The Santiago girls track and field team started making an impact even before the outdoor season began.

Following remarkable results at an indoor meet, the Sharks will be running this Saturday at The Ten, a distance-only meet at JSerra High.

Santiago’s entries for The Ten include senior Rylee Blade in the 3,200 meters, senior Nicole Samson and junior Braelyn Combe in the 800, and junior Taylor Davis in the 1,600. It will be the first Santiago outdoor meet for Samson, who transferred from Webb and missed the beginning of the outdoor season as she had to observe the sit-out transfer period.

Coach Rick Etheridge said Blade will be going for the national record in the 3,200.

The Florida State-bound Blade set a PR of 10:02.19 when she won the state title in 2023. The high school national record was set last year by Elizabeth Leachman of Boerne Champion (Texas) with 9:43.74 but Allie Zealand of Virginia ran a 3200 split of 9:38.41 while running a 2 mile last year.

That might seem like an overly ambitious goal this early in the season, but Blade is coming off an impressive performance at the NIke Indoor Nationals in New York two weeks ago.

At NIN, Blade ran the 5000 meters in 15:16.72, second only to Jane Hedengren of Utah. That mark set a new California record in the 5K (indoors or outdoors). It was a minute faster than she ran the same race at Nike Outdoor Nationals last June. It was also the second-best U.S. high school mark, trailing only Hedengren.

In addition to Blade’s individual success, the next day she ran the lead leg in the distance medley relay, which is a 1200 meter leg, followed by Davis running a 400, Samson an 800 and Combe a 1,600.

Santiago won the DMR with a time of 11:37.35, which set a California indoor record. Santiago’s time was the 14th best indoor time overall in U.S. history, and the Sharks became the 10th fastest school.

“That (Nike Indoor) just gave me a glimpse into what I felt was possible,” Etheridge said. “I prepped them so they could be ready to run that but I didn’t really mess the training up — so to speak — so it won’t affect us negatively at the end of our outdoor season.”

MEET OF CHAMPIONS

A similar meet to The Ten, the distance-only Meet of Champions was held last Saturday for the first time at Arroyo High after years at Azusa Pacific University. While no Inland athletes won the top heats in the six events (boys and girls 800, 1600 and 3,200 meters), several placed well.

Claremont freshman Grace Smith, an all-Inland first team selection for cross country, finished second in the 800 meters with a time of 2:11.77. She was behind only Carlsbad senior Makenna Herbst. Smith’s time is the sixth-fastest in the state this season, and it’s the second-fastest in the CIF Southern Section and fastest among any underclassman.

Like the girls 800, the boys 800 at MOC produced the top time in the state this season. Also in that race Great Oak’s Jack Paradise finished third (1:51.50) and Liberty’s Juan Juarez (1:52.12) was fourth, which were also the third and fourth-fastest marks in the state this season.

In the girls 3,200, Vista Murrieta’s Erika Kirk led for a portion before ultimately finishing second in 10:46.93, behind Trabuco Hills’ Evangeline Williams (10:44.27). Kirk’s time is about 9 seconds slower than her PR (10:37.00) set at CIF-SS Prelims last year.

“It went out a little slower than I thought it would,” Kirk said. “I need to be a little stronger in the last 300 but it’s a good training opportunity.”

EARLY STANDOUTS

Other Inland athletes have already posted impressive marks this early in the season. Temecula Valley senior Jack Stadlman has the top mark in the 400 meters so far this season, a 45.69 run at the Saddle-Up Invitational March 1.

The most impressive mark this early in the season could be Redlands’ Su’Riah Williams, who had a discus mark of 173 feet, 3 inches in a dual meet against Redlands East Valley on March 18. It is 17 1/2 feet farther than the next best mark in the state this year, more than 25 feet farther than her previous PR.