McAlister Makes Big Moves at Arcadia Invitational

Arcadia's Catrina McAlister won the Women's 3200 Meters

By Tony Solorzano

(Arcadia) – Arcadia runner Catrina McAlister marked a personal best as she blew away the field to take the Women’s 3200 meter run in one of the featured events of the 43rd Arcadia Invitational Track and Field Meet Saturday at Salter Stadium.

McAlister, the junior distance runner, bested a field of 27 in taking the 3200. Her time of 10:27.86 was four seconds ahead of senior Liberty Miller of Simi Valley and 10 seconds ahead of Torrey Pines’ Megan Moran. McAlister was well aware of the nature of the win.

“I was excited all day today,” she said after receiving her first place medal. “This is definitely a boost here, it’s amazing.”

McAlister’s teammate, junior Ammar Moussa, also achieved a personal best in the Men’s 3200 event, however, he was stymied by a tight pack of runners but managed to cross the finish line in 11th place in a time of 8:58.46, also a new personal best for him. Seventeen of the 28 entrants finished in less than nine minutes, including South Pasadena’s Sam Pons, who finished fifth in a time of 8:55.76.

I had so many veterans out there. I can’t make a mistake like that,” Moussa said of his inability to get out of the pack. “I got boxed in so bad but there is no excuse for it.” Moussa also singled out his teammates who were on hand as part of the event’s meet crew for their support. He said that during his race he could hear their encouragements while he ran, which aided in his strong finish.

Arcadia's Ammar Moussa prepares for the 3200

Pons, also a junior, was thrilled to break the nine-minute mark, having reached the nine-minute mark at last year’s CIF Master’s Meet. I’ve been waiting for it for a while now, and this was the perfect place for it,” Pons said. “I had to go out fast right away because I knew there were 27 guys with personal record under 9:10, so I had to get out there.”

A number of Mid-Valley and Southeast area schools were well represented in the annual event. Among those who earned honors in the Invitational portion of the event are as follows:  

Pasadena’s Alexis Walker earned a second-place finish in the Women’s High Jump hitting a height of five foot, eight inches finishing behind Long Beach Poly’s Tara Richmond.

La Serna’s 4×400 relay team, seniors Kevin Curbelo, Nigel Liefveld and Adam Vega and junior Andres Vega, finished third behind Gardena Serra and Rio Mesa. 

Monrovia’s Women’s 4×100 meter team qualified for the final, however they finished ninth in the race behind the winner of the race, St. Mary’s of North Carolina. Jazmine Robertson reached the finals of the women’s 300 meter hurdles, finishing sixth.

Diamond Ranch’s Koree Hines and Ryan Gibson both qualified for the Men’s 110 meter hurdles, with Hines finishing fourth and Gibson finishing tied for seventh. 

West Covina’s B.J. Lee earned a third place finish in the Men’s 100 meter dash, finishing in 10.76, one tenth of a second behind the winner of the race, Dorsey’s Robert Herron. Covina’s Remontay McLain also competed in the 100 meter dash with Lee, finishing 0.01 second behind Lee for fourth place, and then took third place in the Men’s 200 meter dash in a time of 21.94 seconds. 

Cal’s Terris Jones earned a spot in the Triple Jump Invitational event but was unable to reach the final section of the event.

1 Comment to "McAlister Makes Big Moves at Arcadia Invitational"

  1. June 20, 2023 - 2:59 am | Permalink

    As an athletics enthusiast, I was thrilled to witness McAlister’s impressive performance at the Arcadia Invitational. Their exceptional skills and determination were evident throughout the event, making it a memorable competition. McAlister’s big moves showcased their talent and solidified their status as a standout athlete on the field.

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