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The Arcadia Invitational is a high school track and field meet in the United States. It is considered to be one of the most competitive meets in the country and has been billed as the "Home of National Records." The meet is held at Arcadia High School in Arcadia, California, on either the first or second weekend in April each year. The Arcadia Invitational attracts the top prep athletes in the United States and internationally (Canada, Mexico, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand). The Arcadia Invitational has played host to 25 national high school records and has helped to produce 152 U.S. Olympians.
Contents
History
In 1968, Arcadia High School track coach Doug Smith had an idea for an evening track meet for all the area schools. The first invitational was held more than 40 years ago, with 23 schools and six track clubs participating. Arcadia graduate Tracy Smith was the first of many future Olympic athletes to be a winner in the Arcadia Invitational. He went on to participate in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. 1970 is the meet that Doug Smith felt was a giant step in the development of the meet into more of a "Southern California" event. Santa Ana Coach Earl Engman, who was the Meet Director of the CIF-Southern Section championship affairs, entered his championship squad from Orange County, enhancing the event with the members of his top program from the greater San Gabriel Valley.
The invitational has since gone on to produce 25 U.S. records and 152 U.S. Olympians up to and including the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials.
In 2002, the meet expanded from a single-day competition to a two-day affair as the newly formed Friday portion consisted of additional relays (sprint medleys, shuttle hurdles, 4x800, etc.) not common at most meets. In 2004, another section of field events competition was also added to the Friday schedule.
In 2008, the Arcadia Multis were added on the Thursday-Friday of meet week, allowing top decathletes and heptathletes the chance to compete. It has become the premier multi-events competition for high schoolers, with both national decathlon records (high school implements and international implements) for boys achieved there. In 2010, the deepest quality field of high school heptathletes was featured.
The Arcadia Invitational is now the largest outdoor high school meet in the United States, with more than 4,000 high school athletes competing. In terms of participation numbers, it is also the largest high school sporting event in the nation that is hosted on a high school campus.
3200 meters
Amongst all the high quality performers, the 3200 meters (and previously the 2 miles) seems to inspire top performances. The competitive environment encourages many male athletes to break the 9 minute barrier for the first time. At the 2014 meet, 20 athletes broke 9 minutes.
Boys meet records
100 Meters Noah Lyles (T. C. Williams High School) 10.17 +1.2 2016
200 Meters Noah Lyles (T. C. Williams High School) 20.48 +0.0 2016
400 Meters Michael Norman (Vista Murrieta, CA) 45.51 2016
800 Meters Michael Granville (Bell Gardens, CA) 1:47.96 1995
1600 Meters Alan Webb (South Lakes, Reston, VA) 3:59.51c 2001 (4:01.81 Mile)
3200 Meters Thom Hunt (Patrick Henry, San Diego, CA) 8:42.30 1976
5000 Meters Chris Derrick (Neuqua Valley, IL) 13:55.96 2008
110 Meter High Hurdles Johnathan Cabral (Agoura, Agoura Hills, CA) 13.43 2011
300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles David Klech (California, San Ramon, CA) 35.45 2006
4x100 Meter Relay Muir, Pasadena, CA 40.28 1997
4x200 Meter Relay Vista Murrieta High School, Murrieta, CA 1:24.53 2015
4x400 Meter Relay Muir, Pasadena, CA 3:08.92 1996
4x800 Meter Relay L.B. Poly, Long Beach, CA 7:42.36 2003
4x1600 Meter Relay Great Oak High School, Temecula, CA 2016 16:55.65 NR
(Solomon Fountain 4:19.33, Cole Spencer 4.14.09, Isaac Cortes 4:11.55, Spencer Dodds 4:10.88)800m Sprint Medley Poly, Long Beach, CA 1:28.43 2007
1600m Sprint Medley Rancho Verde, Moreno Valley, CA 3:26.60 2008
Distance Medley Atlantic Community, Del Ray Beach, FL 9:57.88 2001
4x110 Shuttle Hurdles Relay Brophy Prep, Phoenix, AZ 59.28 2007
High Jump Mike Morrison (Willingboro, NJ) 7-03.00 2003
Pole Vault Nico Weiler (Los Gatos, CA) 17-04 2008
Long Jump Dion Bentley (Penn Hills, Pittsburgh, PA) 25-03.75 1989
Triple Jump Will Claye (Mountain Pointe, Phoenix, AZ) 51-07.50 2009
Shot Put Brent Noon (Fallbrook High School Fallbrook, CA) 71-04.25 1990
Discus Throw Niklas Arrhenius (Mountain View, Orem UT) 234-03 2001
Decathlon (HS implements) Curtis Beach (Albuquerque, NM) 7,909 2009
Decathlon (International implements) Gunnar Nixon (Santa Fe High School, Edmond, OK) 7,524 2011 (also 7,577 wind-aided)
Girls meet records
100 Meters Angela Williams (Chino, CA) 11.32 1998
200 Meters Marion Jones (Rio Mesa, Oxnard, CA) 22.87 1991
400 Meters Monique Henderson (Morse, San Diego, CA) 52.51 2001
800 Meters Heidi Magill (Mountain View, Orem, UT) 2:06.34 2002
1600 Meters Alex Kosinski (Oak Ridge, El Dorado Hills, CA) 4:41.70c 2007
3200 Meters Alexa Efraimson (Camas High School, Camas, WA) 9:55.92 2014
100 Meter High Hurdles Trinity Wilson (St. Mary's, Berkeley, CA) 13.51 (+2.0) 2011
300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles Lashinda Demus (Wilson, Long Beach, CA) 40.70 2001
4x100 Meter Relay Poly, Long Beach, CA 44.95 2004
4x200 Meter Relay Poly, Long Beach, CA 1:33.87 2004
4x400 Meter Relay Wilson, Long Beach, CA 3:39.12 2001
4x800 Meter Relay Randolph, New York, NY 8:58.30 2002
4x1600 Meter Relay Great Oak, Temecula, CA 19:58.71 2015
800m Sprint Medley Poly, Long Beach, CA 1:38.73 2003
1600m Sprint Medley West Catholic, Philadelphia, PA 3:59.74 2004
Distance Medley Harvard-Westlake, North Hollywood, CA 11:40.89 2011
4x100 Shuttle Hurdles Relay J.W. North, Riverside, CA 57.49 2003
Long Jump Jernae Wright (James Logan, Union City, CA) 20’09.75" 1995
Triple Jump Brittany Daniels (Merrill West, Tracy, CA) 43’05.00” 2005
High Jump Yleana Carrasco (Anaheim, CA) 6’00.00" 1985
Pole Vault Rachel Baxter (Canyon High School (Anaheim, California)) 14 ft 2 in (4.31 m) 2016
Shot Put Kristin Heaston (Ygnacio Valley, Concord, CA) 51’01.50" 1993
Discus Throw Seilala Sua (St. Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, FL) 180’02" 1996
Heptathlon Ashley Smith (Millikan, Long Beach, CA) 5,225 points 2010