The Arcadia Invitational is a high school track and field meet in the United States. It is considered the most competitive meet in the country and has been billed as the "Home of National Records". The meet is held at Arcadia High School in Arcadia, California, on either the first or second weekend in April each year. The Arcadia Invitational attracts the top prep athletes in the United States and internationally (Canada, Mexico, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Argentina, and Brazil have been represented in recent years). The Arcadia Invitational has played host to 32 national high school records and has helped to produce 179 U.S. Olympians.

History In 1968, Arcadia High School track coach Doug Smith had an idea for an evening track and field meet for all the area schools. The first invitational was held more than 50 years ago, with 23 schools and six track clubs participating. Arcadia graduate Tracy Smith was the first of many future Olympic athletes to be a winner in the Arcadia Invitational. He went on to participate in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.Tracy Smith at Sports Reference 1970 is the year that Doug Smith felt was a giant step in the development of the meet into more of a "Southern California" event. Santa Ana Coach Earl Engman, who was the Meet Director of the CIF-Southern Section championship affairs, entered his championship squad from Orange County, enhancing the event with the members of his top program from the greater San Gabriel Valley.

The invitational has since gone on to produce 32 U.S. high school records and 179 U.S. Olympians up to and including the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.

In 2002, the meet expanded from a single-day competition to a two-day affair as the newly formed Friday portion consisted of additional relays (sprint medleys, shuttle hurdles, 4x800, etc.) not common at most meets. In 2004, another (third) section of field events competition also was added to the Friday schedule.

In 2008, the Arcadia Multis were added on the Thursday-Friday of meet week, allowing top decathletes and heptathletes the chance to compete. It has become the premier multi-events competition for high schoolers, with both national decathlon records (high school implements and international implements) for boys achieved there. In 2010, the deepest quality field of high school heptathletes was featured.

The Arcadia Invitational is now among the largest outdoor high school meets in the United States, with more than 4,000 high school athletes competing. In terms of participation numbers, it is also the largest high school sporting event in the nation that is hosted on a high school campus.

As of 2017, Arcadia High School organization, Apache News, live streams the field events for the meet. They provide live coverage of the event split into three live streams, the first covering the pole vault and high jump, the second covering long jump and triple jump, and the third covering shotput and discus.

3200 meters The boys' 3200-meter event has become a signature event for inspiring top performances. The competitive environment and weather are ideal for elite male athletes to break the 9-minute barrier. At the 2017 meet, an unprecedented 27 athletes broke 9 minutes (25 in the invitational section and 2 in the seeded section).

Notable athletes

Jordan Hasay Noah Lyles Will Claye Curtis Beach Sondre Guttormsen Jahvid Best Alysia Montano Quincy Watts Chaunte Lowe Steve Lewis Stephanie Brown-Trafton Danny Everett Amy Acuff Carmelita Jeter Ashton Eaton Valerie Brisco-Hooks Gail Devers Bryshon Nellum Jillian Camarena-Williams Mike Powell Shannon Rowbury Michael Marsh Marion Jones Meb Keflezighi

Allyson Felix Monique Henderson Ryan Hall Lashinda Demus Kyle Alcorn Sydney McLaughlin Deena Kastor Jamie Nieto Michelle Perry Alan Webb Cathy Freeman, Australia Steve Smith Jessica Cosby Aretha Thurmond Sharon Day Chris Derrick Devon Allen

