AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School dominated the long jump, high jump and triple jump at the CIF Southern Section Division 3 finals in California, but podium ceremonies handed shared titles to girls who finished behind Hernandez. The CIF’s pilot program and a clash between state policy and federal pressure — including comments from Donald Trump and a DOJ Title IX lawsuit — have turned a high school track meet in Southern California into a national flashpoint involving Gov. Gavin Newsom, parents, and protestors ahead of the CIF preliminaries and the state finals in Clovis, California.
The meet at the Southern Section finals looked straightforward on the scoreboard: Hernandez finished first in three events by clear margins. Yet the new CIF pilot rule meant female athletes who finished behind a transgender competitor were bumped up a place and shared podium space, turning outright wins into co-championships and leaving some athletes and parents fuming. For many observers, the optics of solo winners being replaced on the top step felt unfair to the girls who trained and competed under traditional girls-only rules.
At the long jump ceremony, Gianna Gonzalez of Moorpark High School stood on the top podium while Hernandez warmed up for the next event, despite finishing more than a foot back. Later Hernandez shared first place on the podium with Oak Park’s Gwynneth Mureika in the high jump after clearing a higher bar, and after the triple jump Hernandez again stood alone as the nearest rival was absent. Those medal moments showcased how the pilot policy produces split outcomes that don’t match the performances on the track and field.
Parents and coaches said the pilot program was rolled out after Hernandez’s earlier success prompted statewide attention. One parent told Fox News Digital that a coach advised them the same pilot would apply through the rest of postseason play, starting with the section final. That policy is slated to affect which athletes advance to the CIF preliminaries and, ultimately, the two-day state finals starting May 29 in Clovis, California.
The controversy didn’t stay local. President Donald Trump weighed in on social media before the state final, and the Department of Justice later filed a Title IX lawsuit against California education agencies after Hernandez’s prior state finishes. That federal action has elevated the track-season drama into a broader fight over school sports rules, sex-segregated competition, and federal funding leverage.
Trump’s post was blunt and quoted the situation in stark terms: “California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum, continues to ILLEGALLY allow ‘MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS.’ This week a transitioned Male athlete, at a major event, won ‘everything’ and is now qualified to compete in the ‘State Finals’ next weekend. As a male, he was a less than average competitor. As a female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable. THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS,” Trump wrote.
“Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to. The Governor, himself, said it is ‘UNFAIR.’ I will speak to him today to find out which way he wants to go??? In the meantime I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!”
California’s legal landscape on transgender participation is different from many states. The controversy stretches back to state law and local school board decisions that allow participation consistent with gender identity, and it has drawn strong reactions from families who say those rules undercut fair competition for girls. Some teams have forfeited matches and two players filed a Title IX suit against the Jurupa Unified School District after Hernandez played on Jurupa Valley’s girls volleyball team.
Not everyone in California agreed with the pushback. A source in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office responded to the protests with a statement that framed the debate as a matter of dignity and anti-bullying. “The Governor has said discussions on this issue should be guided by fairness, dignity, and respect. He rejects the right wing’s cynical attempt to weaponize this debate as an excuse to vilify individual kids. The Governor’s position is simple: stand with all kids and stand up to bullies,” the statement read.
“California is one of 22 states that have laws requiring students be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school sports consistent with their gender identity. California passed this law in 2013 (AB 1266) and it was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown.”
On the ground at sectionals and preliminaries, Save Girls Sports protesters showed up to make their point and parents kept a close eye on how the CIF will apply its pilot across postseason rounds. Athletes who will advance to CIF preliminaries now face the prospect of competing under a rule that could award them shared titles, complicating the normal clarity of results that teams and families expect from championship meets.
With state finals scheduled in Clovis and the DOJ’s lawsuit still pending, the issue is likely to keep surfacing in high school athletics and politics alike. The collision of athletic performance, education policy, and federal intervention has made a Southern Section track meet into something much larger than jumps and medals.
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