Warren track athletes, front row from left, 4 x100 team, Avery Carrillo (also Pole Vault), Sofia Aceves, Joanna Garcia and Fayth Randolph, and top row from left, Madina Dieng (discus), Joaquim Sandoval (3200), Alyssa Huerta (3200) and Kymani Hollis (shot put) will be competing on Saturday at the CIF D1 Finals in Moorpark. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)

DOWNEY – It was a record day for Warren High School at both the Suburban Valley Conference (SVC) Track & Field finals and the next week in the CIF D1 Prelims Saturday (May 9) at Trabuco Hills High School.

“With records continuing to fall and a historic number of athletes advancing, the Warren girls track and field team heads into CIF Finals carrying tremendous momentum and proving itself among Southern California’s elite programs,” said Warren Girls Track & Field coach, Jay Waldron, who also is the ASB Director and head Girls Cross Country coach.

“The SVC CIF Qualifying Meet proved to be another historic chapter for the Warren girls track and field program, as the Bears delivered dominant performances, shattered records, and advanced a Warren record-breaking number of remarkable athletes to the CIF Division 1 Southern Section Prelims.”

Warren Boys coach Ramon Miranda also was proud of his athletes heading to the CIF Finals this weekend saying, “I’m looking forward to this weekend as our two boys are pumped up and excited to be performing their best for this meet.

“All in all, this squad in both levels has been labeled as the ‘Best Teams’ at Warren in my 32 years of coaching.”

Miranda is also the Boys Cross Country coach in the Fall.

The eight athletes, a Warren first for a DI Track & Field Final, will compete for individual titles at Moorpark High School this Saturday (May 16).

Six of those eight athletes are from the girls team are: 4x100 Relay Team – Avery Carrillo, SR, Sofia Aceves, SR, Joanna Garcia, SR and Fayth Randolph, JR; Madina Dieng, Discus, JR; Alyssa Huerta, 3200, JR. Carrillo also qualified in the Pole Vault.

The two boys are: Joaquim Sandoval, 3200, JR and Kymani Hollis, Shot Put, SR.

Girls

It all started with a SVC regular season title, which was followed by the CIF Qualifying Meet, where the Bears won 10 individual championships, which included two relay titles.

Winning individual titles were Huerta (800, 1600, 3200 meters), Randolph (200 meters), Carrillo (100-meter hurdles and pole vault), Ashley Jenkins, SR (300-meter hurdles), Dieng (discus), 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams.

With the win, the 4x100 team broke the current school record with a time of 48.59 to automatically qualify for the CIF Prelims.

Those winners automatically qualified for the CIF Prelims, while in the field events Emma Aviles, JR advanced in the high jump and Amelia Tinajero, FR secured an automatic qualifying berth in the shot put.

Other events saw the following advance: Randolph and Aceves moved on in the 100 meters, Cathy Gomez, FR qualified in the 3200 and Jenkins also earned advancement in the long jump. In the throwing events, Dieng qualified in the shot put alongside discus qualifiers Sarah Isais, SR and Ava Reyes, SO.

Personal bests included Dieng with a PB of 34’ in the shot put. She also broke the SVC record in the discus with a throw of 124-2 a week earlier at Conference Championships.

Another school record was by Carrillo (100 Hurdles, 15.55) and a PB by Aceves in the 100 meters (12.54).

CIF Prelims

At the CIF Prelims last weekend, the Warren athletes competed against some of the top competitors in Southern California.

The headline performance came once again from the Warren 4x100 relay team (Carrillo, Aceves, Garcia, Randolph), which broke its own school record for the second consecutive week, blazing to a 47.84 finish and placing eighth overall in Division 1 to secure a berth in the CIF Finals.

Carrillo continued her stellar postseason in the pole vault, clearing 11 feet to qualify seventh, while Dieng had a throw of 115’-10”, earning the eighth qualifying spot to advance to the finals.

Huerta, the distance standout, delivered one of the most courageous races of the evening in the 3200, with a PB of 11:00.12 to capture the final qualifying position for the CIF Finals.

Carrillo was the only Warren athlete to qualify in two events for the finals – pole vault and ran a leg in the 4x100 relay.

“It’s a lot of time management,” said Carrillo, of her two-event success in the pole vault and 4x100 relay.

“I’ve dedicated days of focusing on pole vault and then my 4x100 handoffs, but for the most part it comes down to how the meet is run as well.”

Carrillo recently finished her 4x100 race at the Tiger Invitational and immediately ran over to her pole vault event without a practice run and won the event for a school record vault of 11’-4”.

