ARCADIA, CALIF. – Big Piney High School senior Colby Jenks captured gold in Division 4 of the varsity boys’ 800-meter run at the elite 2023 Arcadia Invitational hosted by Arcadia High School in California, several miles from downtown Los Angeles.

Jenks posted a final time of 1 minute, 52.18 seconds in the event to bag ninth place overall out of 61 of the best runners from across the country. Setting the bar high for the outdoor track season, Jenks crossed the finish line with a new personal record for outdoor track. He beat his 2A state-record breaking time of 1:55.59 at last year’s state championships in Casper.

Teams represent the top runners, jumpers and throwers from 690 schools in 36 states and Canada. The Arcadia Invitational produces multiple national record-holders each year and 203 contestants over the course of the meet’s history went on to compete for Team USA at the Olympics.