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Michael Norman repeats as 400-meter champion at Arcadia Invitational

Vista Murrieta senior Michael Norman hits the tape in the 400-meter dash at Saturday evening's Arcadia Invitational. Norman repeated as champion in a national-best 45.51 seconds.

Vista Murrieta senior Michael Norman hits the tape in the 400-meter dash at Saturday evening’s Arcadia Invitational. Norman repeated as champion in a national-best 45.51 seconds.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
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His ultimate goal is to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, but the first order of business this year for sprinter Michael Norman was repeating as champion in the 400-meter dash Saturday in the 49th Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia High.

Scratch that one off the list.

The USC-bound senior from Vista Murrieta clocked a national-best and meet-record 45.51 seconds on a wet track to outduel world youth silver medalist Josephus Lyles from T.C. Williams of Virginia, whose 45.94 was good enough for No. 2 in the nation this year.

“Of course the U.S. Olympic Trials [in July] are in the back of my mind, but right now I’m concentrated on the here and now and getting through the indoor season,” said Norman, who bettered his winning 45.91 effort as a junior. “This race was executed pretty well. The first 200 was slower than I wanted but I was nice and relaxed the last 120 and felt strong.”

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Norman was the Gatorade national athlete of the year in track and field last spring after winning the 200 in a state-record 20.30 seconds and the 400 in 45.19 to equal the National Federation of State High School Assns. national record while leading the Broncos to the state team championship in Clovis.

An hour earlier, Norman ran a blazing first leg to spark Vista Murrieta’s victorious 4 x 100 relay, which clocked 40.63 — third fastest in the nation this year and the third-best ever at Arcadia — to easily beat previous state leader Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (41.76).

“We were a little worried about our handoffs because we changed our technique, but I like starting and running the first turn,” said Norman, whose team won in 40.68 last year. “Yes, I always prefer better weather, but we ran faster than last year, which shows we’re improving.”

After posting a season-best 10.53 a month ago, state leader Zach Shinnick of La Verne Damien pulled a hamstring in the 100 meters, finishing last, and couldn’t race in the 200 later in the evening.

Austin Tamagno of Brea Olinda won the boys 800 in 1:50.93, third-best in the nation this year, and San Clemente senior Connor Dunne won the mile in 4:09.45.

Long Beach Poly transfers Kenyla Miles, Kennedi Atkins, Kaelin Roberts and Autumn Wright led City Section favorite Carson to first in the girls’ 4 x 100 relay in 45.81 — improving on the Colts’ 46.29 effort at the Stanford Invitational to top second-place Newark Memorial of New Jersey by 1.33 seconds. Roberts then won the 400 in a national-leading 53.47.

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Westlake Village Oaks Christian junior Lauren Rain Williams topped an elite field in the girls’ 100-meter dash, winning in the fourth-fastest time in the nation at 11.64 to defend her Arcadia title by six-hundredths of a second over Lynna Irby of Pike, Ind. Two hours later Williams triumphed in the 200 by almost a full second in 23.37 and she saved her best for last by anchoring the Lions’ victorious 4 x 400 relay team.

Oaks Christian junior Lauren Rain Williams wins the 200-meter dash over Lynna Irby of Pike in 11.64 seconds Saturday evening at the Arcadia Invitational.

Oaks Christian junior Lauren Rain Williams wins the 200-meter dash over Lynna Irby of Pike in 11.64 seconds Saturday evening at the Arcadia Invitational.

( Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“Rain isn’t the best of circumstances when you’re trying to run your best time, but I’m happy that I was able to repeat,” Williams said. “I’m going to try my best to win state this year.”

Anaheim Canyon junior Rachel Baxter, who finished ninth for the U.S. in the pole vault at the World Youth Championships in Colombia, cleared 14 feet 2 inches to establish an all-time state record and shatter the meet standard of 13-8 set by three-time Arcadia winner Kaitlyn Merritt of Santa Margarita in 2013.

“It was a good moment — the competition here pushed me,” said Baxter, who bettered her own national-leading mark by four inches. “Our league doesn’t have pole vault so I only get to compete at invitationals.”

State leader Tara Davis of Agoura rebounded from a fall at the Texas Relays to win the girls’ 100-meter hurdles in 13.80 seconds, won the triple jump in 41-8 and upset two-time Arcadia champion Courtney Corrin of Studio City Harvard-Westlake to win the long jump in 19-9.

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After winning the 4 x 800 relay in 9:14.70 (third-fastest in the nation this year) and finishing runner-up to Davis in the 4 x 1600 relayon Friday, Great Oak won the girls’ distance medley relay for the second straight year in 11:48.65.

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