Identical twins. National leaders. Future Razorbacks.

Carlsbad High’s Makenna and Morgan Herbst are rewriting the high school track record books together.

Herbst twins, Makenna and Morgan pose together after the USATF U20 championships in June 2024. / theberbsttwins – Instagram

In the world of high school track and field, it’s rare enough to find one national-caliber athlete on a team.

Carlsbad High School in California has two — and they’re identical twins.

Makenna and Morgan Herbst have emerged as one of the most dynamic sibling duos in the country, racking up fast times, major wins, and national rankings across sprints, middle-distance, and hurdles. And they’re not done yet.

Now seniors, the Herbst twins have developed into two of the most versatile and dangerous runners in California, and the nation.

Makenna, with her elite endurance and range, is one of the best 800-meter runners in U.S. high school history.

Morgan, on the other hand, is a technical powerhouse, crushing the 300-meter hurdles and sprint relays with precision and power being the second fastest high school hurdler of all time.

“I approach training for both speed and endurance by finding a balance between the two in my weekly training,” Makenna said.

“I focus a lot on strength and leg speed, which helps with turnover and finishing strong.”

Though their events rarely overlap, their results speak volumes together. (All times are pulled from athletic.net as of June 2nd, 2025)

Makenna: The middle-distance maestro

Makenna Herbst spent the 2025 season dominating every race from 200 meters to 800 meters, but it’s the latter where she’s truly separated herself.

Her personal best of 2 minutes, 2.28 seconds in the 800 meters is currently No. 2 in the nation among high school girls, and fastest in California by a wide margin (3 seconds to be exact). Also, good for second all-time in California state history.

When asked about being ranked No. 2 all-time in California and second in the nation this season in the 800 meters, Makenna said, “It feels like I’m exactly where I belong.

I’ve worked incredibly hard mentally and, of course, physically, so I’ve definitely earned my spot.

It’s such a rush continuously competing among the top in the country.”

Even more impressively, she’s been able to keep her top-end speed intact.

Makenna has clocked 53.92 in the open 400 meters—good for No. 4 in California and 48th nationally.

She’s also a threat in the 600 meters, where her 1:28.61 time ranks No. 1 in the country and 5th all time in US high school. (The full race can be seen at the bottom of the article)

That range has made her a tactical nightmare for opponents and a dream anchor leg for Carlsbad’s relay squads.

It’s also made her a must-watch name as championship season approaches.

When asked about her approach to training for multiple events she said, “I approach training for both speed and endurance in the way that I find a balance between the two in the weekly training. While also focusing on my strength, my leg speed, allowing for a quicker turnover. ” She also noted that the, “800 is her main event for sure.”

Morgan: The hurdle queen

While Makenna controls the middle-distance scene, Morgan Herbst has become one the premier 300-meter hurdler in the U.S. Her 39.64 second performance in the 300-meter hurdles ranking No. 1 in the nation among high schoolers this year and California’s best mark of all time, breaking Olympic gold medalist, Lashinda Demus‘ previous record.

Below is her winning the state title this season in the 300-meter hurdles in her California record time, her second time breaking the record. and consecutive years of winning the state title in the event. When asked about her training for this event she had this to say.

“Mentally, I center my mind to get into a very focused and relaxed zone and trust my instinct and determination to dominate the race. Physically, I put my trust in the progression of my training to execute a fast time.”

But Morgan is no one-event specialist. Her sprint résumé is equally stacked. She’s run 11.72 in the 100-meter 55.66 in the open 400-meter. 

Her mark in the 400 is good for California’s 26th best and the she is 18th in the 100. She took hime the CIF San Diego Section title this season in the 100 with her personal best.

In regards to her balancing her cross training and being strong across other events she had this to say.

“I work with my coaches to practice my top end speed and speed endurance which allow me to do well in both the sprints and long sprints. “

Her indoor marks are just as strong. She’s clocked 8.80 in the 60-meter hurdles (9th nationally) and 39.15 in the 300m (13th nationally), giving her top-15 U.S. times in four separate events.

She says indoor season is all about ” running times that’re projections of what I will do outdoors.”

And as she is in the outdoor season the focus shifts solely to the 300 hurdles.

Despite the technical demands of hurdling, Morgan approaches every race with calm control—something she credits to both her coaches and her sister.

Twins who train, push, and win together

While their individual stats are impressive, the real magic happens in how they train and compete side-by-side. Their bond extends beyond DNA—it’s a shared work ethic, a commitment to greatness, and a built-in support system.

“Makenna helps me with the endurance workouts to stay on pace for long periods of time, due to her 800 racing discipline.” Morgan said.

And Makenna? “Morgan’s quicker leg/sprint speed pushes me on faster days where we might be going full speed for 150 meters, for example.” Both sisters realize the advantage of having such elite training partners and it certainly paid dividends this season.

They’ve also made a joint decision on their future: both will attend the University of Arkansas, where they’ll train under legendary hurdle coaches Chris and Boogie Johnson—whose past protégés include Olympians Dalilah Muhammad and Britton Wilson.

What’s next?

After that? Arkansas awaits. But for now, Carlsbad fans are soaking in every lap, every hurdle, and every twin-powered victory.

The twins said it was always in the plans to go to college together, but they are most excited to, ” train with olympic Arkansas alumni training partners and to become olympians.

The biggest influence to commit to Arkansas was Chris and Boogie Johnson’s standout ability to coach specifically hurdlers and 400/800 women to the olympic level. We feel they are 100% the best fit for us”

Two stars. One legacy. The Herbst twins are redefining what it means to be fast—and family.

They also had some words of encouragement for the younger generation of female athletes.

Morgan encourages athletes to, “ALWAYS believe in yourself and don’t ever let anyone tell you you can’t achieve your dreams.”

Makenna shares a similar sentiment saying, “Don’t ever doubt your ability to meet a goal. If you set your mind to it, you TRULY can achieve it, you just have to BELIEVE you can.”

The twins had a story book season filled basically winning every single race they participated in and setting themselves

Makenna sets the meet record at the Mt. Sac Relays with time of 2 minutes, 4.9 seconds.

Morgan runs her 2nd best 300-meter of the season in 40.51 seconds

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