On the morning of a day that would live in girls’ sports infamy, a letter was handed out to coaches who entered a championship track and field meet at Moorpark High School.
The letter announced that any girl who finished behind a biological male trans athlete would be bumped up by one spot on the podium, if that girl finished behind the trans athlete.
The letter was dated May 16 — the day of the event.
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“The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) will implement the pilot entry process introduced last season at the 2025 CIF Track and Field State Championships.
“Under the Pilot entry process, any cisgender female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark for one of the CIF-Southern Section’s qualifying entries is extended an opportunity to participate in the next stage of qualifying for the 2026 CIF State Track and Field Championships.
“The CIF values all our student-athletes, and we will continue to uphold our mission in providing students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete, while complying with California law and Education Code.
“Additionally, any cisgender female student-athlete who would have earned a specific placement on the podium will also be awarded the medal for that place, and the results will be reflected in the recording of the event.”
A week earlier, a pair of competing political press conferences took place the first-round meet, all due to the presence of a trans athlete. The White House had engaged in a war of words with California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office over the issue in the days leading up to that first-round meet.
It all started when a source within Newsom’s office provided a statement to Fox News Digital prior to the first round, addressing the pending “Save Girls’ Sports” protest. That statement thrust the state’s entire girls’ track and field postseason into the eye of the storm of a national culture war, amplified by a hotly-contested high-stakes election cycle.
The statement contained the now-infamous line that read “stand with all kids and stand up to bullies.”
Fox News Digital has reached back out to Newsom’s office for another response to what happened in the most recent meet on Saturday, and was met with the following response:
“Thanks for reaching out. Adding the wider press team – it’s best to email govpressoffice@gov.ca.gov with any inquiries moving forward. Would direct you to CIF for comment.”
Fox News Digital has since reached back out for a substantive response to what happened on Saturday.
That day, AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School strutted onto the field in a varsity jacket. Hernandez had been battling through the drums of a national culture war to “dominate” high-stakes track and field competitions dating back to last May.
The drums had only gotten louder, maybe as loud as they’ve been yet, when Hernandez started warming up for the long jump.
None of the distracting political overcast stopped Hernandez from winning all three events the athlete competed in the first-round meet. And it wouldn’t stop Hernandez from doing the same on Saturday.
It was partially cloudy in that first event on Saturday, still a slight chill in the air.
The stands weren’t completely full yet. There weren’t any competing rallies like the previous week. There was only one woman wearing “Save Girls Sports” attire in the vicinity for Hernandez’s first event that morning.
Hernandez leapt to an easy first-place finish. Exact numbers aren’t necessary, but it wasn’t close.
Many spectators and most media left the east end of the field after the last jump, and went by the far end of the track’s 50-yard line for the podium ceremony.
The public address announcer called for for the girls’ Division 3 long jump winners. But it would be an unusual amount of time before any of them showed up or took the podium. Winners of other events that were called to come up after the Division 3 long jump had their events before it.
Hernandez wasn’t there, and was already warming up for the high jump.
But when the other winners did come to the podium, a girl stood behind the first-place spot. The PA announcer declared to the crowd that the event had two first-place co-winners, announcing Hernandez and hometown star Gianna Gonzalez of Moorpark High School.
Gonzalez took the first-place spot on the podium alone, despite finishing well behind Hernandez in sand earlier. In Hernandez’s absence, all the female winners for that event then huddled together to pose for a group photo.
In the next event, Division 3 high jump, Hernandez would face an opponent of which there was some well-documented podium incident history.
Reese Hogan, of Christian institution Crean Lutheran High School, went viral for stepping up to the top spot on the podium after Hernandez stepped down from it in the exact same round in 2025.
Then in the days leading up to Saturday, when asked if she would consider a similar protest at the podium with Hernandez in the most recent event, Hogan told Fox News Digital, “If the opportunity presents itself, we’ll see, yeah.”
The letter announcing the podium pilot program would go back into effect was dated just one day before Fox News Digital published that interview with Hogan. The CIF has not responded to Fox News Digital’s multiple requests for comment on the pilot program change.
