The primary goal for track and field athletes competing in the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet was to secure their spots for the upcoming CIF State Championships.
Bringing home a title from the Masters Meet always is a special moment, however.
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Rancho Cucamonga’s Rodney Sermons, left, Servite’s Benjamin Harris and Bishop Alemany’s Demare Dezeurn run the boys 100m dash during the CIF Southern Section Master’s meet at Moorpark High School in Moorpark on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
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Rancho Cucamonga’s Rodney Sermons, left, Servite’s Benjamin Harris and Bishop Alemany’s Demare Dezeurn run the boys 100m dash during the CIF Southern Section Master’s meet at Moorpark High School in Moorpark on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer)
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Yucaipa senior thrower Benjamin Lingenfelter was 1 of 4 Inland athletes who claimed individual championships in the boys events Saturday at Moorpark High School.
The UCLA-bound Lingenfelter swept the boys throwing titles. He won the shot put with a mark of 61 feet and 2 inches and the discus with a throw of 200 and 11 inches. Lingenfelter became the first Inland boys athlete to capture Master Meet championships in both throws in the same season since Great Oak’s Nick Ponzio did it in 2013.
It was a career day for Lingenfelter, as well. He improved his personal best in the shot put by 2 feet and 9 inches and established a career best in the discus by 11 inches. Lingenfelter will enter the CIF State Championships ranked No. 2 in the state in the discus and No. 5 in the state in the shot put.
Nicolas Alexis won last year’s title in the long jump while competing at Great Oak, and he successfully defended that title as a member of Elsinore’s track and field team. Alexis jumped a personal-best and wind-legal 24 feet, 3 1/2 inches on his first attempt and matched that on his third try. He also advanced in the triple jump (third place).
Rancho Cucamonga’s Rodney “RJ” Sermons recently reclassified from the 2026 class into the 2025 class (he is headed to USC for football), so these are the final days competing for the Cougars. Sermons captured the title in the 200 meters behind a wind-legal time of 20.97 seconds and also advanced in the 100 meters (fourth place).
Cajon’s Keith Cotlage was the Inland area’s fourth individual champion Saturday. He captured the title in the triple jump with a wind-legal mark of 48 feet and 10 inches.
To qualify for the CIF State Championships, athletes and relays had to finish among the top six in their respective events or meet the state’s at-large qualifying standard. The lone exception was the 4 x 800 relay. The CIF Southern Section is allowed only four qualifiers in that event for the state finals.
In boys events, a total of 27 Inland athletes and five relays advanced to the state meet, which will take place Friday and Saturday at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
Five additional Inland athletes qualified for state in two individual events: Etiwanda’s Brandon Andrade (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles) and Drew Harisay (shot put, discus); King’s Maximo Zavaleta (1600 meters, 3200 meters); Murrieta Mesa’s Darryl Conyer III (100 meters, 200 meters); and Temecula Valley’s Jack Stadlman (200 meters, 400 meters).
INLAND QUALIFIERS FOR CIF STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
100 Meters
4. Rodney Sermons, Rancho Cucamonga, 10.47
7. Darryl Conyer III, Murrieta Mesa, 10.58
200
1. Rodney Sermons, Rancho Cucamonga, 20.97
6. Jack Stadlman, Temecula Valley, 21.24
8. Darryl Conyer III, Murrieta Mesa, 21.45
400
2. Jack Stadlman, Temecula Valley, 47.91
5. Daiveon Woodley, Bonita, 48.20
8. Dontae Smith, North, 48.34
800
2. Beckett Sullivan, Riverside Poly, 1:52.28
1600
2. Maximo Zavaleta, King, 4:10.55
7. Daniel Reza, Chaffey, 4:12.60
3200
2. Eyan Turk, Woodcrest Christian, 8:58.90
3. Maximo Zavaleta, King, 9:04.02
110 Hurdles
3. Cameron Simmons, Temecula Valley, 14.10
5. Joab Vela, Vista Murrieta, 14.12
6. Brandon Andrade, Etiwanda, 14.19
300 Hurdles
2. Terrence Whaley, Orange Vista, 37.03
4. Quishawn Stanford, Alta Loma, 37.90
9. Brandon Andrade, Etiwanda, 38.31
12. Keegan Schmidt, Los Osos, 38.48
13. Aden Johnson, Summit, 38.67
4 X 100 Relay
4. Murrieta Valley (Darius Johnson, Camden Palos-Connor, Sedwrick Dunklin, Brandon Ortega) 41.55
5. Santiago (Travis Nguyen, Ademola Olusoga, Gage McCorkell, Matthew Lollino) 41.57
4 X 400 Relay
8. Orange Vista (Terrence Whaley, Braylen Turner, Peter Sandoval, Rami Babino) 3:16.55
10. Rancho Cucamonga (Daniel Wimbush, Griffin Fittante, Jahari Grant, Jayden Saldana) 3:17.94
13. Damien (Shane Ortiz, Dane Barker, Erik Patronite, Grant Monsibais) 3:19.02
High Jump
5. Nathaniel Baca, Ayala, 6-6
Pole Vault
2. Michael Cullen, Redlands, 15-8
8. David O’Brien, Roosevelt, 15-2
Shot Put
1. Benjamin Lingenfelter, Yucaipa, 61-2
2. Drew Harisay, Etiwanda, 58-5
5. Noah Buchanan, Murrieta Mesa, 53-7
Discus
1. Benjamin Lingenfelter, Yucaipa, 200-10
2. Joshua Komrosky, Ayala,178-04
5. Drew Harisay, Etiwanda, 170-10
Long Jump
1. Nicolas Alexis, Elsinore, 24-3 1/2
2. Leon Shorter IV, Riverside Poly, 23–0 1/2
Triple Jump
1. Keith Cotlage, Cajon, 48-10
3. Nicolas Alexis, Elsinore, 48-1
6. Colin Green, Great Oak, 46-9 1/2
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