Meet records

Boys

+Boys' meeting records of the Arcadia Invitational Event Record Athlete School Date 100 m10.17Noah LylesT.C. Williams2016200 m20.35 Brandon ArringtonMount Miguel12 April 2025400 m45.48Quincy WilsonBullis11 April 2026800 m1:47.96Michael Granville Bell Gardens19951600 m3:59.51Alan WebbSouth Lakes2001Mile4:01.81Alan WebbSouth Lakes20013200 m8:31.80Jackson SpencerHerriman11 April 20265000 m13:55.96Chris DerrickNeuqua Valley2008110 m hurdles13.43Johnathan CabralAgoura2011300 m hurdles35.45David KlechCalifornia2006High jump7-3.00Mike MorrisonWillingboro2003Pole vault18-02.50Sondre GuttormsenDavis2018Long jump25-3.75Dion BentleyPenn Hills1989Triple jump51-7.50Will ClayeMountain Pointe2009Shot put71-4.25Brent NoonFallbrook1990Discus throw234-03Niklas ArrheniusMountain View2001Decathlon - International implements7524 ptsGunnar NixonEdmond Santa Fe2011Decathlon - High School implements7909 ptsCurtis BeachAlbuquerque20094 × 100 m relay40.28John Muir High SchoolMuir19974 × 200 m relay1:24.15Jaden SmithJaxon HarleyRashon LukeJabari BatesSt. John Bosco8 April 20224 × 400 m relay3:08.92John Muir High SchoolMuir19964 × 800 m relay7:42.36Long Beach Polytechnic High SchoolLong Beach Poly20034 × 1600 m relay16:41.30American Fork High SchoolAmerican Fork2017Distance medley relay9:57.88Atlantic Community High SchoolAtlantic Community2001800 m Sprint medley relay (1-1-2-4)1:28.43Long Beach Polytechnic High SchoolLong Beach Poly20071600 m Sprint medley relay (2-2-4-8)3:26.36Los Alamitos High SchoolLos Alamitos20164 × 110 m Shuttle hurdle relay57.10Davis Davis-LyricKai Graves-BlanksDeQuan JanuaryDelaney CrawfordUpland8 April 2022

Girls

+Girls' meeting records of the Arcadia Invitational Event Record Athlete School Date 100 m11.32Angela WilliamsChino Hills1998200 m22.87Marion JonesRio Mesa1991400 m52.51Monique HendersonMorse2001800 m2:05.42Allison InceNormal Community9 April 20221600 m4:32.48Sadie EngelhardtVentura6 April 2024Mile4:34.31Sadie EngelhardtVentura5 April 20243200 m9:52.66Irene RiggsMorgantown8 April 2023Two miles9:34.12Jane HedengrenTimpview12 April 2025100 m hurdles13.01 Tara DavisAgoura2017300 m hurdles38.90Sydney McLaughlinUnion Catholic8 April 2017High jump6-02Vashti CunninghamBishop Gorman2014Pole vaultHana MollCapital8 April 2023Long jump20-09.75Jernae WrightJames Logan1995Triple jump43-05.00Brittany DanielsMerrill West2005Shot put52-1.25Stamatia ScarvelisDos Pueblos2014Discus throw185-5Anna JelminiShafter2009Heptathlon5225 ptsAshley SmithMillikan20104 × 100 m relay44.95Long Beach Polytechnic High SchoolLong Beach Poly20044 × 200 m relay1:33.87Long Beach Polytechnic High SchoolLong Beach Poly20044 × 400 m relay3:39.12Wilson High SchoolWilson20014 × 800 m relay8:58.30A. Randolph High SchoolA. Randolph20024 × 1600 m relay19:56.08Ell LomeliSierra CornettGrace HutchisonSydney SundgrenBuchanan8 April 2022800 m Sprint medley relay (1-1-2-4)1:38.73Long Beach Polytechnic High SchoolLong Beach Poly20031600 m Sprint medley relay (2-2-4-8)3:47.35Union Catholic Regional High SchoolSydney ChadwickAbriyah ThompsonAbigail Robisky (53.83)Paige Sheppard (2:04.08)Union Catholic10 April 2026Distance medley relay11:40.89Harvard-Westlake SchoolHarvard-Westlake20114 × 100 m Shuttle hurdle relay57.17Vacaville High SchoolVacaville2014

References

External links

Arcadia Invitational Website Arcadia Invitational records after 2025 edition DyeStat Feature Page RunnerSpace Arcadia Media Page, See all Races Apache News Field Events live stream