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Orange County track and field: Aliso Niguel’s Jaslene Massey throwing herself into her new love

March 15, 2025

Figure skating and throwing the shot put do not seem to have much in common.

Aliso Niguel junior Jaslene Massey is proving otherwise.

She threw the shot put 48 feet, 7 inches at the Irvine Invitational track and field meet March 8. That is the fourth-best mark in Orange County history.

That’s better than the 44-7.5 she threw at last year’s CIF State Championships for a third-place finish.

Not only did she win the shot put at the Irvine Invitational, she also won the discus competition with a mark of 143 feet, 11 inches. Last month she threw the discus a personal-best 146-8 in the Eagle Invitational at Santa Margarita.

Pretty good for a former figure skater.

Aliso Niguel's Jaslene Massey makes her first shot put throw during 104th CIF State Track and Field Championships at Veterans Memorial Stadium on the campus of Buchanan High School in Clovis on Friday, May 24 2024. (Photo by Joseph Vasquez, Contributing Photographer) — Aliso Niguel’s Jaslene Massey makes her first shot put throw during 104th CIF State Track and Field Championships at Veterans Memorial Stadium on the campus of Buchanan High School in Clovis on Friday, May 24 2024. (Photo by Joseph Vasquez, Contributing Photographer)

Massey got into figure skating as a first-grader and competed in the sport until she entered high school. Her first events in high school were the high jump and the long jump; she qualified for the CIF-SS finals in the high jump as a freshman.

During her freshman year at Aliso Niguel, where Massey quickly established herself as a star volleyball player, Aliso athletic director Andrew Mashburn suggested that Massey would be a natural as a shot put and discus thrower.

The 5-foot-9 Massey qualified for the CIF-SS finals in the shot put her freshman year, followed by a third-place finish in last year’s CIF State meet.

She loves the shot put and the discus for a variety of reasons.

“There’s so much that goes into it,” Massey said. “The more I learn, the more I love it.”

Just above Massey on the Orange County girls shot put list is the 48-11.5 mark of Villa Park’s Susie Ray in 1980. The country girls record in the event is the 53-7.75 set in 1983 by Natalie Kaaiawahia of Fullerton High.

Aliso Niguel girls track and field coach Patricia Lusar is continuously impressed.

“Jaslene’s success comes from a lot of things,” Lusar said. “The part we sometimes forget is the straight amount of work she puts in. Between volleyball and track and lifting, she’s doing something all the time.

“Some people have the talent but not the drive. She has both.”

As for how figure skating relates to the shot put and discus …

“I love spinning,” Massey said, “so there’s a lot of that in both. It keeps the essence of skating going.”

NOTES

Servite’s 4×100 relay time of 40.98 seconds, recorded at the Redondo Track Festival on March 8, set an Orange County record. The previous record was 41.24 set by Trabuco Hills in 2018. …

Rosary’s 4×100 relay team produced a time of 46.82 seconds in a meet at Los Alamitos High for the third-best time in California this season and third best in Orange County all-time. …

The Orange County Championships are at Mission Viejo High on March 29. …

The Arcadia Invitational is April 11-12 at Arcadia High. …

The Mt. SAC Relays are April 18-19 at Mt. San Antonio College. …

CIF Southern Section championship competition begins with preliminaries in four divisions on May 10, including the Division 1 prelims at Trabuco Hills High and the Division 3 prelims at Yorba Linda High. CIF-SS divisional finals are at Moorpark High on May 17, the CIF-SS Masters Meet is May 17 at Moorpark High and the CIF State meet is May 30-31 at Buchanan High in Clovis.

TOP ATHLETES TO WATCH

BOYS

Devin Bragg, Los Alamitos, Sr.: Bragg was a CIF Southern Section champion in the 100 last season and finished sixth in the 100 at the CIF State meet. He ran a wind-aided 10.37 last year in the 100 and finished eighth in the 200 at the CIF State meet (21.97).

Max Douglass, Corona del Mar, Sr.: He established personal records in the 800 (1:56.48) and the 1,600 at the Irvine Invitational. Douglass finished third in cross country’s CIF State Championships.

Leo Francis, Santa Margarita, Sr.: He finished second in the 100 in the Mustang Round-Up with a personal-record of 10.76 and was first in the 200 (personal-record 21.51). He won the 300 hurdles at the Eagle Invitational in 38.54.

Alden Morales, JSerra, Jr.: His 800 time last season (1:49.91) is the sixth-best time in Orange County history. He has the ability to thrive in the 1,600, too.

