Following sweep of long jump and triple jump titles in February at California Winter Outdoor Championships at same venue, along with a pair of wins at last year’s Arcadia Invitational, USC commit seeks another impressive double

By Landon Negri for DyeStat

At first glance, it looks like USC-bound senior Alyssa Hope is a walking – or leaping – contradiction.

Her coach at Martin Luther King High in Riverside, Calif., says she prefers operating under the radar.

“She likes to stay out of the spotlight, come there to do her job, then check out,” King coach Mat Vasel said.

ARCADIA INVITATIONAL LIVE WEBCAST INFO

Yet, when it comes to the big stage, the adrenaline gets going, and the defending girls state champion in the triple jump feels most comfortable, even with everyone else in the field now aiming for her.

“Surprisingly, it’s the same in the sense that I have the same motivation and the same drive to do as well as I did last year,” Hope said. “The only thing is I feel the pressure to keep getting better.

“I feel like I work well under pressure.”

It’s hard to argue with Hope’s results.

Along with the aforementioned state championship, she is ranked second in the nation in the long jump this season.

Hope also captured both the long jump and triple jump titles Feb. 4 at the California Winter Outdoor Championships at Arcadia High.

And she will try to build on that early season success Saturday night at the 55th Arcadia Invitational at the same venue.

Hope is slated to compete in both the invitational long jump and triple jump, as well as the 4x100-meter relay along with twin sister Coryssa, a relationship that both challenges and helps Alyssa every day.

Hope will square off for the first time this season against reigning state long jump champion Sydnie Vanek of Clovis High in a rematch of their impressive showdown at last year’s final when both athletes surpassed 20 feet.

Hope will also compete in the invitational triple jump against Jada Gatlin from Mission Viejo, the state leader at 40-8 (12.39m) following her April 1 effort at the Trabuco Hills Invitational.

In the 4x100 relay, King is scheduled to compete against reigning state champion Gardena Serra, Carson and anchor Reign Redmond – the defending state 100-meter champ – as well as Lake Oswego High from Oregon and junior standout Mia Brahe-Pederson, the national high school indoor record holder in the 200 meters.

“So through all four years of high school, she’s been my training partner,” Alyssa said of Coryssa. “We’re always there pushing each other.”

Last year, in fact, Coryssa traveled with Alyssa in the postseason.

The 4x100 relay offered the sisters the chance to compete together, and Alyssa’s freshman sister, Vanessa is also on the team.

“She’s tired of being in the stands,” Alyssa said of Coryssa. “She wants to be on the track this year.”

Vasel said that their togetherness is especially noticeable in the offseason.

“During the summer and during the fall, they are inseparable,” he said. “And they’re working together and pushing together.”

After achieving a leap of 19-9 (6.01m) in the long jump and producing a 39-10 (12.14m) performance in the triple jump at the California Winter Outdoor Championships, Hope is undefeated during the spring season in the triple jump and has lost only once in the long jump March 11, to Pasadena Mayfield senior Sade Falese at the Redondo Nike Track Festival.

Hope responded in her next meet March 25 at the Mt. Carmel Invitational with a personal-best long jump of 20 feet, 3.25 inches (6.18m). Her PR in the triple jump is 41-3 (12.57m).

Winning state in both horizontal jumps is an obvious goal, but for now, her focus is more on marks, with Hope having an opportunity to become the first female athlete at Arcadia to surpass 20 feet in the long jump and 41 feet in the triple jump in the same meet since former Agoura star Tara Davis Woodhall achieved the feat in 2017.

“My goal for at least the long jump is obviously to build up on the 20-3 jump and hopefully reach 21 feet,” Hope said. “And then for the triple, looking at some of the videos, my goal is to reach 41 feet, and I think I can do that if I just run through the board and put in the technique I’ve been working on all summer.”

Specifically, she said, she’s been working on the first phase of the triple jump.

“I have a habit of stepping down too early and it cuts everything off,” Hope said, adding it can throw the rest of her jump off.

Vasel hasn’t ruled out using Hope in other events in the postseason, specifically the 4x100 relay and high jump.

Hope cleared 5-6 (1.68m) in the high jump March 25 at the Mt. Carmel, and is actually tied for 10th in the state in the event. A 5-10 (1.77m) clearance usually can get in the conversation for a state title; 5-8 (1.72m), she said, would be King’s school record.

“I kept telling my family that was my most fun day I’ve had because I did so well in something new,” Hope said.

If Hope repeats or even improves on what she did a year ago – when she surprised everyone at the state final – the sky will be her limit.

“I don’t think anyone expected me to do as well as I did,” Hope said. “I wasn’t really involved in the club track world.”

Vasel said Hope is her own toughest critic as she navigates through the challenges of her senior year.

“If she doesn’t perform to what she knows she’s capable of, she’s pretty hard on herself,” Vasel said. “We kind of look to where she was last year at this time, and try to keep her mindset there.”

Hope won the invitational triple jump last season at Arcadia with a 40-3.25 (12.27m) effort and added a victory in the rising stars long jump with a leap of 19-5.50 (5.93m). She hopes to let her performances speak for themselves again Saturday.

“You can tell when she’s happy, and when she’s angry,” Vasel said. “She’s often an athlete of very few words.”