Inland boys athlete of the week: Maximo Zavaleta, King

King’s Maximo Zavaleta set a meet record in winning the 1,600 meters individual title at the Redondo Nike Invitational. Zavaleta also placed second in the 3,200 meters at the meet. (File photo)

By Eric-Paul Johnson | ejohnson@scng.com | The Press-Enterprise

PUBLISHED: March 12, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. | UPDATED: March 12, 2024 at 9:00 p.m.

The Inland boys athlete of the week:

Name: Maximo Zavaleta

School: King

Sports: Track and field

Year: Sophomore

Noteworthy: Zavaleta claimed the individual title in the 1,600 meters at the Redondo Nike Invitational on Saturday morning, and he did so in record-setting fashion. Zavaleta crossed the line in 4 minutes and 12.43 seconds, which broke the previous meet record of 4:14.82 set by Redondo’s Christoph Waligorski in 2022. The previous evening, Zavaleta finished second in the 3,200-meter varsity race at the meet with a time of 9:04.44. Both times are PRs for Zavaleta, who currently ranks No. 2 in the state in the 3,200 meters and No. 3 in the state in the 1,600 meters.