ARCADIA — With 150 meters remaining in the seeded 800-meter race at Saturday’s Arcadia Invitational, Sage Creek High Schhol’s Josiah Bowman was in third place.

Bowman wasn’t worried. He knew he had plenty left.

Putting on a torrid final kick, the UCLA-bound senior roared into the lead and just one thing remained — seeing if he broke the elusive 1-minute, 50-second barrier.

Crossing the finish line, he looked at the track-side clock and saw the good news: 1:49.54.

“I’m so happy,” he shouted to no one in particular, “that’s been my lifetime goal!”

Bowman’s time broke the section record of 1:50.15 set by Scripps Ranch’s Shyan Vaziri in 2011. It also surpassed the state lead held by McClatchy’s Hugh Heyer of 1:50.83.

But 40 minutes later, the 800 Invitational would be contested. Del Norte High’s Cam Yarbrough could make the section record short-lived.

“Even if he gets the record, I’ll always be the first one to break 1:50,” was Bowman’s euphoric response. “I’d just have to get it back.”

Not to fear.

Bowman’s time was the fastest of the day. Heyer won the invitational in a personal-best 1:50.73, while Yarbrough went out fast but could not maintain his early pace, finishing eighth in 1:52.66.

Asked if he was aware of Bowman’s performance, Yarbrough shook his head yes but insisted his goal was “just to race.”

There would be no negative this day for the 6-foot-2, smooth-striding Bowman.

“I ran 1:50.39 early last year (at the Arroyo Meet of Champions) and I’ve been chasing breaking 1:50 ever since,” said Bowman, who won the CIF San Diego Section meet in 2025 but faded to eighth at state.

“We went out at 54 seconds (Saturday) but with 150 meters to go I saw the clock and knew if I pushed, I could get under 1:50. I started picking it up and giving it all that I had.”

That was enough to edge New Jersey Union Catholic’s Keandre Kelly, who clocked a 1:49.70.

Bowman will run the mile at the Mt. SAC Relays next weekend in hopes of significantly lowering his season-best 1,600-meter time of 4:15.26.

Neither he nor Yarbrough said which event — the 800 or the 1,600— they would focus on for state, although after his first sub-1:50, you can bet Bowman will see what he can do now that that barrier is broken.

Elsewhere

Rancho Buena Vista’s Justian Richardson captured an intense triple jump competition by hitting 48 feet, 4 ¾ inches on his final attempt and then had to wait as the event leader, Giancarlo Crovetto of Green Valley, had one more attempt. Crovetto got a personal best, but his 48-2½ was short.

• San Dieguito’s Dylan Yarbrough soared 16-8 to win the pole vault in an event where five San Diego vaulters finished in the top eight. Yarbrough did not start until 15-8, cleared that and 16-2 and 16-8 on his first tries before finally missing three attempts at equaling the section record of 17-2.

Otay Ranch’s Dane van Guenthner got a PR with his 16-2 for fourth place, Grossmont’s William Smith was fifth at 15-8, Torrey Pines’ Tyler Suhar finished seventh at 15-2, the same height as eighth-place Torin Sotelo of Grossmont.

• Rancho Bernardo’s Caitlin Khieu placed third in the invitational girls pole vault at 12-5, just shy of her seasonal best of 12-6.

• Poway’s boys ran the second-fastest 4×800 relay of all time in the section, winning the rated event Friday night in 7:49.56 — just off Torrey Pines’ 2011 record 7:48.39. The foursome was Cooper Castleberry, Landen Greene, Blake Littrell and Keith Buswell. Castleberry came back 12 hours later to win the daytime mile in 4:10.95, which converts to a 2026 section-leading 4:09.49 for 1,600.

• Mater Dei Catholic’s Jasir Fontenot, the defending state 110-hurdle record-holder and champion, did not compete.

• Scripps Ranch’s 4×100 relay team, running without UC transfer Joelle Frazier, finished seventh in 47.28, well off its best of 46.59.