Brandon Gorski, Mater Dei, Sr.: He cleared 6 feet, 8 inches in the high jump in the Mater Dei Invitational last month and went 23-8 in the long jump. He was a CIF-SS champion last year in the high jump with a mark of 6-6.

Benjamin Harris, Servite, So.: His 10.38 wind-aided time as a freshman at last season’s Arcadia Invitational grabbed everyone’s attention. Harris then finished fifth in the CIF State meet in the 100.

Jaelen Hunter, Servite, Fr.: Hunter ran the 400 in 46.84 seconds this past summer in the National Junior Olympics. If that was a high school meet, Hunter’s time would be the third-fastest 400 in Orange County history.

Dylan Jubak, Trabuco Hills, Sr.: Jubak is coming off of a cross country season in which he finished seventh at the CIF State Championships and logged a third-place finish at the Orange County Championships and a second-place finish in the CIF Southern Section finals.

Griffen Kushen of Tesoro won the Division 2 race and had the fastest time among all divisions (14:38.5) at the CIF-SS Championships on Saturday, Nov. 23, at Mt. San Antonio College. (Photo by Lou Ponsi)

Griffin Kushen, Tesoro, Sr.: His cross country season had several highlights, including first-place finishes at the Orange County Championships and in the CIF Southern Section finals, all of which could lead to an outstanding track and field season.

Evan Noonan, Dana Hills, Sr.: Noonan was the CIF State cross country champion this past fall, finished fifth at the Nike Nationals cross country event. Last track season he was a CIF-SS champion in the 1,600 and the state champ in the 3,200.

GIRLS

Holly Barker, Trabuco Hills, Sr.: Barker, who signed with Colorado, won the CIF-SS Division 1 cross country championship this past fall. Last track season she finished second in the 3,200 at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational.

Olivia Bettinger, Los Alamitos, Sr.: She qualified for the CIF State Championships in the pole vault last season, has a career-best clearance of 12 feet, 9 inches. She entered this weekend with a top clearance of 12-3.

Maliya Collins, Rosary, Fr.: Collins finished second in the Eagle Invitational’s 100 with a time of 11.93 and second in the 200 (24.48).

Jaslene Massey, Aliso Niguel, Jr.: Her shot put mark of 48-7 at the Irvine Invitational leads the state this season and is fourth-best in Orange County history.

Newport Harbor Natalie McCarty sprints toward the finish line on her way to winning the 300 hurdles at the Orange County Championships on April 13, 2024 at Mission Viejo High School. (Photo by Lou Ponsi)

Natalie McCarty, Newport Harbor, Jr.: McCarty was a CIF-SS champion last year in the 100 (14.76 seconds) and 300 hurdles (43.84). At the Irvine Invitational on March 8 she was fifth in the 100 hurdles, second in the 300 hurdles and was third in the high jump (5-2).

Anna Elise Packard, JSerra, Sr.: She won the 800 (2:09.69) in the Redondo Invitational on March 8. It is the second-best time in the state this season.

Keaton Robar, Newport Harbor, Sr.: Impressively comfortable at a variety of distances. She finished first in the 400 (59.26) at the Eagle Invitational and second in the 1,600 (5:06.48). In cross country this past fall, she finished eighth in the CIF State Championships.

Julia Teven, Brea Olinda, Jr.: Teven was third in last year’s CIF State meet in the high jump with a clearance of 5-7. She cleared 5-6 to win the high jump at the Irvine Invitational last week. She also is adept at running the hurdles.

Rosary's Justine Wilson, right, wins the 200 meters at the Orange County Championships on Saturday, April 13. She also won the 400 and was named the girls sprinter of the meet. (Photo by Lou Ponsi) — Rosary’s Justine Wilson, right, wins the 200 meters at the Orange County Championships on Saturday, April 13. She also won the 400 and was named the girls sprinter of the meet. (Photo by Lou Ponsi)

Justine Wilson, Rosary, Jr.: Last year she was second in her division in the CIF-SS finals in the 200 (wind-aided time of 24.04) and sixth in the 400 (55.95) in the CIF State Championships. Her times of 11.82 in the 100 and 24.31 in the 200 are second-best in the state this season.

Summer Wilson, Irvine, Jr.: Wilson finished third in the CIF State Cross Country Championships in the fall. Last spring she was a CIF-SS champion in the 3,200, won that event at the Orange County Championships and finished ninth at that distance in the CIF State meet.

Orange County track and field: Aliso Niguel’s Jaslene Massey throwing herself into her new love Orange County Register

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Orange County track and field: Aliso Niguel’s Jaslene Massey throwing herself into her new love

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