Despite the challenges of wind, rain, and snow, the San Diego Mesa College track and field team traveled to participate in the annual Ron Kamaka Multis at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA. The event is in honor of former men’s cross country and track and field coach Ron Kamaka who recently passed from complications of COVID-19. 

“The conditions were not ideal and there were some challenges,” states head coach Sean Ricketts. “This is not just a great event early in the year for our decathletes, but it’s also important for us to honor Ron, who was an important person in our community.” 

Jeramiah Havens captured the top spot by finishing with 6,080, which clears him above the “State A” mark. Havens also achieved two personal bests in the long jump (6.80m 22’3.75 and 16.73 in the 110h). The state mark, which is set by the CCCAA, is time/score that an athlete needs to achieve in order to qualify for the state meet. Qualification for the state meet is also determined by how an athlete performs at regionals. Not to be outdone, Bennett Dondoyano also had a great event. Dondoyano placed third with 5,188 overall points. 

“Bennett and Jeramiah did an outstanding job focusing on each event one at a time despite the wet, windy, and 40-degree weather,” adds Ricketts.  ‘We told them to stay focused in the moment, execute, and take advantage of this opportunity.”

The podium finish is a great start for both athletes. The coaching staff believes that both Havens and Dondoyano still have a lot of progression to make and will only get better as the season unfolds.