Hernandez and Hogan sat just feet away from each other on the west end of the field in the minutes leading up to the Division 3 high jump. Hogan was sitting with her Crean Lutheran teammate, Olivia Viola, who had joined Hogan in speaking out to “protect girls’ sports” in multiple interviews prior to the meet. It’s their senior year, and the culmination of years of effort and sacrifice in achieving high school sports glory.
The full crowd had arrived, and the sun was starting to come out by the time the high jump started, as a buzz started to build in the stadium.
Hogan gave it her best effort, putting everything she had chasing that elusive sectional championship after losing to Hernandez the year before. The rule change going into effect meant that if she finished second, she would at least get to stand on that first-place podium.
She went right after Hernandez on each jump, watching her trans rival clear the bar with ease.
But Hogan couldn’t clear it the same way, she just couldn’t jump as high as Hernandez.
Hernandez won the event, while Oak Park High School’s Gwynneth Mureika came in second.
All of the girls who won went to the podium near the 50-yard line after that, and got ready to step up to the podium.
Then it happened.
Mureika, despite finishing behind Hernandez by multiple inches, was first announced as the co-champion, promptly stepping up to the top spot on the podium. Hernandez waited on the ground, before the PA announcer called the athlete’s name, and Hernandez stepped up to stand beside Mureika.
The image of that podium ceremony, photographed by Fox News Digital, would spawn the latest mass flashpoint in the “Save Women’s Sports” movement, but not before Hernandez won one more sectional championship, and got at least one chance to stand on the first-place podium spot alone that day.
“I would say it’s nothing but a band-aid fix,” Viola told Fox News Channel’s “America Reports” of the podium policy on Monday.
“It doesn’t actually undo all of the displacements that have happened throughout their entire league. It only applies to the final CIF meets. It doesn’t apply to league, it doesn’t apply to outside meets, it doesn’t apply to other sports. It doesn’t actually fix the problem, it’s just a blanket to keep us quiet.”
Hernandez, Hogan and all the Division 3 triple jumpers had to wait for all of the long jump competitions to be over before taking the field for triple jump that afternoon.
Hernandez won triple jump. Malia Strange, of Shadow Hills, won second, but Strange did not appear at the podium to accept her co-championship. Hernandez stood on the top spot of the podium alone for the athlete’s final event that day, and will now move on to the next round of the state tournament in all three events.
But the impact of what happened on the podium with Mureika was only just starting to cook.
The next morning, at 8:04 a.m. PT, Riley Gaines posted a podium photo, taken by Fox News Digital, of Hernandez and Mureika.
“If you have to create a shared podium for the boy competing in the girls’ event, you’ve already admitted you know he isn’t a girl and that his participation is unfair. At that point, you’re just seeking a public humiliation ritual for the girls,” Gaines wrote.
The post ignited a massive wave of viral mockery of the CIF decision. Activists, GOP lawmakers, and even actors who cut their teeth in Hollywood just an hour south of Moorpark had weighed in.
“HOW MUCH LONGER ARE THESE RETARDED SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS GOING TO KEEP THIS RIDICULOUS LIE GOING?! ENOUGH ALREADY,” wrote famed comedy actor Rob Schneider, reposting Gaines.
Famed drama actor James Woods, wrote on X, “California governor Gavin Newsom supports this. Democrats want this slimeball as their 2028 presidential nominee. Vote for Newsom if you want more of this garbage, America.”
The activist sportswear brand XX-XY Athletics capitalized on the suddenly-trending moment, with one of the brand’s most-praised advertisements yet, mocking the incident with a parody titled “podi-him.”
But the outrage wasn’t just coming from the conservative circles across the web.
On Bluesky, liberals and trans-rights activists spoke out against the CIF program as well.
“The morning of the Track & Field State Championship, CIF quietly & suddenly announced its trans-exclusionary policy will continue. Cis girls will get a consolation spot in events w/ a trans girl, apparently targeting AB Hernandez. This could violate CA law & CIF’s own bylaws,” one user wrote.
An article published by the pro-LGBTQ outlet “Them,” had the headline, “Trans Athlete AB Hernandez Forced to Share First Place With Cisgender Girls at Track Meet.”
And now, more eyes than ever are on Hernandez and the California girls’ track postseason as the saga approaches its final two weeks.
And the state’s gubernatorial primaries will take place just three days after the state championship meet in Clovis, with the issue of trans athletes in girls’ sports burning hotter than ever for the state’s families.
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