Hazen senior Angelica Nguyen finishes on the podium at state heptathlon
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Angelica Nguyen was hoping to place top five at the heptathlon state championships, but what actually transpired was something special.
Nguyen surpassed all expectations and finished third, for her highest finish ever at the state heptathlon. The competition spanned two days at Arlington High School from June 6-7, with all classifications competing at the event.
“One of my goals going into the ‘Hep’ was placing top five, but being able to place top three was a really big goal. I was really proud of myself, especially after districts,” Nguyen said.
The lead up was not what Nguyen wanted her final Hazen track season to be. She failed to make the state tournament after a disappointing performance at the District 2 4A meet. But what was seen as a dark moment, actually might have been a benefit for Nguyen in the long run.
“It definitely hit a lot harder because it was my senior year. I had a lot of talks with my coaches and was like my hep is my last big bang. I have to put all of my energy into that because I have nothing to lose. I was going to go out there and do the best that I can,” Nguyen said. “It might have benefited me in the long run to not make it to state because I was able to focus on my hep and not put too much pressure on myself.”
She used that time to prepare for her final meet of her career and it showed on day one.
On the day with four of the seven events to complete, Nguyen recorded a personal best in three of them. She recorded her first record in the 100 meter hurdles, she broke her own personal best by an entire second. She then jumped 4’ 7¾” in the high jump, which was four inches higher than her personal record set last season. Her final personal record was set in the 200 meter dash, which she ran in 26.35.
“I was hoping for a lot of PRs that day too because I wanted to repeat what I did last year. But mostly it was about trusting myself, trusting my coaches and what I am able to do. I wanted to have fun and go out there and do my best,” Nguyen said.
After day one she sat in fourth place, but what came on day two was something special. She credited each and every coach and her teammates that made the trek to support her in Arlington with giving her an extra boost.
“Being able to have all my coaches there helped me keep my energy up and having my teammates come out and support, I was super grateful for,” Nguyen said. “After the first day I was so slumped and tired, but taking that time to recharge was really important.”
She set another personal record in the javelin, throwing it 105 feet, which shot her into second place overall. Following that, she jumped 16’10” in the long jump which resulted in her being cemented in the top three, all she had to do was run the 800 in less than 2:30.
In 2025 she ran the 800 in 2:38, so she really needed to push. But what ended up happening was Nguyen ran the race in 2:28 to seal her third place finish.
“I was definitely surprised with myself, I actually didn’t know I ran that time until 10-minutes after I finished my race,” Nguyen said. “I just had to give it everything I got and trust my coaches too. I was getting a little nervous, they didn’t tell me what I was on pace for.”
Nguyen’s point total puts her second all-time in Hazen High School history. She credits her coaches for her success.
“At Hazen we have such an amazing team of coaches. All of my coaches were able to come, which was really a blessing. Usually at the hep you see an athlete have one or two, but I was lucky to have all of them. They not only help me become a better athlete but my coaches have helped me more on the mental side,” Nguyen said.
She talked about her struggle with her mentality following her performance at the district meet.
“I feel like that is something that every athlete struggles with, it was something that I struggled with at districts putting a lot of pressure on myself. Coach Buddy was telling me “You’re doing great but most importantly have fun’,” Nguyen said.
