Track and field: Poly adds to its point total in girls’ 400

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Long Beach Poly just picked up more points in the girls’ 400 meters, as freshman Akawkaw Ndipagbor won in a nation-leading 53.35 seconds and her teammate, defending champion Jasmine Joseph, finished second.

That’s two firsts and a second, overall, for the Jackrabbits, but I’m sure they wish they would’ve had a 400 relay team out there earlier. The co-state leaders failed to advance when they dropped the baton in Friday’s preliminaries.

Ndipagbor wore all white and Joseph wore all gold, which was a little strange. They won’t be able to get away with that in a relay, as the uniforms are required to be identical in those events.

The race for the boys’ team title is looking more like it will come down to Long Beach Poly and Dominguez. Devron Walker won the 110 hurdles in 13.96 for Dominguez, but Poly’s Joey Hughes came back to win the 400 in a nation-leading 46.28, beating out Dominguez sophomore Leon Dillihunt.

By my math, Dominguez has 26 points to Poly’s 20. If you remember, the Dons also have the nation’s best 1,600 relay team, but Hughes has a good chance to add to Poly’s total in the 200, and the Jackrabbits’ four-lap relay team isn’t bad either.

-- Dan Arritt

Note: For up-to-the-minute results of the CIF state championship meet, check here.