After 11:22.23 performance by Harvard-Westlake at 2011 New Balance Nationals Outdoor hadn’t been seriously challenged for more than a decade, Ventura finally eclipses mark with 11:21.85 effort at Mt. SAC Relays, joining three other elite programs running faster indoors during the past three years 

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Chuck Utash

WALNUT, Calif. – Aelo Curtis called it a real “handing over the baton” moment.

Moments after Curtis and Ventura High teammates Melanie True, Valentina Fakrogha and Sadie Engelhardt set the national high school outdoor record Saturday in the invitational girls distance medley relay by clocking 11 minutes, 21.85 seconds at the 64th Mt. SAC Relays Presented by Nike, the quartet was joined on the infield of Hilmer Lodge Stadium by Harvard-Westlake head coach Jonas Koolsbergen.

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One of the mentors, along with Wolverines’ distance coach Tim Sharpe, of the best DMR group ever to represent California before Saturday night, Koolsbergen demonstrated his class and support for the Ventura student-athletes, who eclipsed Harvard-Westlake’s 2011 performance of 11:22.23 at New Balance Nationals Outdoor in Greensboro, N.C.

“I had to pay my respect,” Koolsbergen said. “Just as a fan of the sport, watching Sadie is incredible. And to be able to be here to witness it was special. For our record to stand for as long as it did, you can’t be anything but grateful.” 

That Harvard-Westlake lineup featured K.C. Cord, Lauren Hansson and Stanford-bound athletes Cami Chapus and Amy Weissenbach, two of the elite distance runners in California prep history and among the many women who have inspired Engelhardt throughout her record-setting high school career, which also included the fastest outdoor mile in U.S. prep history Friday with her 4:31.72 performance.

Engelhardt returned less than 24 hours later Saturday to anchor the final 1,600 for Ventura in 4:33.95, overcoming a three-second deficit against Corona Santiago High, which secured runner-up in 11:55.34. Trabuco Hills, another California program, took third in 11:59.44.

True ran 3:36.38 for the first 1,200, Fakrogha split 54.73 on the 400 leg and Curtis achieved an 800 split of 2:16.80 for Ventura.

“It’s incredible. I pretty much know all those records and you see them at Buchanan and everyone sees them at the state meet with the (California) records and the stadium records and all that. Just to be up there with them and to have another legacy like the one they did is very special and I think these girls are really deserving of that,” Engelhardt said. “It was a little unexpected, but our coach instilled that confidence in us and we just all happened to have a good day with a couple of PRs.”

But it took perhaps the most determined and challenging final lap of Engelhardt’s career to make their vision of pursuing the national record a reality.

“It was definitely a little heart-shaking, but I knew my team could do it and we’re definitely strong enough to do it,” Fakrogha said. “This is what they all practice for and train for and I knew they were all ready.”

Fakrogha is the only senior in Ventura’s lineup, and was competing in the invitational high jump with a 5-6 (1.67m) clearance eight hours prior to racing Saturday in the DMR.

Curtis, Engelhardt and True contributed to Ventura winning the Division 2 state cross country championship in November, an indication of the depth of the group. But the Cougars hadn’t discussed the possibility of assembling such a formidable DMR lineup until the season, with Harvard-Westlake’s quest for the national record building across multiple seasons, before the Wolverines took down the 2010 mark of 11:31.26 achieved by Blacksburg High of Virginia.

“I know our coach said it was possible, but I did not believe it was going to happen (Saturday) because this is our first time ever running it,” True said. “The fact that we’re another team from California after they did it, that’s really cool.”

Harvard-Westlake had Weissenbach cover the first 1,200 in 3:24.85, Cord run 58.46 on the 400 leg, Hansson deliver a 2:13.70 split for 800 and Chapus anchor in 4:45.23, running with the lead for the majority of the race, even with Fayetteville-Manlius from New York placing second in 11:25.13.

Ventura was the exact opposite, trailing Corona Santiago throughout the race, until Engelhardt passed Rylee Blade on the anchor leg.

The Wolverines were also the subject of conversation in March when Cuthbertson High of North Carolina and Flower Mound High from Texas both ran faster than Harvard-Westlake’s performance during their memorable showdown at New Balance Nationals Indoor.

Cuthbertson triumphed in 11:17.50 and Flower Mound was runner-up in 11:20.65, not only faster than Harvard-Westlake, but also the 11:21.95 effort achieved on an oversized indoor track in 2022 by Purple Track Club, representing Ann Arbor Pioneer High in Michigan, causing Koolsbergen and Sharpe to ponder whether the outdoor all-time DMR mark would be able to survive another season.

Although Ventura might not have been the first team to come to mind as potential challengers, Koolsbergen had nothing but praise for the Cougars in the aftermath of the race.

“That was super kind and sweet of him,” Curtis said. “It was just a really awesome experience to be able to meet him.”

Ventura’s celebration continued Saturday when the Cougars also won the boys invitational distance medley relay in a state-leading 9:59.51, with Anthony Fast Horse, Blake Harris and Micah Grossman all returning to the track after contributing to victory Friday in the 4x1,600 relay in 17:23.17, and Luke Carnaghe completing the DMR lineup for the No. 5 quartet in California prep history.