Trans Jurupa Valley High School athlete wins first in girls track competition

A transgender California high schooler dominated a major track-and-field meet on Saturday, claiming three first-place medals in girls’ events — including the high jump, in which she beat the runner-up by almost a foot.

AB Hernandez, a senior at Jurupa Valley High School and a biological male, competed in the girls’ events at the Roosevelt Invitational over the weekend, despite being at the center of the Trump administration’s threat to cut federal funds to the state.

Hernandez swept the competition, securing the gold in the high jump with a clearance of 5′ 8″ (1.72m) — almost a foot higher than the 4′ 10″ (1.47m) cleared by the athlete who came in second.

Hernandez also easily claimed the top spot on the podium for the girls’ long jump and triple jump, where she recorded jumps of 17′ 3¼ ” (5.26m) and 38′ 4″ (11.68m), respectively.

The weekend’s victories follow a record-breaking performance in February at the VS California Winter Championships, where Hernandez won the girls’ triple jump with a leap of 39′ 10″.

She currently holds the US No. 1 ranking in the girls’ triple jump for the 2026 outdoor season, with a personal best of 40′ 7.5″.

Hernandez was thrust into the national spotlight in 2025 after President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from California over her participation in girls’ events.

“California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum [sic], continues to ILLEGALLY allow ‘MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social in May, 2025.

The Trump administration also recently expanded a federal probe into California’s transgender sports policies. The US Department of Education has added the California Community College Athletic Association to an investigation that already includes the Jurupa Unified School District.

The investigation aims to determine if allowing transgender girls to compete in female categories violates Title IX protections for biological females.

Despite the pressure, California state law continues to protect the rights of trans students to participate in programs consistent with their gender identity.

“I’m just a normal kid going to school, playing sports,” Hernandez told reporters earlier this season. “They don’t take the time to get to know me… it’s just a little frustrating.”

As the outdoor season progresses toward the State Championships, Hernandez remains the athlete to beat in the jumping pits, even as her every mark is measured against a backdrop of federal investigations and national debate.

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