Arcadia 2026 - Official Discussion Thread

Hoping for great weather and great performances. The 3200m will be great as always.

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2026 Arcadia InvitationalFriday-Saturday, April 10-11 at Arcadia HS, CA36 National Records! 203 U.S. Olympians! *2026 ENTRIES & ALTERNATES!* Please read the cover letter carefully! 2026 FREE WEBCAST Field Event streams (by Ar...

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Girls Invite 3200:

Chamorra Cooper (CO)

Skye Jensen (UT)

Charlotte Hopkins (CA)

Isabella Ramirez (CA)

Ruby Ihmels (ND)

Emily Cohen (CO)

Brynn Davenport (OR)

Anna Salter (CA)

Julia Kelly (PA)

Addy Guymon (UT)

Ari Llorens (CA)

Hadassah Beshears (AR)

Caroline Fender (CO)

Emry Schwalm (CO)

Madelyn Reeder (UT)

Summer Wilson (CA)

Maya Bybee (UT)

Mary Nesmith (GA)

Adrianna Buitelaar (Canada)

Sophia Rodriguez (WA)

Claire Guiberson (CO)

Elise Hagen (CO)

Addison Ritzenhein (CO)

Avery Barton (UT)

Amaya Bhardwaj (CA)

Natalie Arriaza (CA)

Gabbie Bishop (AR)

Payton Meineke (CO)

Hallie Heemeyer (ID)

Lilly Beshears (AR)

Sundara Weber (IL)

Ellie Maddox (SD)

Peyton VanDeest (SD)

Alyssa Gutierrez (CA)

Calysta Garmer (TN)

Jazzlyn Garmer (TN)

Abigail Hennessy (MA)

That is a nice field. Like seeing 10 CO boys $ 8 CO girls. As a fan it would have been nice to see Jude it the 3200. But that is a me thing. His coaches clearly know what they are doing.

Whilst on the topic / with 4 Niwot boys entered, what would they need to do to be in NBP convo?

BOYS INVITATIONAL MILE:

Aidan Neal (Alta, Utah)

Stephen Sziebert (Bellarmine, California)

Maxwell Miracle (Crater, Oregon)

Cadel Ruthven (Fort Collins, Colorado)

Drake Hoferer (Jesuit, California)

Kellen Williams (Jesuit Portland, Oregon)

Maximo Zavaleta (ML King, California)

James Millare (Moanalua, Hawaii)

Champ Ransom (Natrona County, Wyoming)

Rocco Culpepper (Niwot, Colorado)

Jude Ritzenhein (Niwot, Colorado)

Peter Mecham (Orem, Utah)

Jace Deledonne (Polytechnic - Riverside, California)

GIRLS INVITATIONAL MILE:

Jordan Banta (Air Academy, Colorado)

Madison Lange (Cherokee Trail, Colorado)

Abigail Anstett (Georgetown Visitation Prep, DC)

Emry Schwalm (Heritage, Colorado)

Chiara Dailey (La Jolla, California)

Mary Nesmith (Marietta, Georgia)

Lauren McCalla (Menomonie, Wisconsin)

Giselle Fernandez (Riverbank, California)

Annika Swan (Saint Ignatius Prep, Illinois)

Ellie Maddox (Sioux Falls Christian, South Dakota)

Lily Alder (Timpview, Utah)

Sophia Thompson (Union Catholic, New Jersey)

Abigail Hennessy (Westford Academy, Massachusetts)

The girls 3200 is more notable for who isn't in it, then for who is in it.

Missing are:

Katy Zang (injured)

Jaelyn Williams (injured)

Natasza Dudek

Blair Bartlett

So the top 3 girls from both NXN and Brooks XC are missing, as is the indoor 2 mile record holder. Bummer. I was hoping that those 4 girls would be able to race each other at Arcadia because they won't be able to race each other at Nike or New Balance. Maybe they will all race at Brooks PR?

OK...please explain tactical. Tactical to win? As in go out slow and try and win with a lap left? Yes that has happened at Arcadia, but that's not the norm. I usually see the milers going out in around :60 and 3200 guys in :62-:63 on a yearly basis and have been going for maybe 25 years. I remember the days when Rich Gonzalez would be excited when 10 guys broke 9 in the 3200 and the last year I looked there was 69 in all races combined with 33 in one race. I remember the race where 9 girls broke 10. If the rain and wind hold off, the weather could be perfect with hopefully plenty of clouds to keep the sun off of the athletes. It's been over warm over the last month. This could be a window in time for FAST times and that's the tactic for Arcadia.

He's referring to the fact that, on occasion, the Invite 3200m has gone out slowly. Last year with the 5 sub-4 guys they went out at barely sub-9 pace. There's a few reasons--the race, of course known for the sheer volume of guys sub-9 as you noted, has now become a championship in and of itself. Maybe because of the FL/NXN division or because its at the right time for everyone coming off a winter base? The pace depends on if theres a few guys willing to push or if there is a pacer--in 2023, A. Sahlman brought it through 1600m in about 4:19ish and Birnbaum and co. finished in 8:34.

That being said, I think Jackson Spencer is the typa guy to push it and Mantecon, the Niwot guys, van Meerten all like a fast pace too. More importantly they can KICK off a fast pace, and there's a ton more sub-4:05/ sub-8:50 guys like Lenn, Seitz, Burns, XC guys like Horton... I think we'll see a whole host of guys attached at a 4:17ish opener and many in the low 8:30s this year if the weather cooperates.

Because of the enormous field size and general unwillingness of most to be the sacrificial goat, the race always ends up slowing down around laps 5-7 as people try and position for a fast final 600 meters.

In fairness, even with the level of talent over the last few years, it is VERY hard (understatement) to run a sub-8:30 from the front.

Also,

1. Looks like my original post jinxed the weather. Whoops, sorry yall.

2. If the winning time in the 3200 is below 8:34, i'll eat my pants.

It’s interesting how tough these guys all think they are but are all afraid to lead. This never happens in the girls race.

Has any HS runner gone sub-8:30 from the front?

Has any HS runner gone sub 8:34 at Arcadia?

Any Arcadia boys 3200 that doesn't meet your criteria is a "tactical" race?

Are Bartlett and Dudek healthy? They haven't run since indoor? Seems with all the running in XC and then straight into indoor and then straight to outdoor, there are many more injuries this year. Too much.

Go 1-2-3-6 all under 8:50, probably.

Majority of distance kids who raced at Indoor Nationals haven't opened up with spring yet. No need to jump to the conclusions of injuries. Spring track goes all the way to mid June.

Sure you will.

Prior to the 1980 NYC Marathon, Craig Virgin said he'd eat crow if Alberto broke 2:10. Do you think he ate crow? No, and if it happened, you won't eat your pants either.

No high school runner has ever run sub 8:30 in a 3200m race. Verzbicas ran 8:29 for a 2 mile, and Drew Griffiths 8:31 for 2 miles is the only other performance that even converts to sub 8:30. There are a couple 3ks that probably convert as well, but I think we all know that doesn’t count the same as a 2 mile-3200 conversion

He obviously has not been watching Arcadia for many years. Last year was not the norm. Forget about it. If anything, I see many heats going out in :65 or under. Of course laps are going to slow down. That includes the slower heats. That's sub 8:40 and most of those guys are not that fast. Laps 5-7...you think that slow down to save it for the last 300? I'm big on negative splits, but come on...most of those guys are going out to fast.