago. It really is a privilege to be running at these types of events, the stands were crowded and it was a really big meet, I’ve never experienced anything like it before.” Tartar freshman Winston Craig explained. 

Nicolas Obimgba is the only person to qualify for a solo event, the 100 and 200-meter dashes. He placed 3rd in the 100 overall with a time of 10.41 during the night meet and 1st in his 200 overall with a time of 21.22 during the day meet. The day meet was associated with the seeded section, which is the next fastest tier of competitors, while the night meet was associated with the invitational section that featured the top 9 elite, nationally ranked athletes. Coach Irvine even called it a “state preview”. 

During this same Saturday, Olympian Quincy Wilson ran his traditional 400-meter dash. He competed in the Olympics at only 16 years old, set many records for being the best outdoor 400-meter runner under 18 years-old, and, at Arcadia, he ran with a time of 45.48, which isn’t a personal record but still very impressive. This meet was to show a little preview of what’s to see at the state. Wishing our selected track stars the best of luck!