While many eyes are focused on the Canadian summer season, several of British Columbia's top high school athletes took their talents south of the border this past weekend. Three of the most prestigious U.S. national meets were held - Nike Outdoor Nationals, adidas Track Nationals, and New Balance Nationals - with BC athletes making themselves known primarily at both Hayward and Franklin Field. The performances did not disappoint.
Here is a glimpse of what took place.
Lofstrom Claims to Emerging Elite Title at Hayward
Coming off a dominant BC high school season, Ryan Lofstrom proved he's ready for the next level. At the BC School Sports Provincial Championships, the Grade 12 out of Kelowna Secondary completed the sprint double in the Senior Boys sprints, running 10.76 (-1.8 m/s) to win the 100m and 21.58 in the 200m - the only sub-22 performance in the field. His performances earned him Male Performer of the Meet honors.
This past weekend at Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Oregon, Lofstrom stepped up to face a deep U.S. field in the Boys Emerging Elite 100m. Out of 93 athletes, he clocked the fastest prelim time of 10.67 (+0.1). In the final, he edged out American Grade 9 talent Kameron Bethea, with both athletes clocking 10.58. That time would have placed him 11th in the Championship division - one of the fastest in U.S. high school history, won by Grade 11 sprinter Tate Taylor in 10.10.
Piesik, the Canadian, is Crowned in the Mile Walk
Across the country at New Balance Nationals in Pennsylvania, Maya Piesik (Grade 10, Moscrop Secondary) claimed BC's only U.S. national title of the weekend. She won the Championship Girls Mile Race Walk in 7:16.63, defeating a field of seniors by over five seconds.
Piesik is coming off a successful record breaking performance from Mcleod Athletic Park in Langley. At the 2025 BC School Sports Provincial Championships, she smashed the Junior Girls 1500m Race Walk meet record in 6:51.21, eclipsing the six-year-old mark set by Olympian Olivia Lundman. In that race, she crossed the line over 90 seconds ahead of the next competitor.