AB Hernandez secured a spot at the state meet after taking the top score in the girls’ high jump at the 2026 CIF Southern Section Track & Field Masters Meet in Moorpark, California.
The event has sparked debate around transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Hernandez’s Performance and Qualification
Hernandez, a biological male, won in the high jump at the state qualifying meet. Hernandez also won the triple jump and long jump. The athlete is now in a position to potentially earn three more titles at the state meet. The state meet will take place next weekend at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
Last year, Hernandez won two California state championships in girls track, specifically in the high jump and triple jump.
Concerns Raised by Another Athlete’s Mother
Jennifer Oliver, whose daughter Nieve Oliver also competed, spoke about the issue of biological males in women’s sports. Nieve Oliver, a sophomore, was prevented from earning the top spot in the high jump by Hernandez. Jennifer Oliver stated that there is “no hate” and that her daughter is “super inclusive”.
Oliver believes girls are deprived of fairness, safety and respect when biological males are allowed in their sports.
Nieve Oliver will also compete at the state meet in the high jump. She and four other girls jumped 5-foot-6 in Moorpark.
The Bigger Picture
Oliver says that her views do not mean she dislikes Hernandez, or the way Hernandez has chosen to do life, and that she has compassion and empathy for Hernandez.
Oliver hopes that the adults in charge will “do the right thing.”
Advocates for protecting girls’ and women’s sports are focused on fairness, safety, and respect.
The issue of transgender athletes in sport has become polarized, with any disagreement sometimes leading to accusations of transphobia, hate and bigotry.