
Katie McGuinness expected the CIF Southern Section Finals to mark the biggest moment of her high school track career. Instead of celebrating a long-awaited championship win, she left the competition feeling gutted.
The La Canada High School senior gave everything on her final jump but lost to a competitor she says she can’t fairly race against- a transgender athlete.
McGuinness, known for her grit and years of consistent performance, landed an impressive 18 feet, 9 inches in the long jump. It wasn’t enough. AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley, a transgender athlete, soared past her and took home gold not just in the long jump, but also in the triple jump. The result left McGuinness shaken and outspoken.
Athletes Speak Out After Controversial CIF Track Final

Speaking after the competition, McGuinness didn’t hide her frustration.
“I ran down the runway and I landed and I watched them measure my mark, and it was 18.9,” she said. “And I just remember thinking that there was nothing else that I could do.”
McGuinness added that she’s always dreamed of winning a CIF title. But after Saturday, that goal slipped away, and she believes it wasn’t a level playing field.
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“There are just certain genetic advantages that biological males have that biological girls don’t,” she said. “Frankly, I just can’t stand for that.”
The long jump wasn’t the only event where athletes voiced concerns. In the triple jump, Reese Hogan from Crean Lutheran High finished behind Hernandez as well. Hogan made headlines herself after briefly stepping into the first-place podium spot when Hernandez stepped down, an act that went viral.
“When the boy got off the podium, she assumed her rightful spot as champion,” wrote Riley Gaines, a prominent advocate for banning trans athletes from girls’ sports.
When the boy got off the podium, she assumed her rightful spot as champion. The crowd erupts with applause.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) May 18, 2025
THIS is the way.
Congrats to Reese Hogan, the REAL champ!!! https://t.co/KiEm2yV2YY pic.twitter.com/hqGdikES29
Hogan later told Fox News Digital she finds the situation disheartening. “He’s obviously a really talented athlete, we’ve all seen him jump and stuff, and I wish him the best of luck, but in a boys’ division.”
The California Interscholastic Federation allows transgender athletes to compete in alignment with their gender identity, a policy in place since 2014. But for McGuinness and others, the rulebook doesn’t change how it feels to lose to someone they believe shouldn’t be in their division.