“Nobody wants to miss their event. The pole vault is one of the most technical events in track and field.”

A newcomer to the Warren coaching staff was Colleen McFadden, who came with great success in the sprinting portion of the running events.

“I heard about this opening (sprint coach) and showed up in January (2026),” said McFadden, who went to the Naval Academy and ran sprints on the track team and served 10 years in the Marines. “Track has always been a love and a passion.

“I think we (Warren coaches) were all very much aligned to give girls the best experience they can to make it fun, competitive and at the end of the day we’re here to support them in their journey.”

McFadden has been a big part of the girls sprint success this past season.

Boys

Coach Miranda has had great success in numbers over the years on the boys side of the program.

“2026 began with high expectations, with 190 student/athletes on the roster,” he said. “It made Warren the largest (590 schools) boys team in CIF-membered schools in my years as head coach.”

Miranda continued, “As the season went on, I noticed the Bears had plenty of depth and was quite talented. The days were filled with many working hard and attending all practices during school holidays and school.”

Just like the girls, the season ended with the boys squad capturing the SVC title in both the frosh-soph and varsity levels.

In amazing fashion, the Warren boys captured 11 of the 16 events in varsity and 12 of the 16 events in frosh-soph.

Hollis and Sandoval, both of which have qualified for the CIF finals for the first time, achieved personal bests in their respective events.

Hollis, who transferred in from St. John Bosco after his sophomore year, had a season best shot put of 58’-5”, while Sandoval advanced in the 3200 with a 9:14.80, which is his Personal Best. During the season he set a new school record in the 1600 at 4:17.16.

Other highlights in 2026 saw many of the athletes with PB’s, which put them into the top 10 list of all time for Warren track and field.

Sophomore John Ylaunu cleared 13-8 in the pole Vault and won league, while junior Karson Forge won the 100 meter.

Senior Richard Nichols ran a 22.01 to win the 200, which was the third fastest time in school history. Both Forge and Nichols were part of the 4x100 relay and recorded the third fastest time in program history.

What they said:

Warren 4x100 Relay Team

Avery Carrillo, SR: “I love it, it’s amazing. I love it that we’re putting track and field at Warren on the map and creating history. It’s an unreal feeling and hasn’t hit me yet. Everyone here has been working so hard for this.”

Sofia Aceves, SR: “I’m really excited (to advance to the finals). Three out of the four 4 x 100 runners are seniors, so it’s really cool to experience as we finish off our season strong.

She (sprints coach Colleen McFadden) definitely made the difference and really did bond with us really, really fast. She prioritizes our mental health a lot and so we really appreciate it. She pushes us in the most positive ways.”

Joanna Garcia, SR: “I’m very excited and proud and just happy to be with them all. It’s (running) just the love I have for it and just can’t give it up. After I got injured (September of 2024) I thought I wasn’t going to come back.

It feels amazing to hold that title and record (4x100 relay) and gives us a good feeling and get the attention that we do deserve. I’m just really proud of our whole team.”

Fayth Randolph, JR: “It’s been amazing coming into my freshmen season and going straight up to varsity and having that experience of going to so many amazing meets.

And now being able to go to CIF (finals) as a junior and compete at a really high level is super fun and amazing. It’s something I haven’t experienced before.”

Madina Dieng, Discus, JR: “It feels really good that I can be a part of this, that I can keep working hard and I can prove myself. When it’s just us, the last people standing, showing up to practice every day and especially me I’m pushing myself.

I’ve been staying focused and that’s what matters.

I’m grateful for my coach, Richard Sitan, who has been helping me.”

Alyssa Huerta, 3200, JR: “It’s exciting because I’m part of one of them and I always wanted to be going to CIF, state and all of that. I’m really excited to be going to the Finals.

It (Going to the Finals) was not something I was expecting to go to. But, when I heard my name on the loud speaker, I heard Alyssa Huerta placed ninth and going to the finals, I said ‘Oh my God’ and looked at everyone and thought I was finally going after two years of not going.”

Joaquim Sandoval, 3200, JR: “I’m really excited. I’m a lot faster this year, so it’s exciting to see what I can do in the finals.

A lot over the summer getting mentally ready and just refocus myself and this last Cross (Country) season was a lot better so it helps the momentum into track.”

Kymani Hollis, Shot Put, SR: “I’m pretty excited. I think just to be a part of that (CIF Finals) just shows how much progression Warren had through each event and I will remember this definitely after graduation.

I feel something good coming this weekend. I’m going to keep going to state, going to nationals and JO’s (Junior Olympics) and go to college.”

(Coaches Waldron and Miranda contributed to this article)