Trans athlete shares first place with girls at high school track meet after policy change

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, May 21, 2026

The mother of a male athlete who took first place in several girls’ track and field contests criticized a state athletic policy that resulted in her son sharing first place with female athletes who finished just behind him.

Nereyda “Nena” Hernandez is the mother of AB Hernandez, a teenage boy who identifies as female. Hernandez represented Jurupa Valley High School at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division 3 finals over the weekend, winning the high jump, long jump and triple jump competitions.

Hernandez shared a Sunday Instagram post from Rainbow Families Action, a group consisting of parents with trans-identifying or “gender-expressive” youth. The post highlighted a May 16 letter from CIF announcing it would implement the pilot program entry process introduced last season.

“All these big tough ex-athletes at CIF, and the most courage they could muster was to hand this to coaches at AB’s meet today,” the post stated. 

The CIF pilot program allows female athletes to qualify for and compete in events alongside male athletes who identify as and compete as the opposite sex. The program also awards female athletes who finish behind trans-identifying athletes, which is why Hernandez shared first place with three girls.

Hernandez was absent from the first podium ceremony as Moorpark High School’s Gianna Gonzalez stood alone on the first-place podium, Fox News Digital reported. Gonzalez finished more than a foot behind Hernandez in the event.

Later, Hernandez shared the top podium spot with Oak Park High School’s Gwynneth Mureika after beating her by 2 inches in the high jump.

While Hernandez won the triple jump by nearly 2 feet over Malia Strange of Shadow Hills, Strange was still declared a co-champion of the event. Hernandez stood alone in the top spot on the podium during the third ceremony because Strange was absent at the time.

In response to an inquiry from The Christian Post, Nena Hernandez described herself as a “true American” who understands that “the Constitution protects ALL people, not just those we agree with, not just those who fit a certain belief system, and not just those who make others comfortable.”

“America was founded on freedom, equal protection under the law, and the separation of church and state," the mother stated, adding that the country’s laws are “meant to govern fairly and constitutionally, not through personal religious ideology imposed onto others.”

“I can respect religion while also respecting constitutional boundaries. I believe in protecting children from harassment, intimidation, discrimination, and political exploitation,” Nena Hernandez told CP. “I believe in accountability. I believe in civil rights, and I believe being patriotic means defending constitutional freedoms even when it is unpopular to do so.”

The CIF announced last year that it would expand opportunities for female athletes to compete in track and field events after President Donald Trump accused California of violating a presidential order by allowing a trans-identified male athlete to compete in girls’ sports.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump threatened to withhold “large-scale federal funding, maybe permanently” if California does not comply with his executive order banning trans-identified male athletes from women’s sports, calling the situation “totally demeaning to women and girls.”

“As a male, he was a less than average competitor. As a female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable,” Trump said. “THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS. Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to.”

The president urged “local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!”

While the president did not identify the athlete by name, the remarks appeared to reference Hernandez, who won the girls’ long jump and triple jump at the Southern Section Masters Meet and qualified for the state finals.

According to a July 2025 report from the conservative advocacy group Concerned Women for America, trans-identifying male athletes have won more than 1,900 gold medals in women's-only competitions.

The report compiled data documenting recorded instances dating back to the 1980s of males competing in female-only events. In addition to the 1,941 gold medals won by male athletes in women-only competitions, the athletes also claimed nearly $500,000 in prize money by competing in women’s sports.