WHAT: 44th Arcadia Invitational
WHEN: Friday-Saturday
WHERE: Arcadia (Calif.) High School
SCHEDULE: Friday starts - Decathlon (9 a.m.), Heptathlon (10:30 a.m.), night relays and field events (4:30 p.m.); Saturday starts - Open (9:30 a.m.); Invitational - field events (3:40 p.m.), running (5:25 p.m.).
HEADLINERS: Boys - Marquis Dendy (long jump, triple jump), Gunnar Nixon (decathlon), Demontay McClain and Ronald Darby (sprints), Demetrius Lindo and Jonathan Cabral (hurdles); Girls - Akawkaw Ndipagbor (400), Trinity Wilson (100 hurdles), Hannah Cunliffe (sprints), Ciarra Brewer (triple jump).
HISTORY: 24 national records set; 125 future U.S. Olympians competed.
WEBSITE: Click here.
NATIONAL LEADERS: Boys.
Girls.
Trinity Wilson owns the national 100-meter hurdles record for a freshman and sophomore.
Photo by Kirby Lee
Trinity Wilson was beside herself.
Literally.
While the 100-meter hurdle medal winners giggled and congratulated each other standing near the victory stand at 2010 state championships in Clovis, the St. Mary's (Berkeley) standout sat stoically on a nearby bench, stewing and holding her second-place ribbon.
"I couldn't even look at it," Wilson said of the ribbon. "I had the second-place lettering flipped over. I just stared t the white back portion."
The eight-time youth national hurdles record-holder led from the opening gun to the last hurdle but was edged at the line by current Stanford freshman Kori Carter 13.33 seconds to 13.35, the two fastest all-condition times in the country last season.
"I could taste it," Wilson said after the race. "I thought I was going to win the whole way. It was a great race and a great time, but it still hurts."
And almost a year later, it still hurts.
It's painful largely because Wilson, a powerfully built 5-foot-9 junior, returns back to the prestigious and 44th annual Arcadia Invitational on Saturday.
It was there last year that in an almost identical race to the state finals, Wilson blew out of the gates, looked great, but was passed at the line by Carter.
Wilson thought she learned her lesson then – to never let up and attack the hurdles no matter how far ahead – but then had to re-learn it on the biggest high school stage.
They were Wilson's only losses of an otherwise impeccable sophomore season.
"Twice I had it taken away from me at the very end," Wilson said. "It was devastating. Don't get me wrong. Kori did a great job and I respect her and she deserved to win. But I can never let that happen again. Never."
