The men's and women's track and field teams of San Diego Mesa College recently finished competing at the 3C2A Southern California Finals, which took place at Cerritos College on Friday. The men's team secured the third position with 103 points, while the women's team came fourth with 63 points.
The following athletes have all qualified to compete at the year-end state championships.
Kaylee Tan performed exceptionally well, securing first place and setting a new school record in the pole vault by clearing 12' 7.5". Kais Kimuli also had a fantastic day, winning the shot put event with a throw of 13.38m (43'10.75"), coming second in the discus with a throw of 43.30m (142'0"), and coming second in the hammer with a throw of 48.63m (159'6").
Sidney Garcia dominated the 800 meters yet again with a first-place finish of 2:13.0. Cemara Collins secured third position in the shot put event with a throw of 11.71m (38'5"). Ashley Nash came sixth in the long jump with a jump of 5.44m (17'10.25").
Alexis Noble finished eighth in the 5000 meters, completing the run at a time of 18:30.09. Madison Decker finished seventh in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:56.19. The women's 4x400 meter relay team of Shayla Harris, Maddie Mayo, Amorianna Leviett, and Sidney Garcia came fourth overall with a time of 4:06.82.
On the men's team, Kyle Wood set a new school record in the javelin event, securing the first position with a throw of 61.68m (202'4"). Lucas Scott followed closely behind, coming second with a throw of 59.36m (194'9"). Ian Rosen won the 800 meters event, completing it in 1:56.75. Victor Rosas secured first position in the 5000 meters, finishing the race in 14:56.73.
Armando Castillo cleared 4.55m (14'11") in the pole vault, which ranks him #7 all-time for a second-place finish. Lamar Smith came fourth in both the 100 meters, finishing the race at 10.69, and the 200 meters, finishing at 22.08. In the 400 meters, Luke Yruretagoyena secured fourth position with a time of 48.35. Jaden Dasher also secured fourth position in the 400 meters hurdles with a time of 53.91.
Balamber Izsold secured fourth position in the high jump event with a jump of 1.95m (6'4"). Joseph Depascale finished fifth in the 3K steeplechase, completing the race in 9:43.13. Alex Leroy secured sixth position with a time of 9:43.91. Jude Giolitto finished seventh in the 1500 meters with a time of 3:56.75.
Finally, the 4x400 meter relay team consisting of Marcel Acosta, Luke Yruretagoyena, Jaden Dasher, and Ian Rosen secured second position with a time of 3:16.41.
It's quite an achievement to have 25 student-athletes to qualify for the state championships. As always, the coaching program has trained them to perform their best at the end of the year. The team is all set to showcase their skills and will be heading to Saddleback College on May 17-18 for the 3C2A State Championships, which marks the end of the year.
Video Clip of Kaylee Tan setting the Pole Vault School Record