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A junior cross country meet was the site of a burgeoning dispute between two California high schools over the validity of trans athletes’ records in girls’ sports.
During a league final last week, an alleged trans athlete for Claremont High School finished fourth in the JV girls competition. Meanwhile, a female athlete from Ayala High School had to settle for 11th place, missing out on a podium finish by one spot.
Ayala girls cross country coach Caroline Cobo told Pakinomist Digital that she lobbied to have her athlete recognized.
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“During the awards ceremony, we asked if, when they called the top 10, for each category, that they could call the top 11 for the JV girls’ race,” Cobo said. “But they said no, they couldn’t.”
So Cobo and her team took matters into their own hands.
“So we decided to stand up during that awards ceremony and say, ‘Oh, and in 10th place,’ which on paper was 11th, but in reality she was the 10th biological female to cross the finish line. We stood up and said that, and up she went,” Cobo said.
Ayala girls assistant coach Matthew Ullman said he was confronted in the aftermath.
“While we were standing up, of course there were a lot of eyes on us. Afterwards we got some thanks from some parents, some athletes who said ‘thank you.'” But I was approached by about five or six of the girls from the team that the transgender athlete competes on, and [it was] quite confrontational,” Ullman told Pakinomist Digital.
Ullman claimed that the Claremont High School athletes told him, “‘Why did you have to say that? … You didn’t have to say biological female,'” and he claimed that he replied, “‘Well, I had to give credit where credit is due.’
“I feel like the Claremont team is a little fragmented, with some people more for it and some people against it.”
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Claremont High School issued a statement to Pakinomist Digital defending the recognition of only the top 10, which would include the school’s alleged trans athlete. The school cited California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) rules.
“Claremont High School is a member of the Palomares League, which includes six high schools that collectively follow CIF rules and regulations for athletic competition. Palomares League rules recognize only the top 10 finishers,” the statement said.
“Claremont High School adheres to CIF and Palomares League rules and regulations. We remain committed to ensuring that all student-athletes are treated respectfully and in accordance with agreed upon procedures.”
However, Ayala High School responded to Pakinomist Digital and recognized its girls’ 11th place finish as rightfully deserving of top-10 recognition, citing a CIF rule change instituted for girls’ track and field last spring. Ayala said it is petitioning to have its female athlete recognized.
“The Ayala administration is committed to recognizing the extraordinary hard work of its athletes and celebrating the dedication and commitment they invest in their athletic programs. Mr. John Kunishima, Ayala High School’s Assistant Principal for Athletics and Facilities, has requested the Palomares League to recognize the top 11 performing girls in the lower leagues competition this past weekend after one of its female athletes was supplanted in the rankings by a transgender peer,” a statement from Ayala High School read.
“Recognizing 11 athletes would be consistent with the California Interscholastic Federation – Southern Section’s (CIFSS) 2025 decision for female athletes, whereby management concluded that a duplicate medal would also be awarded to the next closest female athlete in competition when a transgender student’s performance displaces a female position.
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“The Palomares League Athletic Directors will meet on November 18th to discuss recognizing the 11 top performing athletes at this weekend’s event, and we are hopeful that a fair resolution will be reached. By recognizing 11 outstanding athletes, the Palomares League will highlight not only its commitment to fairness, but also its dedication to fairness, but also its dedication to the school.”
Pakinomist Digital has reached out to CIF for comment.
The rule change to which Ayala’s statement referenced was instituted during the girls track and field finals last spring. The presence of Jurupa Valley trans athlete AB Hernandez led to national scrutiny in the days leading up to the event after President Donald Trump apparently drew attention to the situation in a Truth Social post, threatening to withhold federal funding from California if a trans athlete was allowed to compete in the girls’ state finals.
The CIF changed its rule to include biological female athletes who missed out on qualifying for the competition, who might have placed higher if not for the participation of a trans athlete, and that any female athlete who finished behind a biological male would be bumped up a spot on the podium.
After Hernandez won first place in the girls’ high jump and triple jump, and second place in the girls’ long jump, the trans athlete had to share podium spots with the female athletes who finished one place lower.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said of the rule change at the time, “reasonable and respectful.”
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“CIF’s proposed pilot is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness — a model worth pursuing. The governor is encouraged by this thoughtful approach,” he said in an earlier statement provided to Pakinomist Digital.
But now Ayala High School finds itself in the middle of a dispute just to try to get the same treatment for the JV runner who finished one spot out of the top 10 last week.
