Trans Athlete AB Hernandez Dominates Girls' Track Jumps at California Prelims Amid Protest

YORBA LINDA, Calif. — A California postseason track meet on Saturday opened with a "Save Girls’ Sports" rally outside the gates and ended with one athlete pulling ahead in the jumping events, spotlighting concerns over competitive fairness in girls’ sports.

Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 3 preliminaries in Yorba Linda drew attention before the competition started. Demonstrators protested California’s policy that allows transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports.

Inside, attention shifted to the jumping events. Biological male AB Hernandez, a senior from Jurupa Valley, competed against women and took first place in all three events with strong showings.

Hernandez, a trans multi-sport athlete who previously played girls' volleyball, won the long jump Division 3 prelim and triple jump Division 3 prelim by large margins. Hernandez tied for first in the high jump Division 3 prelim with Reese Hogan, who has past ties to Hernandez.

In the long jump, Hernandez jumped 20 feet, 4 1/4 inches. The next closest competitors reached 19 feet, 1 1/2 inches and 18 feet, 7 inches. More than a foot separated first from second.

The triple jump showed a similar gap. Hernandez hit 42 feet, 4 inches, while the runners-up finished at 39 feet, 7 1/2 inches and 37 feet, 8 inches.

Spectators at Yorba Linda High School, which hosted the prelims, took note of the issue. One grandparent supporting Moorpark High School said, "It happened last year and I thought it’d be done, but it’s California," with a shrug.

A father from Yucca Valley agreed with the concerns about trans athletes. "I think they should have their own division. I just don’t like bullying one kid," he said.

In the high jump, Hernandez and Hogan both cleared 5 feet, 2 inches for a first-place tie.

Hogan had gained notice before by taking the first-place podium spot after an event Hernandez won. Advocates for women’s sports praised the move as a statement on who should claim that position.

Outside, former NCAA athlete Sophia Lorey led the rally on fairness and competitive balance in girls’ sports.

Hernandez’s results stood out on the board: long jump of 20 feet, 4 1/4 inches, triple jump of 42 feet, 4 inches, and high jump tie at 5 feet, 2 inches.

Hernandez competed under California rules in place for more than a decade. Those rules fuel a dispute between state officials and federal leaders over Title IX and women’s sports. The fight has reached the courts, with the Department of Justice suing California over its transgender athlete policies.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said the governor was not named in the lawsuit and defended the state’s law.

Saturday’s prelims in Yorba Linda provided fresh results to efforts seeking to bar biological males from girls’ events. The protest started the day, and the scoreboard made the case by the end.