AB Hernandez Advances to California State Track Finals
Transgender high school track athlete AB Hernandez advanced to the final round of the 2026 CIF State Track and Field Championships on Friday, securing top marks in girls long jump and triple jump at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis, California — even as dueling political forces clashed over her participation. The Jurupa Valley High School senior’s performance unfolded against the backdrop of a “Save Girls Sports” rally, a video endorsement from a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, and an ongoing federal lawsuit that has made Hernandez a national symbol in the debate over transgender athletes in competitive sports.
Context: A Two-Year Controversy
Hernandez, who has been competing in girls track since at least 2024 when she took third in triple jump at the state finals as a sophomore, has been at the center of a national firestorm since last year’s championship meet. California’s AB 1266, the School Success and Opportunity Act passed in 2013, bars gender discrimination in schools including athletics, providing the legal basis for Hernandez’s participation. But critics argue the policy conflicts with Title IX protections for female athletes, and the U.S. Department of Justice has sued California’s Department of Education and CIF, alleging the state’s approach fails to remedy discrimination against cisgender girls.
More than half of U.S. states have adopted policies restricting transgender student athletes’ participation, and the Supreme Court appears poised to uphold state bans this summer, which could fundamentally alter the legal landscape.
The CIF Pilot Entry Program
Central to this year’s controversy is the CIF’s pilot entry program, quietly reinstated for the 2026 championships. First introduced in May 2025 amid mounting pressure from activists and President Donald Trump, the policy allows an additional biological female competitor to advance and earn a medal in events where a transgender athlete places. Families learned of its reinstatement through competition results showing 10 qualifiers instead of the usual nine in Hernandez’s events, as KQED reported.
Nereyda Hernandez, AB’s mother, told KQED the policy “crushed [AB’s] heart,” adding: “It’s kind of like she’s nonexistent. She puts in the work, she participates, but she wants to be honored. She wants to be acknowledged as the person, the athlete she is.” AB herself told her mother: “It’s like they see me, but they see past me or through me.”
Friday’s Preliminaries
On the track, Hernandez delivered a dominant performance. She took the top spot in girls long jump with a mark of 20 feet, 5.50 inches, and won the triple jump with 41 feet, 8.5 inches. In high jump, she finished tied for fourth — the first time in the 2026 postseason she did not finish first in all three events, according to Fox News/OutKick. Saturday’s finals will see her compete for state titles in all three jumping events.
The Political Battle: Two Rallies, Two Candidates
Friday’s events were bookended by political theater. A “Save Girls Sports” rally headlined by Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton drew activists, former NCAA soccer player Sophia Lorey, California state superintendent candidate Sonja Shaw, and Olympic gold medalist Stephanie Brown. “The message being sent to female athletes is clear: your opportunities, your records, your placement, and your hard work comes second to males,” Lorey said at the rally.
Hilton, who is challenging Gov. Gavin Newsom, called out the governor directly: “After all your lectures about compassion and justice and fairness, and there’s something you say is deeply unfair and you’ve done absolutely nothing about it because you won’t stand up to the fringe far-left ideologues that control your party.”
Earlier that same day, Hernandez appeared in a video with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer, posted to Steyer’s social media, where she discussed being outed and doxed. “It’s the job of the governor to stand between danger and Californians,” Steyer said in the video. “And I’m so proud of you for what you’re doing.”
President Donald Trump has also weighed in, posting on Truth Social that “As a Male, he was a less than average competitor. As a Female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable. THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS,” as CBS News reported. Trump has previously threatened to withhold federal funding from California over Hernandez’s participation.
Analysis: A Teenager at the Center of a National Divide
AB Hernandez, still a high school senior, has become an unwilling symbol in a debate that stretches far beyond the track. Supporters frame the controversy as bullying of a teenager who is simply exercising her legal rights under California law. Critics argue that allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls events undermines the fundamental fairness and Title IX protections that have expanded opportunities for female athletes over the past five decades.
The CIF pilot policy — criticized by both sides as either insufficient or stigmatizing — attempts a compromise that satisfies no one. Anti-trans activists say it doesn’t go far enough to protect girls sports, while trans rights advocates say it singles out and minimizes transgender athletes’ achievements.
As PinkNews reported, Hernandez’s mother insists: “She’s doing nothing wrong.” Hernandez herself told Capital & Main: “There is nothing I can do about people’s actions, just focus on my own.”
What’s Next
Saturday’s finals will see Hernandez compete for state titles in long jump, high jump, and triple jump — with the pilot policy ensuring that biological female runners-up will share podium positions. Beyond this weekend, the broader legal and political battles continue. The Supreme Court’s anticipated ruling on state bans of transgender athletes could reshape the playing field nationwide, while the outcome of California’s 2026 gubernatorial election may determine the state’s future approach. For now, a 17-year-old athlete from Riverside County remains at the center of one of America’s most contentious cultural debates, focused on what she can control: the next jump.